Administrative System of the Marathas c20.s6.1

c20.s6.1

We may now turn to those unfortunate outcasts who could not avoid dining with their captors, while prisoners in a Muslim camp. In those days of constant warfare, when everybody ran the risk of being taken a prisoner by their Muhammadan enemies, and as the Muhammadans of Janjira in particular treated their Hindu captives with scant consideration, their friends and relatives had to treat them leniently on their return home. The caste people of the unfortunate man were generally sympathetic and all that the Peshwa had to do was to sanction the decision of the *got*, receive a *Nazar* from the grateful outcast, and to prescribe the necessary Prayashchitta for his readmission to the caste. Sometimes when the Peshwa was directly approached, a Rajsabha (or assembly of the nobles) and a Brahman-sabha were called for considering the case, and a letter was then issued to the Brahmans or to the *got*. One case here, casually selected, will illustrate the system of readmission as it prevailed during the regime of Shahu Chhatrapati. "Putaji-bin Mudhoji Wadghar, Chaugula of Kasba Jiti in Tarf Chambargonde, while employed under Davalji Somvanshi, went with the army to Surat. He fell into the hands of the Mughals and was polluted by them. He remained in the Mughal camp for a year. When Balaji Pandit Pradhan was returning from Delhi, Putaji joined his army and came to his village. He related the facts to his castemen who decided upon admitting him into the caste. The Patils of Chambhargonde, Rasni and other villages communicated the decision of the caste to the Raja and asked his permission to carry it into effect. The Raja directed that Putaji should be first purified according to the Shastras and then admitted into the caste" (Parasnis's summary).²¹