PORTUGUESE ANGLE

The news of the fall of Madras to the French reached Nanasaheb, who had to be in attendance to Shahu at Satara. He wrote to Pilaji Jadhavrao on 9 December 1746, that the French were likely to attack the British on the west coast at Mumbai and then, even the Maratha posts of Vasai or Versova, “In the Carnatic the Firangis (French) attacked and took the place of the British. Anwaruddin Khan sent an army, but this was also given a thrashing. They took a few more places. This means they might attack Mumbai or even Vasai and Vesave (Versova). Hence, I am sending you there. In Vasai, you can put wet wood with a little mud around the fort, do not send the horsemen to fight. You are aware of the powerful artillery of the Firangis. Versova is vulnerable to fire from ships, so strengthen it with brave soldiers. Our guns should fire at the ships, they may not be able to stand it. Once Sardars like you are there, the enemy will not be able to approach. I am sending (Sadashivrao) Bhau on a campaign to the Carnatic to distract the Firangis. I had written in the past that you should accompany Bhau. However, you are required at Vasai at this time… in the past the Firangi British had attacked Khanderi, but they were beaten back as the fort was manned by the brave.”

The moment Shahu dispatched Sadashivrao to the Carnatic, Naik got angry and began venting out his frustrations in front of Shahu. On 7 February 1747 a report read, “Babuji Naik is at Satara. He did not complete the ritual feast. The thinking is, present Rajashree with the feast, complete the ritual, and only then embark on the campaign. In Bhau’s campaign, there are twenty-thousand men. The moment Rajashree asked, where Naik would leave for after seeking farewell, Yamajipant informed, he would go towards the provinces of Shire, Chitradurga, Rajadurga, Harpanhalli. Upon hearing this, Rajashree said, ‘Let us see what happens.’”

We get information from Portuguese correspondence of the time about what was at stake. A letter from Goa to the Secretary of State in Portugal in February 1747, discusses a possible Maratha attack on their post at Daman. The Viceroy also asked for troops to attack Vasai but found that Nanasaheb had already sent additional troops to defend the place, “Nana has been detained in the court of Satara for more than a year now. It is learnt that Shahu was scared of him in his Pune court and wanted, therefore, to keep him away from the said court and near to that of Satara to watch him more closely, on account of the jealousy and caution that originated from his power. The junior and senior queens, wives of Shahu, had great animosity with Nana because of the dispute of some lands that the queens wished to gift to one of their persons. Nana was unyieldingly opposed to that gift. Nana began to corrupt the ministers of the Satara court by payment of money. He bribed all the maids of the queens with large sums of money and finally corrupted Shahu himself with very rich presents. He succeeded and planned everything according to his desire.”

Nanasaheb’s own letter of 22 February 1747 gives us his impressions of the matter. The Peshwa wrote to Ramchandrababa that he wished to restore the forts captured from Bhosales of Sawantwadi. However, at this time, it was not possible and the Firangis were not willing to do so. “The Firangi is untrustworthy, he must be taught a lesson, but it is not possible at the present time. We are, therefore, heading towards Bednoor.” This did not, however, prevent the Peshwa from providing the Bhosales with monetary support.

Nanasaheb was, for the Portuguese, the prime mover in the Maratha state. Many of their letters are written with an embedded animosity for the Peshwa. The letter further discusses the other ministers of the court, “Shripatrao (Pratinidhi), Minister of Shahu and enemy of Nana died. Naro Ram, another minister, has reached the decrepit age of eighty. The lone minister, young and intrepid, is Nana now. He has huge forces and a large amount of money. He can soon be master of the entire dominion of Shahu as well as that of Sambhaji II, which, put together will constitute a formidable potency.”

The Peshwa had been at Satara for over a year and a half. In Shahu’s court, Mahadoba Purandare was a partisan, however, Govindrao Chitnis, who had the king’s ear, was considered capable of an independent opinion. Govindrao played a vital role during this time to sound Maharaj about the real state of affairs.

To be continued…

BACK-STORY – TIRUCHIRAPPALLI

Savnoor, a town sixty kilometres south of Hubli, was taken over by an Afghan Sardar in Aurangzeb’s time and his descendants had ruled over it since. Originally an officer at Bijapur, he switched allegiance to Aurangzeb when Bijapur was taken over by the Mughals. As is often the norm, there is a story that the founder, Nawab Abdul Rauf Khan, while on a hunt saw a hare chase a dog and struck by the scene decided to establish his capital there. Over the next sixty years, a succession of Nawabs tried to retain their independence. Shahu first sent Bajirao Peshwa against Savnoor in 1726, then it was ceded to Sambhaji II of Kolhapur as his area of influence in 1730. The Nizam had not given up his claims either. Savnoor had to pay Sambhaji II tribute off and on, however, a settled arrangement could not be enforced. Savnoor Nawab’s kingdom was quite expansive, and his control prevailed in the region between the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra.

Besides Savnoor, many other big and small principalities were continuing almost independently in the Carnatic. They were Mysore, Bednoor, Chitradurga, Harpanahalli, Anagondi, and Rayadurga. Out of these, the Mysore realms were over the southern half of the Carnatic, while the rest were on the northern half of the Carnatic. In them, the Bednoor principality was quite big on the boundaries of the western Ghats. Beneath the Ghats, there was Sondhe principality, which also had some control over the Ghat regions. When the Nizam became independent, the Tanjore principality, and the Gutti principality established by the Ghorpades were two Maratha principalities in the Carnatic. Gutti’s rulers had under their control the forts of Gajendragad and Sondur. Gutti’s Murarrao Ghorpade turned out to be especially valorous. For fifty years, he established a sound influence over various rulers in the Carnatic. In summary, at the time of the Peshwa rule, three different types of rulers were powerful in the Carnatic, Muslims, Marathas and Kannadigas, and they kept engaging in internecine warfare as well.

Arcot Nawab’s kingdom was spread over the Carnatic Balaghat. The Nawab of Arcot, Sadat-ullah Khan of the Nevayat (immigrants from Arabia from the sixth century, literally meaning newcomer) dynasty ruled the territory for nearly three decades. On his death in 1732, his nephew Dost Ali Khan succeeded him, but the Nizam did not approve his accession.

When Dost Ali was managing the administration of the Carnatic, his son-in-law Hussein Dost Khan alias Chanda Saheb, a very clever and scheming gentleman rose to prominence in 1732. He improved his army, increased the revenue collections, and generated experience in state administration. He established friendly relations with the French and arranged for their assistance to be provided in emergency situations. In the same year, Chokkanatha, the Nayak ruler of Tiruchirappalli, died without an heir and Meenakshi, his queen, succeeded him. However, soon a descendant from another branch, named Bangaru Tirumala, disputed the succession and tried to take over the city. Taking this opportunity, Arcot’s Nawab Dost Ali dispatched his son-in-law Chanda Saheb along with the army to extract whatever advantage he could obtain from the dispute. Chanda Saheb played a very big treacherous game to capture Tiruchirappalli. He established relations with the queen there. Pitting the two protagonists at Tiruchirappalli against each other, Chanda Saheb won Meenakshi’s trust and obtained a large sum of money from her for safeguarding her city. Bangaru had to be content with the city of Madurai.

