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The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c10: Dakhan History: Musalman and Maratha, A.D. 1300-1818. Part I.—Poona Satara and Sholapur

The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c10

Language
English

Contents

Dakhan History: Musalman and Maratha, A.D. 1300-1818. Part I.—Poona Satara and Sholapur

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MUSALMÁN AND MARÁTHA,

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A.D. 1300 - 1818.

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BY

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W. W. LOCH ESQUIRE, BOMBAY CIVIL SERVICE.

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[CONTRIBUTED IN 1877.]

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the *Goths*, the *Vandals*, the *Suevi*, the *Burgundians*, the *Alani*, the *Huns*, the *Franks*, the *Saxons*, the *Thuringians*, the *Rugians*, and the *Heruli*. The names of these tribes are familiar to the reader, but their origin, their migrations, and their settlements are involved in the deepest obscurity. The most probable opinion is that they were all of German or Scythian extraction, and that they had been driven from their native seats by the pressure of the Huns, a formidable nation of Tartars, who had crossed the Volga and the Tanais, and were advancing with rapid strides towards the frontiers of the Roman empire.

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The first of these nations that crossed the Danube was the *Goths*. They were divided into two great branches, the *Visigoths* or Western Goths, and the *Ostrogoths* or Eastern Goths. The Visigoths, under the conduct of Fritigern, implored the protection of the emperor Valens, and were permitted to settle in the province of Thrace. But the perfidy of the Roman governors, and the insolence of the Roman soldiers, soon provoked them to rebellion. They defeated the imperial armies, and Valens himself perished in the battle of Hadrianople.

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The death of Valens was followed by the accession of Theodosius, who, by his wisdom and valour, restored the discipline of the Roman legions, and compelled the Goths to accept a peace, which was rather a truce than a permanent settlement. The Goths, however, remained in the heart of the empire, and their presence was a constant source of danger and alarm. They were no longer the rude barbarians who had first crossed the Danube; they had learned the arts of war and the policy of the Romans, and they were ready to take advantage of any opportunity to assert their independence.

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The reign of Theodosius was the last period of the glory of the Roman empire. After his death, the empire was divided between his two sons, Arcadius and Honorius. Arcadius reigned in the East, and Honorius in the West. The division was fatal to the interests of the state. The two brothers were weak and indolent, and they were governed by their ministers and favourites. The Goths, under the command of Alaric, took advantage of the weakness of the government, and invaded Italy. They besieged and took Rome, and the eternal city, which had for so many centuries been the mistress of the world, was plundered by the barbarians.

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The fall of Rome was a shock to the whole civilized world. It was the end of an era, and the beginning of a new and darker age. The Goths, after the death of Alaric, retired from Italy, and settled in Gaul and Spain, where they founded kingdoms which were destined to last for several centuries. The Vandals, under the command of Genseric, crossed into Africa, and established a powerful kingdom, which for a time threatened the security of the Mediterranean. The Franks, under the command of Clovis, conquered Gaul, and laid the foundations of the French monarchy. The Saxons, under the command of Hengist and Horsa, invaded Britain, and established the kingdoms of the Heptarchy.

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PART I.

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The districts which form the subject of this article, the home of the Maráthás and the birth-place of the Marátha dynasty, stretch for about 150 miles along the Sayhádri hills between the seventeenth and nineteenth degrees of latitude, and at one point pass as far as 160 miles inland. All the great Marátha capitals, Poona Sátára and Kolhápur, lie close to the Sayhádris under the shelter of some hill fort; while the Musalmán capitals, Ahmadnagar Bijápur Bedar and Gulbarga, are walled cities in the plain. Of little consequence under the earlier Musalmán rulers of the Dakhan; growing into importance under the kings of Bijápur and Ahmadnagar; rising with the rise of the state, the foundations of which Shiváji laid in the seventeenth century, these districts became in the eighteenth century the seat of an empire reaching from the Panjáb to the confines of Bengal and from Delhi to Mysor.

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Early in the Christian era Maháráshtra is said to have been ruled by the great Saliváhana, whose capital was at Paithán on the Godávari. At a later period a powerful dynasty of Chálukya Rájputs reigned over a large part of Maháráshtra and the Karnátak, with a capital at Kalyán, 200 miles north-west of Sholápur. The Chálukyas reached their greatest power under Tálapa Deva in the tenth century; and became extinct about the end of the twelfth century, when the Jádhav or Yádav rájás of Devgiri or Daulatábád became supreme. This was the dynasty which was ruling at the time of the Musalmán invasion in A.D. 1294. We find, besides, that there was a rája at Panhála near Kolhápur at the end of the twelfth century, whose power extended as far north as the Nira river. He was conquered by Singhan the Rájput rája of Devgiri, whose camp is shown at Mhasurna near Pusesávli in the Sátára district. The Ghát Mátha or Highland Konkan was from an early period in the hands of the Sirké family.

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The first Musalmán invasion took place in A.D. 1294; but the Yádav dynasty was not extinguished till A.D. 1312. The conquest of the country was long imperfect, and we find Farishtah recording an attack made in A.D. 1340, by Muhammad Túghlak, the emperor of Delhi, on Nágnák, a Koli chief, who held the strong fort of Kondhána now Sinhgad, twelve miles south-west of Poona, which was not reduced until after an eight months' siege.

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The Dakhan remained subject to the emperor of Delhi till A.D. 1345, when the Musalmán nobles revolted from Muhammad Túghlak and established the Bahamani dynasty whose first capital was at Gulburga.

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POONA

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SÁTÁRA AND

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A.D. 1300-1818.

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about sixty miles east of Sholápur. The open country acknowledged the power of the Bahamani sovereigns without a struggle. In A.D. 1426 Ahmad Sháh Bahamani changed the capital to Bidar, said by Farishtah to have been an old Hindu capital, about a hundred miles farther east. Farishtah mentions that about A.D. 1436, in the reign of Alá-ud-dín Bahamani, Sholápur was seized by the king's brother Muhammad Khán, who had revolted; but he was soon defeated and the fort retaken.

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The Durgádevi

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Famine,

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A.D. 1396 - 1403.

