Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c54.s6.2

v4.c54.s6.2

Peace in the Marātha territories could have been imposed only by a suzerain strong enough to overawe his refractory feudatories and wise enough to make a clear-cut geographical division of their respective spheres of rule in Mālwā, Khāndesh and Hindustan. Only such a division could have permanently put a stop to their eternal boundary disputes, encroachments across the frontier, and mutual raids and reprisals. The life of the Marātha empire depended on the solution of the hereditary rivalry between Sindhiā and Holkar. But such a feat of supreme statesmanship was beyond the mental capacity and armed strength of Bāji Rao II. It was also opposed to the traditional Punā policy of never settling a dispute finally, but keeping two separate and rival authorities in the same locality so as to weaken both of them and make both dependent on the central Government, and thus increase the chance of the Punā Court exacting as much money as possible from the two.