Chapter -2 the Origin and Development of Pune Cantonment
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Chapter -2 The Origin and Development of Pune Cantonment town : A historical-spatial perspective. 2.0 Location and Origin of Pune Situated just under 200 kilometres south-east of Mumbai on the Deccan Plateau, 'the native town' of Pune developed under the rale of Peshwas, who made it their base and brought with them great political power. With its political and geographical centrality, Pune soon assumed cultural leadership of the region; be it in the field of education, social reform or freedom struggle. Pune has helped shape the culture of the entire region and is popularly thought of as the core of Maharashtraian identity. — By the end of the eighteenth century, the classical Cantonment town with a distinct stamp of the British colonial society developed adjacent to the 'native city'. Pune or Punyapur of yore, holds within its fabric the vestiges of urban form of several centuries. Its origin dates back to at least two thousand years when it developed as a fishing hamlet on the confluence of two rivers : Mula and Mutha. (Fig. 2:1). Like all places at confluence, Pune has religious sanctity, more so because it was close to Bhimashankar- an important place of pilgrimage and it was located along the trade routes that connected the vast agricultural lands of the Deccan Plateau through the mountain passes of Bhor and Nane ghat to the ports in the Konkan on the Arabian Sea. (Fig. 2:2) Pune throughout its career has had a violent 37 t I * —^L —L-—rt * T history, starting with the early Hindu period, when it was ruled by Chalukya, Rashtrakuta and Yadav kings. With Muslim rule which began in 1246 AD, a period of instability set in when Pune was ruled by successive dynasties of Ahmednagar, Gulbarga and the Moghuls. By late sixteenth century, Pune was consolidated under the Maratha chieftain, Maloji Bhonsale, and as Pune's imperial stature grew, it integrated into a city by the year 1800 with eighteen peths, three forts, a major temple complex (Parvati) a wooden bridge (Lakdipool) across the river, the imperial palaces or wadas and aqueducts which supplied potable water to the city from a system of reservoirs. At this time the peths provided an urban structure out of well defined wards, just as the wada form of house gave a pattern to Pune's neighbourhoods. Before 1818, when the British forces overran Pune, it had emerged as an indigenous Indian Capital, sustaining a system of relatively sovereign cities. Though Pune of 1800s was described as an impressive inland capital, it never saw the opulence of the Moghuls or Nizams nor the commercial importance of cities like Ahmedabad or Surat. Therefore, why Pune rose to such prominence remains an enigma because it neither had a strong production base nor a rich agricultural hinterland, nor was it located on any major strategic routes, yet it was politically the most important city in India in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries. After the British conquered the city in 1818, the population of Pune was over a hundred thousand. This declined to 75,000 by 1851 in the early British period. The two military camps or Cantonments were set up during this period. (Fig. 2:3). The Pune camp was to guard the entrance to the city from the south-east, while the Kirkee camp was set up to guard the roads 38 Aurangabad Paithan w» GHAT OR SADDLE -f. FORT ^-N KONKAN Fi.5- 2:3 Important Trade Routes of Wetern Maharashtra Around Pune Region Source: Geographical Factors in the Rise and Fall ofMarathas, Ph.D. Thesis, April 1966, University of Pune, DM. Wash leading to the city from Konkan. Each of these two Cantonments grew with the expansion of roads, bungalows and social and recreational facilities over the next century. The indigenous city deteriorated from 1818 to the early decades of the present century, while the Pune Cantonment town flourished into a well planned garden suburb. With the growth of Pune Cantonment town, wealthy Parsi and Gujarati families constructed impressive bungalows in the buffer zone between Pune Cantonment town and the old city. At the same time, enhanced artisan and trading activity gave a fillip to development in Bhavani Peth and Nana Peth- the peths adjacent to the Cantonment town. By the time of Independence, the working class population of Pune spread up to the borders of the Cantonment in squatter settlements and single room tenements, as Pune's colonial importance grew with the expansion of military, administrative and judiciary activities. Thus a dual character of city and Cantonment entrenched itself under the British. 