In the next four years, the Hindu kingdoms of Tanjore and Tiruchirappalli became the eye of the storm that ruffled the entire Carnatic. Maratha Sardars like Raghuji Bhosale etc. were fully aware of all this back-story. Thereafter, Chanda Saheb nursed the desire to destroy Hindu kingdoms of Tanjore and Madurai, and increase the prestige of his Islamic religion. The state of Tanjore had been conquered in 1676 by Vyankojiraje (or Ekojiraje) Bhosale, the stepbrother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. After his death, his three sons, Shahaji II, Sarfoji, and Tukoji ruled one after the other, making it a rich and prosperous territory with its fertile well-irrigated lands. When Tukoji died in 1736, his son Shahaji III came to the throne, but was dependent on Sayyed Khan, his military commander, for support.

Sayyed Khan ousted Shahaji III from the throne and enthroned another claimant named Sidhoji. Shahaji III, therefore, began to scout for friends who would get him back to power and his quest took him to Benoit Dumas, the French Governor of Pondicherry. Dumas promised him help, in exchange for the east coast port of Karaikal. In his moment of need, Shahaji III agreed. However, Sayyed Khan once again supported him and brought him back to the throne. Shahaji III then repudiated his agreement with Dumas and refused to hand over Karaikal. Dumas who had friendly relations with Chanda Saheb, turned to him for help. Chanda Saheb then attacked Tanjore and conquered Karaikal for Dumas.

To be continued…

CHRONOLOGY – BAJIRAO

A brief timeline that can be drawn for the beginning of the times of Bajirao as follows.

