Battles of the Maratha Empire by Aneesh Gokhale

Author:Aneesh Gokhale [Gokhale, Aneesh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-21T18:30:00+00:00

16. Madhavrao Peshwa v/s Nizam of

Hyderabad, Rakshasbhuvan, 1763

The defeat at Panipat on 14th January 1761 was a huge setback for the Marathas. They had lost Sadashivrao Bhau, Vishwasrao (the Peshwa’s eldest son) and countless other warriors in the epic battle. Huge amounts of money had been spent on the campaign and hence even the monetary losses were great. The Peshwa, Balaji Bajirao, never fully recovered from the shock of Panipat and died later that year further excaberating the leadership problem.

Raghunathrao, then twenty seven years old, was the only one left alive in the whole Peshwa household with any kind of warfare or administrative experience, limited as it was. He believed that the affairs of the court at Pune would naturally pass on to him ! But the sardars at Pune believed that the sixteen year old Madhavrao, the second son of Balaji Bajirao, should be Peshwa instead. There were practical considerations as well. Raghunathrao was believed to be finicky and impulsive and his “Ragho Bharari”, where the Marathas conquered all the way to Attock had in fact put a huge strain on the coffers. Raghunathrao’s mode of operation, of running vicious cycles of bad debts, would only double the financial problems they were facing. Thus it was decided that Madhavrao would be the Peshwa and Raghunathrao would guide him till he came of age. The latter’s inability to put his ego aside was one of the great tragedies of Maratha history.

In July 1762, Peshwa Madhavrao, then just a boy of sixteen, went to Satara where he was appointed Peshwa by the Chhatrapati Ramraja after due ceremony. From there he returned to the Shaniwarwada at Pune. But household politics was just the start of the Peshwa’s problems. To the east, the Nizam of Hyderabad Asaf Jah ll, was watching the developments at Pune unfold. The result of the battle at Panipat had emboldened him, and now, the prospect of a new, inexperienced Peshwa gave him the confidence to invade Maratha territories from the east. The Nizam began ravaging, pillaging and capturing all those territories ceded by him to Sadashivrao in 1760.

The Marathas were in such a dire state at that moment that silver utensils had to be melted to pay for raising an army to counter the Nizam. At the same time, Madhavrao appealed to Damaji Gaikwad and Malharrao Holkar for help. Holkar was unfortunately unable to help till March 1763, caught up as he was in politics and settling affairs with Ahmed Shah Abdali to the north.

The Nizam meanwhile spent the whole of the monsoons within or on the borders of his own territories, but as soon as the skies cleared made a quick dash for Pune. Enroute he destroyed Toka and Pravara Sangam. At Pune, an alarmed Madhavrao evacuated the city and the administration sought refuge at Sinhagad, Lohagad and Purandar forts. This was actually the accepted policy of defending Pune right up to 1818, defenseless as it was except for the wall around Shaniwarwada. But his calls for

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