2.1 The Origin of Pune Cantonment town: In order to trace the origin of the Pune Cantonment town, a brief history of how Pune was conquered by the British would provide a suitable background and set the stage for the ensuing discussion on the limits of the Pune Cantonment town. After the accession of the last Peshwa- Bajirao, there followed a period of great disturbances, extortion and cruelty. As a result of this in 1802, the city of Pune became the target of plunder and the Peshwa was 39 expelled. It was at this stage that General Wellesfcley, appeared on the - scene and saved the city from destruction and restored the rule of Peshwa. It was in the year 1803, when the British captured the fort of Ahmednagar and after the conquest of the surrounding places, it placed its army at Ahmednagar, Pune and Sirur. Its supremacy, ultimately burst into war, which is known as the battle of Kirkee 1817. (Fig. 2:4). The result of this confrontation was the routing of the Maratha army and the flight of the Peshwa (Fig. 2:5). The scene of the battle then shifted to Koregaon in the following year, where Captain Staunton routed the Maratha force of 30,000 men thus, giving Bajirao a second defeat. Bajirao surrendered and the fort of Purandar was captured by the British, where their flag was hoisted for the first time on 16th March 1818 after the surrender of Sinhagad by the Peshwa. Thus, this is how the British came into the picture and conquered Pune, the city of historical events. Formerly, in 1803, when Lord Wellesley arrived in Pune to re establish Bajirao n, he had then opined that Garpir, i.e., the eastern part of Pune city was the most suitable site for the establishment of Cantonment.1 Even before the battle of Kirkee 1817, the Subsidiary Forces were put up in the area between Deccan Gymkhana and Ganeshkhind- which can be called the earliest Cantonment of the Deccan region. Both, this and the encampment of Garpir were close to the British Resident's house at Sangam, i.e., the point of confluence of Mula and Mutha rivers. When the Residency was attacked, Lord Elphinstone, the then Resident, abandoned the place as indefensible.2 But with the final defeat of the Marathas, Pune within a short period became a large administrative unit and the headquarter 40 References A Camp and Village defended by a Detachment of the 6th Bo Native Infantry and MO Guns <? Bnnn Route ofElphinstone and the Escort to join the force at Kirkee Plan of the action of cc First Position of the British Line N GANESH KMND OR KIRKEE DD Second Formation of British Line Fought on the 5th November 1817 EEK Advance of the Dapodi Battalion under Capt. Ford to join the by a detachment Commanded by line Lt. Col. Burr and the Army of the Dapodi Battalion throws Back the Right Wing i. repulses the Peshwa:Bajee Rao Enemy Third and the Last Position of the British Troops when the Endmy were beaten and were retreating towards Poona COLOURING Enemy's encampment British Infantry ED bb Enemy's horse advancing Enemy Horse ^E3 Detachment of Enemy's Infantry advancing to Charge the 7th Enemy's Infantry Bombay Native Infantry d Zeere-Pat Flag charged the 7th Bombay Native Infantry Si Enemy's Horse threatening Captain Ford's Dapodi Batallion. Mor Dixit killed. 0 Scale of Miles Mite IT Enemy repulsed by two Guns in position at Kirkee Remaining Enemy's Infantry advanced to meet the English but rur LI II 1 1% speedily compelled to retreat ir-1 Asirrrr n„~4 111 Lhirtf* D/c/r/W : NEWASE At- THANA PANVEL tf> • CHOUK <k hi SrNHAGAD to RAIGAD MAHAD WASOTA > THE MARCHES OF THE 4th DIV. < • THE MARCHES OF THE RESERVE. X . LT. COL. DEACON'S DETACHMENT. V ROUTE FOLLOWED BY THE PESHWA 0 16 32 48 64 ^ J_ , • -J ' ' 0 10 20 30 40 Miles -/tYNAPUR F ig. 2:5 The Last Peshwa's desperate Flight In West Maharashtra (November 1817 -April 1818) Source: Geographical Factors in the Rise and Fall of M&rathas, Ph.D. Thesis, April 1966, University of Pane, DM. W&gh of the Bombay Presidency Army. As Dennis Kincaid remarks, "long the seat of Hindu Orthodoxy, (Pune), became in an extraordinary short period, Pune of Anglo-Indian Saga".3 2.2 Demarcation of the Limits of Pune Cantonment Town: On the termination of war against the Marathas and the Pindharis in 1819, it was considered by the British Government that the military had passed the state of war to that of peace. It was at this time that the Government thought of fixing the limits of Pune Cantonment town and the administration of the civil population whjiich was assigned land for the - purpose of constructing dwelling places and shops. The civil population, mainly comprised of business people who were commonly known as 'camp followers' and catered to the needs of army.