rise of the Maratha power and its
expansion. We studied the developments
from the foundation of the Swaraj till its
expansion into an empire. In this chapter,
we take a brief review of the Sardar
families, who gave their valuable
contribution for expanding the Maratha
kingdom in the northern parts of India.
The Holkars of Indore : Malharrao
was the founder of the Holkar rule at
Indore. He served the Maratha state for a
long time. He was
well-versed in
guerrilla warfare.
He proved his
valour in the
northern campaigns
of the Marathas at
the time of Bajirao
I and Nanasaheb
Peshwa. He was
instrumental in
establishing the
Maratha supremacy in Malwa and
Rajputana. He proved to be of great help
to Peshwa Madhavrao in reviving the
Maratha prestige in the North after the
defeat at Panipat. Punyashloka Ahilyabai
Holkar was the
wife of Khanderao,
who was
Malharrao’s son.
Khanderao died in
the battle of
Kumbheri. After a
few days,
Malharrao also
passed away. After
him, Ahilyabai
assumed the reins
of the Indore administration. She was a
capable, astute and excellent administrator.
She made new laws for agricultural cess,
revenue collection etc. and put the affairs
of the State in order. She strove to bring
more land under cultivation, digging wells
for farmers, promoting trade and industry,
building lakes and tanks.
She built temples, Ghats, Maths,
Dharamshalas, drinking water facilities at
all important places of pilgrimage in the
four quarters of India. This effort of hers
was important for the cultural integration
of the country. She looked into judicial
matters personally and dispensed justice.
She was very generous. She had great
love of books. She ruled ably for twentyeight years and enhanced the Maratha
prestige in the North. She brought peace
and order to her Kingdom and made her
people happy. Yashwantrao Holkar tried
to save the Maratha Kingdom when it
was on the decline.
The Bhosales of Nagpur : Parasoji
was given the jagir of Varhad and
Gondawan during
the reign of Shahu
Maharaj. Among
the Bhosales of
Nagpur, Raghuji
was the bravest
and the most
capable. He brought
the area surrounding
Tirucherapalli and
Arcot in the South under Maratha
dominance. Shahu Maharaj had assigned
to him the chauthai rights of Bengal,
Bihar and Odisha. He brought these
territories under the Maratha dominance.
In 1751 ce the Bhosales of Nagpur won the Odisha territory from Ali Vardi
Khan. Till 1803 ce Marathas dominated
Odisha. The Shindes of Gwalior : Bajirao I
had rightly judged
the capabilities of
Ranoji Shinde and
made him a Sardar
in the North. After
Ranoji’s death, his
sons Jayappa,
Dattaji and
Mahadji, too,
proved their valour
and strengthened
the Maratha rule in North India.
Peshwa Madhavrao conferred the
family title on Mahadji. Mahadji was a
brave General and an astute statesman.
Mahadji was instrumental in
re-establishing the Maratha supremacy
and prestige in North India after the
Maratha defeat at Panipat. He realised
that the guerilla tactics of the Marathas
would not be suitable for the warfare in
the plains of the North. He trained his
army and modernised his artillery under
the guidance of a French military expert
de Boigne. With the help of this trained
army, he subdued the Rohillas, the Jats,
the Rajputs and the Bundellas.
The British began to take interest in the
politics at Delhi, when they felt that the
Marathas might have become weak after
the battle of Panipat. They managed to get
Diwani rights of Bengal province and
wanted to capture the Emperor of Delhi. In
these adverse circumstances, Mahadji
Shinde defeated the British and reinstated
the Emperor on the throne. The emperor
was pleased with his bravery and conferred
the title of ‘Vakil – i – Mutlak (Chief agent
of the emperor) upon him, which meant
that he had the authority of civil and
military rights. He accepted that position
on behalf of the minor Peshwa Savai
Madhavrao. Due to this, the Marathas
gained full control of the Empire. It was
very difficult to save the tottering empire.
Mahadji managed the difficult affairs with
strong determination and looked after the
Delhi affairs during 1784 ce to 1794 ce.
The heirs of Najib Khan, responsible
for the Panipat battle, were still plotting
against the Marathas in Rohilkhand.
