Administrative System of the Marathas c18.s3: 1. The Raja of Satara
Administrative System of the Marathas c18.s3
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1. The Raja of Satara
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Next to the Emperor in status came the Raja of Satara, the lineal descendant of Shivaji, and the nominal head of the Maratha Empire. It was he who appointed the Peshwa and the other hereditary officers of state like the Pratinidhi, Sachiv, Sumanta, etc. This appointment or grant of clothes resembles in spirit the ceremony of papal coronation that the Emperors had to undergo at Rome, and was like it, nothing but a time-honoured form. This form was strictly observed so long as the Maratha Empire lasted. Even Baji Rao II, careless as he was of his Sardars' rights, could not or did not venture to do away with this formal ceremony. In his daftar has been found a document, an account of state expenses, which begins as follows:
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"Abaji Krishna Shelukar went to Satara to bring from Shrimant Maharaj Rajashri Chhatrapati Swami, the clothes of peshwaship for Rajashri Baji Rao Raghunath Rao and brought the clothes on the 3rd Jamadilakhar."¹⁵ It should be noted here that unlike the Pope, the Chhatrapati Maharaj raised no trouble about granting his sanction to the authority already seized, even if the grantees were usurpers. Thus Raghunath Rao, Chimnaji Raghunath transformed by Parashram Bhau Patwardhan into Chimnaji Madhava, and Vinayak Rao, son of Amrit Rao, had no difficulty in getting the clothes of peshwaship, although they could not retain the authority which they aspired to, or (as in the case of Chimnaji) which was thrust on an unwilling victim of state conspiracy. In the case of the other chiefs, the hereditary successors of the members of Shivaji's Ashta Pradhan Council, the saranjam or jagir was invariably granted by the Peshwas, but they were either referred to the state prisoner at Satara for grant of clothes of their office, or this mark of royal sanction was procured for them by the Peshwa's agent. Thus Madava Rao I writes to Achyut Rao Ganesh (1762-1763) that "the pratinidhiship as before has been granted to Shrinivas Pandit and he has been accordingly sent to the Raja to receive clothes of honour." 6
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¹⁵ Peshwas' Diaries, Vol. V, Baji Rao II, p. 14.
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Similarly when Parashram Shrinivas succeeded his father, a similar letter was written by the second Madhava Rao to Babu Rao Krishna (1777-78). "The command of God has reached Shrinivas Pandit Pratinidhi (i.e., he is dead), the clothes of the post have to be given to his son; clothes of honour, a head-dress and arms, have therefore been sent with Sadashiv Anant; request the Shrimant Maharaj Rajashri Swami to give the aforesaid personage the Pratinidhi's dress of honour." 7 And with this recommendation were also sent a dress of honour, a head-dress and arms to be given to the nominee; perhaps in consideration of the poverty of the Raja. The same Peshwa had again to write three letters to Krishna Rao Anant, Babu Rao Krishna and Nilkantha Rao at Satara in connection with the appointment of Jivan Rao Viththal to the office of Sumanta (1785-86), requesting them to procure a dress of honour and a sanad for his watan and saranjam, although the newly-appointed officer had already got both sanad and dress of honour from the Peshwa.⁸ But Madhava Rao II apparently did not consult the Raja's pleasure when Ramchandra Raghunath was appointed Pandit Rao.⁹ Baji Rao II, however, did not omit to procure a dress of honour for the new incumbent to the Sachiv's post when the old Sachiv Shankar Rao Pandit died (1799-1800), and was succeeded by his adopted son Chimnaji Shankar. "A letter to Krishna Rao Narayan to the effect that the command of God reached Sankar Rao Pandit Sachiv, father of Chimnaji Shankar, in the year Tisa Tisen. The latter was adopted by the Sachiv in his lifetime. Therefore the Surnis's dress of honour is to be given to him according to the old custom. A separate list of the clothes of honour is sent. Accordingly you should request the Maharaja and deliver the dress of honour to Krishnaji Bhagavant, a Karkun sent from the Sarkar. The latter will hand it over to Chimnaji Shankar."¹⁰ Two letters of the second Madhava Rao addressed to the Bhonsle of Nagpore clearly show that, jealous as that chief was of the Peshwa's authority, he also could not think of dispensing with royal sanction of his succession to the hereditary dominions.
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⁶ Peshwas' Diaries, Vol. IX, Madhava Rao I, p. 110
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⁷ Peshwas' Diaries, Vol. IV, p. 158.
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⁸ "In the year Tisa Sabain, Jivan Rao Viththal got the watan and saranjam of the office of Sumanta with the customary dress of honour. Then a letter was written to you to request Shrimant Maharaj Rajashri Chhatrapati to give the Sumanta's dress of honour to Jivan Rao and to get the sanad of the watan and saranjam of that office in his name: upon that a dress of honour was given to him. A sanad was to be procured but that was not done; therefore this letter is now sent; please give him a sanad for the saranjam and watan he is enjoying." Peshwas' Diaries, Vol. IV, p. 177.
