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History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c78.s4: § 4. Mutual jealousies of the Maratha ministers and generals : factions formed.

History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c78.s4

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§ 4. Mutual jealousies of the Maratha ministers and generals : factions formed.

v5.c78.s4.1

Ramchandra's task was no easy one. For one thing, many of his best forts and most of his fertile country were in Aurangzib's hands. He had, besides, to control generals who were inclined to pay him little obedience though Rajaram had publicly proclaimed that the *Hakumat Panah's* orders were not to be upset even by the king. [Chit., 40.] The distribution of territory for plunder made by Ramchandra among his generals was not always respected by them, and hence they frequently came to blows among themselves over the booty or the fields of their raids.

v5.c78.s4.2

There was mutual jealousy among the ministers left in Maharashtra as well as at the Court of Jinji. Parashuram Trimbak formed a faction of his own and drew Santaji Ghorpare into it. The natural consequence was that Dhana Singh Jadav was backed by Ramchandra. Santa's insubordination proved unbearable; he would not obey the Regent of the West, nor co-operate in any national enterprise (like the relief of Panhala in 1693) planned by him, preferring to conquer an independent estate for himself. Ramchandra had, therefore, to secure the king's consent to Santa's dismissal and even refused for a month together to grant him an interview [Chit. 34.] Then another minister Shankaraji Malhar took Santa under his wing, formed a plan of co-operation and division of spoils with him and sent him to Madras with an earnest request to serve the king more faithfully than he had done in the West. [Zedhe S.] Another refractory and selfish general of great power was Nima Sindhia, but he rose to prominence after the death of Rajaram.

v5.c78.s4.3

Ramchandra struggled against these difficulties as best he could, and on the whole he succeeded fairly well. As the acute observer Bhimsen remarks about the year 1697, "Among the Marathas not much union was seen. Every one called himself a sardar and set out to raid and plunder [for himself] (Dilkasha, ii. 122a).

v5.c78.s4.4

The rivalry between Santa Ghorpare and Dhana Jadav precipitated a civil war in 1696, as we have seen [Ch. 52, § 8 and 9.] Three battles were fought between them, Dhana being supported by the king's authority. The first encounter was a mere demonstration, in the second Santa was victorious, and in the last one Dhana. The murder of Santa (June 1697) created a blood-feud between his son Ranuji and his brother Baharji (surnamed *Hindu Rao*) on the one hand and Dhana's party on the other, which took long to heal. But this internal discord among the Marathas gave the Mughals only a brief respite.

v5.c78.s4.5

Ramchandra cleverly provided shelters for the families of the Maratha combatants in South Konkan and the Portuguese territory of Daman, which had not yet been penetrated by Mughal armies, and also in the Berad country and the north-western corner of Mysore, which the Emperor was not yet free to invade. Many Marathas also lived unknown for years in the Mughal cities, even at Aurangabad, with the secret sympathy of local residents (many of whom were kin to them).

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