11. Marathas – the Protectors of the Nation
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11. Marathas – The Protectors of the Nation After Bajirao I, Shahu Maharaj Afghans. In return, the Marathas were to appointed his son Balaji Bajirao alias get cash money, the right to collect Nanasaheb the Peshwa. Following the chauthai in the territories of the Punjab, invasion of Nadirshah, there was instability Multan, Rajputana, Sindh and Rohilkhand in Delhi. In these circumstances, and the Subhedari of Ajmer and Agra Nanasaheb tried to stabilize the Maratha provinces. rule in the North. Ahmadshah Abdali As per the treaty, the Peshwa sent the posed a challenge to the Marathas at Shinde-Holkar armies for the protection of Panipat. We shall learn about these Delhi on behalf of the Chhatrapati. When developments in this chapter. Abdali learnt that the Marathas were Situation in the North : The region marching to Delhi, he went back to his to the north-west of Ayodhya province at country. Because the threat of Abdali was the foothills of the Himalayas was called thus thwarted due to the Marathas, the Rohilkhand in the 18th century. The Emperor gave them Chauthai rights to the Pathans who had migrated from Mughal subhas. These subhas included Afghanistan had settled in this region. Kabul, Kandahar and Peshawar. Though the They were known as Rohillas. The subhas were previously a past of the Rohillas had wrought havoc in the Doab Mughal empire, now they were part of region of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. Abdali’s Afghanistan. As per the treaty, it The Nawab of Ayodhya invited the was a duty of the Marathas to win the Marathas to subdue the Rohillas. The subhas back from Abdali and annexe them Marathas chastised the Rohillas. to the Mughal Empire. Abdali however, Conflict with the Afghans : wanted to bring under Afghan control, the Ahmadshah Abdali, the ruler of region up to the Punjab. So a conflict Afghanistan, was attracted by the riches between the Marathas and Abdali was of India. He marched on the Punjab in imminent and inevitable. 1751 ce. There was anarchy in the Mughal Raghunathrao, brother of the Peshwa territory. The Mughals were facing the Nanasaheb, accompanied by Jayappa threat of Abdali’s invasion. In these Shinde and Malharrao circumstances, the Mughals found it Holkar, undertook the necessary for their own protection, to seek campaign of North the help of the Marathas. The Emperor India to combat was sure of the Maratha strength and Abdali. integrity. There was no other power strong The local rulers enough to protect Delhi. Therefore, the in the north saw the Emperor entered into a treaty with the Marathas from the Marathas in April 1752. According to this South as their treaty, the Marathas agreed to protect the competitors. They did Mughal power from enemies like the Peshwa Nanasaheb not take into account Rohillas, the Jats, the Rajputs and the the broad vision of the Marathas and remained neutral, offering no help to the to come to his help. On receiving the Marathas. They did not like the Maratha message from Najibkhan, Abdali invaded supremacy and interventions in the Delhi India again. Dattaji and Abdali confronted court. Surajmal Jat and Rani Kishori were each other at Buradi Ghat on the banks the only ones who helped the Marathas of the Yamuna. A fierce fight ensued. wounded in the battle of Panipat. Dattaji showed tremendous valour. He Also, some of the orthodox sects in met with a heroic death in this battle. the North saw Marathas as people belonging to other religions. They, too, Do you know ? left aside the broad vision of the Marathas. They persuaded Abdali to invade India Dattaji fought very bravely. At last, he with a view to reducing the Maratha was severely wounded and collapsed might. They expected that Abdali would on the battleground. Najib Khan defeat the Marathas and drive them away Rohilla’s adviser Qutub Shah stepped back to the South, beyond the river down from his elephant and came Narmada. towards Dattaji. He asked Dattaji, ‘ The Maratha standard on Attock : , औ ?’ Najibkhan was a Rohilla chief. He found Dattaji was in a wounded state. But it hard to tolerate the Maratha supremacy after hearing these words of Qutub in the North. At the behest of Najibkhan, Abdali invaded India again. This was the Shah, he replied with pride, ‘ , fifth time he had invaded India. He औ ।’ captured Delhi. He returned to Afghanistan with a huge booty. Raghunathrao and Malharrao Holkar marched to the North Sadashivraobhau : Nanasaheb sent again. They captured Delhi. Then, driving his cousin Sadashivraobhau and eldest out Abdali’s officers, they captured the son Vishwasrao to the North to crush Punjab. The Marathas pursued Abdali’s Abdali. Sadashivraobhau was soldiers right up to Attock in 1758 ce. Chimajiappa’s son. He had with him, a The Maratha standard was raised at huge army and a Attock. Attock is in present day Pakistan. powerful artillery. From Attock, the Marathas pushed the Ibrahimkhan campaign up to Peshawar. However, they Gardi was the did not make proper arrangements to look chief of the after this newly conquered territory. artillery. He had Dattaji’s valour : To get a firm hold defeated the over the Punjab and to crush Najibkhan, Nizam in the the Peshwa sent Dattaji Shinde and battle of Udgir in Janakoji Shinde to the North. Dattaji went 1760 ce, on the to the North. Keeping Dattaji engaged in strength of this negotiations, Najibkhan established Sadashivraobhau artillery. contacts with Abdali. He requested Abdali The Battle of Panipat : In his their leader had disappeared, the Maratha campaign of the North, Sadashivraobhau soldiers lost courage. At that very moment, captured Delhi. The armies of the the reserve contingents of Abdali launched Marathas and Abdali confronted each an attack on the Marathas with a fresh other at Panipat. On 14 January 1761, the vigour. The Marathas were defeated. A Marathas opened the battle by attacking whole generation of young men in Abdali’s army. This was the Third Battle Maharashtra was killed. Many brave of Panipat. Vishwasrao fell a victim to Sardars fell on the battlefield. The an enemy bullet in the battle. When Marathas believed that an outsider like Sadashivraobhau learnt this, he fiercely Abdali had no moral right to rule here. attacked the enemy in a frenzy. He The Marathas fought at Panipat with the disappeared in the battle fray. Seeing that broad perspective that India is for Indians. Do you know ? at Rakshasbhuvan near Paithan. Hyder Ali was the Sultan of Mysore. Approximately 1,50,000 people were Taking advantage of the Maratha defeat killed in the battle of Panipat. One at Panipat, Hyder Ali attacked their letter describes this in a poetic way. territory in Karnataka. The Marathas defeated Hyder in a battle at Moti Talav . ! near Srirangapattan. He then agreed to , ." cede the region north of the river Sadashivraobhau had explained the Tungabhadra to the Marathas. broad, all-inclusive viewpoint of the Peshwa Madhavrao died in 1772 ce. Marathas in his correspondence with the In the history of the Marathas, he is rulers in the North, saying that they were described as an honest, hard-working, all native to the land and Abdali was an determined administrator who was keen enemy from a foreign country. But the on public welfare. The death of this rulers in the North did not respond capable Peshwa was an irreparable loss favourably to him and took a neutral to the Maratha State. attitude. Naturally, the Marathas had to shoulder the responsibility of protecting Do you know ? India. We can say that the Marathas were the first in our history to realise that India was one country and it was Peshwa Madhavrao provided necessary for all to lend support to the special attention towards the welfare of farmers. He dug many wells in king irrespective of his religion. Pune and increased the water supply Peshwa Madhavrao : After the to the city. Administrators like Nana death of Peshwa Nanasaheb, his son Phadnavis and judges like Madhavrao succeeded him to the office Ramshastri Prabhune emerged under of the Peshwa. Madhavrao kept the his rule. He reformed the judiciary Nizam and Hyder Ali at bay. He for better justice to the common established the people. He started artillery and supremacy of the ammunition factories. He also Marathas in the established a mint to make coins. North again. After the defeat The two Peshwas who succeeded of the Marathas at Peshwa Madhavrao, namely Narayanrao Panipat, the Nizam and Sawai Madhavrao, did not live long. once again resumed During their term, Peshwa was in the grip his anti-Maratha of family feuds. Raghunathrao, who had activities. He once raised the Maratha standard at invaded the Maratha Attock, sought shelter with the British to territory. Madhavrao satisfy his greed for power. This led to a war between the Marathas and the British. defeated the Nizam Peshwa Madhavrao Hyder Ali died in 1782 ce. After him Delhi under their own protection. The his son Tipu became the Sultan of Maratha power was revived in the North. Mysore. He was a skilled warrior, a The Marathas suffered a heavy loss scholar and a poet. He used his competence in the battle of Panipat. Abdali’s army to increase the might of his Kingdom. He also suffered losses. He did not benefit established contact with French and shook financially in the battle. In fact, Abdali the foundation of British supremacy. He or his descendants did not muster enough died in 1799 ce in a battle against the courage to invade India again. They British. realised that only the Marathas had the The Maratha Supremacy Rises strength and capacity to control the Once Again : The Maratha prestige in anarchy in the North.