Eventually, Fatehsingh handed over the fort to Murarrao Ghorpade. Murarrao gave an undertaking on 5 April 1741 agreeing to serve loyally and restore the worship in the temples of the region. In addition, he agreed to remit a part of the Chauth of Arcot to the Peshwa. Murarrao also assured Fatehsingh that Raghuji’s son would not get the throne of Tanjore. Raghuji’s diplomacy at Satara on this account through his well-wishers in the Vaidya family did not succeed, and Tiruchirappalli remained with Murarrao.
Murarrao was ambitious of securing the office of the Senapati under Shahu. Dabhades had virtually vanished, but Shahu still felt much about them, which was why he did not accept this demand from Murarrao. The campaign over, Fatehsingh left for Satara and Chanda Saheb was sent to Berar as a prisoner with Bhaskarpant. Chanda Saheb was to remain with Raghuji until 1744, when he was ransomed for seven-and-a-half lakh rupees and sent to Satara, where once again he remained a prisoner for some more time.
Before leaving the Carnatic and returning to Satara, however, there was one final place Raghuji intended to visit.
Chanda Saheb was captured by the Marathas along with his elder son Abid Ali. Since his women and other children were under the shelter of the French at Pondicherry, they were saved. Chanda Saheb requested Raghuji that he should be released upon payment of a ransom amount. But seeing that releasing him would mean all his enterprise so far would go waste, Raghuji dispatched both of them to Satara in tight security. This father-son-duo remained there in captivity for seven long years. The general understanding that many people have propagated, that Dupleix got them released in 1748, is not true. Actually, many people saw this Chanda Saheb as just another political move. There seems to have been some selfish motive of Raghuji and the Peshwa in his imprisonment. Similarly, the Nizam, Dupleix, and Anwaruddin all measured-up Chanda Saheb differently. Chanda Saheb lived at Satara much respectfully as per his due protocol importance, and he was not troubled at all. Even under captivity, he kept focussing on establishing friendly relations with various parties and somehow achieving his final aim of securing the office of the Nawab of Carnatic. For this, by outwardly keeping Shahu in good spirits, he fully understood the Maratha policies and workings. The rulers in the Carnatic and Dupleix himself began their continuous efforts to free Chanda Saheb. Chanda Saheb engaged in political negotiations with everyone from Satara, and established secret relations. Even Raghuji became his friend. He had absolutely hypnotized the Peshwa. He also hatched-up separate conspiracies within the Nizam’s kingdom and made the situation there conducive to himself. Shahu became so enamoured with him, that when he agreed to hand over the ancient Hindu sacred religious place of Tiruchirappalli to the Marathas, the Peshwa himself provided him assisting forces, and dispatched him from Satara. In all these activities, seven years were spent at Satara. He did not have to cough up much of his ransom, neither did he have much money. There is a reference that he deposited a sum of two lakh forty thousand rupees. The moment news arrived on 21 May 1748 that Nizam-ul-Mulk had died, he left Satara. He did not get any monetary assistance from Dupleix. There is a reference that he arrived on the banks of the Krishna River along with twelve thousand army. He generated some money from the Bijapur province through Muzaffar Jung.
With the taking of Tiruchirappalli, one objective of the Marathas had been achieved. Safdar Ali was declared the Nawab of Arcot and was treaty-bound to pay an annual tribute. Pratapsingh was confirmed as the king of Tanjore and his security was ensured. The two Hindu kingdoms of the Carnatic had been the reason for the campaign. There remained the French at Pondicherry, where the family of Chanda Saheb resided, and his not inconsiderable wealth was deposited. The French colony, therefore, became Raghuji’s next objective.
The Maratha invasion of Pondicherry was expected for over a year and the French had time to prepare their defences. They had dug a trench and planted thorny shrubs all round, two hundred peons were placed on the outposts and a special tax was levied on the city’s richer inhabitants. All trees in the vicinity of the city’s walls were cut down to expose any enemy coming their way. In February 1741, they even stopped the sale of intoxicants to maintain a high level of alert. Two Marathas living in Pondicherry were suspected of collusion with the Maratha army and were arrested by Dumas.
To be continued…
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