Najib’s grandson Ghulam Kadir captured
the Red Fort and tortured the Emperor and
his begums for their wealth. He gouged
out the Emperor’s eyes and took hold of
the royal treasure. In these circumstances,
Mahadji defeated Kadir. He confiscated
the wealth from him and returned it to the
emperor. He reinstated the Emperor on the
throne of Delhi. Thus, Mahadji recovered
the Maratha prestige which was lost after
the battle of Panipat. He controlled the
politics of India by putting the Emperor
under Maratha control.
Due to the family feuds amongst the
Peshwas, Raghunathrao opted to go to the
British camp. He wanted to become a
Peshwa with the help of the British. It was
not acceptable to the Maratha Statesmen.
This led to an inevitable conflict between
the Marathas and the British. The conflict
between the two great powers. The Marathas and the British would finally
decide who the ruler of India would be.
From Mumbai, the British marched on
the Marathas via Borghat. The Maratha
army gathered under the leadership of
Mahadaji Shinde. The Marathas blocked
the supply of foodgrains to the British,
using guerrilla tactics. Both the armies
met at Wadgaon (on today’s Pune-Mumbai
Road). The British were defeated in this
battle and were forced to surrender the
custody of Raghunathrao to the Marathas.
Delhi was under Maratha control till
1803 ce. When we note that the British
conquered India after battling with the
Marathas, we understand the importance
of Mahadaji’s achievements. After setting
in order, the affairs of Delhi, Mahadaji
came to Pune. He died at Wanawadi near
Pune where a memorial is built to him.
Like the Shindes, the Holkars and the
Bhosales, some other prominent Maratha
Sardars also rendered noteworthy service
to the Maratha Raj. The navy raised by Shivaji Maharaj
was strengthened by Kanhoji Angre and
his son Tulaji. With this strong navy, they
contained the naval powers of the
Portuguese, the British and the Siddhis.
They defended the coastline of the
Maratha State.Khanderao Dabhade and his son
Trimbakrao laid the foundation of Maratha
power in Gujarat. After the death of
Khanderao, his wife Umabai routed the
Mughal Sardar of Ahmadabad. She
conquered the fort there.
Later, the Gaikwads made Vadodara
in Gujarat a seat of their power. The
Pawars of Dhar and Dewas in Madhya
Pradesh rendered valuable assistance to
the Shindes and the Holkars in expanding
the Maratha power in the North.
The Maratha State was in disarray
after the death of Peshwa Madhavrao.
Nana Phadanvis, the famous administrator
of the Peshwas and a Maratha statesman,
set right the
affairs of the
State with the
help of
Mahadaji. While
Mahadaji was
busy restoring
the Maratha
supremacy in the
North, Nana
managed the
affairs of the
South. In this,
he was helped by the Patwardhans,
Haripant Phadke, the Rastes and other
Sardars. As a result of this, Maratha
supremacy was established in the South.
The Holkars of Indore, Bhosales of
Nagpur, Shindes of Gwalior, Gaikwads of
Vadodara brought glory to the Maratha
power on the basis of their valour,
leadership qualities and capability. They
were the pillars of the Maratha power in
its last phase.
The Maratha Sardars were successful
in establishing the influence of the
Maratha power both in North and South
India. After the death of Mahadaji Shinde and Nana Phadanavis, the Maratha power
began to wane.
At that time, Bajirao II, the son of
Raghunathrao was the Peshwa. He did not
have leadership qualities and had many
vices. He was unable to unite the Maratha
Sardars. The internal strife between the
Sardars weakened their power.
During the reign of Bajirao II, the
Maratha influence in the North and South
waned further. The British replaced the
Marathas.
The British captured Pune in 1817 ce
and hoisted their flag ‘Union Jack’ there.
In 1818 ce the British defeated Marathas
in the battle of Ashti in Solapur district
and finally the Maratha power came to
an end. This event marks a major change
in the History of India. After this, the
British managed to gain control over a
major part of India. India came into
contact with the Western world. That led
to many changes in India’s social system.
Many old things became redundant or
were pushed aside. This was a major
transformation. A major change took
place. The medieval period of Indian
history came to an end. The Modern
period began.
0 Comments