Colonialism And The Maratha Questions And Answers | Colonialism and the Maratha
1A. Choose the correct alternative and rewrite the statement.
Question - 1. Marathas defeated the Portuguese during the siege of __________
[a] Vengurla
[b] Phonda
[c] Surat
[d] Rajapur
Solutions :
Question - 2. The political relations between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the British began due to the __________ episode.
[a] Kudal campaign
[b] Afzal Khan
[c] Fazal Khan
[d] coronation
Solutions :
[b] Afzal Khan
Question - 3. The younger brother of Bajirao Peshwa I defeated the __________ at Vasai.
[a] British
[b] French
[c] Dutch
[d] Portuguese
Solutions :
[d] Portuguese
Question - 4. The ‘Third Battle of Panipat’ was fought between Marathas and the __________
[a] British
[b] Abdali
[c] Ahmed Khan Bangash
[d] Najib Khan
Solutions :
[b] Abdali
1B. Find the incorrect pair from group ‘B’ and write the corrected one.
Question - 1.
| Group ‘A’ | Group ‘B’ |
| (a) Cosme da Guarda | Portuguese historian |
| (b) Gonsalo Martez | Portuguese emissary |
| (c) Francois Martin | Chief of the Dutch factory |
| (d) Henry Revington | British Officer |
2A. Write the names of historical places/persons/events.
Question - 1. The first Europeans to arrive in India-
Solutions :
Portuguese
Question - 2. The place where the Portuguese stored their ammunition-
Solutions :
Panvel
Question - 3. They honoured Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with tributes for ensuring the safety of their factories and issuing trade permits-
Solutions :
The Dutch
Question - 4. The British agent at Jaitapur-
Solutions :
Velaji
2B. Choose the correct reason from those given below and complete the sentence.
Question - 1. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj levied octroi on the salt trade to __________
[a] oppose the Portuguese
[b] stop the British trade of salt
[c] raise funds for Swarajya
[d] oppose the colonialists
Solutions :
[b] stop the British trade of salt
3. State your opinion
Question - 1. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built a naval force.
Solutions :
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had foreseen the ulterior motives of the foreigners and their ways of infiltration. He built strategies to arrest their advances in India. He took immediate measures by creating a strong naval force. He levied octroi on British trade salt as a measure to protect the local salt trade. Thus, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj adopted a strong policy against the European colonizers.
Question - 2. Maratha’s policies were anti-colonial.
Solutions :
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had foreseen the ulterior motives of the Europeans and their ways of infiltration. So, he built strategies to arrest their advances in India. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj adopted a very strong policy against the European colonisers by levying octroi on the British salt trade etc. The Marathas were the only Indian rulers to adopt a policy of resistance against the European colonisers.
4. Answer the following Question -s in detail.
Question - 1. Write about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s policies regarding the European traders as seen in his Adnyapatra.
Solutions :
The strategy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj against the Europeans is clearly seen in Adnyapatra.
The following were his policies:
- They should be kept at bay maintaining only business relations.
- Not allotting them any space near the entrance of a creek or a sea fort.
- Their establishments should not be a nuisance.
- They should not be allowed to flaunt their military strength.
- Not allow them to construct any permanent buildings.
- They must accept these conditions otherwise they are of no use.
- He also said that a fine should be collected if any foreign traders were found in the enemy land during expeditions.
- After they pay the fine, they should be sent back to their factory or the place from where they had arrived.
- They should not be treated in the same manner as the enemy is treated.
Question - 2. Explain Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s resolute policy of safeguarding Maratha sovereignty.
Solutions :
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took several steps to safeguard the Maratha empire.
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj created a strong naval force and constructed forts for e.g., Hillforts, Sea forts, and Land forts.
- Henry Oxenden, a British agent who was present at the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj sought permission to open a factory at Rajapur.
- He also levied 2.5% octroi on British goods.
- An agreement was signed between the British and the Marathas on 12th June 1674.
- According to this agreement, the Marathas issued permission to open factories at Rajapur, Dabhol, Chaul, and Kalyan. He also prohibited the usage of British coinage.
- He also refuted some of the conditions put by the British such as the British goods found afloat from the wrecked ships should be returned to them and the Marathas should enter a treaty with the Siddis of Janjira.
- This clearly reveals his resolute policy of safeguarding Maratha’s sovereignty.
Question - 3. Why did the strongest Maratha rule come to an end?