Date	Events
18 August 1700	Bajirao born.
2 April 1720	Balaji Vishwanath dies.
17 April 1720	Bajirao granted protocol robes of the office of the Peshwa.
8 May 1720	Nizam crosses the Narmada and comes to Deccan.
20 May 1720	Nizam captures Ashirgad and arrives at Burhanpur.
19 June 1720	Battle of Khandwa. Dilawar Ali dies.
27 June 1720	Nizam returns to Burhanpur.
20 July 1720	Nizam cantons at Shevgaon.
31 July 1720	Battle of Balapur. Aalam Ali dies.
10 August 1720	Shankaraji Malhar dies.
September 1720	Shahu-Bajirao meeting.
30 September 1720	Pratnidhi’s Bankapur campaign.
8 October 1720	Sayyed Hussein Ali murdered near Jaipur.
14 November 1720	Sayyed Abdullah arrested (murdered later on 11 October 1722).
15 December 1720	Chandrasen defeated on the Godavari.
21 December 1720	Mughals besiege Bhilwadi.
4 January 1721	Bajirao-Nizam meeting at Chikhalthana.
February 1721	Vazir Aamir Khan dies. Nizam recalled to the north.
February 1721	Nizam and Mubarij Khan in the Carnatic.
21 October 1721	Nizam goes to the north.
18 January 1722	Nizam arrives at Delhi.
13 February 1722	Nizam meets Badshah. Appointed Vazir.
May 1722	Haidar Quli Khan arrives in Gujarat.
30 August 1722	Giridhar Bahadur appointed as Subedar of Malwa.
2 October 1722	Nizam goes to Malwa.
8 October 1722	Bajirao embarks on northern campaign.
24 October 1722	Haidar Quli Khan recalled from Gujarat.
5 December 1722	Bajirao meets Aiwaj Khan in Khandesh.
January 1723	Nizam arrives in Malwa.
13 February 1723	Nizam meets Bajirao at Badkashan.
15 May 1723	Nizam starts towards Delhi from Malwa. Azimullah appointed as Subedar of Malwa.
4 July 1723	Nizam at Delhi, meets Badshah.
18 July 1723	Chandrasen fights Santaji Pandhare, Santaji dies.
7 December 1723	Nizam appoints his son as Vazir and himself returns to Deccan.
27 January 1724	Bajirao embarks on Malwa campaign from Satara. Mubarij Khan attacks Shahu.
10 January 1724	Bajirao-Portuguese Treaty.
24 February 1724	Nizam leaves Agra.
27 February 1724	Shahu calls all Sardars.
27 March 1724	Shahu sends Sumant to meet Aiwaj Khan.
18 May 1724	Bajirao-Nizam meeting at Nalchha.
2 June 1724	Subedar Giridhar Bahadur arrives at Ujjain.
11 June 1724	Nizam captures Aurangabad.
27 July 1724	Kamruddin Khan appointed Vazir at Delhi.
29 July 1724	Shahu orders his Sardars to remain neutral.
3 September 1724	Nizam attacks Mubarij Khan from Aurangabad.
30 September 1724	Battle of Fatehkherda (Sakharkherda). Mubarij Khan dies. Nizam declares virtual independence.
January 1725	Nizam arrives at Hyderabad.
28 February 1725	Nizam’s envoy meets Bajirao.
8 April 1725	Pratinidhi defeats Bhagwantrao Amatya at Panhalgad.
April 1725	Bande and Pilaji Gaikwad spar at Khambayat. Pilaji defeated.
April 1725	Marathas start implementing Chauth over Gujarat.
2 June 1725	Giridhar Bahadur appointed as Subedar at Ujjain.
20 June 1725	Nizam appointed as Subedar of Deccan by Badshah. Bajirao granted imperial Firmans.
November 1725	Bajirao’s Chitradurga Campaign.
30 December 1725	Shahu writes Treaty for Sambhaji II.
March 1726	Rambhaji Nimbalkar, Udaji Chavhan, Turktaj Khan cause troubles in Shahu’s territory.
Monsoon 1726	Sambhaji II takes Nizam’s support.
23 August 1726	Shahu orders to get Nilkanthrao Jadhav released.
August 1726	Shahu dispatches Rayaji Jadhav against Udaji.
November 1726-April 1727	Bajirao’s Shrirangapatnam Campaign.
Summer 1726	Nizam campaigns in the Carnatic.
19 November 1726	Sultanji Nimbalkar removed from Sarlashkar office.
End-August 1726	Sultanji Nimbalkar and Chimnaji Damodar join the Nizam.
21 September 1726	Khando Ballal dies.
4 March 1727	Bajirao stays at Shrirangapatnam.
27 August 1727	Bajirao attacks Nizam.
29 September 1727	Sidhoji Nimbalkar appointed Sarlashkar.
September 1727	Nizam instructs Sawai Jaisingh against Shahu.
October 1727	Nizam attacks Bajirao.
5 November 1727	Bajirao defeats Aiwaj Khan. Attacks Gujarat afterwards.
8 February 1727	Siddi destroys the Parashuram temple.
19 December 1727	Sarbuland Khan grants the Chauth of Gujarat to the Marathas.
December 1727	Nizam wreaks havoc in Pune province.
8 February 1728	Nizam marries off Sambhaji II at Pune. Bajirao wreaks havoc in Khandesh. Chimaji Appa and Shahu at Purandar.
25 February 1728	Battle of Palkhed. Bajirao defeats Nizam. Sambhaji II leaves Nizam and returns to Panhalgad. Brahmendra Swami arrives at Dhawadshi.
May 1728	Pilaji campaigns in Daman province. Kanhoji revolts. Senapati Piraji Ghorpade (Kolhapur) dies. Son Ranoji made new Senapati.
6 March 1728	Treaty of Mungi-Shevgaon. Dawalji Somvanshi appointed Sarlashkar. Replaces Sidhoji Nimbalkar.
June 1728	Mohammed Khan Bangash defeats Chhatrasal at Jaitpur.
29 November 1728	Battle of Amjhera. Two Subedars killed. Chimaji achieves unprecedented victory.
13 December 1728	Chimaji Appa at Ujjain.
20 December 1728	Bhawaniram attacks Chimaji Appa.
January 1729	Udaji Chavhan surrenders to Shahu.
February 1729	Bajirao enters Bundelkhand.
12 March 1729	Bajirao-Chhatrasal meet at Mahoba.
28 April 1729	Bajirao defeats Bangash. Govindpant Bundele appointed (at Bundelkhand).
December 1729	Pawar-Holkar capture Mandavgad.
4 July 1729	Kanhoji Angre dies.
27 September 1729	Khanderao Dabhade dies.
21 July 1729	Sekhoji Angre appointed Sarkhel.
October 1729	Jaisingh appointed Subedar of Malwa.
1730-1731	Period of Chhatrasal Bundela’s peak prowess.
1730	Bangash appointed Subedar of Malwa.
1730	Murarrao Ghorpade meets Shahu at Satara.
1730	Shahu invades Sambhaji II. Sambhaji and Udaji Pawar counterattack.
8 January 1730	Trimbakrao Dabhade appointed Senapati. Yashwantrao appointed Senakhaskhel.
February 1730	Chimaji Appa and Udaji Pawar enter Gujarat. Pawagad captured.
23 March 1730	Pratinidhi defeats Sambhaji II. Captures his queens and brings them to Satara.
June 1730	Abhay Singh appointed as Subedar of Gujarat.
10 October 1730	Abhay Singh captures Ahmedabad.
1730	Marathas defeat Portuguese at Khambayat.
12 July 1730	Shahu orders Angre to capture Vishalgad.
8 August 1730	Kolhapur’s Sambhaji II sends Nilkanth Trimbak Pradhan to Shahu requesting treaty.
September 1730	Jaipur’s Deep Singh’s embassy to Satara.
November 1730	Deep Singh meets the Nizam at Aurangabad and returns.
November 1730	Shahu’s Sardars arrive at Panhalgad to bring Sambhaji II for treaty.
25 November 1730	Bhav Singh Toke granted benefice by Bajirao.
December 1730	Nizam starts for Dabhade’s aid.
16 December 1730	Sambhaji II starts from Panhalgad.
December 1730	Bajirao arrives at Surat. Chimaji Appa in Khandesh.
29 January 1731	Bajirao confiscates the Pawar Mahals.
29 January 1731	Udaji Pawar’s benefice confiscated.
17 February 1731	Shahu and Sambhaji II meet at Jakhinwadi.
12 March 1731	Sambhaji II arrives at Satara.
17-28 March 1731	Bangash-Nizam discuss plans on the Narmada.
March 1731	Bajirao-Abhay Singh meeting at Ahmedabad.
25 March 1731	Bajirao arrives at Saanvli in attack on the Senapati.
1 April 1731	Battle of Dabhoi. Senapati Trimbakrao Dabhade defeated, dies.
8 April 1731	Bajirao fights the Nizam near Surat.
13 April 1731	Treaty of Warana. Sambhaji II returns to Kolhapur.
29 May 1731	Bajirao arrives at Satara.
10 February 1732	Bajirao-Portuguese Treaty.
12 February 1732	Bajirao meets Sekhoji Angre at Colaba.
29 July 1732	Peshwa distributes Malwa Mahals.
27 November 1732	Sambhaji II comes to Satara for second time.
December 1732	Nizam and Bajirao meet at Rohe-Rameshwar.
20 October 1732	Chimaji Appa goes on Malwa Campaign.
February 1733	Jaisingh blockaded near Mandsaur.
April 1733	Bajirao attacks Siddi.
May 1733	Pratinidhi and other Sardars enter Konkan.
7 June 1733	Chimaji returns from Malwa.
8 June 1733	Raigad captured.
8 July 1733	Battle of Govalkot.
28 August 1733	Sekhoji Angre dies.
August 1733	Shahu felicitates Shinde-Holkar.
December 1733	Bajirao wraps up campaign against Siddi.
6 December 1733	British and Siddi enter into treaty against Marathas.
December 1733	Pilaji Jadhavrao on Malwa Campaign.
10 January 1734	Siddi Ambar killed in battle beneath Raigad.
8 March 1734	Marathas capture Bankot.
22 April 1734	Shinde-Holkar capture Bundi fort.
July 1734	Rajputs band together against the Marathas.
November 1734	Pilaji Jadhavrao on Bundelkhand Campaign.
1734	Portuguese start building fortress at Thane.
13 February 1735	Shinde-Holkar defeat the Mughals near Rampura.
14 February 1735	Radhabai embarks on Kashi pilgrimage. Returns towards end of May 1736.
28 February 1735	Holkar plunders Sambhar.
24 March 1735	Khan Dauran and Jaisingh fulfil Chauth agreement at Kota.
6 July 1735	Shinde-Holkar felicitated at Pune and Satara.
4 February 1735	Bajirao settles down Angre arrangement at Colaba.
6 November 1735	Saadat Khan captures Ghazipur.
5 December 1735	Siddi recapture Bankot.
3 February 1736	Bajirao halts at Udaipur.
4 March 1736	Bajirao and Jaisingh meet near Kishangad.
26 April 1736	Sambhaji II visits Satara fifth time. Shitole and Ghorpade reconcile.
19 April 1736	Siddi Saat dies in Battle of Rewas.
End-May 1736	Bajirao returns to Pune.
November 1736	Bajirao embarks on campaign to the north this time for Delhi.
10 January 1737	Marathas capture Bhilsa.
1737-1740	Shahu’s Miraj Campaign.
18 February 1737	Marathas capture Ater.
12 March 1737	Saadat Khan attacks the Marathas in the Doab.
27 March 1737	Chimaji Appa captures Thane’s fortress.
28 March 1737	Mughal Sardars gather at Mathura.
28 March 1737	Bajirao attacks Delhi.
5 April 1737	Bajirao returns to Jaipur.
7 April 1737	Nizam embarks towards the north from Burhanpur.
May 1737	Bajirao starts campaign against Portuguese.
10 May 1737	Nizam crosses the Narmada and goes to the north.
28 May 1737	Nizam meets Pilaji at Sironj.
July 1737	Bajirao returns to Pune.
1 July 1737	Chimaji Appa returns to Pune after wrapping up first Vasai campaign.
2 July 1737	Nizam arrives at Delhi. Meets Badshah.
October 1737	Nizam embarks on campaign to Malwa from Delhi.
30 November 1737	Bajirao arrives on the banks of Narmada.
13 December 1737	Nizam and Bajirao battle near Bhopal.
16 December 1737	Nizam blockaded at Bhopal.
26 December 1737	Raghuji Bhosale-Shujaat Khan battle.
7 January 1738	Treaty of Sarai-Dorai (Doraha).
6 February 1738	Bajirao plunders Koyar Pargana.
December 1738-May 1739	Second campaign against Vasai.
29 December 1738	Battle of Tarapur starts.
8 January 1738	Nadir Shah arrives at Lahore.
9 January 1738	Mahim captured.
12 January 1739	Vyankatrao Ghorpade attacks Goa.
15 January 1739	Vyankatrao Ghorpade captures Madgaon.
24 January 1739	Baji Bhivrao dies in Battle of Tarapur.
13 February 1739	Nadir Shah defeats Badshah at Sirhind.
7 March 1739	Nadir Shah arrives at Delhi. Engages in many brutalities at Delhi.
9 March 1739	Saadat Khan consumes poison and commits suicide.
29 April 1739	Raghuji Bhosale attacks Aavji Kavde.
25 April 1739	Nadir Shah issues a Firman addressed to all Hindi rulers and Peshwa to protect the Badshah.
1 May 1739	Nadir Shah leaves Delhi for homeland.
27 April 1739	Vyankatrao-Portuguese enter into Treaty of Goa.
1 May 1739	Passionate attack on Vasai.
5 May 1739	Maratha-Portuguese Treaty.
12 May 1739	Vasai falls into Maratha hands.
June 1739	Inchbird meets Chimaji Appa and Treaty of Thane.
12 May-12 July 1739	Captain Gordon’s embassy to Satara.
3 October 1739	Pratinidhi captures Miraj.
November 1739	Mastani put under security guards at Shaniwarwada.
8 November 1739	Pratinidhi captures Athni station from Udaji Chavhan.
24 November 1739	Mastani escapes security to join Bajirao at Patas.
12 December 1739	Bajirao attacks Naseer Jung.
14 January 1740	Inchbird meets Bajirao in camp on the banks of Godavari.
26 January 1740	Mastani kept under imprisonment at the Parvati garden.
27 February 1740	Naseer Jung defeated. Treaty with Bajirao.
12 March 1740	Naseer Jung and Bajirao meet at Aurangabad.
28 April 1740	Bajirao dies.

