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Home , Ahmednagar, Chandrapur district, Deshmukh, Elphinstone College, Khandesh, Maharashtra

Maharashtra at the beginning of British Rule in 19th century

Introduction

Maharashtra has the tradition of very old and ancient . During ancient times, the dyansties like Satvahanas, Vakatakas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Shilharas ruled various parts of Maharashtra at different times. These dynasties had produced the famous rulers like Gautamiputra Satkarni, Hala (the king Hala belonging to Satvahana dynasty is credited with compiling the first book in Maharashtri Prakrit language. The title of the book was 'Gathasaptashati' or 'Gathasattasai'. According to experts the modern has its roots in ancient Maharashtri Prakrit language), Pravarsen II (this king belonging to Vakataka dynasty composed a book titled 'Setubandh' or 'Ravanvaho' in Maharashtri Prakrit) Sarvasen (Sarvasena was also a Vakataka king who wrote 'Harivijay', a book in Maharashtri Prakrit. The Vakatakas came to power in Maharashtra after the Satvahanas), Pulkeshin II (He belonged to the and had defeated king Harshavardhan, his powerful northern contemporary) and Aparaditya I (this Shilhara king was interested in music and Dharmashastras. He had written a commentary on Yajnyavalkya Smriti titled 'Apararka').

During medieval period, the most prominent dynasty which ruled over Maharashtra was the Yadava dynasty. During the Yadava rule great Marathi Saint wrote 'Dnyneshwari', a commentary on 'Bhagvad Gita' in Marathi language around 1290 CE. During the rule of Yadava king, Ramdevraya, Allauddin Khilji had attacked Devgiri (modern district in Maharashtra), the capital of Yadava Kings of Maharashtra. The Yadavas of Maharashtra claimed themselves to be decendants of 'Yadu' dynasty. Devout believe that Lord belonged to this mythological dynasty.

Different parts of Maharashtra were subsequently ruled by the Sultans of () and Mughal Dynasty. In mid 17th century the Great Maharaj carved out independent state of Marathas called as 'Swarajya' by fighting against the Adilshahi rulers of and other Muslim rulers including the Mughals. Chhatrapati Shivaji enthused people with positive energy and confidence as he was the one who had shown courage to take on the mighty political powers in country. His rule was people friendly rule in the real sense of the term. Hence, Chhatrapati Shivaji is aptly and fondly called as the 'Rayatecha Raja' (People's King).

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj died in 1680 CE. After him his son Chhatrapati became the the ruler. After the death of Chhatrapati Sambhaji, Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj and Rani gave spirited fight to the Mughals led by Emperor and defeated them. The sacrifice of Chhatrapati Sambhaji strengthened the resolve of the people of Maratha land to give spirited fight to Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb.

Chhatrapati Rajaram and Rani Tarabai mobilised the Marathas and gave effective leadership to them after the death of Chhatrapati Sambhaji. By the beginning of the second decade of 18th century the firmly established their position as the de facto rulers. was the close aide of Chhatrapati Shahu (son of Chhatrapati Sambhaji) and helped him to revive the prestige and power of Maratha kingdom. Balaji Vishwanath's son alias 'Rau' succeeded him as Peshwa in 1720 CE. Baji Rao I was a gallant fighter. The other prominent Peshwas were Peshwa alias Nanasaheb Peshwa Peshwa Madhavrao I. Baji Rao II, the son of was the last Maratha Peshwa. His rule was brought to an end by British after his deafeat in the third Anglo-Matatha War of 1817-18 CE and the British rule began in Maharashtra. Even though, the (1761) gave a temporary setback to Marathas, within a limited span of time again the Maratha Confederacy was dominating the most of the parts of during the time of Peshwa Madhavrao I. The Maratha Confederacy included the powerful 'Sardars' like Gaikwads of Baroda, of , (Shindes) of , Bhosales of , Newalkars of Jhansi, etc. The Peshwas of Poona were considered as 'First among the Equal' during this time. As mentioned above, the Peshwa Baji Rao II was defeated in 1818 CE by the British and the prestige and power of last indigenous rulers of India viz. Marathas weakened greatly which paved the way for the establishment of British rule in India on strong basis.

Social Condition in Maharashtra

The rigid caste system was prevalent in Maharashtra when the British rule started in 19th century. There was a social hierarchy consisting many castes. The condition of lower castes was precarious. Especially, the condition of untouchables was worst. Untouchables were denied social, religious and economic equality. Their touch was considered as polluting and they were also denied entry in temples.