Solutions :
There were several reasons for the downfall of the Maratha empire:
[i] Internal weakness of the Maratha Empire: The empire of the Marathas was not well knit. It was a confederacy of the Maratha chiefs who were in conflict with one another. The nominal unity of the Marathas remained only up to the period of the rule of Madhav Rao I.
[ii] Lack of Political Foresight: The Marathas lacked wisdom and farsightedness. They failed to achieve the political unity of India and therefore failed to utilise the resources of the country either for the benefit of the people or for meeting the challenge of a foreign foe.
[iii] Incapable Leadership: All capable Maratha chiefs died by the end of the eighteenth century. After that the leadership of the Marathas was taken over by Bajirao II, Daulatrao Scindia, Yashwant Rao Holkar, and Nana Phadnavis. The Marathas thus lacked leadership.
[iv] Military weakness of the Marathas: The Marathas were militarily weak compared to the English as they had left their traditional method of guerrilla warfare and adopted European methods which they failed to perfect.
[v] Diplomacy of the English: The English were more diplomatic than the Marathas. The quarrels among the Marathas provided a good opportunity for the English to take advantage. Besides, the English had their eyes on the politics of the entire India.
5. Observe the map on textbook page 29 and answer the Question -s based on it.
Question - 1. Where were the Dutch colonies on the west coast of India?
Solutions :
On the west coast of India, there were warehouses at Vengurla in Konkan and at Photo Novo [Parangi Pettai] and Tegna Pattam [Devanapattinam] in Karnataka.
Question - 2. Where did the French establish their colonies on the east coast of India?
Solutions :
The French had their colony in Pondicherry [Puducherry] on the east coast.
Question - 3. Whose warehouses were at Agra and Allahabad?
Solutions :
This warehouse is not mentioned on the map. This area was ruled by the Mughals.
Project [Textbook Page No. 33]
Question - 1. Collect information about the colonies established by the European colonialists in various countries with the help of internet.
Solutions :
The European colonialists had their colonies in the following countries.
[A] Africa:
- Belgium – Belgian Congo, Lado Enclave, Rwanda, and Burundi
- Britain – Sudan, Basutoland, Balleland, British East Africa [Kenya], British Somaliland, British Togoland
- Gold Coast, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, Botswana, Nigeria, Ghana, etc.
- France – Gambia, Comoros, French Algeria, French Congo, French Guinea, Ivory Coast, French Madagascar, etc.
- Dutch – Dutch East Indies, Curacao, The Dutch Slave Coast, the Dutch Gold Coast, Surinam.
- Germany – German East Africa, German Southwest Africa, German West Africa.
- Portugal – Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique.
[B] Asia:
- Britain – Colony Aden, British Borneo, Burma, Ceylon, Cyprus, India, Iraq, Malay, North Borneo, Palestine, etc.
- France – Cochin, China, Annam, Laos, and Cambodia.
- Dutch – Dutch East Indies, Malacca, Taiwan, Tonkin/Annam, Maluku Islands.
- Portugal – Goa, Malacca and Southeast Asia, China and Japan, Spice Islands, South Asia, Persian Gulf, and the Red Sea.
[C] North America:
- Britain – Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York,
- Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
- France – New France [including Canada and Louisiana], French West Indies and
- French Guiana.
- Dutch – New Netherland was the first Dutch colony in North America.
[D] South America:
Spain – Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic.
Colonialism And The Maratha Questions And Answers | Colonialism and the Maratha
In the last chapter we learnt about the
spread of colonialism in India. Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj had foreseen the ulterior
motives of these foreigners and their ways of
infiltration. He built up strategies to arrest
their advances in India. The immediate
measures taken by him in this direction
included creation of a strong naval force and
construction of sea forts.
He levied octroi on
British salt trade as a measure to protect local salt trade. Thus, Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj adopted a very strong policy against
the European colonisers. Later, Chhatrapati
Sambhaji Maharaj also fiercely fought the
Portuguese. Chimajiappa, brother of Bajirao
Peshwa I, defeated the Portuguese at Vasai.
The Marathas were the only Indian rulers to
adopt a policy of resistance against the
European colonisers.
4.1 Colonialism vs. the Maratha Empire
Portuguese, French, Dutch, British, all of
them came to India as traders. However, they
did not stop at that, in the course of time
they also grabbed the political power. It is
often said that they came to India with
weighing scales but used swords and
ultimately seized the Indian throne. The
Portuguese were the first to arrive in India.
