Later Mughals v2.c15.s10: Sec. 79.—Early Mahratta Incursions into Malwa.
Later Mughals v2.c15.s10
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Sec. 79.—Early Mahratta Incursions into Malwa.
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In the Mahratta scheme of aggression upon Hindustan, or India north of the Narmada, the rich province of Malwa† was selected by the Peshwa Baji Rao as his special prey. From the year of his appointment (1720), he sent annually a detachment from Khandesh into Malwa, but did not cross the Narmada in person until the end of 1724. At first his stay in the province was never very prolonged, affairs at home and the intrigues of Nizam-ul-mulk demanding his constant attention in the south.
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∗ Partition of Bundelkhand, Sardesai ii. 386. [J. S.]
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† The history of the Mahrattas in Malwa given here by Irvine is based entirely upon Grant Duff and The Bangash Nawabs of Farrukhabad (pub-
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We have seen [ch. iv. sec. 33] that late in the reign of Farrukh-siyar Muhammad Amin Khan was sent to Malwa expressly to defend it from Mahratta incursion. On his return to Court without orders he was superseded (15th March 1719) by Nizam-ul-mulk; and he again, owing to the constantly shifting policy of the Court, was followed on the 9th Sept. 1722 by Rajah Girdhar Bahadur Nagar, who was removed from Oudh in order to make a vacancy for Saadat Khan, Burhan-ul-mulk. A year afterwards, Nizam-ul-mulk’s star being once more in the ascendant, he removed Girdhar Bahadur in favour of his cousin Azim-ullah Khan (25th May 1723). When Nizam-ul-mulk quitted Oudh and fled to the Dakhin, the province of Malwa was made over once more to Girdhar Bahadur (12th June 1725). [Kamwar 199.]
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Girdhar Bahadur throughout his period of rule in the province, carried on a gallant struggle against the rising waves of Mahratta encroachment. For the selfish reason that they diverted the Mahrattas from the Dakhin, these constant attacks on Malwa were secretly encouraged by Nizam-ul-mulk. The country was overrun by Baji Rao’s officers, Udaji Puar, Malhar Holkar, and Ranuji Sindhia. The fortune of war constantly varied; but whoever might win in the field, destruction to the prosperity of the country was equally the inevitable result.
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lished in J. A. S. B. 1878). The few other works used by him will be cited by name. The editor has supplied all the additional information from Marathi sources.
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The first recorded Mahratta incursion into Malwa was in 1690 (Malcolm’s Central India i. 61n). In 1698 Udaji Puar looted Mandu but did not make any permanent occupation. That work was due to the enterprise of Balaji Vishwanath. A Marathi letter of 1715 mentions that Dabalji Somvanshi was the first to attempt the conquest of Malwa, though the work was rendered easier by the energy of Baji Rao’s assistants Sindhia Holkar and Puar. (Sardesai, ii. 355). [J. Sarkar.]
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At length, on 8th Dec. 1728, in the neighbourhood of Ujjain, Girdhar Bahadur was defeated and slain by the Mahratta army led by Chimnaji, brother of Baji Rao, and Udaji Puar.* At the same time fell his relatives Rao Gulab Ram and Rajah Anand Ram. The resistance was carried on for a time by Girdhar Bahadur's nephew, Daya Bahadur. But finally he too was defeated in a battle near Tarla, [4 m. s.w. of Dhar] between Dhar and Amjhara, where he and nearly two thousand of his troops lost their lives. [Siyar, i. 79 ; T-i-M.]