There was a strong influence of Bhakti tradition saints and their writings on society. Different caste groups called as 'Balutedars' were involved in range of professions or work. The Brahmins enjoyed privileged position in society.

The women mostly did not get formal education. They were supposed to look after the household responsibilities. Some women from affluent and Brahmin families could read and write. But, the system of sending girls to schools like boys was not yet common. Hence, the literacy rate among women was low. Women had to suffer from the evils like 'Davadasi', '', forced widowhood, child marriage, etc.

Marathi language was used for conversation and writing. It was written both in 'Devnagari' and 'Modi' script. Marathi is one of the oldest languages in . We have already seen that as early as during 1st century CE Satvahana King, Hala had compiled the book called 'Gathasaptasati' in Maharashtri Prakrit, Marathi language has its roots in Maharashtrii Prakrit. The Marathi language got boost during medieval times when the saints belonging to 'Mahanubhav' sect and 'Bhakti' sect composed or wrote their writings in Marathi.

Economic Condition

As mentioned earlier, the people belonging to different castes called as 'Balutedars' were involved in different types of work like and carrying out responsibilities as blacksmiths, goldsmiths, carpenters, washermen, cobblers, barbers, weavers, fishermen, village watchmen, etc. These professions were caste-based and hereditary and there was no horizontal mobility from one profession or caste to other. The persons belonging to untouchable castes were treated as outcasts and were mainly involved in menial work. But, the mainstay of the economic fabric was agriculture. The cultivators also used to serve as soldiers when they were not involved in farming work.

For the purpose of land revenue collection, the used to classify land in different categories and measure it. In this way on the basis of classification of land and measurement the land revenue was collected from cultivators.

The cultivators were given remission from taxes during failure of the crops and were given the help by the rulers in the form of 'tagai' i.e. a loan in order to face the bad or difficult times. '', '', '' and "' were the important revenue officers at different level. The finance minister was called as 'Phadnis'. The system of giving loan to farmers during the failure of crops or famine was indeed a sign of people friendly rule.

Paithan, , and were important centres of trade. was known as Prathishthan during ancient times. This town located on the banks of river Godavari was the great Centre of Learning apart from being the Trade Centre. During ancient times, it was the capital of Satvahanas. Saint , one of the greatest Bhakti Saints known for his compositions in Marathi as well as was from Paithan. Pune became the Centre of Power, especially during the time of Peshwa. Thane and Kalyan were the ports, hence from here the foreign trade was carried out.

Administration and Judiciary

Mountstuart Elphnstone who served as the Deccan Commissioner and first Governor of played crucial role in introducing and strengthening the western British style administration in Bombay Presidency.

While restructuring the administrative system Elphinstone retained the good indigenous principles. He made it a point to not to disturb the local people while bringing in new administrative changes.

The District Collector emerged as very important official at the District level during British period. The Collectors also subsequently started funtioning as Magistrates, hence, maintaining law and order in the District became responsibility of a Collector under British rule.

Mountstuart Elphinstone's praiseworthy contribution was the codification of laws. The new Code of Laws compiled by British rulers and applicable in Bombay Presidency came to be known as 'Elphinstone Code'. For compiling this Code the help of Indian 'Pundits' i.e. learned Brahmins and other people was also taken, wherever necessary.

Mountstuart Elphnstone was a liberal administrator. He was born on 6 October 1779 in Dunbartonshire, . He was offered the Governer- Generalship of India but he declined it. He believed in treating the natives with respect. He promoted the cause of state education. In his honour the in Bombay (now ) was named by the rich Indians from the city of Bombay, who built this College by way of public funding. The British maintained the military contingents at Shirur, and Poona. Shirur and Junnar are important talukas of . Shirur is located on the eastern boundary of Pune district while Junnar's location is in north- eastern side of Pune. During the early British rule both these areas were centres of untest against British rule. The British introduced the modern military modelled on western army and equipped with modern weapons. The army was also given proper training and soldiers had to fight in different parts of the country. Later on the British took the Indian soldiers to far off places like and for fighting purposes.

Today's most of the Western Maharashtra and was the part of Bombay Presidency. The Bombay Presidency consisted of in all twenty six districts from , Sindh (today's ), Maharashtra (Western Maharashtra and Khandesh) and . The capital of Bombay Presidency was the Bombay city and other prominent cities were (today's Pakistan), , Pune and .