They were mentioned as ‘Firangis’* in the historical documents of that period. The
regions under Portuguese rule were mentioned
as ‘Firangaan’
You would like to know this:
The foresight of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in his judgement of the Europeans was
hardly shown by other contemporary Indian rulers. His strategy in this regard, is stated very
clearly in Adnyapatra :
“The Portuguese, British, Dutch and the Danish are money lenders. However, they are
not like other common moneylenders. They arrive here, with the help of the rulers in this
country. Their kings are desirous of grabbing land in our country. They want to rule this
country.”
“European traders are going everywhere. They are establishing themselves in foreign
lands.
They are very stubborn. Once they acquire a space, they will never let go of it. If
required, they will die but will not leave it. We should keep them at bay, maintaining only
business relations. Never allot them any space near a sea fort. If for any reason they have
to be allotted a plot for their factory, it should never be near entrance of a creek or on the
sea coast. There is not much to worry as long as they keep within their limits. However, at
the first opportunity these people flaunt their military strength with the help of their naval
force, canons and ammunition. They build new sea forts with the help of their naval force.
This is the reason for not allotting them any space, if allotted, it should be far away from
the seacoast and near a village. Precaution has to be taken to see that their establishment
does not cause any nuisance. Do not permit them to erect permanent buildings. They must
accept these conditions, otherwise they are of no use. We should not obstruct them and should
not let them obstruct us. If you find foreign traders in the enemy land during our expeditions
there, a fine should be collected from them. After they pay the fine, they should be sent back
to the factory or the place from where they had arrived. They should not be treated in the
same manner like an enemy is treated”.
4.1.1 Portuguese and Maratha Empire
The Portuguese had their forts at Diu,
Daman, Sanjan, Atori, Vasai, Karanja, Chaul
etc. Because of these forts the region of
Bardesh* was well protected. They used to
store all ammunition at Panvel.
*The northern region of Goa was known as
‘Bardesh’.
Try to do this:
Make a note of Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj’s thoughts on ‘Construction of
Forts’ from the book entitled, ‘Adnyapatra’.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj first came
in contact with the Portuguese when he
established his control on Kalyan and
Bhiwandi.
The Portuguese were alarmed
when Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built a
strong Maratha navy. Soon, the Portuguese
were brought to a point of despair by the
Marathas. In fact, in the beginning the
Portuguese had extended technological help
for shipbuilding to the Marathas. However,
the Portuguese Governor of Goa, withdrew
this help. The Portuguese now promptly
provided help to Siddis when the Maratha
You would like to know this:
A book written by Cosme da Guarda,
a Portuguese historian is very important
as a source of the history of Maharashtra.
He wrote a book entitled Vide de Celebre
Sevagy (Life of the Celebrated Shivaji).
He was the first European author to
write a biography of Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj. Here are a couple of passages
from this book:
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is such
awe-inspiring name that there is hardly
anybody, who would ever think of
challenging him.”
“He (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj)
is very impartial when it comes either to
reward or punish a person…
He never
left a virtue unrewarded or a crime
unpunished… He is loved by all because
of his valour and humane conduct. He
is regarded throughout India as the
greatest king, whose name was feared,
and at the same time he was also known
as the one who cared the most for the
welfare of his subjects.”
army was organising an attack on the
Janjira fort against them.
Both the Portuguese and the Marathas,
in the matters of diplomatic relations
adopted policies to suit the situation. In
1665, the Portuguese waylaid 13 ships of
the Marathas, while it was passing by the
ports on the Karnataka coast. However,
they soon released those ships as they were
scared of the powerful Maratha navy.
In
1666, while the Fort of Fonda ruled by
Adilshah was under siege by Marathas, the
Portuguese supplied ammunition to the
Adilshahi Killedar. On the other hand, they
let Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj cross
through their territory when he was returning
after the sack of Surat. When Mirza Raje
Jaysingh had attacked Swarajya, the
Portuguese extended support to the Marathas.
The Portuguese established a factory at
Dabhol by obtaining a sanction from
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. At the same
time the local people were unhappy because
of the Portuguese laws, which were
favourable for religious conversions.
Therefore, in 1667, Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj decided to attack the region of
Bardesh. People of Bardesh welcomed
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj wholeheartedly.
