New History of the Marathas v2.c34.14

v2.c34.14

The Maratha State had fallen on evil times. The Chhatrapati's house collapsed after Shahu's death. The Peshwa's house was about to suffer a similar fate after the third Peshwa's death. Fortunately his son Madhavrao came to its rescue, although he had to waste years of precious life in overcoming the mischief in his own family. This domestic feud did not fail to affect the other members of the State, viz., Sindia, Holkar, Gaikwad and Bhosle, who were now its four main props, and whom the same evil contagion affected in a greater or less degree. The first two have been incidentally dealt with in the foregoing nar rative. The last two deserve a special mention. We shall first deal with the Bhosle of Nagpur.