1740 AD to 1761 AD

540 Pages·2015·18.38 MB·English

M4R4THA 4CTIV1TIES IN THE PROVINCES
OF DELHI, AGR4 & ALLAHAB4D
(1740 A. D. to 1761 A. D.)
DISSERTATION SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE
OF
MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY
J;^ >-i i'r±
fftd in ComDUt*
Under the Supervision of By
Dr. Zamiruddin Siddiqui POONAM GOEL
Centre of Advanced Study
Department of History
Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh
March 1973
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Preface
So far the iiaaiatha Sources have not been
fully exploited hy the scholars and yet great treasure
remains hidden to bring out many facts into light and
to meet several lacunas of the Medieaval Indian
History, Under the present dissertaticm - a
preliminary work based on Maiathi Source} an humble
attempt has been made by the author to summarise '^e
Maratha activities in the provinces of Delhi, Agia
and Allahabad during 1740 to 1761 A.D.
For this work, I am greatly indebted to
Professor S. Nuiul Hasan, Education Minister of
India, who sponsored me this very interesting topic
for research and inspired to do this much. This
para would remain incomplete without the mention of
Professor K.A. Nizami, Head of the Department and
Professor Irfan Ha bib. Centre of Advanced Study,
Department of History, Aligarh iiiuslim University,
Aligaiii; who provided me several oppoarbunities to
discuss a few problems related to the study and
faciliated the work with their ctaacrete sug^stions.
Special thanks are due to them.
Most sincere and heartful gratitudes are due
to my respected glide and supervisor Dr. Zamiruddin
Siddiqui, Beader, Centre of Advanced Study in History,
Aligarh Muslim University, Ali^isi, for the pains
he has taken while leading me through all the
phases of production of this work. Without his
guidance and energetic labour this woik would
not have been canpleted in such a short time,
I would be failing in my duties if I do not
mention Mr, M.P, Sin^ who helped me in picking up
the Marathi langLiage, Thanks are due to the
authorities of the Maulana Azad librajry, A.M.U.
Aligarh and Seminar library of the History Department,
A.M.U,, Aligarh for their cooperation. In the end,
I convey my heartly thanks to all those who assisted
me at various stages of my work.
Poonam Groel,
March, 2973. Besearch Scholar,
Department of History,
Ali^rh Muslim University,
Aligarh.
QOHTMTS
Page Nd,
Pareface
INTBOnJGTION .. .. .. i - xxv
CHAPTSBS
I - MASATHA ACTIVITIES IN msSE^im
ISJKA EEDM 1707 to 1740 .. .. 1 - 52
II - MAEATHA ACTIVITIES IN DELHI
PSDVINCS 1740-1761 .. .. 5 3 - 1 33
III - MAEATHA ACTIVITIES IN DELHI
PBDVINGB 1740-1761 (Continued) .. 1 2 0 - 2 19
IV - BIAHATHA ACTIVITIES IN DELHI
PBOVINGB 1740-1761 (Continued) .. 220 - 344
V - MAEATHA ACTIVITIES IN THE
PSDVINCE Oi? ALLAHABAD 1740-1761 .. 345 - 424
VI - MAEATHA ACTIVITIES IN THE
PEDVINCE 0? AGRA 1740-1761 .. 425 - 501
HBLIOGSAPHY i - viii
ABBREVIATIONS
I N T R O J U C T I OH
The period of Indian History from 1740 to
1761 is very important and represents the txansi-
ticm in which the Mughal Empire was fast decaying
and new forces and powers were iaaking their
appearance in a bid to establish their ascendency
in different regions, of India. The tozethas
were a rising power in the arena of this struggle
for ascendency. The Mxatha endeavour under the
able leadership of Shivaji who combined at the
military genius, or^nizing capacity, love of
independence and a will to assert the natimal
regeneration of the Maxatha people, was dii:ected
towards r l ^t Channels. Under the Peshwas the
Marathas were attemptti>i<| to expand beyond the
region of liiahaxashtra to all directions Southwards
(ii)
and Northwards, The weakness and the factions fight
at the toghal Court encouraged fissiparious tendencies
in the various provinces of India, This provided a
welcome opportunity to the Maietha ambition to strike
at the ; ^ te of the Mughal Empixre and to denude it
of some of its fairest and richest provinces like Malwa
and Gujaiftt to augnent the resources of the ikaiatha power
in its enterprise aimed at expansion, consolidation and
a ggiandisement*
In pursuit of this policy the toiathas during
the period under review made encroachments and deep
th3?usts into the provinces of Allahabad, Agia and
Delhi, The Mughal Maretha relations reached a point to
^n final bid for existence and survival seemed imminent.