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The terrible famine called after Durgádevi, the Destroyer, is said to have lasted throughout Maháráshtra for twelve years from A.D. 1396 to 1408. The country was depopulated; the hills and strong places which had been conquered by the Musalmáns fell again into the hands of Marátha chiefs, and the Bahamani kings had to recover the lost ground.

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Musalmán

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Recovery,

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A.D. 1420 - 1451.

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In A.D. 1420 an expedition under Malek-ul-Tujár was sent to subdue the Gháts and the Konkan. He put down the Rámoshi robbers in the Khatáo desh and the Mahádev hills; penetrated to Wái and even into the Konkan, and took measures for the cultivation of the land; but the effects of the expedition were not lasting. Another force sent in A.D. 1436 by Alá-ud-dín reduced the rájás of Ráiri (Ráygad) and Sonkehr. At last in A.D. 1451 more systematic efforts were made to subdue the country. Malek-ul-Tujár was sent in command of a considerable force. He made Chákan, a village eighteen miles north of Poona, his head-quarters; a stone fort still existing was built there; the hill fort of Shivner, which overlooks the town of Junnar, was taken, and a Musalmán garrison placed in it. Junnar soon became the head-quarters of the Musalmáns in the west, and in a fairer country they could not have settled. Malek-ul-Tujár then overran the lands of the Sirké family; their chief surrendered, and induced the Musalmán leader to march against the rája of Kelna (now Vishálgad). When the invading forces were entangled in the dense wilds he gave information to the rája, who surrounded and massacred the greater number, a fate not unlike that which befell another Musalmán army in the defiles of the Gháts two hundred years later, when Shiváji achieved one of his most notable exploits. A few stragglers retired to Chákan, and quarrels broke out between the Mughals who held the fort and the Dakhan troops; the latter, being the more numerous, besieged the Mughals, forced them to surrender, and then treacherously murdered them, though many of them were Saiads. This story Farishtah relates at great length and with much feeling, dwelling with pleasure on the retribution which overtook the murderers of the descendants of the Prophet.

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Máhmud

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Gáwán,

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A.D. 1472.

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In A.D. 1472 Máhmud Gáwán, the great minister of the last independent Bahamani king, made another effort to subdue the hill country. He forced his way through the forests, and did not leave the country till he had reduced the lesser forts and finally Kelna (Vishálgad) itself. Subsequently he made a new distribution of the Bahamani dominions. Junnar was made the head-quarters of a province which comprehended Indápur, Wái, the Mán desh, Belgaum, and parts of the Konkan. The other districts on the Bhima were under Bijápur, while Sholápur Gulbarga and Purenda formed a separate province.

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Yusúf Ádil Sháh, the founder of the Bijápur dynasty, was made governor of Bijápur; Ahmad Sháh, the founder of the Ahmadnagar dynasty, was sent to Junnar; Gulbarga was entrusted to Dustur Dinár, an Abyssinian; while Purenda Sholápur and eleven districts were held by two brothers, Zein Khán and Khwája Jahán. Ahmad Nizám Sháh went to Junnar about A.D. 1485. He found that Shivner, the fort of Junnar, had fallen into the hands of the Maráthás, and he at once reduced it. He then took Cháwand, Lohogad, Purandhar, Kondhána (Sinhgad), and many forts in the Konkan, and brought his charge into good order.

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The fall of the Bahamani dynasty was now at hand, and the great nobles had become virtually independent. The first who rose in revolt was Bahádur Geláni, who governed the country south of the Várna river; he was soon defeated and killed. Then Zein-ud-dín, the jágirdár of Chákan, rebelled with the aid of Yusúf Ádil Sháh. Next Ahmad Nizám Sháh threw off his allegiance in 1489; he was attacked by Zeinud-dín, but the latter was driven into the fort of Chákan; the fort was stormed and Zein-ud-dín killed in the fight. About this time (A.D. 1489) Yusúf Ádil Sháh of Bijápur also asserted his independence and made himself master of the country as far north as the Bhima.

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The new kings of the Dakhan made a kind of partition treaty in A.D. 1491, by which the country north of the Níra and east of Karmála, together with some of the present Sholápur districts, were assigned to the Nizám Sháh king, while the country south of the Níra and Bhima was allotted to the Bijápur sovereign. The lesser chiefs who had joined in the revolt against the Bahamani kings were gradually subdued by the more powerful. Dastur Dinár, who held Gulbarga, was defeated and driven away in A.D. 1495, and again in A.D. 1498 by Yusúf Ádil Sháh; but he returned each time, and it was not till A.D. 1504 that he was finally defeated and killed and Gulbarga annexed to the Bijápur dominions.

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The districts of Purenda and Sholápur were held as mentioned above by the brothers Khwája Jahán and Zein Khán. In a quarrel between them, Ahmad Nizám Sháh took the part of Khwája Jahán and Yusúf Ádil Sháh that of Zein Khán, who was thus enabled to get possession of the five and a half districts round Sholápur. These he held till after the death of Yusúf Ádil Sháh. Kamál Khán, the regent, who ruled during the minority of Yusúf’s son, wished to supplant the young king, and arranged with Amir Berid, the minister of the Bahamani king at Bidar, that he should be allowed to take Sholápur, while Amir Berid took the districts lately held by Dastur Dinár, and that both of them should dethrone their masters. In accordance with this agreement he besieged and took Sholápur in 1511, which with its districts was annexed to Bijápur. Amir Berid took Gulbarga, but Kamál Khán was soon after assassinated, and Gulbarga recovered. Purenda and its five and a half districts remained for many years under Khwája Jahán, who seems to have been a half-independent vassal of the king of Ahmadnagar.

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SATARA AND

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A.D. 1300-1818.

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Ahmadnagar

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and Bijapur,

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A.D. 1524-1550.

