History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c44.3

v2.c44.3

The principal seat of the war was at first in Berar and was then transferred to North-Western India. Orissa was neglected by Raghujī Bhonsle II, impotent as he was, compared to the military equipments of Daulat Rāo Śinde and Yaśovant Rāo Holkar. Just before the Third Maratha War (called Second by some writers) Raghujī was at the apogee of his power; yet his army at that date was far inferior to those of the Peshwa, Holkar and Śinde. He made large increases in his military establishment following the lead of Mahādjī Śinde, but he did not possess the vigour and skill of that great Maratha general. Mahādjī's regular army was composed of people of Northern India, both Hindus and Musalmans. Raghujī raised and disciplined some North Indian Sepoys between 1790 and 1803. But his miserly and mean nature and habits of parsimony prevented him from employing a highly paid European Commander like De Boigne or Dudrence. His battalions therefore were not efficient and he did not know how to employ them either at Assaye or at Argaon. The principal defect of the Maratha army was the absence of anything like a national army; Assaye, Lāswari, Aligarh, Dig, Delhī and other battles were principally fought by North Indian Brahmans, Rajputs and Musalmans employed by the English East India Company against the same class of people employed by Raghujī Bhonsle II, Daulat Rāo [Figure: Nāṭamandira of the Liṅgarāja—View from North Bhuvaneśvara—Puri District]