The End.

SHRIRANGAPATNAM CAMPAIGN

This year 1726 witnessed a change in the Marathas’ attitude towards the Nizam. Shahu sent a second expedition to the Carnatic after the rains in 1726, which did not cooperate with the Nizam. The Nawab of Savnoor, who had met Bajirao the previous year, was attacked by his neighbours and Shahu ordered Bajirao, Khanderao Dabhade, and Sultanji Nimbalkar to set out to the south to protect him. Fatehsingh Bhosale also joined the campaign. They began their march from Pandharpur; Bajirao and Trimbakrao Dabhade joined, however, Sultanji did not. By February 1727, the army stood before Shrirangapatnam, the capital of the king of Mysore – a residual state from the old Vijayanagar Empire. Although they resisted the Nizam’s efforts to increase his influence in the Carnatic, the Maratha army was plagued by illness and had a difficult time in the campaign.

Due to Nizam’s menace, in 1727’s Carnatic campaign, Bajirao’s mind remained extremely restless. Due to this, the campaign could not accomplish whatever was desired. Bajirao went roughing up the provinces on the western side. Collecting the tributes on the route in the provinces like Hukkeri, Samaangad, Belagavi, Kittur, Sondhe, he went through the Bednoor province, via Banawar, Hasan and reached Shrirangapatnam on 4 March. Staying there for a month, he came back to Satara taking the same route on return. Some Sardars and forces had gone towards Chitradurga as well to complete the pending tasks from the previous year. Bajirao himself had written that, in this campaign, the Maratha forces faced extreme privations due to the summer, scarcity of water, and diseases. All these problems have been mentioned in an erstwhile Powada (ballad) which seems trustworthy. In that ballad, the places like Buddhihaal, Chikkanahalli, Mahaballi, Nandigad, Ballapur, Nagamandala, Bengaluru, Bahiravdurga, Mangadi, and Devarayadurga have been mentioned, and all these are on the route of these two arms of the campaign that the Marathas took.

In this Shrirangapatnam campaign, Bajirao entered into a treaty with the Arcot’s Nawab Saadatullah Khan, which these Nawabs followed religiously for the next fifteen years. This expresses Bajirao’s capability and the objectives of Maratha leadership. Together in these two campaigns, the Marathas implemented their Chauth and Sardeshmukhi rights in the western and central Carnatic regions. They re-established the Maratha supremacy that had been set up there by the Ghorpades previously. The eastern part remained. Shahu later often expressed his incomplete desire to send forces again in the Carnatic to accomplish that. The Maratha power in the Carnatic was primarily in the hands of Sidhoji Hindurao Ghorpade and his son Murarrao. In 1726 and 1727, both the campaigns, Murarrao was personally in attendance. This Sardar who had been trained under Santaji, had become powerful and renowned in the southern regions, he proved especially helpful. In 1730, Murarrao came to Satara and met Shahu. Shahu felicitated him. Even before, and afterwards his emissaries used to keep visiting Shahu. Chitnis Bakhar historian writes, “Murarrao from Santaji’s family had been managing the Gutti principality. Maharaj sent him some messages, asking him to join the government’s army along with his equipment and show their prowess and service. Accordingly, he came along with his equipped army and met Maharaj. Tributes were extracted from all the Palegars at Surapur, Kanakadurga, Chitradurga, Gadag, Lakshmeshwar etc. as per the previously finalized rate. Only Shrirangapatnam’s tribute amounted to around twenty-one lakh rupees. Strict instructions to pay every year hereafter were given. Whichever stations, locations and forts that belonged to Swarajya earlier were freed and recaptured.”

From this, it is clear, that a lot of objectives were accomplished in these two campaigns, lonely Ghorpades in the Carnatic were given valuable support, and this helped in the later spread of the Maratha Confederacy in that region. After 1727, since the Nizam began his aggressive campaign, all efforts were directed to face it. Due to this, the pending tasks in the Carnatic took a back-seat. But, Shahu insisted and got it completed in 1740-41.

The Nizam sent a letter to Shahu where he complained about Maratha support to Pathan chiefs in the south. The letter tells us more about Maratha activities in that campaign:

“Prior to my departure from Hyderabad to put the affairs of Carnatic in order, letters had been addressed to Shripatrao, Sultanji Nimbalkar, and Bajirao asking them to join me on the way. They did not come. Their arrival was delayed beyond measure. This was against the agreement and friendship. They conspired to raise commotion on all sides and to disturb my plan. Your Sardars cooperated with my opponents; I would have destroyed them. It was only out of regard for you, who is considerate and not in favour of such improper acts, that I ignored the manoeuvres of your chiefs.”

He ended the letter with an olive branch to Shahu,

“It is our duty to secure the country and be considerate to people who are the creation of God. I have sent trusted officers to you to express my sincere regards for you and stress the need for securing the country. This is due to the firm friendship which I have with you.”

To be continued…

SONDHE AFFAIR

The Maratha army assembled by the end of 1725 and headed south collecting tribute on the way. They passed Galgale and Mudhol and camped at Bedhatti, where the Nawab of Savnoor Abdul Gaffar Pathan met Bajirao. The armies travelled along the Nizam’s border via Bijapur, Gulbarga, Galgale, Koppal, up to Chitradurga. They crossed the river Tungabhadra and reached Chitradurga a strong fort in western Carnatic.

Overall, around fifty-thousand Marathas had gathered for the campaign. Santaji Ghorpade had been the erstwhile Commander-in-Chief during the time of Rajaram Maharaj. His sons, Ranoji and Piraji had been serving Sambhaji II. Piraji and Murarrao were protecting the Gutti principality. Shahu Maharaj wrote to them, asking them to join the campaign and prove their service. So, they too went to the Carnatic with Fatehsingh. Maharaj sent Fatehsingh to meet Sharfojiraje at Tanjore.

