History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c78.s2: § 2. Rajaram's policy and doings at Jinji.
History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c78.s2
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§ 2. Rajaram's policy and doings at Jinji.
v5.c78.s2.1
Rajaram was, therefore, profuse in his gifts of titles and unconquered lands.* "All the Maratha *sardars* went to the king at Jinji, and he gave them titles, army commands, and grants for the different districts where they were to go, loot the country, and impose the *chauth*. They were to go there, take shelter in the woods, and establish their rule by acting like *Paligars*, avoiding battles.........and employing the men of their contingents in work,...... so that the kingdom would increase......All his ministers and captains [thus] began to prosper and became happy." [Chitnis, ii. 35.]
v5.c78.s2.2
Rajaram's political impotence is best illustrated by his duplication of offices and titles at a time when his kingdom was shrinking to nothing. He could not afford to disoblige any of his proud and selfish chiefs. If we can accept Chitnis's statements, public offices like the *Amatya*-ship, the chief command etc., changed hands very frequently during his short reign: a man was appointed to a high post one year, and next year some one else, more powerful or more influential, cajoled or coerced the king into giving him that very post, and the first incumbent was reinstated a year or two later! To provide posts for all his most influential servants, the normal council of eight ministers was expanded by adding two more men,—the *Hakumat Panah* and the *Pratinidhi*. Another office of ministerial rank was the *Rajajna*, which though created by Shambhuji rose to first-rate importance in Rajaram's government.
v5.c78.s2.3
∗ Streams of people from Maharashtra flocked to Jinji to get offices, titles and lands or to renew the title-deeds of their ancestral property or rights as hereditary village officers,—as is illustrated in the contemporary documents printed by Rajwade.
v5.c78.s2.4
At Jinji Rajaram created Prahlad Niraji his *Pratinidhi* (king's proxy), who eclipsed the nominal prime-minister or *Peshwa* Nilkantha Moreshwar Pingle. We have a parallel to this in the action of Bahadur Shah I., the weak successor of Aurangzib, who could not help appointing Munim Khan as his *wazir* (prime-minister) and at the same time felt bound to oblige his foremost noble, Asad Khan, by giving him an equally high position as *wakil* (or king's proxy),—with the result of friction between the two. The office of *Senapati* (commander-in-chief) was changed five times in Rajaram's short reign of eleven years; and, in addition, five officers at one time enjoyed titles varying in terminology but all meaning "leader of the army"* and all being entitled to the rank banner and other paraphernalia of the *Senapati* [Chitnis, ii. 40-41.]