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In A.D. 1523, when, after one of their numerous wars, peace was made between the kings of Bijapur and Ahmadnagar, the sister of Ismael Adil Shah was given to Burhan Nizam Shah and Sholapur was promised as her dowry, but it was not given up. During the next forty years the claim to Sholapur by the Nizam Shah kings was the cause of constant wars. In A.D. 1524, in A.D. 1528, and in A.D. 1531, Burhan Nizam Shah invaded the Sholapur districts, and each time he was defeated. Again in A.D. 1542 he overran them and made them over to Khwaja Jahan, but they were restored on peace being made in the following year. Once more in 1548, Burhan took Gulbarga and Kalyan, and inflicted a severe defeat on Ibrahim Adil Shah; and the next year he took Sholapur, again defeating the Bijapur forces; and for some years he held the conquered districts. Irritated at his defeats Ibrahim Adil Shah suspected the fidelity of one of his chief nobles Seif Ein-ul-Mulk Gelani, and drove him into revolt by his harsh treatment; he retired into the Man desh, and by degrees overran the country as far south as Miraj, defeating the detachments sent against him, and finally an army commanded by the king in person, whom he drove into Bijapur. In this difficulty Ibrahim applied to Ramraj, king of Bijanagar, who sent a force which defeated Seif Ein-ul-Mulk and forced him to fly to the Ahmadnagar territory, where he was killed.

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After his accession to the throne, Ali Adil Shah, son of Ibrahim, made an alliance with Ramraj and attacked the king of Ahmadnagar. In the war which followed, the latter was borne down by the superior forces of his enemies and his capital was twice besieged, but he still held the fort of Sholapur. At last (A.D. 1563) the Musalman kings, alarmed at the power of Ramraj, and disgusted with his insolence, formed a league against him. Husain Nizam Shah gave his sister Chand Bibi to Ali Adil Shah and with her Sholapur and its districts, and next year was fought the great battle of Talikot, which resulted in the death of Ramraj and the complete defeat of his army.

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Battle of Talikot,

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A.D. 1564.

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For some years there was peace; but in A.D. 1590 Dilawar Khan, who had been regent of Bijapur, fled to Ahmadnagar, and urged Burhan Nizam Shah II. to try and recover Sholapur. In A.D. 1592 they advanced into the Bijapur territory, but Ibrahim Adil Shah managed to win back Dilawar Khan; and having got him into his power, sent him as a prisoner to the fort of Satara and quickly forced the Ahmadnagar troops to retire.

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The Mughals,

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A.D. 1600.

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Soon after this the Mughal princes of Delhi began to invade the Dakhan, and in A.D. 1600 Ahmadnagar fell. The country was however only temporarily subdued, and was speedily recovered by Malek Ambar, an Abyssinian chief, who made Aurangabad, then called Kharki, the capital of the Nizam Shah kings. In A.D. 1616, Shah Jahan again conquered the greater part of the Ahmadnagar territory; but in A.D. 1629 the country was given up by the Mughal governor Khan Jahan Lodi. A war ensued, and in A.D. 1633 Daulatabad was taken and the king made prisoner; but Shahji Bhonsla, one of the leading Maratha chiefs, set up another member of the royal family, overran the Gangthari and Poona districts, and with the help of the Bijapur troops drove back the Mughals from Purenda. Shah Jahan now marched into the Dakhan in person, besieged Bijapur, and forced the king to come to terms (A.D. 1636). The country seized by Shahji was then easily recovered; that chief surrendered in A.D. 1637, and the Nizam Shah dynasty came to an end. The country north of the Bhima, including Junnar, was annexed to the Mughal territory; and that south of it was made over to Bijapur. Shahji took service under the king of Bijapur, and received the jahgir of Poona and Supa, to which Indapur Baramati and the Mawal country near Poona were added.

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Under the Bijapur kings the Marathas began to make themselves conspicuous. The Bargis or light horse furnished by the Maratha chiefs played a prominent part in the wars with the Mughals; the less important forts were left in their hands, and the revenue was collected by Hindu officers under the Musalman Mokasdars. Several of the old Maratha families received their offices of deshmukh and sardeshmukh from the Bijapur kings. The kingdom of Bijapur was destined to survive that of Ahmadnagar by fifty years; but, weakened by its powerful Mughal neighbour and by internal dissensions; it was gradually falling to pieces. This was the opportunity for the predatory Maratha chiefs, and a leader arose in Shivaji, the son of Shahji Bhonsla, who knew how to unite the Marathas into a nation by inspiring them with a hatred for their Musalman masters, and how to take advantage of the constant quarrels and increasing weakness of those masters.

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The ancestors of Shivaji come from Verola or Ellora. Maloji, Shivaji's grandfather, was the first of the family who rose to note. He married the sister of the naik of Phaltan, and about the beginning of the seventeenth century was put in charge of Shivner and Chakan and received the districts of Poona and Supa in jahgir. His son Shahji married the daughter of Lokhji Jadhav of Sindkhed, one of the chief nobles of the Nizam Shah court, and Shivaji was born at Shivner in A.D. 1627. The jahgir obtained by Shahji from the king of Bijapur was managed by a Brahman named Dadaji Kondev, who had also charge of Shivaji. Dadaji made Poona his head-quarters, and his management of the districts was able and successful. Shahji was for many years employed in the Karnatak, where another large jahgir had been granted to him.

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When Shivaji grew up he associated much with the Mawalis, the men of the wild country west of Poona, and began to think of establishing himself as an independent chief. To this end, in A.D. 1646 he obtained from the commandant the surrender of the fort of Torna in the rugged country near the sources of the Nira river. While he sent agents to Bijapur to make excuses for his conduct, he began to build another fort on a hill called Morbadh, to which he gave the name of Raygad (A.D. 1647). Dadaji Kondev died about this time, and Shivaji took charge of the jahgir, appropriating the revenues to his own use. He then set to work to gain the forts not already in his possession. Chakan was in charge of Phirangoji Narsala, whom he won over and left in command. He obtained Kondana by bribing the Musalman commandant; he surprised Supa, which was held by Baji Mohita, the brother of his father's second wife; and finally he interfered in the

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A.D. 1300-1818.

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Shiváji's

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Exploits,

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A.D. 1648-1653.

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quarrels of the sons of the commandant of Purandhar, and secured the fort. Having thus gained a firm hold of his father's jáhgir, he began to make encroachments on the adjoining country. The district south of the Níra, from the Gháts as far east as Shirwal, was in charge of Bándal, the deshmukh of the Hardas Máwal. His head-quarters were at Rohira. There was a Musalmán Mokásdár at Wái who held the fort of Pándugad, and the hills from the Krishna to the Várna were under the rája of Jávli, a member of the Moré family, which had dispossessed the Sirkés, the old rulers of the Gháts. A Musalmán governor was stationed at Kalyán in the Konkan.