The armies encamped around three-quarters of a month on the banks of Hayagriva River. As two months had already passed since the armies had left, and there was no news reported to him yet, so Shahu got restless. He wrote harsh letters to everyone including the Pratinidhi, Bajirao, Sarlashkar, Trimbakrao Dabhade etc. on 21 March, saying, “You all are authoritative servants. Where have you reached, what is the plan, all this, you have not informed since you left. This is unprecedented. Still, inform about your day-to-day progress to the Swami.”

The accomplishments of this campaign have been described by the Chitnis as follows, “The armies collected the pending tribute amounts, agreed that they were paid regularly every year thereafter. The stations belonging to us had been lost, they were recaptured. Whoever displayed arrogance, were given warnings.”

The scope of this campaign in terms of area seems to be from Chitradurga in the east up to Sondhe-Bednoor in the west. When Maratha soldiers attacked Sondhe, the ruler there sent an emissary to Shahu and informed about his surrender. Upon that, Shahu wrote an order addressed to Bajirao and the Pratinidhi on 21 February 1726 as follows, “Sondhe’s ruler is our ancient friend. He was cornered on all sides, and therefore has become upset. He holds natural loyalty towards the Swami. Swami must ensure they are continued in their possessions. Therefore, to negotiate terms, we are sending Gopal Ram, who will negotiate on our behalf. Accordingly, leave sustainable portion of the tribute for their survival, and protect the principality.”

This meant, the Marathas did not trouble the Sondhe’s ruler. At the time of Rajaram, Sondhe’s Sadashiv Naik had sought refuge with the Marathas. He died after 1702 and his son Raja Basavalinga sat on the throne. He ruled up to 1732. He had sent the above request to Shahu and secured his graces. “Accepting the Raja’s friendly wishes, Chhatrapati dispatched his emissaries Bhanji Ballal and Devji Vishwanath to Sondhe. They agreed the terms that, every year, the Raja should send forty-five thousand rupees as the tribute, and if any other enemy attacked the principality, through whatever help needed, defeating the enemy, the Marathas should allow him to enjoy the rulership of the principality without any hindrance. The Marathas should remove their own outposts, and return back to their realms.”

The above description shows the Maratha rights for the Chauth collection and their responsibility to protect their tributaries from external enemies. It is clear from the examples of Sondhe and others that the Hindu rulers in the Carnatic felt happier becoming tributaries to the Marathas rather than the Muslims.

However, the affairs around Sondhe’s rulers did not end here. Later, Nizam-ul-Mulk forced them into surrender. At that time, the Marathas could not go to their protection on time. At that time, Sawai Ramchandra Raja Sondhekar had written an extremely urgent request letter to Bajirao.

Even though Nizam himself did not enter the Carnatic, some of his Sardars and army were with the Marathas. At Shire, the army joined the Nizam. The Nizam camped with troops of Shahu on one side, and of Sambhaji II on the other. In his letter of April 1726, he describes his happiness at seeing the open divide between Shahu and Sambhaji II:

“Bajirao and Shripatrao met me on the 23 March 1726. Neelaprabhu the Chief Minister of Raja Sambhaji II, (was) already in my camp. On seeing them, Shripatrao and Bajirao were confused. Their bewilderment cannot be described. They were full of pride and had aimed at making great demands on me (bring pressure on me). By God’s grace, wolf and lamb lay together. Both these troops were camped on both the sides of my army. They were not favourably inclined towards each other. It was all God’s grace.”

To be continued…

CHITRADURGA CAMPAIGN PREPARATIONS

Overall, in 1725, when the Carnatic campaign came about, at that time, Arcot’s Saadatullah Khan, and his subordinates mentioned above, were all in the Muslim party, while Wodeyars of Shrirangapatnam, Tanjore’s Sharfojiraje Bhosale, Gutti’s Ghorpades were in the Hindu party. These two sides were struggling with each other. To ensure the Chhatrapati’s power prevailed all over these warring parties, and beating down Nizam’s primary ownership in this task, Shahu dispatched his Sardars to the Carnatic. Shahu was not attracted equally towards all of the Hindu participants mentioned above. The affection he felt towards the Tanjore’s rulers, did not exist towards the rulers of Shrirangapatnam. In his second campaign, Bajirao also taught a sound lesson to these rulers at Shrirangapatnam.

While Sharfoji was ruling at Tanjore, this Saadatullah Khan had given him extreme trouble. So, he had pleaded for help with Shahu. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had himself captured the stations like Koppal, Kurnool, Cudappah, Tirupati, Venkatagiri, Vellore, Arcot, and Jinji which linked with Tanjore. For twenty-seven years afterwards, the Marathas had fought with Aurangzeb, brought this series of regions under their control. With an intention of preserving their control there; firming up his rule in these regions and consolidating it further; bringing various power magnate Palegars at various places together; spreading the Maratha power right up to the southern regions; and growing the seed of Hindupadpaadshahi which had been sown by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by nurturing it further; Shahu decided to send his armies into the Carnatic. Shahu felt it was his holy responsibility to accomplish the objectives of his forefathers. Therefore, he gave priority to this campaign. In 1725, Nizam himself had begun preparations to embark on a campaign to those regions. Therefore, Shahu made special haste.

At this time, the Marathas carried out two campaigns in the Carnatic. First took place from November 1725 to May 1726, which was called the Chitradurga Campaign by the contemporary historians. Second took place from November 1726 to April 1727, which was called Shrirangapatnam campaign.

Shahu set his sights on the south and the possessions his grandfather had gained in the last years of his reign. By giving the Bhaganagar Subedari to Fatehsingh Bhosale, intending that he should control the whole southern region, Shahu gave him the leadership of this campaign. At the beginning of 1725, how this whole idea emerged, can be seen from the erstwhile documents. On 27 March 1725, Fatehsingh informed his assistants, “Pradhanpant and Nizam-ul-Mulk would probably think about going on a southern campaign. They would not venture outside the Chauth treaty’s remit. Still, it is advisable that you and they should join together. Ensure that you get four percent. Act to ensure that your mind remains calm.”

At that time, news had spread everywhere, that Bajirao and the Nizam were on friendly terms with each other. Since Fatehsingh did not have any information about how they had decided to split the Chauth revenues, he expresses his fear above, that they will themselves fulfil their own selfish interests, and would cause others to incur losses. Because, at the beginning of 1725, Nizam had dispatched the Peshwa’s emissary kept at his court, Narso Kusaji, back to meet the Peshwa. On 28 February 1725 in a letter, Narso Kusaji asks Chimaji Appa, “Nawabsaheb has sent me to seek a meeting with the Swami. I reached Chakan. Do let me know when and where I can meet you and Pradhanpant. Once I meet, you will get the whole news.”

We don’t know anything about Nizam’s suggestion in this matter. However, he seems to have begun the project to instigate Kolhapur’s Sambhaji II against Shahu in 1725. Bhagwant Ramchandra Amatya was striving hard at the Nizam’s court on behalf of Sambhaji II at this time. While Pratinidhi’s assistant Jagajjivan Govind was around Panhalgad, Bhagwantrao attacked him stepping down from the fort. Both of them met in a battle and Jagajjivan Govind defeated the Amatya, and captured Panhala’s Sarnaubat Gorkhoji Yadav. For this valour, Shahu felicitated Jagajjivan Govind by sending him valuable garments on 8 April 1725. This clearly displays, that Nizam did not intend to maintain any compromising or friendly relations with the Marathas, and instead, taking Sambhaji II under his influence, he wanted to put Shahu into trouble, and that project he seems to have started at the beginning of 1725 through Bhagwantrao Amatya.