The British introduced new western judicial system wherein there were High Courts and District courts. The new judicial system originally introduced by Warren Hastings was subsequently strengthened by Lord Cornwallis and Lord William Bentinck. Under the new system everyone was considered as equal before law. Later on the Indian Penal Code came into existence in 1860 which was based on the suggestions given by the Law Commission of 1834 chaired by Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay.

As far as the land revenue was concerned, the British introduced the 'Ryotwari' Land Revenue Settlement or System in Bombay Presidency or Maharashtra. This system was originally introduced in Madras Presidency by Thomas Munro. Under the Ryotwari System the land revenue rate was 50%, if land was in the category of dry land and 60%, if the land was irritated. The British collected land revenue from individual cultivators and not village as a whole. The other revenue collection systems implemented by British were Permanent System, which was also known as the Zamindari system (under this system Zamindars played very important role, hence it was also called as Zamindari System. It was mainly implemented in the then Province), the Mahalwari System and the Taluqdari System.

Tribal Uprisings

British rule faced the tribal uprisings in earlier part of its rule in Maharashtra. The most important tribal revolts against British rule in Maharashtra were Ramoshi Uprising, Koli Uprising, Bhill Uprising, Garkari Revolt and Gond Uprising.

Ramoshi Uprising

Ramoshis were an important part of Maratha army. After the establishment of British rule most of them lost their source of income. Hence, under the leadership of Umaji Naik the Ramoshis revolted. Umaji Naik was aided by his associate Bapu Trimbakji . From 1826-29 the Ramoshi uprising was going strong in Pune area. Umaji Naik was captured and given death punishment but still Ramoshis were the force to reckon with. Ramoshis targeted the money-lenders as they used to exploit the common folk.

Koli Uprising

The Kolis were found in Gujarat as well as Maharashtra. Ramaji Bhungere was the leader of the Koli uprising of 1828. He was in government service which he gave up and raised the banner of revolt against British. Chimaji Jadhav and Bhau Khare the prominent members of Maratha nobility had supported the Kolis.

The Kolis had subsequently revolted in 1844, 1845 and 1873. Kolis and Ramoshis had joined hands at Purandar in Pune in 1845. Raghu Bhungere, Bapu Bhungere and Honya were the leaders of Koli uprising at different times. Kolis had also proclaimed Peshwa as their ruler for some time. After lots of efforts British were able to suside the Koli revolts in 1870s. Bhil Uprising

Bhils were found in parts of western Maharashtra and mainly in Khandesh. Bhils had concentrated in the after British captured Khandesh. British were under impression that Trimbaji Dengale, the Noble of Peshwa Bajirao II had instigated the Bhils for revolting against British.

The Bhills had revolted in 1818, 1819 and in 1846 at various places in Satpura to . The British had to make use of force as well as peaceful measures for dealing with the Bhills. They were also convinced to lead the life of cultivators by giving up fighting on some occasions.

Gadkari Revolt

Gadkaris were the people who used to garrison the forts of Maratha rulers. After the downfall of the Marathas or Maratha Peshwa their services were not required. They were also asked to pay the revenue for the lands which they were holding. These were the prime reasons of Gadkari revolt in western Maharashtra and they captured Panhalgad and Pavnagad. The common people also participated in this uprising.

Gond Uprising

Gonds are mainly found in the districts of and in eastern Maharashtra or region of Maharashtra. In 1981 the was split into two and the districts of Chandrapur and Gadchiroli came into existence.

The region around Chandrapur was ruled by the Gonds historically. It is said that even the 'Nagas', the serpent worshipping people from ancient India were ruling this area much before the Gonds.

The Gonds had helped the Bhosales of Nagpur in their struggle against British. When the Revolt of 1857 was going on in North the Gonds troubled British in this area. Baburao Gond was leading the uprising of Gonds. But, due to treachery he was captured and given death punishment by the British.

Causes of Tribal Uprisings

The important reasons for the tribal uprisings against British can be summed up as following:

The British interference in the traditional tribal areas was disliked by them.

The tribals were unhappy with the class of money-lenders as they were exploiting poor and it was widely believed that money-lenders enjoyed the support of British government.

The British attempt to establish monopoly and government control on forest and its resources was resented as tribals were mainly forest dwellers. The British also came up with the new forest laws subsequently which put limitations on the use of forest as a source of living for tribals. Even, the lakes located in the tribal parts of Thane was used as a source of drinking water for the cities like Bombay.

The new British rule disturbed the tribal way of life and the economic fabric of their society and forced them to work as menial labourers and miners.