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In A.D. 1648 Shiváji surprised Lohogad, the state prison of the Ahmadnagar kings, and Rájmáchi, both in the Máwals, and several forts in the Konkan including Ráiri or Ráygad; meanwhile Abáji Sondev, one of his Bráhman adherents, pushed on to Kalyán near Bombay, took the town, and made the governor prisoner. Shiváji at once took possession of the district appointing Abáji subhedár. The Bijápur court could not overlook this open rebellion; and orders were given to Báji Ghorpade of Mudhol to arrest Sháhji, who was suspected of encouraging Shiváji. Báji accomplished his task by treachery, for which he afterwards paid dearly, and Sháhji was kept in confinement till A.D. 1653, during which time Shiváji was obliged to remain quiet. On his father's release he again began to plan attacks on the neighbouring country. The rája of Jávli had resisted all his endeavours to win him over, and Shiváji therefore sent his agents Rágho Ballál and Sambháji Káwaji to examine the country. They suggested that the rája might easily be assassinated, and Shiváji approved of their idea. He collected a strong force in the forests round Mahábaleshvar, and when his agents had murdered the rája and his brother, the troops attacked and stormed Jávli and soon reduced the fort of Vásota and the surrounding country (A.D. 1653). Shiváji next turned on the deshmukh of the Hardas Máwal, stormed the fort of Rohira, and killed him in the fight. To strengthen his hold of the country, he directed a fort to be built at the source of the Koyna river near Mahábaleshvar; the work was carried out by Moro Pant Pingle, and the fort was called Pratápgad.

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Shiváji now ventured to attack the territory of the Mughals, and in May 1657 he surprised the town of Junnar and carried off much plunder to Ráygad. The disturbances which took place in Hindustán through the rivalry of the sons of Sháh Jahán prevented his inroads from being punished. At last, in A.D. 1659 the Bijápur government determined to make an effort to suppress him, and sent a strong force under Afzul Khán against him. Afzul Khán proceeded as far as Wái, and then sent a Bráhman named Gopináth Pant to treat with Shiváji, who had made professions of submission. Shiváji won over the Bráhman, who in his turn persuaded Afzul Khán to have a personal interview with Shiváji, who was then at Pratápgad. The Musalmán army marched to Jávli, while Shiváji brought all his forces under Moro Pant Pingle and Netáji Pálkar and surrounded them. He then, attended by Tánáji Málasra, one of his oldest friends, met Afzul Khán who was accompanied by a single armed follower, stabbed him, and gave the signal for the assault to his troops. The Musalmán army, bewildered at the loss of its chief, gave way, and was utterly dispersed. Shiváji followed up his success with vigour. Panhála and Pávangad surrendered to Annáji Dattu, one of his officers, while he himself took Vasantgad, Rangna, Kelna (Vishálgad), and all the neighbouring forts. A force was sent against him, but he routed it and plundered the country as far as Bijápur. Next year (A.D. 1660) another army was sent against him under Sidí Johár, when he retired to Panhála; where he was closely besieged for some months, and at last, despairing of holding out, he escaped by stratagem to Rangna. The Mughals, disheartened by their want of success, made no further progress until early in A.D. 1661, when Ali A'dil Sháh marched in person to Karad, and thence to Panhála, which he reduced. Many other forts were surrendered to him, but he was called off by a rebellion in the Karnátak, and directed Báji Ghorpade and a Musalmán noble to prosecute the war. Shiváji took this opportunity of revenging himself on Báji Ghorpade for his father's capture, surprised and killed him at Mudhol; and the expedition was stopped. It was soon after this (A.D. 1662) that Shiváji changed his head-quarters from Rájgad to Ráiri, which he called Ráygad. He had public offices built there by Abáji Sondev, and Ráygad remained the capital of the Maráthás for nearly forty years.

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As Shiváji's incursions into the Mughal territory continued, Aurangzíb sent a force against him under Sháista Khán, who made Poona his head-quarters. He then besieged Chákan, but though a small fort, it held out under Phirangoji Narsala for nearly two months; and Sháista Khán, discouraged by the difficulty of his first undertaking, did little else. While he was at Poona Shiváji performed one of his best known feats. He descended with a few followers from Sinhgad, entered Poona unperceived, and surprised Sháista Khán, who was living in Shiváji's old house. Sháista Khán escaped with a wound, but most of his attendants and his son were killed. Shiváji then retired to Sinhgad in safety, and next day a body of Mughal horse, which rode out towards Sinhgad, was surprised and routed by Netáji Pálkar. The Mughals soon afterwards withdrew leaving strong garrisons in Chákan and Juńnar. Shiváji now extended his ravages from Surat in one direction to Bárcelor in the other, till at last Aurangzíb was roused, and in A.D. 1665 sent a large army under Rája Jáysing and Dilir Khán against him. They occupied Poona, and while Dilir Khán besieged Purandhar, Jaysing blockaded Sinhgad and pushed on to Ráygad. Purandhar made a gallant defence; but Shiváji feeling he was unable to resist longer, came into Jaysing's camp, and agreed to surrender all his forts but twelve, and to join the Mughal army in the war against Bijápur. His offer was accepted, and he accordingly accompanied the Mughal army on its march, and on the way the Phaltan district was overrun and the fort of Tátora stormed by Shiváji's troops. While the war was going on, Shiváji, in A.D. 1666, having given over charge of the territory that remained in his possession to Moro Paut Pingle, Abáji Sondev, and Annáji Dattu, went to Delhi to pay his respects to Aurangzíb, but being slighted, and treated as a prisoner, he escaped and returned to the Dakhan at the end of the year. The Mughal army, which had failed to take Bijápur, had in the meantime retired, leaving garrisons in Lohagad, Sinhgad, and Purandhar; the other forts were either dismantled or left in charge of a weak party, and they were all reoccupied by Moro Pant.

