The entire description of the battle at the Damalcheri pass has also come to us through a letter Safdar Ali wrote to Dumas at Pondicherry, “Nawab Dost Ali Khan went out to oppose the passage of the Marathas through the pass. With his artillery and troops, he took possession of the heights, and awaited attack. The Marathas, making a movement to the rear, surrounded the position, and began to harass the Nawab’s forces. He had previously written to all of us to march with our troops to the pass. I had reached the Pennar (South Ponnaiyar river), but the other chieftains had not left Arcot. In the meantime, the Nawab, with eighty horsemen, fell into the hands of the Marathas, and died fighting. Such was the will of God! I thereafter sent away my cavalry in detachments, to strengthen the garrisons of various forts, and went in person to that of Vellore. I summoned Chanda Saheb and was making preparations for a campaign. Naseer Jung had, in the meanwhile, made terms, and effected peace (with the Marathas). There, matters rest at present.”
Dost Ali and his son Hasan Ali were killed, and his Dewan Mir Asad was captured by the Marathas. The reference to Naseer Jung, the Nizam’s son, in the letter is with reference to the peace he negotiated with Bajirao Peshwa after their battle on the Godavari in March 1740. The defeat at Damalcheri forced all the Muslim powers in the Carnatic into defensive positions. The position of Pratapsingh, the new ruler of Tanjore, alone was strengthened.
The moment Nawab Dost Ali died, Chanda Saheb desired to acquire the office of the Nawab of Carnatic for himself, and captured Tiruchirappalli first. Safdar Ali was aggrieved by Chanda Saheb’s refusal to help, but quickly saved himself by a secret pact with the Marathas, the main purport of which was the payment of a crore of rupees to the Marathas for confirming him as the Nawab of Arcot, and the defeat and removal of his brother-in-law Chanda Saheb from the Carnatic. Of the one crore rupees promised, Safdar Ali paid ten lakhs immediately. Although Safdar Ali and Chanda Saheb both visited Pondicherry to meet their families after this, news about the pact between the Marathas and Safdar Ali remained a secret. The clauses of this secret agreement entered on 16 November 1740 were as follows,
- “The Marathas should capture Tiruchirappalli and Chanda Khan.
- They should completely annihilate Nawab Safdar Ali’s enemies.
- In lieu of that the Nawab will pay the Marathas one crore rupees in instalments.”
Besides these clauses, according to Shahu’s orders, there was an arrangement made to protect the kings of Tanjore. Having obtained this agreement from Safdar Ali and secretly undertaken to remove Chanda Saheb from the scene, Raghuji set about to capture the all-important fort of Tiruchirappalli. The coming years were to immortalise Tiruchirappalli in eighteenth-century history.
Nanasaheb left Pune for northern campaign on 23 November 1740 but soon Chimaji Appa had to return to Pune as his health broke down. A few days after his return, he passed away on 17 December 1740. His wife Annapurnabai committed Sati, the first instance of a lady from the Peshwa family to immolate herself with her husband. The death of Bajirao and Chimaji Appa within eight months of each other, left the entire burden of governance on the new Peshwa.
The news of Appa’s death soon reached the Carnatic and the Peshwa’s authority there was virtually thrown off. The Peshwa’s agent in the Carnatic wrote, “The R named chief had a fear of Appa and Maharaj. Day and night, he behaved with this fear in mind. Just then came letters from Satara that Shrimant Appa Swami is seriously ill. Following this, another letter reached that on the tenth day of the Shukla-Paksha (waxing moon fortnight) of the month of Pausha, Appa had passed away. The letter was read out to Safdar Ali and written to Raghuji. On that, Raghuji celebrated in many ways saying, ‘Today, all has happened as per my wishes. The thorn in my side has been removed by God.’ He has now become so proud that there is none like him. He feels he is the only one of note and if any superiors are there; what can they do (to him)?
“Nawab Safdar Ali and Raghuji have signed a treaty that if the Nizam intervenes in the Carnatic, and tries to install a new Nawab, Raghuji and Safdar Ali will jointly oppose the Nizam. Safdar Ali owes seventy lakhs to the Nizam. In reality, the Chauth of Arcot is ours, however, letters have come to Safdar Ali that there is no need to give it to the Shrimant. After the sad news of Appa came, we asked him about the dues. Safdar Ali replied, ‘Now the Shrimant is no more. The whole kingdom has been taken over by the R named person. Forty lakh rupees have to be paid, after that I will see what is to be done. the Sardars are still nearby and are plundering the province. Those who once supported me have gone. It is not possible for me to pay the dues.’ This was Safdar Ali’s frank answer (to me).”
Due to the previous Maratha victory at Damalcheri, many of those who used to build fantasy castles in their minds about the Carnatic plans, were stunned awake. The Maratha terror spread everywhere in a flash. Bajirao had overrun the north, and people began suspecting that similarly, Raghuji would capture the whole of south Hindustan.
To be continued…
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