To be continued…

SURROUNDING SITUATION

When Bajirao got the office of the Peshwa, the political situation in north Hindustan was delicate. The whole situation would change every hour. For reasons like the selfish interests of the Nizam in the Deccan and Sayyed brothers, Jaisingh, and Ajit Singh in the north; and the weaknesses of the Badshah himself, nobody could quickly decide how they should play their next move. The initial four years were especially chaotic. In them the Sayyed brothers were defeated, and the Nizam finally set up his permanent independent seat in the Deccan towards the end of 1724. During this time, there were three highly revolutionary battles that were fought at Khandwa, Balapur and Sakharkherda. Shahu himself was unsure how far must he participate in these battles. Due to this, his assistants were not able to decide a fixed course of action. To understand this whole affair, we need to first understand the intricacies of some of the primary events in the Mughal Empire.

The Maratha leadership was clear, that if the Nizam accepted their rights, then they were ready to maintain friendly relations with him. Even after this, through the opponent’s actions, these affairs began originating in a series, each one from its predecessor. The Nizam stabilised in the Deccan. He instigated various persons like Sambhaji II, Chandrasen, Dabhade etc. who were already upset due to some or the other reasons against Shahu. Resisting them became Bajirao’s first and foremost responsibility. After resolving this affair, the Peshwa began working on the stated goal of the ancestors to expand the Maratha kingdom, for which the Hindus wanted to secure control of all the northern religious places. Through his inherent strength, he made the Maratha power reach the gates of Delhi. The great quality of anyhow trumping the situation and emerging victorious was evident in Bajirao’s actions.

The programme which Balaji Vishwanath had drawn up for expansion of the Maratha Confederacy, the three following Peshwas Bajirao, Nanasaheb, and Madhavrao accomplished those objectives, and at least for a short while, gave the Maratha power unchallenged sovereignty all over the country. Out of them, the responsibility of imposing his control on all four sides, was accomplished by Bajirao purely on the basis of his courage. The next two, settled that control down and marked the project as completed. If Bajirao had not died suddenly, he himself would have accomplished most of the objectives. The broad form of his prowess can be ascertained from the campaigns he indulged in. Many of his campaigns and smaller activities were unknown in the past. But since the Peshwa documents have been published, it has become convenient to speak with sound support and the past uncertainty has vanished. Bajirao seems to have roamed about in all four directions, north-south, east-west. Malwa must be called the focal point of his enterprise. Since he had to act within the orders of Shahu Maharaj, he had to return to Satara every year, sometimes through his own work or sometimes on Shahu’s call. To ensure he had a place to call his own, for the family to stay, he selected Pune. For this, getting the required mansions built in Pune, creating the required marketplaces and generating the required conveniences took quite some time. He seems to have typically stayed around Pune, Satara or the adjoining regions during the four to five months of the monsoon season. In 1733, all of the monsoon season, he was in Konkan on the campaign against Janjira. This was the only monsoon, when he did not exceptionally return to the capital. He engaged in only two campaigns to the south of the Krishna River, first one in 1725-26 to Chitradurga, and second in 1726-27 to Shrirangapatnam. North was the main focus of the rest of his activities. This is evident from his correspondence too. They bear witness primarily to the northern activities.

Based on this, we can divide Bajirao’s overall activities and movements into four distinct parts – first and primary about the affairs in the north, second small one about the affairs in the Carnatic, third about the battles, and other affairs that took place on the western coast involving the Portuguese, Janjira’s Siddis, and our own Sardars like Angre etc., and the final fourth involving the affairs that presented themselves, or were required to be analysed around the central administration at the capital at Satara. This final section is also especially important and whatever decisions were taken and accepted in this section, had a bearing on the later history. All the correspondence of Bajirao himself can be classified into these four sections perfectly.

To be continued…

CHRONOLOGY – RAJARAM

It would be beneficial if a chronology of the events in Rajaram’s life is provided at this stage.

