New History of the Marathas v3.c37.s3.9

v3.c37.s3.9

Sindia’s affairs rapidly went from bad to worse. He brought Baloba Tatya to Poona from his confinement at Ahmadnagar on 22nd April 1799 and asked him to accept his ministership. Baloba flatly refused this offer and adopted the same apathy and indifference which Nana had evinced towards Bajirao. When Nana Phadnis died next year all restraint upon Bajirao was gone. Baloba and Aba Chitnis who had settled the ladies’ dispute, soon became obnoxious both to Sindia and Bajirao, as Sharzarao came to exercise full control over them. Under Sharzarao’s advice Sindia decided to get rid of all his old servants one by one. The method he employed against them was extremely cruel and detestable. Baloba, his nephew Dhondiba, Sadashiv Malhar, Krishnoba Modi, Devji Gauli were all put under arrest, severely ill-treated and sent to Ahmadnagar for detention. Baloba’s wife actually broke her head in agony when her husband was thus torn away from her. On 31st May 1800 Tuljaji Sindia and Manaji Wable were blown away from the mouth of a gun on the ground that they had supported the ladies’ cause. On 8th July Yashvantrao Shivaji and some others had their noses and ears cut off, were paraded through the lines and put to death. Dhondiba Pagnis suffered a similar fate. Rockets were tied round Narayanrao Bakhshi’s body and he was blown up like a kite in flight. Daulatrao and Bajirao thus wiped out every sane element in their administration under the suspicion that they had been planning to effect a revolution, by deposing both Bajirao and Daulatrao and making Amritrao the head of the State. Baloba himself had long been ailing and died at Ahmadnagar on 1st November 1800. Sadashiv Malhar alias Bhau Bakhshi the confidential and able foreign minister of Mahadji, similarly died two weeks before Baloba. Thus within a few months of Nana’s death all links with the past were finally snapped.