Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c54.s1.19

v4.c54.s1.19

Dudrenec, after his victory, moved on to Maheshwar, and seized as much of the State treasure and costly articles as he could lay hands on, and levied contributions on Jaswant’s supporters in the city. Next Jaswant, who had removed from Dharampuri to Durjanpur, sent a detachment which successfully plundered the small portion of Dudrenec’s camp and baggage left behind in Indore. He rapidly increased his army by new enlistment, and set up his own outposts at Jām-ghāt and Samrur-ghāt, the two passes in the road from Maheshwar to Indore, and thus cut off Dudrenec’s supplies. After a month, the Frenchman yielded, and made peace by abandoning Kāshi Rao and acknowledging Jaswant Rao as the lawful head of the Holkar State (April 1799). Freed from all enemies at home, Jaswant Rao now set himself to taking possession of the Holkar territories in Rajputana and Mālwa and raiding Sindhia’s dominions. With the internal history of his State we are not concerned, and therefore we shall turn to his share in the Widows’ war against Daulat Rao Sindhia, which had now moved from the Deccan to Mālwa.