New History of the Marathas v1.c18.68

v1.c18.68

How could it be expected that a hero of Santāji's calibre, a winner of a hundred battles would meekly submit to such insult, or hand over his office to a successor without striking a blow? The Emperor had already advertised a prize on Santāji's head. It is not necessary to suppose that the Mughals had any hand in bringing about a mortal ill-feeling between Dhanāji and Santāji. From words they came to blows over the question as to which of them should hold the Senapati's office. In June 1696 they fought an action near Aiwargudi on the river Manimukta near Kanchi, in which Dhanāji was worsted and his valiant young partizan Amrit Rao Nimbalkar was taken prisoner, whom Santāji cruelly trampled to death under the feet of an elephant. This Amrit Rao's sister Rādhā Bai was married to Nāgoji Māne of Mhaswad near Satara. Nāgoji was playing a game of selfish ambition and intriguing with the Emperor for the destruction of Santāji. In this he was encouraged by his wife Rādhā Bai out of a desire to avenge the death of her brother. The monsoon months of 1696 passed critically for Santāji on the one hand and for Rājārām and Dhanāji on the other. As Santāji was not to be easily overcome, his followers were seduced and won over by secret methods. In this destructive game Nāgoji Māne had a principal share. Santāji's ranks came to be slowly thinned and his strength fearfully weakened. Indeed many instances are found recorded of Maratha Sardars constantly plying between the two opposing camps during this long drawn war in which time-serving selfishness and divided loyalties played no small part.