Date	Events
8 January 1689	Badshah’s forces capture Trimbak fort
1 February 1689	Sheikh Nizam captures Sambhajiraje.
9 February 1689	Rajaram’s accession to the throne at Raigad.
21 February 1689	Badshah’s forces capture Salher fort.
11 March 1689	Sambhajiraje’s assassination in Koregaon camp.
25 March 1689	Zulfiqar Khan besieges Raigad.
5 April 1689	Rajaram leaves Raigad and reaches Pratapgad.
May 1689	Badshah’s forces capture Rajgad, Torana, Rohida forts.
August 1689	Rajaram leaves Pratapgad for Panhala.
August 1689	Santaji Ghorpade and Vithoji Chavhan raid Badshah’s own camp, cut off the golden spires from his own tent, both rewarded by Rajaram.
August 1689	Sheikh Nizam looted by Dhanaji.
19 August 1689	Harji Mahadik releases Keso Trimal Pingle from prison and appoints him to manage the affairs at Jinji.
26 September 1689	Rajaram leaves Panhala for Jinji.
26 September 1689	Rupaji Bhosale wounds Sayyed Abdullah Khan.
29 September 1689	Harji Mahadik dies at Jinji.
October 1689	Bahirji Ghorpade carries Rajaram on his back across the Tungabhadra.
28 October 1689	Rajaram reaches Vellore.
3 November 1689	Zulfiqar Khan captures Raigad fort.
15 November 1689	Rajaram arrives at Jinji.
30 November 1689	Zulfiqar Khan dispatched to Jinji.
18 December 1689	Badshah ends his Koregaon stay, moves towards Bijapur.
4 January 1690	Keshav Pandit completes Rajaramcharit text.
14 March 1690	Rajaram steps out of Jinji on the occasion of lunar eclipse for ritual sea-bathing.
22 March 1690	Keso Trimal Pingle arrives in Maharashtra along with treasury and army from the Carnatic.
25 April 1690	Santaji-Dhanaji fight with Sarja Khan near Satara and capture him.
1 May 1690	Shankaraji Narayan snatches away the Maval forts like Pratapgad etc. from the Mughals.
5 May 1690	Rajaram issues Inam notification in Baji Sarjerao Jedhe’s name.
21 May 1690	Aurangzeb sets up camp on the banks of the Krishna River at Galgale after leaving Bijapur.
5 June 1690	Zulfiqar Khan arrives at Jinji along with his force.
6 July 1690	Marathas capture the Mughal outpost at Khataw.
27 August 1690	Zulfiqar Khan besieges Jinji.
6 October 1690	Rajaram issues orders to reinstate the Watan-rights confiscated by Shivaji Maharaj.
23 October 1690	Shankaraji Narayan awarded with office of Sachiv (Secretary) for re-capturing the forts like Pratapgad, Torana, Rohida etc.
23 November 1690	Nagoji Mane and Nemaji Shinde leave the Mughals and go to Rajaram at Jinji.
12 December 1690	Ramchandrapant gets the office of Amatya (Mujumdari).
1691	The council of eight ministers appointed by Rajaram at Jinji.
1691	Prahlad Niraji gets the office of Pratinidhi, Santaji gets Commander-in-Chief.
March 1691	Badshah goes to Bijapur from Galgale.
11 April 1691	Nagoji Mane brings Amrutrao Nimbalkar from the Mughals and facilitates his meeting with Rajaram at Jinji.
11 April 1691	Mughal force faces extreme privations at Jinji.
4 June 1691	Rajaram issues notification in Hanmantrao Ghorpade’s name. Also issues agreement Inams to capture the whole regions step-by-step up to Delhi.
20 July 1691	Badshah orders Asad Khan and Kaambaksh to go to Jinji.
August 1691	Zulfiqar Khan goes to Wandiwash lifting the siege of Jinji.
August 1691	Zulfiqar Khan collects huge plunder from Tanjore and Tiruchirappalli.
15 August 1691	Rajaram orders Maval Watan-rights to be reinstated.
9 September 1691	Rajaram scolds Shankaraji Narayan for confiscating Watan-rights.
4 October 1691	Asad Khan meets Kaambaksh at Kadappah.
16 December 1691	Asad Khan and Kaambaksh arrive at Jinji.
January 1692	Gangaji Narayan appointed Chief Subedar of Pune province.
January 1692	Jinji’s siege resumes.
21 February 1692	Sultanji Jagdale acquires the Masur’s Deshmukhi Firman from the Badshah.
May 1692	Badshah leaves Bijapur, camps at Galgale again.
June 1692	Parashurampant captures Panhala.
29 July 1692	Rajaram awards Miraj Deshmukhi to Santaji Ghorpade.
16 October 1692	Qasim Khan appointed over Tungabhadra to block the Marathas.
13 December 1692	Dhanaji captures Ismail Khan Maka and brings him to Jinji.
14 December 1692	Santaji captures Ali Mardan Khan in battle and brings him to Jinji.
14 December 1692	Asad Khan arrests Kaambaksh.
5 January 1693	Santaji wreaks a huge plunder upon the Mughal encampment at Desur.
22 January 1693	Zulfiqar Khan harassed. Leaves Jinji for Wandiwash.
February 1693	Rajaram leaves Jinji to visit Tiruchirappalli.
7 February 1693	Zulfiqar Khan frees Qasim Khan from Santaji’s captivity and takes him to Wandiwash.
12 February 1693	Amrutrao Nimbalkar defeats the Mughal force near Jinji.
March 1693	Bahirji Ghorpade and Yachappa Naik desert Rajaram.
10 April 1693	Rajaram meets Shahaji II at Tanjore.
5 May 1693	Rajaram gives Amrutrao Nimbalkar’s Watan to Mudhoji Nimbalkar.
14 June 1693	Kaambaksh and Asad Khan return to meet Aurangzeb.
14 June 1693	Bahirji Ghorpade and Yachappa Naik fight with Rajaram near Vellore.
14 November 1693	Himmat Khan defeats Santaji near Vikramhalli.
21 November 1693	Himmat Khan and Santaji again fight near Malkhed.
December 1693	Yachappa Naik begins Zulfiqar Khan’s service.
1694	Prahlad Niraji dies in the Carnatic. Timaji Raghunath Hanmante appointed Pratinidhi.
1694	Santaji Ghorpade angry with Ramchandrapant.
22 May 1694	Zulfiqar Khan defeats Tiruchirappalli’s Naik and Tanjore’s Shahaji II and forces them to surrender.
13 September 1694	Rajaram makes Mudhoji Nimbalkar leave Mughal service and appoints him under Dhanaji.
17 September 1694	Zulfiqar Khan beheads Yachappa Naik.
19 October 1694	Rajaram’s family members leave Maharashtra by sea-route, and arrive at Jinji.
October 1694	Zulfiqar Khan again besieges Jinji.
November 1694	Ramchandrapant tries to reason with Santaji. He gives chase to Himmat Khan.
April-May 1695	Badshah moves camp again from Galgale to Bijapur.
May 1695	Santaji marries- off Bahirji’s sons at Parali.
21 May 1695	Badshah sets up camp at Brahmapuri.
July 1695	Santaji besieges Khataw outpost. Huge battle between him and Mughals.
September 1695	Dhanaji fights the Mughals near Chandan-Vandan. Dhanaji’s son killed.
7 October 1695	Ramchandrapant calls a meeting of all military commanders, discusses about the overall war situation, and decides the next course of action for each.
20 November 1695	Santaji defeats and captures Khanazad Khan and Qasim Khan near Dudderi.
December 1695	Zulfiqar Khan defeats Dhanaji near Tiruwadi. Gangaji Babar killed.
20 January 1696	Santaji and Himmat Khan clash near Basavapattan. Khan dies.
26 February 1696	Hameeduddin Khan defeats Santaji.
April 1696	Zulfiqar Khan defeats Santaji near Arni.
8 May 1696	Santaji meets Rajaram at Jinji. Animosity is born.
May 1696	Santaji replaced as Commander-in-Chief. Rajaram makes Dhanaji the new Commander-in-Chief.
6 June 1696	Badshah punishes Chitradurga’s Jagirdar Brahmappa Naik for joining with the Marathas.
9 June 1696	Tarabai gives birth to son Shivaji II at Jinji.
9 June 1696	Santaji and Dhanaji spar at Ayewarkuti near Kanchi, Dhanaji defeated, Amrutrao Nimbalkar killed.
27 October 1696	Rajaram calls Santaji’s force to come to him.
27 October 1696	Ramchandrapant attempts to free Shahu.
1697	Janardanpant Hanmante dies.
January 1697	Dhanaji chases Santaji up to Bijapur.
February 1697	Dhanaji blocks Bedarbakht going to help Zulfiqar Khan near Penukonda.
February 1697	Santaji and Dhanaji fight again near Bijapur. Santaji loses his army and battle both.
March 1697	Hanmantrao Nimbalkar defeats Santaji near Dahigaon. Santaji begins living off the forests.
July 1697	Nagoji Mane engineers Santaji’s beheading through assassins and presents his severed head to the Badshah.
9 July 1697	Nagoji felicitated by the Badshah.
9 July 1697	Zulfiqar Khan moves his camp from Jinji to Wandiwash.
2 August 1697	Raja Karn and Khando Ballal dispatched to Wandiwash in order to negotiate a treaty with Zulfiqar Khan. Badshah urges Zulfiqar Khan to drop the negotiations and immediately capture Jinji.
October 1697	Raja Karn returns back to Jinji and Rajaram escapes Jinji’s siege.
26 December 1697	Rajaram arrives at Vellore.
2 January 1698	Zulfiqar Khan captures Jinji. Naro Prahlad killed. Khan gets epithet Nusrat-Jung. Zulfiqar Khan lets Rajaram’s family go free.
22 February 1698	Rajaram safely arrives at Vishalgad. Stays for 2 months.
23 May 1698	Rajasbai gives birth to son Sambhaji II.
23 May 1698	Rajaram sets up his throne at Satara fort.
19 July 1698	Badshah’s camp washed away in flood.
10 September 1698	Sambhaji’s son Madhav Singh dies in Badshah’s captivity.
2 May 1699	Rajaram travels to southern Konkan, Rajapur.
10 June 1699	Balaji Vishwanath Bhatt appointed Chief Subedar at Pune.
20 June 1699	Rajaram stays at Vasantgad.
29 September 1699	Konher Jagannath appointed as Chief Justice.
19 October 1699	Badshah leaves Brahmapuri’s encampment and himself begins a campaign to capture the forts.
31 October 1699	Rajaram steps out for campaign from Chandan-Vandan.
31 October 1699	Badshah writes separate letters to Ramchandrapant and Parashurampant to engineer a split.
13 November 1699	Mughal forces catch up with Rajaram near Parinda. He turns back towards Ahmednagar.
25 November 1699	Badshah captures Vasantgad.
8 December 1699	Badshah besieges Satara.
21 December 1699	Hameeduddin Khan and Dhanaji meet in a huge battle near Karhad. Khan defeated.
1700	Raja Chhatrasal defeats the Mughals at the Battle of Puraghat.
9 January 1700	Zulfiqar Khan defeats Dhanaji near Masur
3 March 1700	Rajaram dies at Sinhagad. Raja Karn gets the throne. But he also dies immediately due to smallpox.

