Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c53.s1: § 1. The Shenvi Brahmans and their rivals the Chitnis family in Mahādji Sindhia’s government
Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c53.s1
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§ 1. The Shenvi Brahmans and their rivals the Chitnis family in Mahādji Sindhia’s government
v4.c53.s1.1
Mahādji Sindhiā, as a shrewd judge of men, had maintained an admirable balance in his ministry by placing the civil administration in the hands of Deshastha Brāhmans and his army under Shenvi Brāhmans; these two groups, though theoretically branches of the same Brāhman caste, lived apart in their social relations, beyond the possibility of uniting or even fraternising. The leaders of the Deshastha party were the three sons of Raghunāth Malhār Kulkarni of Nigodi, known as Ābā Chitnis, Krishnobā Chitnis, and Gopāl Bhāu. Ābā was a civil administrator and financial manager of extraordinary capacity, Krishnobā also was a good secretary and accountant, while Gopāl Bhāu was Mahādji’s dignified deputy in Hindustan and controlled the civil and military affairs of his absent master, but more as a viceroy than as a commander in the field, though all the generals were subordinate to him.
v4.c53.s1.2
Mahādji’s army chiefs were all Shenvis, namely Jivāji Ballāl Kerkar (popularly known as Jivā Dādā Bakhshi), his son Nārāyan Jivāji, and first cousin Jagannāth Rām Krishna (popularly Jagu Bāpu), Lakshman Anant Lād (popularly known as Lakhwā Dādā) and Bālāji Anant Pingé (popularly Bālobā Tātyā Pāgnis),—the last being a minister in charge of army accounts and the patron of Lakhwā Dādā. With them was associated another Shenvi Sadāshiv Malhār Bavlé (popularly Bhāu Bakhshi), nominally called the diwān, who acted as Sindhiā’s foreign secretary in his dealings with the English.
v4.c53.s1.3
As long as Mahādji lived, his strong hand prevented these two caste-groups from quarrelling, and the administration was run with smooth efficiency. But immediately after his death, the balance was upset and a crisis precipitated in the Sindhian administration by Nānā Fadnis. Now was Nānā's chance for removing the last threat to his domination over the Peshwā's mind and making the house of Sindhiā as subordinate to him as any petty sardār of the Deccan. Abā Chitnis, hitherto Mahādji's chief minister, courted Nānā's support against his Shenvi rivals and promised subservience to his policy of making the Sindhias know their own place.
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This alliance between Nānā and Abā was so notorious that the British Resident noticed it. But the result was just the opposite of what they had expected. It wounded the pride and self-interest of the house of Sindhiā. They could never forget that throughout Mahādji's career Nānā Fadnis had tried to thwart and humiliate him; he had not moved a finger to aid Mahādji during his life and death struggle with Ghulām Qādir, and when Mahādji had at last emerged victorious, Nānā had planted Holkar and Ali Bahādur as thorns in his sides to spoil his policy in the North. The mere fact of Abā Chitnis's friendship with Nānā Fadnis damned him effectually in the eyes of the Sindhian ladies. They persuaded Daulat Rao to safeguard his power and honour by placing his administration in the hands of the Shenvi officers who had for many years served Mahādji in the field and the cabinet so loyally. Therefore, about two months after Mahādji's death, Daulat Rao recalled to his cabinet Bhāu Bakhshi and Bālobā Pāgnis, both of whom were then in political exile. Bhāu Bakhshi joined Daulat Rao's cabinet as diwān in Punā on 10th May. Abā Chitnis immediately took the alarm, resigned his post, and would listen to no persuasion to return. [PRC. ii. 234, 238. Kharé, ix. p. 4814.]
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The next step was to remove Chitnis's brother Gopāl Bhāu from the supreme command in Northern India and appoint the Shenvi generals, Lakhwā Dādā and Jagu Bāpu to that charge. The news of the intended change reached the Marātha camps in Hindustan, and then began almost daily rows by the soldiers for their arrears of pay, while lawless men raised their heads on all sides and plundering bands began to roam through the country without fear. Both the factions courted De Boigne, the master of Sindhia’s invincible brigades. Lakhwā Dādā’s agent Imām Bakhsh waited on De Boigne for a month, soliciting him to join the Pāgnis party, but the General frankly told him, “Daulat Rao is our master. I shall obey any one whom he appoints as his prime minister.” So the envoy returned with failure.
v4.c53.s1.6
But at the same time, De Boigne considered it his duty to warn Daulat Rao that the removal of an exceptionally able and experienced governor like Gopāl Bhāu would throw his entire North Indian administration into confusion and De Boigne himself would not be able to maintain order there. Shah Alam also, sent a secret message to the Peshwā, through the Maratha Resident in Delhi, pointing out that Bālobā Pāgnis had been once dismissed by Mahādji as a failure and Abā Chitnis had been solicited by him to resume the premier’s office which he had filled to the Emperor’s entire satisfaction ever since. It was, as Shah Alam argued, a ruinous mistake to replace such a tried minister as Abā by a man of proved incompetence like Bālobā. But all these arguments proved useless when weighed against the threat of Nānā Fadnis’s hidden hand working against Sindhia’s prestige and wealth. [DY. ii. 120, 133, 119, 121. Hingné D. ii. 97.]