Let us now look at how the friendship between the Marathas and the Rajputs that had been carefully cultivated by Shahu Maharaj was broken. Since the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the main objective of the Maratha politics was to establish a Hindupadpaadshahi. This meant, that the protection and prosperity of the Hindu religion, which had vanished under Muslim rule, the Marathas had begun an enterprise to establish it all over the country. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had tried to coax Mirza Raja Jaisingh’s heart towards this propagation of Hindupadpaadshahi. He instructed Chhatrasal on the same principle in their meeting. This was the principle motive behind his coronation ceremony. Sambhajiraje had related the same principle in his letter to Ram Singh. After Sambhajiraje’s assassination, this same pride about their religion had issued a call that inspired the Marathas to erect the monumental struggle against the Badshah. When Shahu was in the Badshah’s captivity, through this same principle he had established the friendly relations with the Rajputs. Shahu’s this principle of advocacy of Hindupadpaadshahi was the reason behind Balaji Vishwanath and Bajirao gaining specific strength. The Peshwas brought about the unification of Hindu interests by coaxing, cajoling and at times tightly binding the Rajputs using these bonds of common religion. Even though Nanasaheb also had the same objective, in Shahu’s final days, due to various miscellaneous reasons, this long-lasting unity between the Marathas and the Rajputs went on loosening with time, and the growing Maratha power got a blow at Panipat.
The Rajputs had been the first among the Hindu rulers to resist the Mughals and the House of Udaipur had never accepted wedding proposals from the Mughal Badshahs for their daughters. In the eyes of the Rajputs, the Maharana of Udaipur, therefore, held a pre-eminent position.
Shahu’s contemporary Rajput kings were Sawai Jaisingh, Udaipur’s Sangram Singh and Jagat Singh, and Marwad’s Ajit Singh and Abhay Singh. Out of these, a fierce estrangement arose between the Marathas and the rulers of Jaipur and Marwad now.
The way the Marathas had revolted against Aurangzeb in the Deccan during the later part of his reign, Rajputs too began invading the imperial realms in the north. The moment Aurangzeb died, the Rajput kings, inspired by purity of blood and prosperity of religion, brought about a huge new constitutional change. Meeting on the banks of the Pushkar lake, and discussing for a long time, they entered into an agreement unanimously, that they would not give away their daughters to the Muslims henceforth; the familial relations, which the Udaipur’s kings had stopped with other Rajput families, should be started again; and also, if any of the daughters of Udaipur dynasty married within the Jaipur, Jodhpur etc. dynasties, their progeny was to be given precedence for inheritance of the kingdom. This famous agreement came through in year 1710. Since then, for almost a century, the Rajput kings engaged in terrible internecine warfare, and the sacred objective for which the said agreement was entered upon, was forgotten and never came to fruition. The agreement was against the Muslims, but due to it, unnecessary inheritance disputes arose everywhere in Rajputana. In these disputes, different parties sought help from the Marathas. Out of the wars that resulted from all these, two main events became especially harmful for the Marathas. One of them pertained to the Jaipur throne after Sawai Jaisingh’s death, and the other to the Jodhpur throne after Abhay Singh’s death. These disputes went on for seven years each and due to them the erstwhile camaraderie between the Marathas and Rajputs was destroyed. During this period, the Peshwa remained caught up in the activities of the Deccan, and there was no unified command and control structure in the Maratha political activities in the north.
On 23 September 1743, Sawai Jaisingh, one of the biggest supporters the Marathas had in Delhi, died after a long ailment. The death of this stalwart set in motion a succession dispute that would increasingly draw the Marathas into Jaipur’s domestic squabbles. For now, his elder son Ishwari Singh assumed the role of the new ruler. However, Madho Singh, the younger son who was born to a princess of Udaipur, was unhappy with the accession. There was that old Rajput convention that a son born to Udaipur princess would succeed to the throne even if he was younger. It was to be only the first of several succession disputes that would occur in the coming decade and tear the fragile fabric of peace in the country.
The moment Madho Singh was born, Udaipur’s Rana Sangram Singh had gifted him his own Rampura Pargana in 1727, and handed over the administration of that Pargana to Sawai Jaisingh. Madho Singh would mostly live with his maternal grandfather at Udaipur. The moment Jaisingh died, Ishwari Singh assumed his throne and began administration. The Badshah too provided his approval for this. Mewad’s Jagat Singh gathered his forces, and along with Madho Singh attacked Jaipur. The struggle with Ishwari Singh lasted for seven years. Ishwari Singh also attempted to repulse. Towards the end of 1743, for one-and-a-half months, both the contingents faced each other near Jahajpur. For some time, they engaged in peaceful negotiations. In it, Ishwari Singh agreed to hand over some more of the region to Madho Singh. He was not satisfied, however, and began demanding half the kingdom.
Finally, Ishwari Singh committed suicide through ultimate frustration and then Madho Singh got Jaipur throne (29 December 1750). In this seven-year-war, Shinde and Holkar participated for their own selfish interests, sometimes on Madho Singh’s while sometimes on Ishwari Singh’s side. Due to this, many complications were created disturbing the Maratha political activities.
To be continued…
NDHistories 