Again, when the region of Dandarajpuri,
under the Siddi rule, was under Maratha
siege, the Portuguese supplied war provisions
and ammunition to the Siddis. During the
Adilshahi Sultanate versus Maratha conflict,
the Portuguese, while acting neutral, were
surreptitiously helping Adilashah. Prior to
that, Gonsalo Martez, the Portuguese
emissary, had met Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj. Both agreed to avoid any future
conflict between them. Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj, with an intention of uprooting the
Portuguese rule, started sending small
groups of his men to Goa.
It was decided
that once their number was enough in Goa,
they should strike a revolt against the
Portuguese rule. The Portuguese viceroy
somehow became aware of the plan. Hence,
the plan failed. A treaty was signed between
the Portuguese and the Marathas on 10th
February 1670. The following conditions
were agreed upon – if either of them
plundered the other’s ships, then the victim
party should be properly compensated, all
those concessions given to the Mughal ships
in transit should also be given to the
Maratha ships, no help be extended to the
Siddis against the Marathas and not to
build forts in the territory of Ramnagar
(presently a village in Jawhar Tehsil,
Thane).
There was a dispute about the
issue of collecting Chauthai* between the
Portuguese and the Marathas which
remained unresolved till the end. To resolve
this issue Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had
appointed Pitambar Shenavi and Jivaji
Shenavi as mediators. However, they were
not much successful in their negotiations.
In 1679, the Portuguese secretly helped the
British in their conflict with the Marathas
for Khanderi-Underi islands.
*Chauthai is a type of revenue collected from the
external territories, protected by the Maratha rulers. It
used to be one fourth of the total income of the tax payer.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had
determined to humble the Portuguese.
There
were many reasons for it, such as, the
Portuguese opposing the construction work
by the Marathas in Chaul, forcing their
subjects in Goa for religious conversion,
and pillaging of the trading ships. The
Marathas defeated the Portuguese during
the siege of Fonda fort.
The Maratha army gathered at Fonda
in 1680. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,
himself was to lead the campaign, but for
some reasons it could not happen.
The panic felt by the Portuguese
because of the warfare skills of Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj is clearly reflected when
the Portuguese Governor said, “Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj was no doubt a mighty
warrior but his strategies against the enemy
during the peaceful times were much more
daunting. Now his death has relieved the
Portuguese authorities from his terror.”
The Portuguese were in alliance with
Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor, against
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
Therefore,
the Marathas decided to act against the
Portuguese. Hence, Chhatrapati Sambhaji
Maharaj attacked Revdanda. The Portuguese
reacted by putting the Fonda fort under
siege. The Maratha army successfully broke
through the siege and attacked Goa. Yesaji
Kank, the chief of Maratha infantry and a
very close associate of Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj, fought with great valour. The
Portuguese governor was injured on the
battlefield. He had to beat a retreat.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj chased the
Portuguese army, which got trapped in a
deadlock. However, the news of Mughal
attack on south Konkan was received in
the Maratha camp. Chhatrapati Sambhaji
Maharaj and his army, who were on the
verge of conquering Goa had to leave
halfway and rush to fight the Mughals.
Later, the conflict between the Marathas
and the Portuguese was renewed during the
reign of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj. A
treaty was signed between the Marathas
and Husain Ali Sayyad, the chief
representative of the Mughals in the south,
which gave the right of collecting chauthai
to the Marathas from Kalyan-Bhiwandi
region. Accordingly they asked the
Portuguese to make the payment. However,
the Portuguese governor of Vasai refused to
pay. To counter the Marathas, the Portuguese
established outposts in Vasai, Asheri,
Tarapur, Kelwe, Mahim, Daman and Chaul
(Revdanda). They also increased the
intensity of their atrocities on the local
people.
Chimajiappa, the younger brother of
Peshwa Bajirao I, was assigned the
responsibility of the campaign against the
Portuguese. At the onset of the campaign
Chimajiappa took over the fort at Thane.
In March 1737, the Maratha army conquered
the Sashti island. On another front
Shankaraji Phadke entered Vasai island.
However, taking over Vasai was not enough
to establish a permanent control over the
Portuguese territory
until there was a
complete victory over
the fort of Vasai. The
Marathas fought
valiantly but their
naval force was not
strong enough. The
Maratha siege of
Vasai fort continued
for two years and in
the end the Marathas defeated the
Portuguese.
