H ft CO S o n A HISTORY OF THE MARATHA PEOPLE BY C A. KINCAID, CV.O., I.CS. Author of "The Indian Heroes," "Deccan Nursery Tales," 'The Outlaws of Kathiawar," "Tales from the Indian Epics,' "Tales of Pandharpur," "Shri Krishna of Dwrarka," " "Tales of King Vikrama, etc., etc. AND Rao Bahadur D. B. PARASNIS Author of "The Rani of Jhansi," "Mahableshwar," etc. Editor "Itihas Sangraha" VOL II THE DEATH OF <t , O FROM SHIVAJI ^ lL TO THE DEATH OF SHAHU _____ 1^ (r -^5 HUMPHREY MILFORD OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON BOMBAY CALCUTTA MADRAS 1922 PRINTED AT THE KANARESE MISSION PRESS AND BOOK DEPOT, MANGALORE fWNTED IN INDIA TO THE MARATHA PEOPLE THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED PKEFACE TO SECOND VOLUME A FEW words only are needed by way of introduction to the Second volume. The main authorities for the lives of Sambhaji and Rajaram are the Chitnis Bakhar, the Shedgavkar Bakhar, Khafi Khan, the Musulman works translated by Scott and known as Scott's Deccan, Orme's Fragments and the Parasnis Papers. I must also express my grateful ac- knowledgments to Professor Sarkar's History of Aurangzeb, Vol. IV, and to Mr. Irvine's translation of the Storia do Mogor. For my account of the Maratha wars against the Portuguese, my warmest thanks are due to the Goa Govern- ment, who with admirable generosity and kindness sent me a quantity of specially chosen books and papers on the subject. The authorities for the reign of Shahu are the Chitnis Bakhar, the Peshwa and Shedgavkar Bakhars, the Siyar- ul-Mutakherin, the Parasnis Papers, Malleson's History of the French in India, Orme, and, above all, Mr. Sardesai's Riyasat, Vol. III. The merits of this latter book are so great, its learning so profound, its style so clear, that I can only compare it with Voltaire's Siecle de Louis XIV. Mr. Sardesai's kindness, moreover, was equal to his erudition. Hearing that I was engaged in writing the present work, he placed at my disposal the proof sheets of his unpublished third volume. I can only say that words fail me when I try to express my appreciation of his noble disinter- estedness. I am also greatly obliged to the Chief of Ichalkaranji, Mr. Dayagude, Chief karbhari of Bhor and Mr. Mahableshwar- VI PKEFACE TO SECOND VOLUME kar of the Bombay Educational Department for the assistance which they have freely given me. Lastly, I have to thank Mr. C. N. Seddon, I. C. S., for his translations of Persian letters, a task w^hich his profound knowledge of the Persian language rendered him eminently competent to perform. C. A. K. CONTENTS CHAPTER. PAGE. XXIV. Sambhaji's Accession 1680-1682 . i XXV. The Portuguese War 1683-1684 13 XXVI. The Great Moghul Offensive. The Conquest op BiJAPUR 1684-1686 22 XXVII. The Great Moghul Ofpensive. The Conquest of GOLCONDA 1686-1687 33 XXVIir. The Great Moghul Offensive. The Capture of Sambhaji 1687-1689 42 XXIX. The Great Moghul Offensive. Death of Sambhaji. Regency of Rajaram 1689 54 XXX. The Great Moghul Offensive, Capture of Raygad and flight of Rajaram 1689-1690 67 XXXI. The Great Moghul Offensive. The Siege of Jinji 1690-1698 75 XXXII. The Great Moghul Offensive. The Last Effort. The Beginning of the Maratha Counter-offensive 1698 91 XXXIII. Maratha Counter-offensive. Death of Rajaram and Regency of Tarabai 1700-1706 103 XXXIV. Maratha Counter-offensive. Death of Aurangzib Release and Coronation of Shahu 1706-1708 . .117 XXXV. Social Customs of the high castes in Maharashtra . 131 XXXVI. Civil War and the Reorganisation 1708-1714 . 140 XXXVII. Affairs at Delhi 1707-1719 159 XXXVIII. NiZAM-UL-MULK FOUNDS THE KINGDOM OF HaIDARABAD 1719-1724 168 XXXIX. Death of Balaji and Accession of his son Bajirao 1720-1730 176 XL. Kanhoji Angre and the English 202 XLI. Maratha Conquest of Malwa and Guzabat 1731-1736^ 212 XLII. War against the Nizam and Nadir Shah's Invasion 1737-1738 230 XLIIL The Conquest of the Konkan. War against the Sidis and Portuguese 1733-1739 237 XLIV. Shahu takes Miraj. The death of Bajirao. Accession of Balaji 1739-1740 • ... 262 XLV. Marathas INVADE Bengal. Ahmad Shah invades India 1740-1748 281 XLVI. Rise of the French Nation 1741-1751 287 XLVII. Death op Shahu and Fall op the Bhosles 1749-1750 294 INDK.K 321 ILLUSTRATIONS Shrinivas Pandit Piatinidhi . • Frontispiece PACING PAGE Shaikh Nizam Hydrabadi 54 Rajanxm Maharaj ...... 68 Zulfikar Khan 102 Bajirao I 174 Mastani 222 Balaji Bajirao (Third I'eshwa) 238 ' Raja Shahu and his minister Balaji Bajirao . 288 MAPS PAGE Sketch Map of Southern India 44 Sketoh Map of Salsette Island and other Portuguese Possessions . 