Aneesh Gokhale - Battles of the Maratha Empire

BATTLES

OF

THE

MARATHA

EMPIRE

By

Aneesh Gokhale

BATTLES OF THE MARATHA EMPIRE

by

Aneesh Gokhale

Published by

Aneesh Gokhale

Typesetting

Snap Arts, Pune

Cover

Mukta Ghodke

First Edition

22 June, 2020

Aneesh Gokhale, 2020

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise-without prior written permission of the author.

Contents

Preface

Between the years 1659 and 1818, the Marathas rose to prominence, grew to dominate the country and were eclipsed by the British empire. Along the way, decisive wars and battles were fought across the country by them. These battles had important and long term consequences, at times completely changing the political direction of the country. e.g. the Maratha-Mughal War or the Second Anglo-Maratha War.

The book focuses on these battles or series of battles, throwing a spotlight on the chess-like moves and tactics that led to victory (or defeat) on the battlefield. After every chapter, I have tried to analyse the effects of the victory or defeat, with the great benefit of hindsight.

The battles include Chhatrapati Shivaji and his slaying of Afzal Khan at Pratapgad, continue on to the Maratha-Mughal War of 27 years, immerse into the exploits of the Peshwas, Bajirao and Madhavrao, and finally the reasons this empire fell in the face of British opposition.

Initially written as stand alone articles, either published on my personal website or other online fora, the efforts of the past seven to eight years have finally reached the logical conclusion - a compilation. A few of the articles on Peshwa Bajirao, Madhavrao and Mahadji Scindia are entirely new.

Most books concentrate on a particular persona or time span, thus, a book on Chhatrapati Shivaji seldom mentions Bajirao I and a book on Bajirao I rarely talks about Wellesley and Elphinstone. In this book, via the battles fought and the politics involved, I trace the reasons for the rise as well as the fall of the Maratha empire. Various readers have asked me to provide them within a single book, allowing them to easily grasp two hundred years of history. I am happy to provide one today.

Also, there is a general feeling that the British succeeded the Mughal empire. Nothing could be farther than the truth. For it was the Marathas who were in control of large swathes of India and as the Battles of Delhi, Laswari and others will show, it was they whom the British battled for the control of India. This book explores the battles that led to their rise as well as fall.

Having mentioned that it is a compilation, the articles have been re-edited, expanded where required and over thirty maps and pictures added for a better comprehension and reading experience. The enormity of Chhatrapati Shivajis achievements or the beauty of Peshwa Bajiraos cavalry moves over the expanse of hundreds of square kilometres is sometimes lost due to the lack of visual cues. Similar argument can be made for the activities of Chhatrapati Sambhaji, Santaji and Dhanaji or even the temple-building of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar. A plethora of maps strives to overcome this shortcoming.

I have also included a few chapters on the cultural aspects, such as the rejuvenation of Jagannath Puri by the Marathas as well as the activities of Ahilyabai Holkar - to show that the battles and campaigns had a positive outcome and, in fact, were necessary to establish political supremacy.

The second volume is in the pipeline, which will cover some more significant battles, such as - Umber Khind, Assaye and Mahidpur. It will also focus on the battles fought by the Maratha Navy.

1. Chhatrapati Shivaji
The Science of hill forts

The double walled bastions of the hill fort of Rajgad are quite majestic. Rajgad the king of forts, literally. Two of the long spurs on the famous fort are covered in this unique defense mechanism. The defensive wall of the fort has a further layer of stone, thus, requiring an invading army double the time and effort. The space between the walls is narrow, a passage that is barely a single person wide. Should anyone break the first layer, the guards on the top of the ramparts could easily attack them. A simple but ingenious defense!

In the distance, at the end of a long ridge stands another strong fort - named Torna. Further away, the grey silhouette of Sinhagad. As one takes in the breathtaking view, thoughts go back to words written by Ramchandrapant Amatya in the 17th century - Swarajyache saar te durg. Loosely translated as Forts are the bedrock of Swarajya. Chhatrapati Shivajis Hindavi Swarajya, which fought gallantly for a whole generation after his death against the mighty Mughals. The same enemies who had brought an army five lakh strong to subdue these forts.

But the Marathas prevailed, primarily because of the impregnable forts. Even then, the mere presence of the strong forts did not guarantee them victories throughout. Had that been the case, the strong fortress and the capital city of Deogiri would have never fallen to Allaudin Khilji! Neither would have these forts fallen like ninepins to the British.

Chhatrapati Shivaji wielded the forts into one giant weapon, which bravely faced a behemoth like the Mughal empire and enabled the Marathas to prevail. Each of the forts in the Sahyadris is unique. Essays, nay books, can and have been written on singular forts. This chapter will provide an overview of how the hilltop forts, as a whole, enabled the establishment and growth of Chhatrapati Shivajis Hindavi Swarajya.

Chhatrapati Shivaji knew that power in Maharashtra meant control of the forts. Ali Adil Shah, who ruled the Western Ghats from his capital in Bijapur, too, was aware this. Which is why, while he had given the jagir of Pune to Shahaji, he kept the forts to himself! Chhatrapati Shivaji, slowly but surely, got the forts under his command some by sleight, some by waging war.

Certain traits of the forts, some predating Chhatrapati Shivaji, many devised by him enabled a strong kingdom to rise. Both, structural as well as administrative changes were made.

First and foremost, the most basic necessity - water was given due consideration. The Marathas built huge water tanks on the forts, enough to serve hundreds of soldiers. Where water tanks already existed, they augmented or increased their number. Even today, in-spite of centuries of neglect, these tanks remain the primary source of water on many a fort. Some, like on the fort of Alang, are so huge and extensive that it is difficult to believe that human hands built them! In fact, a good way to determine whether a hill ever (probably) functioned as a fort is to look for water tanks. For example, we can safely assert that Kalsubai, the tallest mountain in Maharashtra never served as a fort because of the complete absence of any kind of water storage facility on it.

Next comes the corollary - grain. One can find the remains of huge granaries on various forts. The most famous being the ones of the fort of Panhala - named Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. As we marvel at the huge granaries that fed large garrisons and enabled a fort to be held for months and years, we are reminded of the fateful days of 1296 AD, the year the last Hindu kingdom in western Maharashtra suffered a body blow at the hands of Allaudin Khilji. Deogiri also had a large granary - but it was stocked almost entirely with salt. A garrison cannot fight on an empty stomach!

Another fatal flaw which contributed to Deogiris downfall was the presence of a singular entry and exit point. All that Khilji did was sit in front of that door and the siege was complete! Chhatrapati Shivaji ensured every fort had multiple entry and exit points. While one would be the main entrance, there were other smaller chor darwajas which served like secret back-doors for making an effective escape. Moreover, even for the main entrance, the Gau Mukh structure was used when building the door and its bastions. This meant that from a distance, the ramparts of the fort would seem to overlap and thus, conceal the entrance. Such an arrangement is very distinctive on the mighty fort of Raigad.