Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c78.s5: § 5. Tara Bai rules as queen-mother ; her character and policy.

History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c78.s5

Language
English

§ 5. Tara Bai rules as queen-mother ; her character and policy.

v5.c78.s5.1

A change took place at the Maratha headquarters when Rajaram returned home in March 1698. Nominally the king assumed the supreme authority, but in fact Ramchandra still continued to guide the operations and issue the orders. This state of things, however, lasted for only two years. When Rajaram died, on 2nd March 1700, and then his natural son Karna after a three weeks' reign, Tara Bai crowned her own (legitimate) son Shivaji, a boy under ten years, and ruled with the help of Parashuram Trimbak.

v5.c78.s5.2

Thus a second regency ensued in the Maratha kingdom; but it was of a different kind from the earlier regency of 1689-1697. There was no longer a grown-up king or regular Court, as a final authority and source of reference, even in distant Jinji. The new king was a minor, a mere child; nor was his right undisputed among his subjects, as his half-brother Shambhuji II was set up as his rival for the throne. The supreme guiding force in Maharashtra now was not any minister but the dowager queen Tara Bai Mohité. Her administrative genius and strength of character saved the nation in the awful crisis that threatened it in consequence of Rajaram's death, the disputed succession to his throne, and Aurangzib's unbroken victories from 1699 to 1701. Already in her husband's lifetime she had displayed masculine energy and intelligence, and begun to draw the threads of the administration into her own hands. The hostile Muslim historian Khafi Khan is constrained to call her wise, enterprising, expert in administration, and popular with the army. The entire Mughal camp had exulted on first hearing the news of Rajaram's death, "as if the roots of the Maratha disturbance had been thereby cut away. Alas! they knew not God's will. Under Tara Bai's guidance,* Maratha activity began to increase daily." [K. K. ii. 469.] "She took into her own hands the control of all affairs,—such as the appointment and change of generals, cultivation of the country and planning raids into Mughal territory. She made such arrangements for sending troops to ravage the six subahs of the Deccan, nay even up to Sironj and Mandesor in Malwa,—and winning the hearts of her officers, that all the efforts of Aurangzib against the Marathas down to the end of his reign failed." [Ibid, 516.]

v5.c78.s5.3

∗ We have seen in Ch. 52 how she was at first diffident and had proposed terms of submission to Aurangzib.

v5.c78.s5.4

Immediately after the death of Rajaram, Parashuram Trimbak, out of jealousy for the other ministers then in Satara, came out of his own fort of Parli and offered to join the Mughals. But he did not definitely enter their service, nor did the Emperor fully trust him. Tara Bai won this supremely able officer over to her interest by creating him Pratinidhi. She also appointed Shankara Narayan Gandekar as Sachiv, after removing Shankara Malhar Nargundkar from that post. "Ramchandra continued as Amatya and, seemingly the supreme head of the administration, but Parashuram enjoyed the queen-mother's favour most." [Chit. ii. 71.]

v5.c78.s5.5

§ 6. Internal dissensions in the Maratha State.

v5.c78.s5.6

But it was only after a hard struggle that Tara Bai's supremacy was established. "Some of the generals obeyed her, some did not. Rajas Bai [the junior wife of Rajaram and the mother of Shambhuji II.] began to quarrel with Tara Bai and form her own faction." [*Ibid*, 72.] There was a third party among the Maratha leaders, who wanted to secure national unity by placing Shahu on the throne, as he represented the elder branch of Shivaji's descendants.

v5.c78.s5.7

These dynastic quarrels were complicated by the cross-currents of personal rivalry among the Maratha generals*. Dhana Jadav, as we have seen, had defeated Santa Ghorepare in 1697, and thus driven Santa's son Ranuji and brother Baharji into armed opposition to him. Late in December 1700 the two factions fought a battle ten or twelve miles from Islampuri, both sides losing heavily in this fratricidal contest. Krishna Malhar sided with Dhana, and the Ghorpares were defeated and fled towards Ahirwari. Three weeks later (16 Jan. 1701) we hear of Ranuji staying at Jagjivani and forming plans for avenging his defeat on Dhana. [*Ahirwari*, 13 m. s. of Sholapur. *Jagjivani* 24 m. n. of Bijapur.]

v5.c78.s5.8

On 11th Sep. 1701 it was reported to the Emperor that another battle had been fought between Dhana (with Dado Malhar) and Hanumant Nimbalkar (his former ally) near Fachuni (? Jejuri or Chincholi) on the left side of the Nira, in which Hanumant was taken prisoner. [*Akh.*]

v5.c78.s5.9

Some time later Dhana visited Ranuji near Firuzabad (20 m. s. of Kulbarga) to make up their quarrel and form an alliance for the future. [*Dil.* 130b.] In September 1701, Ranuiji and Baharji made an offer to join the Mughal service, and Dhana a similar proposal in July 1703, but all these overtures were insincere and solely prompted by the temporary pressure of rivals at home. Nothing resulted from them. The internal discords of the Marathas in 1707 will be described in Ch. LVII.

Linked texts (1)