Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj MAHARASHTRA STATE GAZETTEERS a ne wae Obtainable from the Government Book Depot, Charni Road, Gardens, Bombay-4 or through the High Commissiorer for India, India House, Aldwych, London, W.C.2 or through any recognised Bookseller, MAHARASHTRA STATE GAZETTEERS Government of Maharashtra HISTORY PART III-MARATHA PERIOD & BOMBAY DIRECTORATE OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING, STATIONERY AND PUBLICATIONS, MAHARASHTRA STATE 1967 Price—ry, 4:65 MAHARASHTRA STATE GAZETTEERS GENERAL SERIES HISTORY PART III—MARATHA PERIOD PRINTED IN INDIA BY THE MANAGER, GOVERNMENT CENTRAL PRESS, BOMBAY AND PUBLISHED BY THE DIRECTOR, GOVERNMENT PRINTING, STATIONERY AND PUBLICATIONS, MAHARASHTRA STATE, BOMBAY-4 CONTENTS Pace CONTRIBUTORS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 : Rise OF THE MARATHA Power (1630-1707) Political Background (1)—Keynote of Maratha History, 17th Century (2)—Political situation in 1634 (3)—Shivaji (5)—Reign of Sambhaji, 1680- 1689, (21)—Rajaram (24)—Maratha resistance under Tarabai (28). CHAPTER 2: EXPANSION OF MarATHA Power (1707-1720) .. 31 Death of Aurangzeb and after (31)—Shahu (32)— Rise of Balaji Vishvanath (39). CHAPTER 8 : EXPANSION OF MaratHa Power (1720-1740) 49 Shahu (49)—Peshva Bajirav 1 (49). CHAPTER 4: EXPANSION OF MAnATHA Power (1741-1761) Balaji Bajirav (67). CHAPTER 5: Maratua Power (1761-1818) wi ee 91 Peshva Madhav Rav (91)—Anglo-Maratha conflict (96)—Change)_. in Maratha —_ Constitution (97)—Nana-Mahadji differences (97)—Recovery in Deccan _(98)—Shinde’s Regency (100)— Shinde’s Triumph at Poona (101)—European Mili- tary System)(103)—Maratha Triumph—Battle of Kharda (103)—Death of Savai Madhav Rav and its consequences (106)—Nana returns to power (108)—Nana imprisoned (109)—Bai’s War and Liberation of Nana Phadnis (112)—Death of Nana Phadnis. (113)—Yeshvantray Holkar challenges Shinde (113)—The Great Betrayal (116)—Bajirav and East India Company (117). CHAPTER 6: Tue MarATHAS AND THE ENGLISH ws 123 Early relations (123)—Shivaji and the English (124)—Rise of Kanhoji Angre (126)—The English and Kanhoji Angre (128)—Death of Kanhoji Angre (131)—Disputes in Angre’s Family (131)—Embassies of Gordon and_ Inchbird (132)—Anglo-Peshva amity (133)—Tulaji Angre (134)—Growing Anglo-Maratha ‘tension (136)— CONTENTS Pace Affairs at the Maratha Court (138)—First Anglo- Maratha War (139)—Treaty of Purandar (140)— Renewal of hostilities—British defeat at Vadgaon (141)—Quadruple alliance against the British (142)—Treaty of Salbye (144)—Interlude of un- easy peace (144)-—Out-break of civil war among Marathas (145)—Treaty of Bassein and after (146). CHAPTER 7: BHOSLES OF NAGPUR .. 147 Origin and rise (147)—Parasoji Bhosle (148)— Kanhoji Bhosle (149)~Raghuji Bhosle (150)— Janoji Bhosle, 1755-1772, (162)—Mudhoji Bhosle (171)—Raghuji Bhosle II (174)—Parasoji Bhosle (179)—Appasaheb Bhosle (180)—Raghuji II (184)—Annexation of Nagpur (188). CHAPTER &: THE MaRATHAS. AND THE NizaM . 187 Introduction (187)—Early career (187)—The first signs of Maratha-Nizam conflict (190)—The Maratha aims (193)—New phase in Maratha- Nizam relationship (194)—Peshva Madhavrav and the Nizam (198)—The End (200). CHAPTER 9: Maratsa SoGIETY AND CULTURE is i: Maratha Country (203)-The People (204)— Colonization of the Deccan by Aryans (206)~ Social organizations (210)—Village Communities (213)—Administrative structure (217)—Public Finance (224)—Religion (231)—State of Learn- ing (234). GENERAL VOLUME—HISTORY PART Ill MARATHA PERIOD CONTRIBUTORS e Late SIR JADUNATH SARKAR Rise of the Maratha Power e Dr. V. G. DIGHE, M.A., PHD., Senior Research Officer, Freedom History Unit, National Archives of India. Expansion of Maratha Power (1707-1720) Expansion of Maratha Power (1720-1740) Expansion of Maratha Power (1741-1761) Maratha Power (1761-1818) Maratha Society and Culture The Marathas ang the English eB Prof, B. K. APTE, m.a, Nagpur University, Nagpur. Bhosles of Nagpur 8 Dr. B. G, KUNTE, .a., PHD, (Economics), PHD. (History), Joint Editor, Maharashtra Gazetteers, Gazetteers Department. The Marathas and the Nizam INTRODUCTION This is the third part of the General Volume on History to be published in four parts. My thanks are due to the late Sir Jadunath Sarkar, Dr, V. G. Dighe, Prof. B. K. Apte and Dr, B. G. Kunte, for their scholarly contributions. I am thankful to the Joint Editor, Dr. B. G. Kunte, and other members of the staff for ‘the assistance rendered by them in the preparation of press copy, correction of proofs and preparation of Index. My thanks are also due to Shri J. W. D’Souza, Director, Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, and Shri S. A. Sapre, Manager, Government Central Press, Bombay-4. P. SETU MADHAVA RAO, Executive Editor and Secretary. Bombay : May 1967. HISTORY PART HI—MARATHA PERIOD CHAPTER 1* CHAPTER 1 RISE OF THE MARATHA POWER Rise of the (1630-1707) Maratha Power. POLITICAL A RACK OF MEN CAN BE CALLED A NATION only when