Peasants Movement

Peasants from Maharashtra not only resented certain negative elements of British rule but also revolted against it, especially in the last quarter of 19th century.

The peasants uprising was mainly witnessed in the districts of Agmednagar and Poona around 1875. These peasants uprisings in the areas like Supa, Purandar, Shirur, in Pune and , , , in were also termed as the Deccan Riots. The new land revenue systems introduced by the British were perceived to be exploitative. Another important reason for the anguish of the peasants was the exorbitant interest rate charged by the money- lenders from the farmers.

The British rulers used to collect land revenue in the form of money and new changes brought into effect by the new foreign rulers, particularly the economic changes forced farmers to borrow money or take loans from the Marwari money-lenders. These money-lenders came to be considered as not only the symbol of exploitation but also creation of the faulty British policies. It was also a prevalent belief that money-lenders as a class enjoyed the support and protection of British rulers.

The houses of Marwari and Gujarati money-lenders were attacked by prasants. The money-lenders used to give loans against the mortgage of agricultural land. And peasants were not only impoverished but on the verge of losing their precious land to 'sawkars' (money-lenders), hence the cultivators resorted to uprising against them.

The government appointed the Commission in order to inquire the Deccan Riots of 1875. The Inquiry Commission had the members like Messrs. Richey, Lyon, Auckland, Colvin and Rao Bahadur Shambhu Prasad Laxmilal. After the submission of the report of this Commission, the Deccan Agriculturists' Relief Act of 1879 was passed in order to give relief to the peasants and deal with their problems.

Before the Deccan Riots of 1875, around 1852 the people in areas like Savada, Raver, Chopada from Khandesh area resented against the British Survey Officers who had come to survey the agricultural land. The people had to be convinced by the District Collector and other Military officers about the utility of land survey and then only government could carry out its work.

We have seen the peasants from Agmednagar and Poona revolted in 1875. Later on in 1879, also declared a sort of war against British. He was disturbed by the exploitative nature of British rule and plight of the peasants. Phadke was a Chitpavan Brahmin born in village of taluka in today's . He was trained in wrestling and physical fighting or Indian martial art by Lahuji Bua Raut, a wrestler from Poona, who belonged to the untouchable caste of . Lahuji Bua had also given physical training to Mahatma Phule.

Phadke also had organized and mobilised the Ramoshis against British. Vasudev Balwant Phadke along-with Waman Prabhakar Bhave and Laxmanrao Indapurkar had started a school called as the Native Poona Institution. The famous historian from Maharashtra viz. V. K. Rajwade had studied from this school. This school became famous as Bhave School during later years. Unfortunately, Vasudev Balwant Phadke was caught by British and sent to Aden (in Yemen, a country located in Arabian peninsula) where he died.

In 1832, the grain riots took place in Pune. Due to the failure of crops there was a shortage of foodgrains and merchants in order to exploit the situation had increased the prices of grains. On November 6, 1832 the people of Pune started attacking the shops and looting it. It took two days for the authorities to bring the situation under control. This episode also indicates the failure of the government to stop the merchants from involving in unethical trading practices and thereby causing great pain to common people.

Other important leaders who raised the cause of peasants were Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Maharshi and Senapati Bapat.

Mahatma Jyotiba Phule apart from the work of social reforms was actively involved in solving the problems of peasants. He had visited many places including Junnar in order to meet the farmers and listen to their problems. When the Duke of Connaught visited Pune in 1888, Phule met him and convyed the precarious condtition of peasants to him. He also asked the government to open hostels for the children of peasants. Vitthal Ramji Shinde (also known as Maharshi Vitthal Ramji Shinde and V. R. Shinde) was associated with the Prarthana Samaj as well. He was critical of the government officials and money-lenders and mainly held them responsible for the worst condition of peasants. V. R. Shinde could connect with the cause of farmers because he also came from the peasants family.

Senapati Bapat was associated with the of 1921. His original name was . He led the movement of peasants who were losing their land due to the construction of Mulshi on in Poona. The demands of the protesters were mostly met with.

Conclusion

One can say that Maharashtra was a medieval society till its conquest by the British in 1818 CE. The natives were having their own social, economic, political and administrative system. The British made changes to it and started westernising it. Later on the introduction of western education brought further changes and also gave rise to social reform movement. In 1818 CE with the beginning of British rule, Maharashtra was definitely at crossroads wherein Oriental system and culture was coming in contact with that of Occidental civilisation and ethos.

Asst. Prof. Subhash G. Shinde Vice Principal and HoD, History VPM's -Bedekar College, Thane