Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c29.s1.26

v2.c29.s1.26

For three or four months after Panipat the situation was most critical for the Marathas north of the Vindhyas; everywhere they were pushed to the wall, without a single friend or dependant. Though by April next some 40,000 soldiers had been assembled in the Gwalior region and further south, out of the wreck of their northern army and local garrisons, these were beaten leaderless troops and their prospect was darkened by the approach-ing dissolution of Balaji Rao Peshwa, the insolvent Puna Government's attempt to escheat the property of the generals who had fallen at Panipat (in order to recover the collections made by them in their late North Indian campaigns on behalf of Government and the advances from the State Treasury they had taken for equipment), and the family quarrels, delay and vacillation which took place in appointing a successor to Jankoji as the head of the Sindhias. These serious difficulties of the Marathas ought to have been the Rajputs' opportunity, but Rajah Madho Singh's lack of character, quarrels with his feudal barons, and above all his chronic antagonism to Bijay Singh of Marwar, the only other Rajput prince that counted for anything,—prevented him from taking advantage of this situation, and within less then twelve months of Panipat the tables were completely turned against the Rajputs. This was the achievement of Malhar Rao Holkar, the sole "elder general" of Baji Rao's time now left.