Administrative System of the Marathas c8.s1.13

c8.s1.13

If the Jagdale annal is a savage one, no less gruesome is that of the Jedhes. One of the two Jedhe brothers, while returning from the Adilshahi capital with a *farman* for their watan, was waylaid and murdered by one Khopre, a rival claimant. The surviving brother Baji fled to the sea coast, assembled a few adherents, purchased the assistance of twelve good swordsmen at the cost of a portion of his ancestral property, and calmly waited for a suitable opportunity. Such an opportunity came, when Khopre, off his guard, was celebrating his marriage. Hardly were the nuptials over, than Baji Jedhe with his followers fell upon Khopre and murdered him with sixty of his attendants. Kanhoji, a descendant of Baji, became so powerful that he defied the authority of the Adilshahi king. He left seven sons; the youngest of whom Naikji was won over by the Sultan: two of his elder brothers killed him in their anger, and were in their turn murdered by Naikji's widow Ansaba, who afterwards gave birth to a posthumous son. Her infuriated brothers-in-law had no mercy either for the widow or for her baby. Ansaba was soon after murdered, but the devotion of a nurse saved the child who took shelter with Baji Pasalkar. Hardly was the family dissension over than Kanhoji, son of Naikji, began to quarrel with the Bandal Deshmukh and a bloody battle was fought. Their differences were settled when Kanhoji entered the service of Shivaji.⁸ But the Khopres, though humbled, had not been rendered altogether harmless. They joined Afzal Khan against their rivals' master, Shivaji.⁹ Such were the men whom Shivaji had to deal with and the times in which he had to work.