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Soon after his return from Delhi in 1667, Shiváji opened communications with Sultán Mázum, son of Aurangzíb, then governor of the Dakhan, which ended in Shiváji being confirmed in his jáhgir of Poona, Súpa, and Chákan, the fortresses of Purandhar and Sinhgad being retained by the Mughals. It was not till A.D. 1670 that Shiváji made any attempt to recover them. Aurangzíb had directed the capture of Pratáp Ráo Gujar and the body of horse which were with Sultán Mázum; they escaped, and in retaliation Shiváji planned the capture of these important forts. Sinhgad was stormed after a desperate fight by a body of Máwalis headed by Tánáji Málusra, who fell in the action, and Purandhar was taken soon after with less difficulty. An attempt on Shivner failed, but Lohogad was surprised and several forts to the north of Junnar were captured by Moro Pant.

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In 1671 another effort was made by Aurangzíb, and a force despatched under Mohábat Khán against Shiváji. One half attacked Chákan and the other half the fort of Sálher. Chákan was taken by the next year; but the detachment at Sálher was utterly defeated by the Maráthás under Moro Pant and Pratáp Ráo Gujar, and the Mughals hastily retreated to Aurangábád.

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Soon after this (A.D. 1671) Ali Ádil Sháh died at Bijápur, and Shiváji took advantage of the confusion which ensued to recover Panhála and sack Hubli. In 1672 he surprised Párli and then attacked the neighbouring fort of Sátára, the state prison of Bijápur, which held out till September. The forts of Chandan, Wandan, Pandugad, Nándgiri, and Tátora all fell into his hands in the same campaign. The Bijápur troops made two attempts to recover Panhála, but without success, though in one action Pratáp Ráo Gujar was killed, and his army would have been routed but for the exertions of Hasáji Mohita and two of his officers; afterwards well known as Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanáji Jádhav. Shiváji gave Hasáji the title of Hambir Ráo and the office of Sarnóbat, which had been held by Pratáp Ráo Gujar.

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In June 1674 Shiváji ventured openly to declare his independence by being formally crowned at Ráygad; his ministry was reformed, and new names were given to the offices. His chief ministers (Asht Pradhán) were Moro Pant Pingle Peshwa or Mukhya Pradhán; Rámchandra Pant Bawrikar the son of Abáji Sondev Mujumdár or Pant Amát, Annáji Dattu Pant Sachiv, Hambir Ráo Mohita Senápati, and Janárdan Pant the Sámant. Of the officers not among the Asht Pradhán the chief was Báláji Auji, his chitnis, a Parbhu. In 1675 Shiváji again began hostilities with the Mughals, and Moro Pant retook several of the forts near Junnar, but again failed in an attempt on Shivner. Shiváji also regained the forts between Panhála and Tátora; but while he was occupied in the Konkan with the siege of Phonda, these forts were taken by the deshmúkhs of Phaltan and Maláwdi acting for the king of Bijápur. Next year Shiváji again recovered them, and, in order to strengthen his hold on the country, he built the intermediate forts of Vardangad, Bhushangad, Sadáshivgad, and Machandragad. Having completed these arrangements he set out on an expedition to the Karnátak, where he took Jinji, Bellári, and other forts, and overran his father's jáhgir round Bangalor held by his half brother Venkáji. He returned to Ráygad about the middle of A.D. 1678, and next year made an alliance with Bijápur, which was threatened by the Mughal army under Dilir Khán. Unable to divert the Mughals from the siege of Bijápur, Shiváji ravaged the country north of the Bhíma, penetrating as far as Jálna about thirty miles south of Ajánta; but on his return he was intercepted by a force near Sangamner, and made his way to the hill fort of Patta only after a hard-fought action. Here he stayed till he was recalled south by the entreaties of the regent of Bijápur and the desertion of his son Sambháji to the Mughals. His troops cut off the supplies of the Mughal army, defeated two detachments, and forced Dilir Khán to raise the siege; while Sambháji returned to his father. Soon after this Shiváji died at Ráygad in April 1680. At the time of his death he held the country from the Harankáshi river on the south to the Indráyani river on the north. Supa, Indápur and Bárámati were his jáhgir districts, and the forts between Tátora and Panhála mark his boundary on the east. Besides this tract he had territories in the Konkan, in the Karnátak, in Baglán, and in Khándesh.

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Shiváji left two sons, Sambháji and Rám Rája, the former of whom was in confinement at Panhalla. The majority of the ministers desired to put Rám Rája on the throne; and Sambháji, who managed to get possession of Panhála, was besieged there by Janárdan Pant Sumant. He contrived, however, to win over a body of the besieging troops, surprised Janárdan Pant in Kolhápur, and being joined by Hambir Ráo Mohita and others of the ministers, he marched to Ráygad, which surrendered. He now revenged himself savagely on his opponents, putting to death Rám Rája's mother Soyrábai Sirké and several officers, and throughout his reign his cruelty and violence made him an object of dislike to his countrymen. Nor did intrigues against him cease. In A.D. 1681 a plot was formed by members of the Sirké family, to which Rám Rája's mother had belonged. In this Annáji Dattu, the Pant Sachiv, and Báláji Auji Chitnis being implicated, both of these old servants of Shiváji were executed.

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The usual inroads took place into the Mughal territory, and at last Aurangzíb determined to take command of his army in person, and arrived at Ahmadnagar in the year A.D. 1684. He sent out detachments to reduce the forts in the Gangthari, and, in A.D. 1685, while his son Azam Sháh took Sholápur and so began the war with Bijápur, Khán Jahán took Poona and the open country north of Sinhgad. The emperor then marched to Sholápur, and thence to Bijápur, which fell in October 1686, and the country round at once submitted to him. Eleven months later Golkonda surrendered, and Aurangzíb was left in apparent possession of the whole country, which he endeavoured to bring into better order.

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Shirzi Khán, a Bijápur noble who had joined the emperor, invaded the Sátára districts, but was met and defeated at Wái by Hambir Ráo the Senápati, who himself fell in the action, and for a time the Maráthás recovered much of the open country: but Sambháji was daily growing more imbecile and indolent under the influence of his favourite a Kanoja Bráhman named Kalusha. No organized resistance could be made, and in A.D. 1689 the country was again subdued by the Mughals as far as the hills, and the forts between Tátora and Panhála were taken.

