A History of the Mahrattas v2.c55.101

v2.c55.101

Chitoor Sing, since we had last occasion to mention him, after the battle of Poona in 1802, had served in most parts of India. He was conspicuous in the charge made upon the 74th regiment at the battle of Assaye,¹ and was afterwards in the armies of Holkar, Umeer Khan, and the Rajpoots. In 1812 he was returning home through Candeish, when Trimbukjee seduced him to a conference, took him prisoner, loaded him with irons, and threw him into the fort of Kangooree² in the Concan. Many vain attempts were made by his partisans to effect his rescue; till at last, a Gosaeen of the same name, aided by some of the Ramoosee chiefs, taking advantage of the interest felt for him in the country, gave out that Chitoor Sing had escaped, and obtained possession of the fort of Prucheetgurh³ by a daring and well-planned enterprise, suggested, it is said, by a traditionary account of one of Sivajee’s exploits.⁴ They afterwards took many other forts, and raised a formidable insurrection, which, though generally kept in check by the troops of Bappoo Gokla, was never reduced by the Peishwa’s government. Their real object was plunder, but their avowed purpose was the re-establishment of the Mahratta sovereignty, and the release of the Raja of Satara; and had Trimbukjee Dainglia fallen into their hands, they would have put him to death; Chitoor Sing lingered in prison at Kangooree, where he died in the end of April, 1818. His brother Shao died at Satara, 3rd May, 1808, and was succeeded by his son, Pertab Siew, or Sing,¹ the present Raja, then in his sixteenth year.