232 CHAPTER XXIV SAMBHAJi'S ACCESSION A. D. 1680 TO 1682 Sambhaji seems to have returned to Panhala at once after the burning of Shivaji's body*. On his departure from Raygad, Soyarabai, a daughter of the great house of Shirke and the mother of Rajaram, then a youth in his nineteenth year, began to plot to secure for her son the vacant throne. During her husband's lifetime she and her kinsmen had used their influence to remove from the succession Sambhaji, as one unfitted by his evil habits and proved treachery to rule over the Marathas. After the king's death she took more vigorous action. She worked on the minds of her late husband's advisers and nobles by stating that Shivaji had before his death made an oral will, wherein he had bequeathed to Rajaram the kingdom and had ordered Sambhaji's imprisonment. During the early years of Raja- ram's reign, she would help him to govern the kingdom and would be added by the advice of the Asht Pradhan or eight ministers. Having thus tempted the ministers with the increase of power that such a plan would give them, she next roused their fears by painting in vivid colours the great dangers that hung over the kingdom. Aurangzib had heard with infinite satisfaction the news of the great king's death and was about to lead into the Deccan the whole power of Hindustan and subdue at once Maharashtra, Golconda and Bijapur. In such troubled times was not * The Chitnis Bakhar relates that Shivaji's death was hidden from Sambhaji. The local tradition at Raygad, which 1 have followed in Vol. I of this History, is that Sambhaji heard the news and rode with all speed to Raygad, arriving there too late to see his father alive. 1 2 A HISTORY OF THE MARATHA PEOPLE the first matter for consideration the welfare of the State, rather than the claims of a prince whose past conduct shewed his unfitness to cope with the coming danger? So deep, however, was the attachment felt by the Maratha nobles and the ministers to the house of Bhosle, that it was only with great reluctance and grave misgivings that they joined in the plot. Had it been executed with speed and secrecy it might have succeeded; but the lack of goodwill in most of the conspirators foredoomed it to failure. In- stead of at once seizing Sambhaji's person, they wrote a number of letters to various commanders to inform them of the queen's decision and to direct them to move their troops to favourable situations. The late king's secretary, Balaji Avaji, was ordered to write the letters. He refused; and he was with difficulty induced to consent to his son Avaji writing them. Among the letters sent was one to Janardanpant Hanmante, Raghunath Hanmante's brother, who had dis- tinguished himself in the Carnatic, to move his troops from Kolhapur and to attack Panhala. Kanhoji Bhadwalkar, the commandant of Raygad, closed the fort gates, and a force of ten thousand men Avas collected at Pachad, the village below Raj^gad, wherein Jijabai had passed several years. Lastly letters were sent to Bahirji Ingle, Somaji Banki and Hiroji Farzand, the principal officers at Panhala, calling upon them to seize the prince's person. But by this time the news of the plot had reached Sambhaji's ears. The common soldiers at Panhala were devoted to the great king's son. At his orders they arrested first the messenger Khandoji Naik, who had carried the letters, and then Ingle, Banki and Hiroji Farzand. The prisoners were confronted and questioned. They confessed, and were at once put in chains. Hiroji Farzand was so fortunate as to break from his cell and escape to Chiplun with a bag of jewelry. He was, however, taken later and again imprisoned. The others were tried and convicted. Banki was afterwards thrown from the top of Raygad. Suryaji Kank, a kinsman SAMBHAJi'S ACCESSION 3 of Yesaji Kank, the friend of Shivaji's childhood, was beheaded on the spot. Sambhaji was now in undisputed possession of the fortress and rapidly put it in a state of defence. This done, he awaited with confidence the arrival of Janardanpant Hanmante. In the civil war that general shewed none of the talents that had earned for him in the Carnatic the great king's commendation. He moved so slowly that Sambhaji's preparations had been completed several days before his arrival. Thankful perhaps for an excuse to take no active steps against the son of his late sovereign, he arranged his troops so as to invest Panhala and returned to Kolhapur. To adopt such a course was to court disaster. In the general's absence, the prince won over his subordinates. The bulk of the army declared for him. He crowned his success by marching at night with the Panhala garrison and seizing Janardanpant Hanmante in his headquarters at Kolhapur.