Sadashivrao Bhau was son of Chimaji Appa and Rakhmabai and nephew of Peshwa
Baji Rao IShrimant Baji Rao Balaji Bhatt , also known as Baji Rao I, was a noted general who served as Peshwa to the fourth Maratha Chhatrapati Shahu from 1719 until Baji Rao's death. He is also known as Thorale Baji Rao...
and served as the commander of the
MarathaThe Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
army.
Birth and early years
Sadashivrao, born in Saswad near
PunePune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, was the son of Baji Rao's brother Chimaji Appa. His mother Rakhmabai died when he was barely a month old.His father died when he was 10.
He was cared by his grandmother Radhabai his aunt Kashibai. He was very bright from early
years. He was educated in
SataraSatara is a city located in the Satara District of Maharashtra state of India. The town is 2320 ft. above sea-level, near the confluence of the Krishna and its tributary river Venna. The city was the capital of the Maratha empire in the 17th century, hence one of the the historical cities of...
. His tutor was shrewd Ramchandrababa Shenvi. Though Nanasaheb became
PeshwaA Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
, he stayed in Satara.
His first military achievement was in 1746 in Karnataka, with Mahadjipant Purandare. He conquered from the
NawabA Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
of Savnurannexed and subsequently annexed the cities of
KitturKitturu , also called Kittur is a village in Belgaum District of Karnataka state. It is part of the Bailahongal taluk in Belgaum district. It is a place of historical significance because of the resistance of Rani Chennamma of Kitturu to the British Raj.-History:On the outskirts of the town lies...
, Parasgad,
GokakGokak is a town and taluk headquarters in the Belgaum District of Karnataka state, India. It is located around 70 km from Belgaum at the confluence of two rivers, the Ghataprabha and the Markandeya. The population of the city is approximately 1,50,000 and the common language in use is Kannada...
, Yadvad,
BagalkotBagalkot or Bagalkote is a town in the Indian state of Karnataka. Bagalkot is the district headquarters of the Bagalkot district. It is one of the major towns in North Karnataka.-History:...
,
BadamiBadami , formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples...
,
NavalgundNavalgund or Navalagunda is a panchayat town in Dharwad district in the Indian state of Karnataka.Navalagunda or Navilagunda means hill of peacocks.-Geography:...
, Umbal,
Giriis a Japanese value roughly corresponding to "duty", "obligation", or even "burden of obligation" in English. It is defined as "to serve one's superiors with a self-sacrificing devotion" by Namiko Abe. Indeed, the conflict between giri and ninjō, or human feeling, is said to have been the primary...
, Torgal, Hallyal,
HariharHarihar is a city located in Davanagere District in the Indian state of Karnataka. Harihar also spelled Hari-hara, in Hinduism, a syncretic deity, combining the two major gods, Vishnu and Siva...
and Basavpattan. He crushed the revolt of Yamaji Shivdev.
During those period Mahadjipant Purandare was Diwan of
PeshwaA Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
. Bhausaheb was Diwan of Bhosale of Nagpur. After the death of Shahu, Ramchandrababa Shenvi suggested to Bhau to take Peshwai of Kolhpur, but Nanashib opposed this idea.
Mahadjipant Purandare resigned and Sadashivrao became Diwan of Peshwa.
He successfully led the Battle of Udgir, which weakened Nizamshahi. He won the fort of
DaulatabadDaulatabad , is a 14th century fort city in Maharashtra, India, about 16 kilometers northwest of Aurangabad...
. The news of
Ahmad Shah DurraniAhmad Shah Durrani , also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī and born as Ahmad Khān, was the founder of the Durrani Empire in 1747 and is regarded by many to be the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan.Ahmad Khan enlisted as a young soldier in the military of the Afsharid kingdom and quickly rose...
's march and the death of Dattaji Shinde then arrived, so he came back from
UdgirUdgir is a city and a municipal council in Latur District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is famous for education and the Udgir Fort.The Name Udgir was derived from the saint Udagir Baba.-Demographics:...
to Partud where discussions were held. It was decided that Sadashivrao would go to north to resist Abdali.
Third battle of Panipat
In January 1760, news reached the prime minister
Nanasaheb PeshwaNanasaheb Peshwa , also known as Balaji Bajirao, was the son of Bajirao from his marriage with Kashibai and one of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire. He contributed heavily to the development of the city of Pune, India. He was appointed as Peshwa by Chattrapati Shahu himself...
that
Ahmad Shah DurraniAhmad Shah Durrani , also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī and born as Ahmad Khān, was the founder of the Durrani Empire in 1747 and is regarded by many to be the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan.Ahmad Khan enlisted as a young soldier in the military of the Afsharid kingdom and quickly rose...
had invaded and captured the
Punjab regionThe Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
. The Peshwa was then at the zenith of his power having defeated the Nizam at Udgir.
