The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c7.s9.2

Language: English

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The family of Angria is by caste Marátha, and its splendour may be considered almost to have begun and ended with Kánhoji, although his father Tukáji had early distinguished himself in Shiváji's fleet.¹ It has been already stated that Kánhoji's power rapidly increased during the unsettled days of Sambháji and Sháhu, and in 1713 he was recognised as virtually independent, and was in fact master of all the coast with the forts on it from Bombay to Vijaydurg besides a good deal of the inland country. He made Vijaydurg his capital and in doing so showed himself a sailor of a different sort from Shiváji. It may probably also be owing to the same uncompromising spirit that he was from the first on terms of enmity, more or less pronounced, with the Bombay Government. As early as 1717 the English had already made an attempt on Vijaydurg, but were not successful.² In 1719 a force from Bombay attempted to take Khanderi from Angria, but failed.³ The then Viceroy at Goa is vaguely said to have chastised Angria,⁴ but in November 1720 the Portuguese found it advisable to unite with the English against him, and they burnt sixteen of his vessels which were lying in the Vijaydurg river, but could do nothing against the fort.

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In 1722 the same allies attacked Kolába with three British ships of the line and a Portuguese army but failed, and in 1724 the Dutch attacked Vijaydurg with a fleet of seven ships of the line, two bomb ketches and some land forces, but they succeeded no better than the others. Kánhoji was naturally encouraged by these failures, and in 1727 he took the Darby, a richly-laden English ship besides many Dutch and French ships at different times, and our East India Company are said at this time to have been put to an annual expense of £50,000 in keeping up an armed squadron to protect their trade against the pirates, of whom Kánhoji was the acknowledged chief. In 1728 however he died and his possessions were soon all in confusion. His eldest legitimate son Sakhoji retained possession of Kolába until his death soon afterwards, when his illegi-timate brothers Mánáji and Yesáji were put in charge by Sambháji, the second legitimate son, who lived at Suvarndurg. Mánáji and Yesáji having quarrelled, Mánáji with the assistance of the Portuguese took Kolába and put Yesáji's eyes out. Sambháji then attacked him, but Mánáji got assistance from the Peshwa, to whom he yielded the forts of Kutla (probably Kothigad) and Rájmáchi, and repulsed Sambháji.¹ The war between these two continued for a good many years with various alternations of alliances, but the Bombay Government appear always to have opposed the whole family.

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In 1730 they made an offensive and defensive alliance with Phond Sávant against the Ángriás generally, and in 1733 a similar one with the Sidi,² but these appear to have had no particular result. The next hostilities we hear of were in December 1738 when Commodore Bagwel with four grabs was cruising in search of Sambháji's fleet, and on the 22nd came upon nine of his grabs and thirteen gallivats issuing from the Vijaydurg river. They stood up the coast, but the Commodore immediately bore down on them, and they took refuge in the Rájápur river, displaying all their flags. They ran up the river further than the English vessels could follow them, and the Commodore could only give them a few broadsides, which however did much damage and killed their Admiral.³ After this it was Mánáji's turn to be troublesome, and he took Karanja and Elephanta, but soon afterwards Sambháji attacked him and took Chaul, Álibág, Ságargad, and Thal. Báláji Bájiráv was sent from the Dakhan to help to defend Kolába, and distinguished himself in an attack on an outpost, and with his assistance Mánáji held his own.⁴ In the meanwhile the English drove Sambháji's fleet down as far as Suvarndurg, where they cannonaded his camp and refused to allow him to retire to the fort. He however managed to effect his escape.

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In 1740 Sambháji took possession of Bharatgad, Bhagvantgad, and the greater part of the Vádi possessions in the Sálshi province, and these were not recovered till 1748.⁵ About this time Sambháji died and was succeeded by his half-brother Tuláji. He like the rest, whether rendering or refusing obedience to the Peshwás, never failed to plunder the ships of all those who were not too strong for him. The Sávants and the Kolhápur captains did the same, and these both now and later went among the English by the general name of Málvans,⁶ as at an earlier period other pirates were called Sunguiceers from Sangameshvar their principal station.⁷