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⁹ Peshwas' Diaries, Vol. IV, p. 176.
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¹⁰ Peshwas' Diaries, Vol. V, p. 77.
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"A letter to Shivaji Bhonsle Sena Saheb Subha; Shrimant Maharaj Rajashri Chhatrapati Swami being kindly disposed towards you, has appointed you Sena Saheb Subha and has given the dress of honour and jewels of that office with a shield, a sword, a seal and an elephant. These presents have been sent to you; accept them on an auspicious day" (1774-75).¹¹ "To Raghuji Bhonsle Sena Saheb Subha: you have been appointed Sena Saheb Subha by the order of the Shrimant Maharaj Rajashri Chhatrapati Swami; you should, therefore, serve the government with devotion and carry on the administration of your province and army" (1779-80).¹²
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¹¹ P. D., Vol. IV, p. 196.
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¹² P. D., Vol. IV, p. 198.
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Although the vanity of being addressed by the Peshwa for sanads and dresses of honour was still left to him, the position of the Raja of Satara was worse than miserable. Perhaps the meanest of the Maratha Sardars would not have liked to change place with him. An organic part of the state, he had not the ordinary right of an ordinary man of dismissing and appointing his servants. He had the mortification of seeing his household controlled by an officer of the Peshwa. Even his *khijmatgars* were appointed and sent from Poona. Five *khijmatgars* were sent to fort Satara¹³ for service with the Maharaja by Madhava Rao I in 1767-68.
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¹³ P. D., Vol. IX, p. 53.
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His personal attendants applied for promotion or increase in remuneration, not to him but to the Peshwa. Sometimes, when in blissful oblivion of his position, he issued orders of arrest or imprisonment, he ran the risk of undergoing the humiliation of seeing them countermanded. In the year 1797-98, Ganesh Anant and Babu Rao Krishna were arrested in connection with some disturbance that took place in the fort of Satara. The former was fined, the latter was imprisoned with his family and his property was attached. On an appeal to the Peshwa, the order was set aside and they were restored to their former offices.¹⁴
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¹⁴ "Krishnaji Anant Karkun, fort Satara, informs the Huzur that some disturbance took place in the aforesaid fort last year, when some people misrepresented facts to Shrimant Maharaj Rajashri Chhatrapati Swami and his brother Ganesh Anant, an employee in the fort, was imprisoned and money was taken from him.....Therefore do not take money from him and no dunning should be made for payment. He had not got his salary for the year saman tisen, pay that. Formerly two men from the shibandi (force) of the fort worked under him. Therefore appoint two men to work under him and obtain, as before, the work from his hand and give him his salary." "Last year a disturbance took place in the fort of Satara. Then Shrimant Maharaj Rajashri Chhatrapati imprisoned Babu Rao Krishna and his family and attached his house and Inam village. Detailed
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This humiliating subordination was not compensated by plenty, and to the unfortunate puppet was not granted even the mean satisfaction of forgetting his imprisonment in the midst of luxury and pomp. The account of his household was checked with more scrutiny perhaps than that of any department of the Peshwa's government. Strict regulations were framed even about such minute details as the grains required for the Raja's stables.¹⁵ The Chhatrapati lacked even the very necessities of a middle class Maratha with a slender income. We learn from a document of Madhava Rao I's time that the Maharaja had not even a garden for growing green vegetables, and that excellent prince ordered that a garden suitable for vegetables should be given him. The same paper goes on to say that the Maharaja had no pasture ground for his horses either.¹⁶ Madhava Rao I also sanctioned an allowance of Rs. 80 per month for two dancing girls, Hira and Achhi by name, for the singing
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¹⁵ Venkoji Mankeshwar and Vishnu Narhar are informed that requisition for the grain required for horses in the Raja's stable should be made every day. In making the requisition the number of horses newly arrived and that of horses sent away should be taken into consideration. The Huzur has come to know that instead of doing that you get from the Pratinidhi grain for eight days at a time. Peshwa's Diaries, Vol. IX, p. 51.
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¹⁶ P.D., Vol. IX, pp. 53-54.
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items about the removal of the attachment (then follows)" Peshwa's Diaries, Vol. V, pp. 4-5. The disturbance probably took place in connection with the Raja's attempt to assert his independence in 1798 at the instigation of Nana Fadnavis.
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establishment of his so-called master and an allowance was made for the fattening diet of a pet leopard.¹⁷
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¹⁷ P.D., Vol. IX, p. 55.
