New History of the Marathas v2.c24.s2.33

v2.c24.s2.33

There always existed a faction at the royal Court opposed to any measures that the Peshwa might propose to relieve the situation ; and the moment Shahu was in extreme exasperation, the Peshwa’s opponents poured into the king’s ears all sorts of bitter complaints against the Peshwa and attributed mischievous motives to him. Shahu got disgusted with such repeated complaints, and much against his will yielded only once to the pressure of the opposition and made a trial of how matters would fare by depriving the Peshwa of his office in the early months of 1747. The Peshwa willingly acquiesced. He resigned office and for a time kept aloof from the affairs of State, watching the course of events from outside. Tradition mentions that the Peshwa was residing in a tent near Satara waiting to receive a call from the king. Shahu sent him a message by Govindrao Chitnis that he was deprived of his office and that he need not come to wait upon His Highness. Instead of rebelling, the Peshwa quietly accepted the order and returned all the insignia pertaining to his office. The report did not take long to reach the public. Officers and bankers were altogether upset to see the administration breaking down; for, to the world outside it was the voice of the Peshwa that was dominant. There were visible signs of chaos: all trust and confidence disappeared in a moment. The Peshwa wisely sent a timely warning to the king.