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Aurangzíb now marched to Akluj on the Níra, and then to Tulápur at the junction of the Indráyani with the Bhíma, intending to subdue the hill country thoroughly; and while there Sambháji was brought in as a prisoner and executed (August 1689). He had been captured by a Mughal officer named Takarib Khán and his son Ikhlas Khán in command at Kolhápur, who had penetrated to Sangmeshvar in the Konkan, and surprised him with his favourite Kalusha.

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Sambháji left a child named Shiváji afterwards known as Sháhu; but as he was only six years old, Sambháji's brother Rám Rájá was made regent. The Marátha chiefs now met to decide on a plan for opposing Aurangzíb, whose power may well have seemed to them overwhelming. They decided that the principal forts should be carefully garrisoned; that Rám Rájá should move from one fort to the other, and if hard pressed should retire to Jinji in the Karnátak. The Marátha chiefs were to plunder and annoy the enemy in their old fashion. The principal men at this time were Pralhád Niráji on of the late Nyáyádhish Pradhán, Janárdan Pant Sámant, Rámchandra Pant Bourikar Amát, Máhádáji NáiK Pánsambal the Senápati, Santáji Ghorpade, Dhanáji Jádhav, and Khanderáo Dábháde.

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The Mughals continued to advance, and in A.D. 1690 Ráygad fell and Sháhu was made prisoner. On this Rám Rájá made his escape to Jinji, accompanied by Pralhád Niráji, Santáji Ghorpade, Dhanáji Jádhav, and Khanderáo Dábháde, while Rámchandra Pant was left in charge of the hill districts with a Bráhman named Parashrám Trimbak under him. His head-quarters were at Sátára. Santáji Ghorpade was soon after made commander-in-chief, and was sent with Dhanáji Jádhav to collect men and plunder the Mughals, while Pralhád Niráji, who stayed at Jinji, was made Pratinidhi. Against them and the other Marátha chiefs, Aurangzíb made little progress. Rámchandra Pant kept his own districts clear, and even surprised the Mughal fauzdár of Wái. It was under Rámchandra's command that the heads of the families of Pavár, Thorát, and Atáwla came under notice. Aurangzíb, in A.D. 1694, after moving slowly along the banks of the Bhíma, at last fixed on Brahmapuri, a village on that river, as his head-quarters, and built a cantonment, where he stayed five years.

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Meanwhile the siege of Jinji had been going on in a desultory manner. Santáji and Dhanáji inflicted several defeats on Mughal detachments, and once forced them to raise the siege; but at last Zulfikár Khán was ordered peremptorily to take the fort. He first allowed Rám Rájá to escape, and then pressing the siege, soon became master of the fort. Rám Rájá arrived at Vishálgad at the end of A.D. 1697, and soon went to Sátára, which he made the seat of government. Rámchandra Pant, who had so ably managed the government in his absence, was made Pant Amát, and one of his kárkúns, Sankráji Náráyan Gaudekar, was made Pant Sachiv, and is the ancestor of the present chief. Timoji Hanwanta, the son of Janárdan Pânt, was made Pant Pratinidhi; but he did not keep the office long, as in A.D. 1700 Tárábái bestowed it on Parashrám Trimbak.

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Santáji Ghorpade, the Senápati, had for some time been on bad terms with his lieutenant Dhanáji Jádhav; at last an open quarrel broke out, and Rám Rája took the part of Dhanáji. Santáji’s troops deserted him, and he was hunted down and at last surprised and killed in the Sátára districts by Nágoji Máne, deshmukh of Mhaswar, who as a reward was taken into the imperial service. The office of Senápati was given to Dhanáji.

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In A.D. 1699, Rám Rája made a plundering expedition on a large scale through Gangthari, Báglán, Khándesh, and Berár, and levied chauth. Irritated by this the emperor determined again to attempt the reduction of the hill forts. Leaving his cantonment at Brahmapuri he moved on Sátára. Wasantgad fell first and then Sátára was invested. Aurangzíb pitched his camp near the village of Karinja, his son A’zam Sháh was stationed on the west at Sháhpur, Shirzi Khán on the south, and Tarbiat Khán on the east. Though thus surrounded Sátára held for several months, as provisions were brought in through the connivance of some of the imperial commanders. This was stopped at last; the defences were mined, and the garrison surrendered. Párli was then attacked and fell in June, and the Mughals retreated to Káwaspur on the Mán river to avoid the rains.

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In the meantime Rám Rája died at Ráygad, leaving two sons, the older of whom, Shiváji, was put on the throne with his mother Tárábái as regent. The war went on as before. In the next few years Aurangzíb reduced all the principal forts from Purandhar to Panhála; but the Maráthás plundered in his rear, and the great families, the Mánkaris, began to side more openly with them. In A.D. 1705, after the capture of Ráygad and Torna, Aurangzíb stayed for some time near Junnar; then marched to Bijápur, and thence to besiege Vákinkera, a village held by Pemnáik, a plundering Berad chief. While engaged here his work in the hills was being undone and the forts were being retaken. Panhála and Pávangad were surprised by Rámchandra Pant, and the former became the residence of Tárábái. Parashrám Trimbak, the Pant Pratinidhi, took Vasantgad and Sátára, while Sankráji Náráyan, the Pant Sachiv, recovered Sinhgad, Ráygad, Rohira, and other forts. After Vákinkera was taken Aurangzíb returned hard pressed by the Maráthás, and reached Ahmadnagar in A.D. 1707. Zulfikár Khán retook Sinhgad; but it was almost immediately regained by Sankráji Náráyan, and in February 1707 Aurangzíb died at Ahmadnagar. With him perished all hope of crushing the Marátha power, and thirteen years after his death Marátha independence was formally recognized by the emperor of Delhi.

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The grand army under the command of Azam Sháh at once withdrew from the Dakhan, which was left bare of troops, while the contest between the sons of Aurangzíb was going on. Hoping to keep the Maráthás occupied by internal quarrels, Azam Sháh, on his march northwards, released Sháhu the son of Sambháji, under condition of allegiance to the imperial crown. Sháhu gained over to his side several chiefs, among whom were Parsoji Bhonsla, Chimáji Dámodar, Haibatráo Nimbálkar, and Nimáji Sindia, and marched south with a large force. Dhanáji Jádhav, who had been recovering the Poona districts, had defeated Lodi Khán the fauzdár of Poona, and retaken Chákan, marched with the Pratinidhi, Parashrám Trimbak, to oppose Sháhu. The armies met at Khed on the Bhíma, but Parashrám Trimbak, finding he was not supported by Dhanáji, whom Sháhu had secretly gained over, fled to Sátára, while Dhanáji openly joined Sháhu.

