Canberra, 06 September 2022 Originally the Holkars were a sturdy pastoral tribe, used to living outdoors and constantly moving residence; said to have been Dhangars, they easily adapted to the life of Maratha warriors. The main Holkar family initially lived in Wafgaon in the Khed district near Pune, then moved to Hol Marum near Jejuri […]
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Tag Archives: Rajputs
The Marathas Part 14 Peshwa Balaji Rao Section IV: The Battle of Panipat
May 10, 2022 
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4. MAJOR REASONS FOR THE MARATHA DEBACLE Canberra, 10th May 2022 The Maratha high command had not fully thought through the expedition to North India, before despatching Sadashiv Rao Bhau with an army and instructions that were ambiguous to achieve some vague and ill-defined objectives. The aim of the expedition can, at best, be described […]
Continue readingThe Marathas Part 14 Peshwa Balaji Rao Section IV The Battle of Panipat
February 28, 2022 0 Comments
Canberra, 28 February 2022 The Inexorable March to the Debacle The army that was put together to avenge Maratha honour consisted at the core of the Peshwa’s personal soldiers who were surrounded and supported by soldiers owing allegiance to other Maratha sardars, chiefs. The total fighting strength was around 25,000. When Sadashiv Rao Bhau left […]
Continue readingThe Marathas Part 14 Peshwa Balaji Rao Section III North India Beckons
February 21, 2022 0 Comments
Canberra, 21 February 2022 Punjab was in political turmoil throughout the 1740s, destabilised by different claimants to its governorship, inevitably in conflict with each other. Further, the Sikhs were in open rebellion. In the broader Indian political scene, between 1748–49, three influential ‘chiefs’ died: chiefs who were men of old values and traditions; chiefs who […]
Continue readingThe Marathas Part 14 Peshwa Balaji Rao Section I: A Hesitant Start
January 7, 2022 0 Comments
Canberra, 7 January 2022 On the untimely death of Baji Rao, the Deccan faction in the Maratha court once again attempted to stop the hereditary appointment of the Chitpavan Brahmin Bhat family as Peshwas. This faction was led by Raghuji Bhonsle, who was also one of King Shahu’s favourite nobles. Raghuji had been at loggerheads […]
Continue readingThe Marathas Part 6 Shivaji Bhonsle Section IV Dealing with the Mughals 1. Shayista Khan and After
August 1, 2021 0 Comments
Canberra, 1 August 2021 Busy with settling his newly captured throne, Aurangzeb deputed Shayista Khan as the viceroy of the Mughal Deccan. Shayista Khan was Aurangzeb’s maternal uncle, a highly regarded noble of the court, and a veteran soldier who had knowledge of the Deccan since he had been part of the force that had […]
Continue readingIndian History The Marathas Part 1 Origins – The Fundamentals
May 16, 2021 0 Comments
Canberra, 16 May 2021 The Southern Peninsula of the Indian sub-continent, lying to the south of the Rivers Narmada and Mahanadi can be divided into five principal parts—Dravid, Carnatic, Telangana, Gondwana and Maharashtra. The territorial extent of each of these parts is normally defined based on the spread of the language that is spoken in […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 84 Aurangzeb Section III: Continuing Alienation of the Hindus – The Rajput War
February 2, 2021 0 Comments
Canberra, 2 February 2021 The Hindu Rajput princes were major allies of Mughal emperors, starting with Akbar and into the beginning of Aurangzeb’s reign, providing large military forces and unstinting, loyal and heroic leadership to the imperial Mughal army. In the chronicles of the day, the glorification of the military exploits of the Rajput princes […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 84 Aurangzeb Section II Alienation of the Hindus 1. The Jat Rebellion
January 20, 2021 0 Comments
Canberra, 20 January 2021 BACKGROUND Aurangzeb had won the Mughal throne as the champion of Sunni Muslim orthodoxy against the liberal-minded Dara, who had claimed the mantle of religious tolerance of his predecessors. On being defeated, Dara had been tried and convicted of being a heretic and subsequently executed, or more correctly, murdered. In the […]
Continue readingIndian History Part 84 Aurangzeb Section I: Settling In – The First Two Decades
January 12, 2021 0 Comments
Canberra, 12 January 2021 On 5th June 1659 (or on 15th June, according to some historians), Aurangzeb celebrated his coronation for the second time, after two decisive victories, over Shuja at Khajuha and Dara at Deorai. Unlike the earlier crowning, grand banquets and dazzling illumination enlivened these functions with many loyal officers and nobles promoted […]
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Sanu Kainikara 
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