Fall of the Mughal Empire v3.c39.s2.2

v3.c39.s2.2

On the 3rd of the month another march of ten miles was made to Halena, a place five miles north of Wer fort. Here next day another darbar was held at which Shah Alam conferred on Mahadji Sindhia the highest possible post in the imperial Government, namely that of Regent Plenipotentiary (Wakil-i-mutlaq) direct from himself, without any reference to the Peshwa. This post was so rarely filled that only three previous instances of it are known in the long annals of the Timurids, once under Akbar, once under Shah Jahan and the last time under Bahadur Shah I. As Mahadji returned to his tent after being appointed dictator of the Delhi Empire, his troops lined the entire route and fired salutes, while all the officers presented nazars in his tent. Thus at one stroke all the machinations of the great Maratha’s puny rivals were reduced to nullity. [Dy. i. 133, 106. HP. 342, 343. PRC. i. 9. Ibr. ii. 95.]