they have BackGrounn. a State or compact territory of their own, united under a universally accepted government not subject to any other power, besides a certain community of life and though among the general popula- tion. The Marathas had formed such a Nation and State in the far-off past. But with the fall of the Yadavas of Devagiri, early in the 14th century, a foreign sovereignty, alien to them in race and religion, was imposed on the land; and henceforth the population lived as scattered units under a number of barons of their own race— some large like the Yadavas of Sindkhed or the Mores of Javli, but most others petty owners of a few villages. All of them owed allegiance to the Sultan of Gulbarga or Ahmadnagar, paid him tribute, and served in his wars with their personal contingents in hope of reward. The mass of the Maratha people continued to live in seclusion in their villages, following their immemorial way of life, administering all local affairs through the hereditary village officials, and deciding their disputes by means of the village jury (Mahazan) who. reported ‘their findings to the district or provincial governor for confirmation and execution. The change of dynasties at the capital was to them no more than a two days’ talk. But this static condition of society was rudely disturbed when the authority of the central government dissolved, the Sultan became a puppet, factions nobles fought each other for selfish gain, and in the country-side every ambitious man raised his hand in lawless violence against his neighbours. Village life became unsettled and decay seized the seats of the country’s wealth-production and the centres of culture and social progress. Fiscal oppression due to doamli (rival authorities administering the same place) impoverished the rulers and the ruled alike, quite apart from the foreign invasion which the anarchy invited. The law suits about the right to the hereditary village offices, the partition of family-lands or service-emoluments among kinsmen, the * This Chapter is contributed by the late Sir Jadunath Sarkar. 2 MAHARASHTRA STATE GAZETTEER CHAPTER 1 encroachment of one village-headman (deSmukh) on his neighbouring villages --all these ever-rising cases could not any longer be Rise of the Maratha Powcr, decided by a common judge nor such a judge’s decision enforced by POLITICAL a strong executive magistrate. From this anarchy and decay of BACKGROUND, social order the house of Bhosle delivered Maharastra in the dim twilight following the death of Malik Amber (1626) and the dis- solution of the Nizam Sahi monarchy. The creator of the modern Marathi nation was Sivaji Bhosle, KRYNOTE OF ManaTHA whose life, 1627-1680, bridges the gulf in Deccan history, between Enstory, the extinction of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate and Aurangzeb’s coming lfrH = Crnrury. for the last time to the Deccan to wear out his life and empire there. Within two years of his death (1707) the Government of Delhi gave up all attempts to rule Maharastra. Before the rise of Sivaji the Maratha race was scattered like atoms through many Deccani kingdoms; he welded them into a mighty nation. Since the fall of the Yadavas of Devagiri, they had been mere hirelings, mere servants of aliens; they served the State, but had no lot or part in its management. Sivaji founded a State in Maharastra and taught his people that they were capable of adminis- tering a kingdom in all its departments. And this he achieved in the teeth of the opposition of four great powers like the Moghal Empire, the Bijapur Sultanate, the Portuguese and the Abyssinians of Jafijira. Sivaji was the son of Sahaji Bhosle and climbed to greatness on his father’s shoulders. True, the Maharaja Sahaji best known in history was a ruler of the Kanarese country only and lived to the end of his days as a vassal of Adil Sah, no longer administering any part of Maharastra (after 1648). But his wonderful resourceful- ness, unfailing opportunism, and pioneer spirit of adventure made Sivaj’s success easy, some may even say, possible. The noon-day splendour of the son’s career has thrown into the shade the morning brilliancy of the father’s achievement. Sahaji was the founder of Greater Maharastra. Sahaji (c. 1595-1664), the son of Maloji, received his early train- ing in war under his paternal uncle Vithoji, in the service of the Ahmadnagar Sultin, and after Vithojfs death (1623), succeeded him in the command of the family contingent. The discerning eye of Malik Amber first appreciated Sahaji’s genius, and there are reports that this young captain launched the tactical move which led to the Nizam$ahi victory at Bhatvadi (Oct. 1624). After Malik Amber's death (14!, May 1626), he served that Regent’s son and successor Fath Khan for a few years. But a hopeless decay and disorder now seized the Nizam Sahi Government. Sahaji’s father-in-law Jadhav Rav, the highest Hindu vassal of Ahmadnagar, was murdered at Court on 12 August 1630.