The Maratha army first reached the town of Kurnool, a little more than five hundred kilometres from Satara. Here, the Marathas defeated its Pathan Nawab and marched on towards Cudappah, a further two hundred kilometres south towards Arcot. Ananda Ranga Pillai, the Dubhasha (interpreter) with the French at Pondicherry wrote in his private diary, “A force of Maratha cavalry, 40,000 or 50,000 strong – so it appears – advanced upon Kandanur (Kurnool), and after levying from the inhabitants black-mail to the extent of 60,000 or 70,000 rupees, marched against Cudappah, where a day’s fighting ensued between it and a body of cavalry led by Abd-un-Nabi Khan. In this engagement, Abd-un-Nabi Khan fared ill; and he sent away his family for safety to the fort of Gendi (Gandikota).”
The victories at Kurnool and Cudappah opened the road to Arcot. From here, the path went through scattered low hills of the Eastern Ghats towards a pass in the hills at Damalcheri (Damalcheruvu). Over six decades earlier, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had reached Jinji taking this path, and in April 1740, Raghuji also led his army towards the pass. The arrival of the strong Maratha army was already known to the French at Pondicherry and the British at Fort St George at Madras. At this time, Nawab Dost Ali’s main army was further south at Tanjore with his son Safdar Ali. With meagre forces at his command to defend Arcot, Dost Ali sent urgent summons to Safdar Ali and Chanda Saheb to rush to his aid. The Nawab himself, instead of fortifying himself inside the fort of Arcot, decided to try and stop the Marathas at the Pass of Damalcheri. Chanda Saheb began from Tiruchirappalli, and Safdar Ali journeying from Tanjore also sent messages that he was on his way. Arcot is, however, three hundred kilometres north of Tanjore, which was at least a week’s journey at that time,
Burhan, the later chronicler of the Walajahi dynasty of Arcot wrote, “Raghuji and Fatehsingh the two Sardars of the Marathas poured into Arcot with a great army. Ali Dost Khan intimated this fact to his son and sent for the Arcot army that was with him. Immediately Safdar Ali Khan set free the ruler of Tanjore, gave him back his kingdom, and marched leisurely and slowly… past Manzil after Manzil, enjoying the trip and hunting in the fields, unmindful of the enemy advances. Ali Dost Khan wrote another letter thus, ‘My life-break is almost at its last gasp. Come, so that I may live! When I am no more, for what purpose will you be coming?’”
At Pondicherry, Ananda Ranga Pillai wrote in his private diary, “It now appears that the Marathas are moving in the direction of the pass, in view to descend into the plains, but Nawab Dost Ali Khan, Hasan Ali, Siddi Zahoor, and Mir Asad are marching with all their foot and horse, to oppose the further passage of the enemy.”
By 16 May 1740, Hasan Ali, the youngest son of Dost Ali had reached the pass with two thousand men but Safdar Ali was still on his slow journey with a two-thousand-strong cavalry towards Arcot. On 17 May 1740, Chanda Saheb left Tiruchirappalli, even further away, with two thousand horsemen and sent a message to the French Governor Dumas that he planned to join Safdar Ali and Hasan Ali at the pass. The odds in the battle being against the Nawab, wealthy people from the entire region fled with their belongings to Pondicherry to take shelter with the French.
On 20 May 1740, the Marathas reached Damalcheri in overwhelming strength and noticed the Nawab’s army headed by Dost Ali blocking their path. Seeing the weakness of the Nawab, the Marathas offered terms. However, Dost Ali refused to submit. This proved fatal. While Dost Ali with nearly 7,000 horse and 15,000 foot-soldiers stood at Damalcheri pass, he had also sent others to block other points where the hills could be crossed. Chikka Rayalu, one of his subordinates, however, let the Marathas cross the line of hills – probably for a reward. This allowed the Maratha army to come to the rear of Dost Ali’s position. More important, Dost Ali’s artillery was all pointing in the opposite direction. The old Nawab fought furiously on two fronts with swords and spears, until both he and his son Hasan Ali were slain.
The Marathas fought excellently. Both the parties used their guns and muskets. Due to this, the Nawab’s army was blown away and Marathas secured a huge victory. The Marathas captured Dewan Mir Asad alive. This final battle at Damalcheri took place on 20 May 1740.
The events as happened at the pass were reported in the proceedings of the British East India Company at Fort St George. On 23 May 1740, the President acquainted the Board, “Last night received advice that the Nawab Dost Ali Khan and his younger son Hasan Ali Khan and several other persons of note had been killed in an engagement with the Marathas at the pass of the hills which divide the province from Cudappah, the particulars of which engagement according to what we hear are as follows:
“The Nawab was lying at the pass with no more than two thousand horse, and about ten thousand peons of Bangar Veasum Nayak, the Marathas being then on the other side of the pass. Some overtures were made by the last for an accommodation, but not receiving any answer from the Nawab that was satisfactory, the Maratha army possessed themselves of the hills, and came down in his front; the Nawab’s forces were soon surrounded and the enemy charging them with firearms, the Nawab, his son Hasan Ali and several others about him were soon killed; after which the Marathas having proclaimed that, if the rest would disperse, they should not be pursued, the Nawab’s forces soon fled. Subedar (Safdar) Ali Khan, the Nawab’s eldest son, who was upon his march to his father but with no more than three thousand horse hearing of this defeat, turned back and ‘tis thought designs to shut himself up in Vellore.”
To be continued…
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