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Madhava Rao II or his chief adviser was not so indulgent. Although he appointed Nimbaji Pawar on a salary of Rs. 12, every two months, for training the Raja's son in the art of fencing,¹⁸ and granted saranjam to each of the two queens and to each of their two daughters, he refused to grant a sum adequate for the repair of an aqueduct which conveyed water to the palace of Satara. It was represented that two or three thousand rupees would be necessary for the work, but the Peshwa did not grant more than Rs. 800. It may be objected that perhaps the agent at Satara had over-estimated the necessary cost and the Peshwa naturally reduced it to a more reasonable amount, but we do not observe the same attitude so far as his other grants and expenses were concerned.¹⁹ The poor Maharaja, however could not do without praying to the Peshwa. So poor and helpless was he, that although about four years had elapsed since his marriage, he could not make the customary present of land to his sister until a grant of sixty bighas had been made for that purpose by the Peshwa in 1782-83.²⁰
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¹⁸ P.D., Vol. IV, p. 34.
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¹⁹ To Krishna Rao Anant : a pipe conveys water to the palace of Satara from Yavateshwar ; it is damaged at different places ; two to three thousand Rupees will be necessary for repairing it. You have written to Sadashiv Anant to request for the grant of the above sum from the Sarkar. He accordingly prayed for the grant, but it will not be convenient to give so much. But as the work is urgent, a grant of Rs. 800 is made for repairing the pipe. P.D., Vol. IV, p. 34.
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²⁰ Maharaja Rajashri Chhatrapati Swami married twice, but his sister Saubhagyavati Santubai Mahadik did not get on those occasions the customary present of Karavali-pan. Therefore a new inam of 60 Bighas in all (¼ a Chavar of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class land) is made to her with all dues and rights assigned to it. P.D., Vol. IV, p. 37.
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Poor and powerless as he was, the Raja of Satara was a political factor of no mean importance. Though slighted in private, he was honoured in public. The Peshwas and other chiefs paid *nazar* to him and to his relatives whenever they went to pay their respects to the Chhatrapati or when the king was pleased to honour them with a royal visit in their camp. Large sums were spent on occasions likely to attract public notice. When a son was born to queen Anandi Bai, the eldest wife of the reigning Raja (1792-93), Madhava Rao II ordered Rs. 1,000 to be spent for distribution of sugar and other ceremonies. In 1807-8 the Peshwa granted Rs. 25,000 for the funeral obsequies of Raja Shahu. In the same year more than Rs. 8,000 was spent at the time of the new king's coronation, and the Peshwa Baji Rao II ordered 100 shots to be fired from a cannon to celebrate that occasion. In 1809-10 more than Rs. 17,000 was spent on the occasion of the royal marriage and some other ceremonies of minor importance. The servants and relatives of the king were exempted from taxes and customs duties, and sometimes a small pension in the form of land or cash was granted to his near relatives.²¹
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²¹ For the family of Narsingh Rao Guzar, brother-in law of Shrimant Rajashri Chhatrapati Swami, an annual pension of Rs. 1,000 has been granted. Out of that, a village of an income of Rs. 500 has to be given. The remaining Rs. 500 are to be paid from Satara (1783-84), P. D., Vol. IV, p. 38. Shrimant Khatriyakulavatansa Maharaj Rajashri Chhatrapati Swami's relatives and servants are enjoying inam and saranjam. Pressure has been put on them for cesses owing to varat from the Sarkar. This letter is written to you exempting them from the cess now. Therefore do not press them for payment.
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To keep up appearances in public, Satara was allowed to enjoy comparative security in the midst of military depredation and public plunder. William Henry Tone, an Irish officer in the service of Baji Rao Raghunath, observes in his *Letter to an Officer on the Madras Establishment* (published 1799). "The country circumjacent to Sattarah enjoys an exemption from military depredations of all kinds; and whenever any chief enters this district, all the ensigns of royalty are laid aside, and the nagara or the great drum of the empire ceases to beat."
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Twice had Nana Fadnavis attempted to bring the peculiar political position of the Raja of Satara into use, and twice he failed. When Mahadaji Sindhia, jealous of Nana's influence at the Peshwa's court, and perhaps with an ulterior object of putting himself at the head of the Maratha empire with the Peshwa as a useful and convenient puppet in his hands, had procured for Madhava Rao II the high-sounding and lengthy title of *Vakil-i-Mutluq Amirul-Umara Mutkhar-ul-Mumalik Madarul-maham Maslatlajat Umedwara Kinkhis Fat Far Wafadar Shirdsakar Sadatmand Bajyadebam Farjand Khas-ul-Khas Makja Maharajadhiraj Rao Pandit Pradhan Bahadur*, Nana pointed out that the Peshwa could not, as a servant of the Raja of Satara, assume the title of Maharajadhiraj. But the problem was easily solved, as it was not very difficult for Sindhia to procure the gracious consent of their royal master. Again after the suicide of Madhava Rao II, Nana had for a moment indulged himself in the idea of re-establishing the authority of the House of Shivaji, but the impracticability of the scheme was apparent. The claims of the Raja were recognised by the English government after the fall of the Peshwa; and while the last Peshwa was pensioned off, the descendant of Shivaji was re-installed as a ruling chief. We may now leave him in the temporary enjoyment of power and plenty and turn to the real head of the Maratha confederacy—the Peshwa.