4.1.2 Dutch and Maratha Empire
It was inevitable for the Dutch to have
a contact with the Maratha rule when they
established a factory in Vengurla. This
factory was established in 1649 and the
Dutch trade had flourished there. However
their trade was affected adversely when
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj attacked
Kudal.
In 1665, the Mughal governor
(subhedar) of Surat asked for help from the
Dutch for destroying the Maratha naval
force. However, the Dutch offered no help.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had allowed
them to build a factory at Dabhol but for
some reasons it never functioned. The
political relations between the Dutch and
the Marathas kept changing to suit the
need of the time.
The Dutch expected help
from the Marathas to evacuate the British
from Mumbai. The Marathas did not harm
the Dutch factory when they ransacked
Surat for the second time. Also during their
Karnataka campaign the Marathas ensured
the safety of the Dutch factory and also
issued them trading permits. For these
favours, the Dutch paid tributes to
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Dutch
factories at Porto Novo / Parangipettai and
Tegnapattam / Devanapattinam were left
unharmed by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
4.1.3 French and Maratha Empire
In 1668, the French established their
factory at Rajapur by seeking permission
from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. They
supplied ammunition to Swarajya in return.
The Marathas remaining true to their
friendly relations with the French left the
French factory unharmed during their
second attack on Surat. In return, the
French paid a big tribute to them. In 1677,
Francois Martin, the Governor General of
Pondicherry obtained permission for opening
a factory there and assurance of its safety.
After the southern campaign by Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj, Maratha supremacy was
established on the coast of Coromandel
(Cholamandalam). Later, the rivalry between
the British and the French got extended to
their colonies in India as well. They
competed for dominance on various Indian
territories. Both began to interfere in the
administration of the local kingdoms. The
French gained entry into the courts of
Nizam under the pretext of imparting
military training.
Ibrahim Khan Gardi, a mercenary
trained under the French was hired by
Sadashivraobhau Peshwa in the Maratha
army as the chief of artillery. In the Third
Battle of Panipat Mahadji Shinde had
observed Ibrahim Khan’s skills. Inspired by
it, he built a trained army with the help
of de Boigne, a French military trainer
and also established a well equipped
artillery. Backed by his trained army,
Mahadaji Shinde could establish Maratha
power in north India. He was also successful
in keeping the British under control.
4.1.4 British and Maratha Empire
The political relations between
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the British
began due to the Afzal Khan episode. Prior
to the meeting between Maharaj and Afzal
Khan, Dabhol was conquered by the
Maratha army. At that time there were
three ships of Afzal Khan unloading in the
Dabhol port. On receiving the report of
Afzal Khan’s death, Mahamud Sharif, his
representative in Dabhol, took hold of the
ships along with the wealth and goods on
it and fled to Rajapur. Fazal Khan, Afzal
Khan’s son, asked Abdul Karim, the
Subhedar of Rajapur, to unload the ships
at Rajapur.
The Marathas took advantage
of this opportunity to attack Rajapur and
conquered it. Now, Abdul Karim who had
taken loan from the British, was unable to
repay it. Hence, the British seized one out
of the three ships, which were in Abdul
Karim’s charge. Of course, this was
unacceptable to the Marathas and they
asked the British to return the ship. The
British refused to do so. Hence, the
Marathas detained Velaji, the local agent
of the British at Jaitapur. Phillip Gifford, a
British officer, visited the Maratha camp to
request Velaji’s release but he was also
detained there. Later, both of them were
released.
However, this instance strained
Maratha-British relations.
When the ‘Panhala fort’ was under
siege laid by Adilshah’s army and
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was trapped
inside the fort, Henry Revington, a British
officer, Gifford and Velaji were supplying
ammunition to Adilshah’s army. They were
certain that there was no escape for
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from this
situation. However, Maharaj was successful
in escaping from Panhala. Next year, the
Marathas defeated the British in the Rajapur
campaign. The British officers - Henry
Revington, Randolf Taylor, and Phillip
Gifford - were arrested and imprisoned for
two years.
Earlier, Lieutenant Stephen Ustick had
met Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on Raigad
for obtaining permissions for the British
factory. A meeting between Sundarji and
Pilaji, representatives of Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj and Ustick was arranged but the
negotiations in this meeting were not
successful.