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The united armies now marched by Chandan and Vandari on Sátára; the fort was surrendered by the commander, a Musalmán, who imprisoned the Pratinidhi, and Sháhu entered the city and was formally seated on the throne (March 1708). Dhanáji was confirmed as Senápati, and one of his kárkúns, Báláji Vishvanáth Bhat, the founder of the Peshwa dynasty, now came into notice. Gadádhar Pralhád was made Pratinidhi and Bahiro Pant Pingle Peshwa.

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The war between the two branches of the house of Shiváji went on generally in favour of Sháhu. In the year after his accession Sháhu took Panhála and Vishálgad, but was repulsed in an attack on Rangna. At the end of the year Dhanáji died, and his son Chandrasen was made Senápati in his place. In A.D. 1710 Panhála was retaken by Tárábái, and this fort and the neighbouring city of Kolhápur became her residence and the capital of the younger branch of the family of Shiváji. Tárábái's chief adherents were Rámchandra Pant the Amát, and Sankráji Náráyan the Pant Sachiv; and in A.D. 1711 Sháhu determined to reduce the territory of the latter chief, which lay round the sources of the Níra. Rájgad had been taken, when the war was ended by the suicide of the Sachiv, and Sháhu took the opportunity to conciliate his party by confirming Náro Shankar the son of the Pant Sachiv in his father's estate and title.

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Though Sháhu was now firmly seated on the throne, the country was in a state of great confusion; the petty chiefs fortified themselves in their villages and plundered everywhere; and it was some time before order could be restored. The relations between Chandrasen Jádhav and his father's kárkún, Báláji Vishvanáth, had long been far from cordial, and in the year 1713 an open quarrel burst out. Báláji was forced to fly, and first went to Purandhar, where he was refused admittance, and then to Pándugad; at which place he got shelter and where he was besieged by Chandrasen. Sháhu took Báláji's side and ordered Haibatráo Nimbálkar, the sar-lashkar, to raise the siege. He met Chandrasen at Deur, and routed him, whereon the latter retired, first to Kolhápur and then to Nizám-ul-Mulk, the Mughal governor of the Dakhan, who gave him a jáhgir at Bálki. He was accompanied by Ghátge Shirzi Ráo of Kágal and Rambhaji Nimbálkar, who afterwards distinguished himself in the Mughal service and received the title of Ráo Rambha, which remained in the family for many years. The office of Senápati was given to Mánáji Moré.

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Soon after the arrival of the fugitive chiefs, Nizám-ul-Múlk declared war with Sháhu, who sent Báláji Vishvanáth with a force to join Haibatráo Nimbálkar. A battle was fought near Purandhar with no decisive result, but the Maráthás fell back to the Sálpi pass, and Rambháji Nimbálkar overran the Poona district. After a time Nizám-ul-Múlk withdrew to Aurangábád.

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Sháhu now attempted to bring the country into order. A Bráhman named Krishnaráo Khatáokar had collected a body of men in the Mahádev hills, and was levying contributions on all sides. Damáji Thorát had fortified the village of Hingni, forty miles east of Poona, and committed similar depredations. Udáji Chawhán seized the fort of Battis Shirála in the Várna valley, and Sháhu was obliged to win him over by granting him the chauth of Shirála and Karád. Báláji Vishvanáth set out to reduce Damáji Thorát, but was treacherously seized by him, and released only on the payment of a large ransom. After his release he marched against Krishnaráo Khatáokar, and with the help of Shripat Ráo, the Pratinidhi's son, routed him at Aundh. Krishnaráo then submitted, and was granted the village of Khatáo in inám. After this Báláji had effected a satisfactory arrangement with Angria, Shiváji's admiral in the Konkan, was in A.D. 1714 made Peshwa in the place of Bahiro Pant Pingle, and he chose Abáji Pant Purandhare as his Mutálik or deputy, and Rámáji Pant Bhánu, the ancestor of the famous Nána Phadnavis, as his Phadnavis or secretary. Soon afterwards Haibatráo Nimbálkar died, and his office was given to Dáwalshi Somvanshi, whereon his son went over to Nizám-ul-Múlk and received Bársi as a jáhgir. In the meantime Damáji Thorát had seized the young Pant Sachiv, and an expedition was again planned against him. Báláji managed first to effect the Sachiv's release, and in return received the Sachiv's rights in the Poona district and the fort of Purandhar, and Damáji was soon after defeated and taken prisoner.

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The following year (A.D. 1715) Báláji induced the Mughal officers in charge of Poona to make it over to him, and he began to bring it into order and lay the foundation of the future power of his family. He had become the leading minister of Sháhu, and by his advice the Maráthás began to interfere in the quarrels at Delhi and to attempt to get a formal grant of the territory occupied by them. In A.D. 1718 Báláji marched to Delhi with a force of Maráthás as an ally of the Saiad ministers, and stayed there till A.D. 1720, when he obtained the desired grants of the chauth and sardeshmukhi, of the Dakhan and the sovereignty of the districts south of the Bhíma and north of the Varda and Tungbhadra from Poona to Kolhápur, some parganás in the Karnátak, and several in the Konkan. The districts of Akalkot and Nevása, granted to Sháhu on his marriage by Aurangzíb, were also given up.

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Soon after his return from Delhi Báláji died; and in A.D. 1721 his son Báji Ráo was made Peshwa in his place, though his appointment was opposed by Shripatráo, the son of Parashrám Trimbak, now Pratinidhi. Khanderáo Dábháde, who had been made Senápati in A.D. 1716, also died about this time, and was succeeded by his son

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POONA SÁTÁRA AND SHOLÁPUR, A.D. 1300 - 1818.

