10. The Expansion of the Maratha Power

At the beginning of the Maratha war won the battle. He captured Satara. He got of independence, the Mughals were on himself crowned. Satara became the capital the offensive whereas the Marathas were of the Maratha kingdom. on the defensive. This situation however For a while, the mutual opposition was reversed at the end of the war of between Maharani Tarabai and Shahu independence. The Mughals were thrown Maharaj continued. Maharani Tarabai on the defensive against the Marathas. In proclaimed her minor son Shivaji II as the the latter half of the eighteenth century, Chhatrapati at Pahnala in 1710 ce. This the Marathas subdued the Mughals and gave rise to an indendepent Maratha extended the Maratha power to cover Kingdom at Kolhapur besides the one at practically the whole of India. We shall Satara. study this in the present chapter. The early part of Shahu Maharaj’s life Release of Shahu Maharaj : After was spent in Mughal camps. So, he had the death of Emperor Aurangzeb, there seen Mughal politics from close quarters. ensued a struggle among his sons for the He knew the finer points of Mughal and throne of Delhi. Prince Azamshah was in especially North Indian politics. the South. At once, he marched towards He knew the strengths and weaknesses Delhi to seize the imperial throne. Prince of the Mughal empire very well. Also, he Shahu was in his captivity. Azamshah was acquainted with the influential people believed that if Shahu Maharaj was in the Mughal Court. All these factors released, there would arise a conflict helped him deciding the new direction of between him and Maharani Tarabai for Maratha politics in the changing the gadi of the Maratha Chhatrapati. circumstances. Azamshah felt that this would sap the Aurangzeb’s successors had given up Maratha strength and therefore, released his policy of destroying the Maratha power. Shahu Maharaj. So the Marathas adopted a new policy. Coronation of Shahu Maharaj : Instead of fighting with the Mughal power, Immediately after his release, Shahu they decided to protect it and expand their Maharaj marched towards Maharashtra. own empire in that role. They believed that He was joined by some Maratha Sardars, restoring an old temple is as good as but Maharani building a new one. Tarabai did not The Mughal power faced the threat of accept his claim to the Irani and Afghani invaders from the the throne. The north-west and also of the local Pathan, armies of Shahu local Rajput, Jat and Rohilas rulers. The Maharaj and internal competition and tussle in the court Maharani Tarabai had also weakened the Mughal power. Due fought a battle at to all these the Delhi Court needed the help Khed on the bank of the Marathas. of the Bheema. Balaji Vishwanath : After Shahu Shahu Maharaj Shahu Maharaj Maharaj was released by the Mughals, he made Balaji Vishwanath, a Peshwa. Balaji Nizam’s defeat at Palkhed : The hailed from Shrivardhan, in Konkan. He Mughal emperor Farukhsear appointed was competent and experienced. He Nizam – ul – Mulk the Subhedar of Deccan. convinced many Sardars that Shahu In 1713 ce Nizam tried to establish his Maharaj was the real heir of the Maratha separate existence at Hyderabad. The empire and made them join hands with Emperor had given the Marathas the rights him. to recover Chauthai-Sardeshmukhi from Kanhoji Angre was the chief of the Mughal areas. Nizam was against it. Maratha Navy. He chose to side with He captured some part of the Pune Maharani Tarabai and attacked the Pargana. Bajirao decided to checkmate the territories of Shahu Maharaj. This gave Nizam. He defeated the Nizam at Palkhed rise to a difficult situation. Under these near Aurangabad. The Nizam accepted the circumstances, Shahu Maharaj sent Balaji Maratha right to collect Chauthai- to fight against Kanhoji Angre. Balaji Sardeshmukhi. avoided the war and won Kanhoji over to As the Mughal power had become Shahu Maharaj’s side. weak, Bajirao knew that there was more Chauthai and Sardeshmukhi rights : scope to expand the empire towards After strengthening the position of Shahu northern side. Shahu Maharaj supported Maharaj in Maharashtra, Balaji turned his his policy. attention to the politics in the North. The Malwa : Malwa in todays Madhya Delhi court, after the death of Emperor Pradesh was part of the Mughal empire. Aurangzeb, was marked by bickering and Bajirao sent Malharrao Holkar, Ranoji confusion. The Sayyid brothers, Abdulla Shinde and Udaji Pawar under the (Hasan) and Hussein Ali had become very leadership of his brother Chimajiappa to influential. With their help, in 1719 ce Malwa. There, they strengthened the posts. Balaji obtained from the Mughal Emperor, Bundelkhand: Bundelkhand means the grants or sanads to collect chauthai some part of today’s Madhya Pradesh and and sardeshmukhi from the Mughal territory Uttar Pradesh - areas around Jhansi, in the Deccan. These sanads gave the Panna and Sagar. Marathas the rights to collect one fourth King Chhatrasal had established his part (chauthai) and one tenth part own kingdom in Bundelkhand. The Mughal (sardeshmukhi) of the revenue from the Subhedar Mohmmad Khan Bangush of Mughal territory in the Deccan. Allahabad attacked Bundelkhand and had Bajirao I : defeated Chhatrasal. Chhatrasal appealed After the death of to Bajirao for help. Balaji Vishwanath, Bajirao took a large army and went Shahu Maharaj to Bundelkhand. He defeated Bangush. appointed Balaji’s Chhatrasal honoured Bajirao. This is how son, Bajirao I the Marathas established their supremacy in Peshwa in 1720 ce. Malwa and Bundelkhand. He expanded the Bajirao demanded from the Emperor Maratha Empire the office of the Subhedar of Malwa. As during his term of the Emperor declined this demand, Bajirao Bajirao I 20 years. marched on Delhi in 1737 ce. The Mughals were taken by surprise.

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Chhatrasal wrote a letter to Bajirao. In that he wrote, गत आह ग वह गत आई ह आ . , . (My situation is like the elephant whose leg is caught by the crocodile. You are the only one who can save me.)

The battle of Bhopal : The Emperor felt uneasy on account of Bajirao’s Delhi expedition. He invited the Nizam to protect Delhi. Nijam marched against Bajirao with his huge army. Bajirao defeated him at Bhopal. Nizam agreed to secure the sanad of Malwa subhedari for the Marathas from the Badshah. The defeat of Portuguese : The territories of Vasai and Thane on the Konkan coast were in the possession of the Portuguese. The Portuguese rulers oppressed their subjects. Bajirao sent his brother Chimajiappa to subdue the Portuguese. Chimaji conquered Thane and the adjacent areas. In 1739 ce, he laid siege to the Vasai fort. The fort was very strong. The Portuguese had a powerful artillery. In spite of all this, Chimaji continued the siege with perseverance and forced the Portuguese to surrender. The fort of Vasai and large parts of the Portuguese territory passed into the hands of the Marathas. Death of Bajirao : Nadirshah, the Emperor of Iran, invaded India. Following the order of Shahu Maharaj, Bajirao set out for the North with a big army to defend the Mughal power. By the time he reached Burhanpur, Nadirshah had returned to Iran with an enormous booty looted from Delhi. In April 1740, Bajirao breathed his last at Raverkhedi on the banks of the Narmada. Bajirao was a great General. With his valour, he established the Maratha supremacy in the North. He won status for the Maratha power as a formidable power in the whole of India. In his time, the Shinde, Holkar, Pawar, Gaikwad families attained prominence.