But the Mu^al court politics had reached the catastrophic
stage which entirely paralysed the Mughal military and
administrative machinery to tackle successfully the
Maratha encroachments so near to the imperial capital.
Such a state of affairs in which the various nobles of ^Cy^
Mughal court instead of forming a united front and
pulling their energies to combat the iiaaietlia advance,
fell apart in an attempt to secure.the jwaiatha alliance
in furtheifince of their|selfish7^mbitioixSi^ aims and
desigis. This was a great boon to the Marethas to
P)
secure large concession^nd immense wealth^^d the
J "^
Ciii)
role of arbiters of the destiny of the Mughal power
in the Horth,
Maiatha expansion to the North has been elaboiately
dealt with by Jadunath Sarkar, G.S. Sardesai and others
but no attempt to study the iuaifttha activities and the
laietha policies in various regicais and provinces of
Northern India has so far been made. Hence an attempt
of a broad way survey of the Maratha activities and
policies in relation to the northern provinces of India
is imperative, The present study is an attempt to fill
this lacuna «in the History of Mughal Maratha relations
in the north,
Persian and Maxatha sources have been utilised
in preparation of this dissertation. Volumes of Hin^e
Daf tar which was not consulted by some scholars, have
been utilized for this study. The elaborate infoima-
tion contained in the Peshwa Daf tar has been analysed
and categorized.
The iaratha expansion in Northern India dates
back from first quarter of the ]Bth century. In the
year 1743 the Peshwa was granted the Subahs of Malwa
and Bundelkhand, In the year 1743 the zamindsr of
Orchha occupied the post^Qf(^_Yend^ and other villages and
forces, Maratha force went a^inst him and made
Civ)
arxangpments. In 1744, the Eaja ol latia created
disturbances and did not pay the dues. Satesingh
also created disturbances in Bindelkhand but finally
an agreement vsQs arrived at in April 1746, Early in
the year 1746 Kashi Bai, the wife of Bajirao, went on
a pilgrimage to Benaias, Piayag,(Kankriy Gaya etc.
In the year 1746 Naxayan Dikshit went for a
pilgrimage to Piayag with ten thousand men and performed
his pilgrimage. The police officer there made all the
arrangements for their protection, Baghuji Bam Vakil] ^
and Babu Bam Bapuji went to Piayag and created great / *^
disturbances there.
In the year 1746, the Maiathas conquered most of
Jaitpur, The Peshwa congratulated Mlhar Holkar and
Jayapa Sindia for their conquest. In 1746-47 the
iiaiathas captured certain places in pargana/lr^of
Sabhasin^ and Ba^a J a ^t Sin^ and gave them to
Govind Ballal and Laxman Shankar to collect tax. In
1747 Antaji and Vithal Shivdev made arrangements in
Gwalior,
In June 1747, Peshwa senix^nduxan^Purandare to
Narwar to collect tax there but he failed in his
purpose so Malhar was ordered to go and collect tax
there.
(V)
In 1748, Yashwant Bao Pawar with Bamchandre
Bate made the arrangement of the Jats and went to
Mathuia and Brlndavan,
In January 1749, Jayapa Sindla and Bamchandra
Balsa went to Bundelkhand and established their posts
in Tejgarh and Hate, In the same month, Govind Balial
went to the province of/Koach-Kanarp The zamindars
opposed him. He pursued the Bundela Bajas, besieged
and captured Tej^rh,
In February - March Vithal Shivdev went to
Gwalior as the iaarathas had evacuated some posts in
<Sodhei due to the disturbances created by the zamindars,
Then Vithal went to the country of Jats and encamped
near Agra, The Vakil of Suiajmal met him and an
agreement witUim v^s expected, Malhar Holkar arranged
the matters at ^omawali and_Alapuj^ but could not
collect tribute from Tuwardhar^_Ja-^^r_and_Bandroli,
Vithal Shivdev settled the matters with the Jats,
Supees 66 thousand was fixed as tribute from Narwar,
As it could hot be collected, the Marathas captured
Pahyar and Uiuta but had to evacuate them due to the
interference of Malhar on behalf of Jats,
In 1749 Vithal went to Gwalior and captured some
posts at Narwar, Then he reached at Kachhwa Ihar and