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Trimbakráo, with Piláji Gáikwár as second in command. Báji Ráo, while preserving his superiority at home, directed his attention chiefly to conquests in Hindustán, and it was under him that Malhárji Holkar, a Dhangar from the village of Hol on the Nira, and Ránoji Sindia, a Marátha of Kanarkhed near Sátára, rose to note. Another of his officers; Udáji Pavár Vishwás Ráo, now established himself at Dhár in Málwa.

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Revival of Family Quarrels, A.D. 1727.

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The quarrel between the two branches of the Marátha royal family, which had been slumbering for some time, was revived about A.D. 1727 by Nizám-ul-Mulk, now master of the Dakhan. War followed between the Nizám and Sháhu, in which the former was worsted, and came to terms; but in 1729, Sambháji, rája of Kolhápur, being joined by Udáji Chawhán, crossed the Várna; he was soon surprised by the Pratinidhi and driven back, and Tárábái, the widow of Rám Rája, was taken prisoner and brought to Sátára. The disaster induced Sambháji to make peace, and in A.D. 1730 a treaty was framed by which the Várna and the Krishna were made the boundaries of the two states. Tásgaon, Miraj, and other districts were ceded to Sháhu.

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The Dakhan now enjoyed peace for some years, while the Maráthás were engaged in the Konkan, Gujarát and Hindustán. Soon after the peace with Kolhápur, Trimbakráo Dábháde, incited by Nizám-ul-Mulk, marched against Báji Ráo to depose him from his superiority; but Báji Ráo, ever on the alert, met him near Baroda and completely defeated him. Trimbakráo fell in the action, and his infant son Yashvantráo was made Senápati, and Piláji Gáikwár was appointed his guardian (A.D. 1731). Ráygad, which since its capture by Aurangzíb had been held by the Sidi of Janjira, was recovered in A.D. 1735. In A.D. 1740 Báji Ráo, the greatest of the Peshwás, died near the Narbada, in the midst of schemes for the conquest of the Dakhan. He had raised himself to a complete pre-eminence among the Marátha chiefs, and had acquired large territories in Málwa, but outwardly he was still subordinate to Sháhu.

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Báláji Ráo Peshwa, A.D. 1740 - 1761.

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Báláji was appointed Peshwa in his father's place, though the nomination was opposed by the creditors of Báji Ráo, who had died deeply in debt. A few more years passed quietly in the Dakhan while the Marátha troops overran Hindustán and penetrated into Bengal Orissa and the Karnátak. At last in A.D. 1749, Sháhu, who had long been imbecile, died, and the change which had been impending took place; the sovereignty passed from the Marátha rájás to the Bráhman Peshwás. Sháhu left no direct heirs, and before his death disputes had arisen between his wife Sakwárbái Sirké, who declared for Sambháji the Kolhápur rája, and Tárábái who brought forward a boy whom she called her grandson, Rája Rám, son of Shiváji, who she said had been kept in concealment since his birth. Jagjivan the Pratinidhi, brother of Shripatráo, took the side of Sakwárbái, while Báláji supported the claim of Rám. Immediately Sháhu died, Báláji seized the town and fort of Sátára and took the Pratinidhi and Sakwárbái prisoners. The latter he forced to perform the rite of sati or widow-sacrifice, and the former he imprisoned in a hill fort.

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Transfer of Sovereignty to the Peshwa, A.D. 1749.

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On the strength of a deed given to him by Sháhu, he assumed the management of the Marátha empire, agreeing to acknowledge the independence of the Kolhápur state and to preserve the jáhgirs of the chiefs. He won over to his side Kághoji Bhonsla, whom he confirmed in his possessions in Berár, as also he did Yashvant Ráo Dábháde in Gujarát, and Fatehsíng Bhonsla as rája of Akalkot. The districts in Málwa, conquered by Báji Ráo, were divided between Holkar, Sindia, Pavár, and other chiefs. Jagjivan the Pratinidhi was soon released, but much of his jáhgir west of the Krishna, between the Várna and Urmodi rivers, was taken from him.

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The change of rulers was generally agreed in. Yamáji Sevdev, the mutálik of the Pratinidhi, raised an insurrection and threw himself into the fort of Sángola near Pandharpur; but this revolt was at once suppressed by Sadáshiv Bháu, cousin of the Peshwa. Finally, before proceeding to take part in the dispute between the sons of Nizám-ul-Mulk, the Peshwa persuaded the Pant Sachiv to give him up the fort of Sinhgad in exchange for those of Tung and Tikona, and he thus gained the fortress which threatened his capital, Poona. He gave up the fort of Sátára to Tárábái, the rája being kept in the city with a large establishment of attendants.

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When the Peshwa had gone (A.D. 1751) Tárábái tried to rouse Rám Rája to revolt. Finding this useless, she sent for Damáji Gáikwár, and on his approach invited the rája into the fort and made him prisoner. The Peshwa's officers in Sátára marched to meet Damáji at Arla on the Krishna, then retired to Nimb, where they were defeated, and Damáji joined Tárábái. Several forts were given up to her, but Nána Purandhare again attacked Damáji and forced him into the Jor Khora, a valley near Wái, where he waited hoping for aid from the Pratinidhi at Karád. The Peshwa hearing of the danger, came up with his army and surrounded Damáji; and then, while amusing him with negotiations, suddenly attacked and took him prisoner and sent him to Poona. Tárábái he left in possession of Sátára and of the person of the rája, as another enemy was pressing on him.

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The Peshwa had sided with Gázi-ud-dín as a claimant to the Nizám's throne against his brother Salábat Jang; and when the latter by the aid of French troops had secured his succession, he determined to punish the Peshwa, and invaded the Poona districts with the French leader Bussy at the head of a disciplined force. Notwithstanding the efforts of the Marátha army under Máhádáji Pant Purandhare, the Mughals advanced, sacked Ránjangaon, and destroyed Talegaon Dhamdhere. They were there fiercely attacked, and almost routed by the Maráthás, but were saved by Bussy and his artillery, and again advanced as far as Koregaon on the Bhíma. Here Salábat Jang heard that the fort of Trimbak near Násik had been taken by the Maráthás, and returned to Ahmadnagar to get his heavy guns for the siege of the fort. Early in 1752 he moved towards Junnar, but he was harassed by the Maráthás, his troops were mutinous, and danger was threatening from the north, whence his brother Gázi-ud-dín was approaching

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