Henry Oxenden, a British agent, was
present in the coronation ceremony of
Shivaji Maharaj. He obtained the permission
to open a British factory at Rajapur. On
12th June 1674 an agreement was signed
by the British and the Marathas. The
following terms and conditions were
included in the agreement : issuing
permissions for the British to trade in
Swarajya; to open factories in Rajapur,
Dabhol, Chaul and Kalyan; right of the
Marathas to levy 2.5% octroi on the British
goods, etc. Chhatarapati Shivaji Maharaj
prohibited use of British coinage in the
Maratha dominion. He also refuted some
of the conditions put by the British, such
as, the British goods found afloat from the
wrecked ships should be returned to them
and the Marathas should enter a treaty
with the Siddis of Janjira. This clearly
reveals his resolute policy of safeguarding
Maratha sovereignty.
In the times after Chhatrapati Shahu
Maharaj, Nanasaheb Peshwa took charge
of administration. The British could ensure
their entry in the political affairs of the
Marathas as Nanasaheb, on one occasion,
sought help from the British. Nanasaheb
was succeded by his second son Madhavrao
Peshwa. However Nanasaheb’s younger
brother, Raghunathrao wanted to become
the Peshwa. Raghunathrao alias Raghoba
approached the British for help. It resulted
in appointing a British envoy in the Peshwa
court, in Pune. In 1765, the British took
over the fort at Malvan. After the death of
Madhavrao Peshwa, his younger brother
Narayanrao became Peshwa. In his reign,
the British tried to conquer Thane, Vasai,
Vijaydurg and Ratnagiri. In north India, the
Mughal Emperor was under the protection
of Shinde-Holkars. By this time, the British
had become active to get the custody of
the Mughal Emperor and to reduce the
power of Bhosale dynasty of Nagpur in
Bengal.
For the British to bring the region from
Sashti-Vasai to Konkan under their sway
was a priority for trading operations.
So,
they were already planning and moving in
that direction. Raghunathrao Peshwa was
offered asylum by the British. The British
army marched from Mumbai to Pune with
Raghunathrao Peshwa in their escort. The
British army and the Maratha army met at
Talegaon-Wadgaon near Pune and had a
combat between them. The British army
(and of course, Raghunathrao also) was
defeated by the Marathas. A treaty was
signed, which is known as ‘Wadgaon
treaty’. Later, Nana Phadnavis formed an
alliance of four rulers, namely, Peshwa,
Bhosale of Nagpur, Nizam and Hyder.
However, the British successfully persuaded
the Nizam to break the alliance. All through
these happenings the British Governor
Warren Hastings had realised that if the
British had to establish their permanent rule
in India, it was crucial to subdue the
Marathas.
In the battle of Kharda (Taluka
Jamkhed, District Ahmednagar) the Maratha
army had a sweeping victory over the
Nizam. The British envoy who was present
in the Maratha camp could minutely
observe and study the military tactics of
the Marathas. Later, with the help of this
envoy Lord Wellesley could defeat the
Marathas.
Nana Phadnavis died during the time
of Bajirao Peshwa II. The relations between
Holkar and Bajirao Peshwa II had turned
bitter. As a result Yashwantrao Holkar
attacked Pune. Bajirao Peshwa II panicked
and sought asylum from the British. The
treaty signed by the British and Peshwa
after this instance is known as ‘Treaty of
Vasai’. However, this treaty was not
acceptable to Shinde and Holkar. Hence,
there was another Anglo-Maratha War in
1803. The Marathas were defeated in this
war. The third Anglo-Maratha War was
fought in 1817. The Marathas were again
defeated and the Maratha rule came to an
end in 1818. Bajirao Peshwa was granted
an annual pension by the British and he
spent rest of his life in Bithoor, near
Kanpur.
4.1.5 Siddi and Maratha Empire
In the latter half of the 15th century
Siddi arrived in India from Abyssinia
(Ethiopia). They established themselves at
Janjira. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took
over the forts at Tale, Ghosale and Rayari.
Siddi was alarmed because of this.
Try to do this:
A few treaties were signed between
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and various
colonial powers. Collect information about
these treaties.
In 1671, Maratha army blocked all
approaches to Janjira fort. Siddi, agreed to
surrender the fort to Marathas but at the
same time extended a hand of friendship
to the Mughals and expessed readiness to
be their feudatory. The Mughals agreed to
help him. With the help of Mughals,
Siddi
successfully repulsed the Maratha army.
