No sooner had Malharrao Holkar and Jayappa Shinde placed Madho Singh on the throne of Jaipur, than he began plotting against the two Sardars. Madho Singh devised a nefarious scheme to try and end the Maratha threat as well as his own indebtedness. The Maharaja first invited all the Shinde and Holkar Sardars to partake in a meal that was poisoned. Jayappa declined the invitation and the plan fell through. The two Maratha Sardars fortunately escaped being poisoned, as they did not attend the grand dinner by the new Raja. Then the Shinde soldiers were offered a sale at the city market, where items were quoted at a quarter of their value. The city of Jaipur, newly built by Sawai Jaisingh, was one of the most beautiful cities of the time. Nearly five thousand Maratha soldiers visited the city, roamed the Bazaars and behaved like soldiers do. As Maratha troops went around the walled city, Madho Singh shut the gates and ordered the Jaipur army to attack them. Three thousand Maratha soldiers were cut down. This treacherous act against an ally made Madho Singh a permanent enemy of Holkar. The relations between Madho Singh and the Maratha power were now vitiated beyond repair. Madho Singh forevermore opposed the Marathas and tried his utmost to roll back the juggernaut of their expanding influence. The state of Jaipur that once had good relations with Bajirao Peshwa, thus became a very unfriendly place for the Marathas.
The story in the Marathi letter continues after Ishwari Singh’s last rites, “After the agreement for tribute was committed to, the security guards were removed. Madho Singh arrived on the fifteenth day. Subedar went forth and met him. Both of them sat on one elephant and came to the royal palace. On the eighth day Jayaji Shinde too arrived. He went about the task of tribute collection. At that time, fifteen-thousand of Madho Singh’s army had also arrived. Seeing his own strength, the new Raja’s head turned. He hatched a plan to invite Subedar and Jayaji Shinde for a feast, and feed them poisoned food. Subedar agreed for the feast, but Jayappa refused. The king had bought two maunds of white arsenic. Only God saved our Sardars. The next day, he planned to invite Gangadharpant and some stewards and murder them. Jayappa and five thousand of his men went on a patrol in the city. On the ninth day of the waning moon fortnight of the month of Pausha, Thursday, 10 January 1751, the king ordered, that Marathas have come, massacre them. The preparations and advance notices had already been given. The city gates were closed. Three thousand Marathas were simply slaughtered from the second quartile of the day (afternoon) up to the first quartile of the night. One thousand were wounded. Twenty-five renowned Sardars serving Jayappa, hundred Brahmins, camp followers, Pindaris, children all were put to sword. Many of them ran and jumped the fortress ramparts, but broke their backs and legs. One thousand true-bred horses were lost. The Marathas also lost their golden kadas, pearl ornaments, clothes everything. After this happened on Thursday, the remaining people ran away to a distance of three kos and stayed there. Later, the Raja’s emissaries Kaniram, Ganeshmal, and Mahadevbhat’s representative Govind Timaji came and began discussing about peace. But the Rajputs had treachery in their heart, and would not surrender straight. This guy (Holkar?) got hopeful. Mansoor Ali’s emissary has arrived for discussion, whom he will meet. God had granted a huge success to Subedar. But it turned into a failure. That is why he has become miserable.” This letter, dated 22 January 1751, written from Holkar’s camp to Govindpant Bundele is very important.
Govindpant Bundele wrote to the Peshwa on 15 March 1751, “Madho Singh became king. He has proved untrustworthy and with an evil mind. He did not think who has placed him on the throne. He has been disloyal to his benefactors.”
However, it was not just the Rajput-Maratha relations that were vitiated by Madho Singh’s massacre of thousands of Marathas in the walled city; the disagreement over the treaty with Jaipur led to further straining of relations between Shinde and Holkar.
However, before any action against him could be taken, emissaries of Vazir Safdarjung approached the Maratha Sardars for help. An urgent and new enterprise opened up before them at Delhi. Imperial Vazir Safdarjung was at war with the Rohillas who had usurped the Badshah’s lands. Safdarjung decided to seek Maratha help and now with his agents requesting urgent help, the chastisement of Madho Singh was left for another day.
Later, the Sardars went from Jaipur to the Antarved (Doab). They displayed their prowess by helping Safdarjung. That they did not display any hurt about the massacre at Jaipur was apt for their soldierly behaviour. However, this affair displays the way the animosity between the Rajputs and the Marathas went on increasing.
To be continued…
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