Raghuji was from the house of the Hingnikar Bhosales of Hingni Berdi, a village on the banks of the river Bheema near the town of Siddhatek in Ahmednagar district. Mudhoji, the first of the dynasty, was probably known to Malojiraje Bhosale, grandfather of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It is possible the Bhosales shared a common ancestor. One of Shahu’s early adherents was Raghuji’s grandfather Parsojiraje Bhosale, a Sardar from the Berar region. The Berar province was created in the rule of Mughal Badshah Akbar and extended from Betul to Chandrapur. Parsoji and his brother Sabaji served in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s army and led campaigns towards Gondwana and Berar. In Rajaram’s reign Parsoji was given the task of collecting Chauth from those regions. On Shahu’s release from Mughal custody, it was Parsoji who came forward to identify him as the true heir to the Maratha kingdom. Any lingering doubt on this score was removed when Parsoji agreed to eat food from the same plate as Shahu.
In the late eighteenth century, a courtier at Nagpur wrote a letter to Nana Fadnis, the later Maratha minister, confirming some of the antecedents of the Bhosales. Probably written to resolve later family disputes, the letter gives us a good background of the family, “The first one in the dynasty was Mudhoji Bhosale. Parsoji, Bapuji, and Sabaji were his sons. Bapuji had three sons, Santaji, Ranoji and Bimbaji Bhosale. They all served Maharaj and lived together. Shahu Maharaj was a captive with the Badshah. The Begum Saheba showered him with affection like a son. He came away from there. Once here, he faced political difficulties, and Parsoji Bhosale came with an army and met Shahu Maharaj. Tarau Saheb (Tarabai) said Shahu Maharaj had no right to the kingdom. However, Parsoji Bhosale supported him and put him on the throne. Maharaj was pleased and gave him the title of Senasahebsuba. Parsoji’s brother Sabaji had no son. Parsojibaba had one son Kanhoji. Of Bapuji’s three sons, Santaji Bhosale was ordered to go to Malwa and Hindustan. With Balajipant Peshwa (Balaji Vishwanath) he went to Delhi and was killed there. His dynastic line ended there. Ranoji Bhosale had four sons, Santaji, Jiwaji, Sekhoji, and Kushaji. Bimbaji Bhosale had just one son Raghuji. On Parsoji’s death, the title of Senasahebsuba went to Kanhoji. There was a dispute between him and Ranoji Bhosale. Then Maharaj divided their assets. The shares of Ranoji and Raghuji Bhosale came out of this division. Later, Ranoji gave his share to Raghujibaba. There are many papers attesting this. Later, Shahu Maharaj did not like Kanhojibaba’s acts and he fell from grace. Raghuji earned money and became powerful. He still holds a share of Ranojibaba.”
As the letter mentions, when Parsoji died in 1709, his son Kanhoji was appointed as Senasahebsuba. Kanhoji consolidated his rule from the village of Bham. At first, he had no heir and called his nephew Raghuji to assist him. Raghuji’s father Bimbaji probably died shortly after he was born, and the young boy grew up with his mother Kashibai at the village Pandavwadi near Wai. It was believed that he was born due to the blessings of a saintly person named Ramajipant Kolhatkar who was a devotee of Lord Ram. Since Raghuji was born with his blessings, he was named Raghu, after Lord Ram. From then on, the Bhosales also considered Ram as their family deity. Ramajipant had two sons named Konherram and Bhaskarram, who served the later Nagpur state. the Bhosales and Kolhatkar families thus were close over two generations.
At first, Raghuji worked for his uncle Ranoji. From here, he was called up by Kanhoji. However, after a son named Rayaji was born to Kanhoji, disagreements between them grew and affection took a dip. Raghuji returned to Satara. Around 1725, since Kanhoji had not remitted the dues from his territory, Shahu summoned him to Satara to account for the arrears. Unable to satisfy the Maharaj and fearing arrest, Kanhoji fled from the royal camp and reached Bham. For some time, he also joined the Nizam, before making his way back to Berar.
Raghuji Bhosale, on the other hand, during his stay with Shahu impressed him with his courage, and during a hunt saved Maharaj’s life from a tiger. The pleased Maharaj gave him a Jagir and arranged his marriage with a cousin of his younger queen Sagunabai. A year later, in 1728, Shahu appointed Raghuji as Senasahebsuba and gave him the province of Berar to govern. On receiving the appointment, it was necessary for Raghuji to furnish sufficient guarantees to the king against future dues to be remitted to the treasury. Towards this, Ramajipant’s son Konherram came forward and convinced the moneylenders to stand surety.
To be continued…
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