To be continued…

QASIM KHAN & HIMMAT KHAN

Santaji got the news that the Khans had taken refuge inside the fortress. He immediately besieged the fortress. One can only imagine the privations of the people inside the fortress thereafter! There were no provisions left in the fortress. Very soon, they began starving. Qasim Khan was addicted to opium. He began writhing in pain because of the craving. In the same condition he died on 20 November 1695 (the actual battle seems to have taken place on 5 January 1696 as per some scholars). Some people say he consumed poison fearing getting caught by the enemy. Many others jumped off the fortress ramparts and committed suicide. Seeing all this destruction, Khanazad Khan sent some men to Santaji and requested lives to be spared. Santaji imposed a fine of twenty lakh rupees, confiscated all their valuables, and allowed all of them to leave from there with just one horse and a pair of clothes each. Santaji got a total of fifty to sixty lakh rupees worth of goods at this time. He also gave Khanazad Khan his own security guards who escorted him to the Badshah. The moment the Badshah got the news that Qasim Khan was caught in a difficult situation, he immediately dispatched Hameeduddin Khan etc. many other sardars and further provisions to save them. But by the time this help reached Adoni, everything at Dudderi had been wrapped up.

Santaji got a news report, that another Mughal sardar named Himmat Khan Bahadur was coming for Qasim Khan’s help. He immediately rode off to attack Himmat Khan Bahadur and caught up with him near Basavapattan. The ensuing battle this time, was extremely passionate with Himmat Khan and his son became a target of gunfire and died (Dt 20 January 1696). Santaji polished off all their belongings. By the time this was wrapped up, the Badshah had dispatched Hameed-uddin Khan etc. as mentioned above. He also ran for Qasim Khan’s help. Santaji attacked him too. But he had to face failure against Hameed-uddin Khan, and had to escape far away to save his own life (Dt 26 February 1696).

The Mughals had been shocked seeing all these battles being lost. The general prevailing feeling in the Deccan was, this time the Marathas would capture all of Carnatic.

If the detailed story of these victories scored by Santaji over the renowned commanders of the Badshah in a very short span of time becomes available, the real prowess of the Marathas of the time would be really inspiring. Santaji became a synonym for terror everywhere, and his name acquired an extraordinary brilliance. There is no doubt, that if the Marathas had maintained this unity till the end, they would have blown the Badshah over the wind. But through the misfortune of our nation, in just about two to four months after the above victory, Santaji and Dhanaji began using their bravery and cleverness, so far used against the enemies, against each other instead, and virtually committed suicide.

The Badshah later appointed Zulfiqar Khan as the Subedar of the Carnatic in place of Qasim Khan. Since Chitradurga’s Brahmappa Naik had helped Santaji, the Badshah confiscated his Jagir and punished him. However, he was able to save his life by coughing up a huge fine and prostrating in front of the Badshah (Dt 6 June 1696). Due to the overall movements mentioned above, Zulfiqar Khan’s siege of Jinji went a bit lax, while Rajaram and Ramchandrapant got that much more impetus.

To be continued…

BATTLE OF DUDDERI

On the occasion of Dussehra in 1695, Ramchandrapant invited all the sardars and proposed a huge campaign against the Mughals. He divided the Maratha sardars into groups and distributed various responsibilities amongst them. The main intention was entering the Mughal realms on all four sides, and blowing their forces away everywhere. Some were given the task of entering into the Berar province via Junnar and destroy the region towards the north, some others were given the responsibility to enter the southern region along the Tungabhadra, and help release the pressure that was being put onto Jinji. Accordingly, Santaji Ghorpade went to the south through the Bijapur province, and Dhanaji Jadhav remained roving around between Satara and Akluj keeping a watchful eye on all four sides.

The Badshah got the news of this huge campaign of the Marathas at his camp on the banks of the Bheema River. He dispatched Himmat Khan with ample forces and artillery behind Santaji. Without letting him catch up, Santaji very quickly crossed the Tungabhadra to the other side. Dhanaji also took some other route and went in the same direction. One of the Badshah’s clever sardars Qasim Khan was stationed at Shire with standing orders to keep his eyes open to any suspicious movements by the Marathas. The moment he got the news that Santaji and Dhanaji had turned towards the Tungabhadra, the Badshah sent an urgent message to Qasim Khan, to meet these both and see them away. Thinking that this task won’t be successful with him alone, the Badshah deliberately sent many of his trusted sardars like Khanazad Khan, Safshikan Khan, Mohammed Murad Khan etc. immediately on to the Carnatic. The Badshah also gave along with them many of his own personal security guards. All these sardars, through long rides, joined Qasim Khan at the beginning of November. Santaji had been keeping an eye on all their movements from the beginning. He drew up a plan to destroy all of them together through great tact.

Khanazad Khan was the son of Rooh-ullah Khan and a big Umrao in the Sultanate. Since he had come for help, Qasim Khan felt he should be given a befitting welcome. But he did not notice that through all the revelry associated with the hospitality, he was getting into the jaws of his enemy. Qasim ordered the camp equipment and valuable articles for a big feast to be sent to him from the Adoni fort. He also built a huge flashy welcoming tent without caring to keep his plans secret. Santaji gathered each and every bit of the information of his plan, split his troops into three parts, and gave them the responsibility of three different directions. He planned for all three contingents to pounce upon all these renowned Khans at the appointed hour from three different directions. Brahmappa Naik was the Zamindar of Chitradurga, who had been troubled a lot in the recent times by Qasim Khan. He was instigated by his emotion of vengeance and had wholeheartedly joined Santaji.

Just before Qasim Khan would reach the camp, the Marathas suddenly ran to it early morning, and set the main tent on fire. The moment Qasim Khan got this news, he got ready quickly and attacked the Marathas. Khanazad Khan was sleeping at the time, so he did not bother to wake him up. But he also woke up due to the commotion, got ready, and ran for Qasim’s help. By the time they began fighting with the Marathas, another reserve detachment kept behind by Santaji fell upon the camp, and began burning things there. Both the Khans got this news right in the middle of their battle. Seeing that their slaughter was eminent, both the Khans kept fighting but, in order to save themselves, went to the fortress of Dudderi, which had some arrangement for water, food and provisions. But since the fortress was too small, the official there did not admit the Khans inside. So, they stayed the night on the banks of the lake. Their whole force had to sleep on empty stomach for the night. In the darkness, Santaji came near and besieged them all. Poor Khans got stuck in a siege by the Marathas. For three days, they were subjected to a barrage of gunfire and most of their men were killed. So, the two Khans, to save their own lives somehow, entered the Dudderi fortress either through secret pathways or escaping the siege at odd times leaving their forces within the siege. The third sardar Mohammed Murad Khan was a little away from there, and these two did not even bother to inform him. He also later entered the fortress. It is extremely unbecoming for a commander to leave their soldiers behind in danger this way, and save their own lives.

To be continued…