31
Siddi and the British always helped
each other against a common enemy. To
strengthen the Maratha position against
these two, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
began to build a fort on Khanderi island.
The construction work was supervised by
Mainak Bhandari. Hughes, a British officer
attempted to shut down the construction
work by stopping the supplies to the site.
The British had to face strong opposition
from Mainak Bhandari and Daulat Khan,
the chief of Maratha navy. They seized
British ships and captured a number of
British officers. The British deployed one
big steamship and seven small ships. 40-
50 small ships of the Marathas bravely
confronted the British ships. In the end the
British were forced to beat a retreat from
the vicinity of Khanderi.
Siddi was increasingly getting difficult.
Hence, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj
decided to curb his movement and planned
a campaign against him. Siddi was driven
to despair because of the repeated attacks
by the Marathas in the vicinity of Underi,
Apte, Nagothane and Janjira.
While Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj,
was thus planning to crush Siddi for ever,
the Mughal army was marching toward
Swarajya. It would have been unwise to
face two enemies on two different fronts.
Hence, Maratha army stopped chasing
Siddi.
After Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj,
Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj and Maharani
Tarabai were continuously engaged in
combating Aurangzeb.
Therefore they could
not pay much attention to the nuisance
created by other enemies.
During the times of Bajirao Peshwa I,
(1733 C.E.) once again the Marathas
became active against Siddi. Chimajiappa,
the younger brother of Bajirao Peshwa I,
declared war against Siddi and won it. It
was a great victory. A treaty was signed
by the Marathas and Siddi. Siddi accepted
a feudatory status under the Marathas.
4.1.6 Afghans and Maratha Empire
In the first half of the 18th century, the
mighty Mughal empire had already lost its
glory. The Mughal rule was now limited
only to Delhi, Agra and Punjab. The year
1748 witnessed the first invasion of India
by Ahmadshah Abdali, the king of Afghans.
He was defeated at Sirhind by Shahjada
Ahmadshah, the elder son of the emperor.
In 1751, Abdali again invaded India. This
time the Mughal emperor ceded the
provinces of Lahore and Multan to Abdali
in order to avoid war. In 1752, the Marathas
and the Mughals arrived at an agreement.
According to that agreement the Marathas
accepted the responsibility to defend north
India, especially the Mughal dominions.
In
return Mughal emperor granted the right of
collecting Chauthai from Rohilkhand to the
Marathas and also ceded parts of some of
the Mughal provinces. In 1757, Abdali
again attacked for the third time. He
returned to Afghanistan after ransacking
the region around Delhi and Mathura. This
time the Maratha army marched from Pune
under the leadership of Raghunathrao
Peshwa but before they could reach Delhi,
Abdali had already gone back. Marathas
took charge of Delhi and normalised the
situation there. Marathas and Sikhs together
planned a campaign to get back Punjab
which was held by Abdali. They conquered
Sirhind province and then Lahore. From
there the Maratha army reached Attock.
In 1759, Abdali marched back for the
fourth time. Dattaji and Janakoji Shinde,
the Maratha nobles resisted his advance.
However, Abdali marched with great speed
and strength and conquered Punjab in no
time. Dattaji Shinde fell on the battlefield.
Abdali took complete hold of Delhi. With
an intention to oust the Afghans permanently,
the Maratha army marched out from Pune
under the leadership of Sadashivraobhau
Peshwa and Vishwasrao Peshwa. On 14th
January 1761, the Maratha army and
Abdali confronted each other at Panipat on
the banks of river Yamuna. The war
between them is known as the ‘Third Battle
of Panipat’. Both Peshwas were killed in
this war. A message in code language was
sent to Pune announcing the loss. It was
as follows :
“Two precious pearls fell,
twenty seven gold coins were lost and there
is no count to the loss of silver and copper
coins”. Indeed, the Marathas on the
battleground of Panipat fought with an
unwavering conviction, which can be
described as ‘India for the Indians’. It was
not an easy task for Abdali to rule Delhi
and he soon returned home. The Maratha
opposition was so fierce that neither Abdali,
nor his successors ever returned to India.
The British could establish absolute
supremacy in India, once the Maratha rule
declined in the 19th century.
However, the
Indians fought against the British supremacy.
Besides, they also had to fight against
many internal evil practices and customs
that were prevalent in the Indian society.
In the next lesson, we will be learning
about the social and religious reforms in
India.
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