Bhausaheb led Nanasaheb's forces in recapturing
DelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in May 1760, a battle in which artillery units were crucial in destroying the fortifications of Durrani's forces. Bhau later moved North and captured the fortified village of
KunjpuraKunjpura is a village on the banks of the Yamuna River, off the Grand Trunk Road that runs from Amritsar to Delhi and further on to Calcutta.- Overview :...
with a
blitzkriegFor other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
offensive that
demolishedDemolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
the fort's ramparts with
land mineA land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
s and
artilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
shelling and an attack of
cavalryCavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
and
musketeerA musketeer was an early modern type of infantry soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern armies, particularly in Europe. They sometimes could fight on horseback, like a dragoon or a cavalryman...
units. Durrani went on to lose Sirhind,
LahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
and
KasurKasur , the capital of Kasur District in Pakistan. Kasur is located adjacent to the border of Ganda Singh Wala between Pakistan and India, and is a tourist attraction because of the daily occurring Flags lowering ceremony...
to
SikhA Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
forces, and
MultanMultan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
and
AttockAttock is a city located in the northern border of the Punjab province of Pakistan and the headquarters of Attock District...
to
KhokharThe Khokhar or Khokar are a people of Punjab region of Pakistan and north-western India. According to H. A. Rose they are the gotra of Rajput, Jat, Arain, Nai, and Churah. According to Denzil Ibbetson, they are also a gotra of the Tarkhan and Khatri tribes. The Khokhars were designated as an...
-
KhatriKhatri is a caste from the northern Indian subcontinent. Khatris in India are mostly from Punjab, region but later they migrated to regions like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber...
Muslims. Both groups were supplied with munitions by the Maratha empire.
Before this, Durrani had formed an alliance against the Marathas with other
RohillaThe Rohilla are a community of Hindi-speaking Pashtun also known as Pathan, historically found in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in North India. Most are now also found in Pakistan where they are now part of the Mohajir community. At one time, they form one of the largest Pashtun diaspora community...
chieftains principally Najib ud daulah and including the
NawabA Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
of
AwadhAwadh , also known in various British historical texts as Oudh or Oude derived from Ayodhya, is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh...
, Prince Bijay Singh of
JodhpurJodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
, and Kachawa Prince Madho Singh of
Amber. The last two did not join him with their forces. Bhausaheb tried his best to strike diplomatic ties with Suraj Mal Jat of Bharatpur, Rajputs, Sikhs, Shuja and Muslim leaders in North India. However, all the Muslims in North India including Shuja(Nawab of Awadh) were falsely guided and persuaded by Abdali and Najib to join the Afghans in the name of religion and to save Islam. Rajptus joined Abdali as Marathas ruled most of North India, Marathas used to collect taxes from Rajputana, had a huge say in their internal and political matters. Rajputs wanted to keep the Marathas away from at least the Rajputana. The fact that Bhau failed to forge an alliance with the Jats proved fatal on the fateful day of the final battle as the Jats held sway on the food supplies around Delhi.
Durrani recruited
AfghansPashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
displaced by the war, and by November 1760, Durrani having crossed the Jamuna at Gauripur had 45000 soldiers to block Maratha passage to the south. Durrani thereafter gtradually isolated the Marathas financially and cut off his supplies from Delhi.
Bhausaheb was responsible for adjusting the
hit-and-run tacticsHit-and-run tactics is a tactical doctrine where the purpose of the combat involved is not to seize control of territory, but to inflict damage on a target and immediately exit the area to avoid the enemy's defense and/or retaliation.-History:...
used by the Maratha cavalry, ill-suited for the heavy
materielMateriel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
and numerous family members and
camp followerCamp-follower is a term used to identify civilians and their children who follow armies. There are two common types of camp followers; first, the wives and children of soldiers, who follow their spouse or parent's army from place to place; the second type of camp followers have historically been...
s that accompanied the army (outnumbering actual
combatantA combatant is someone who takes a direct part in the hostilities of an armed conflict. If a combatant follows the law of war, then they are considered a privileged combatant, and upon capture they qualify as a prisoner of war under the Third Geneva Convention...
s by an estimated five to one), to a more effective use of artillery and infantry. Though the changes resulted in several victories for the army, some of the Maratha generals (like Holkar) were unready to adopt the new strategy completely and pointed out that the new units of artillery and infantry were not compatible with the other forces in the army and that the generals were not adequately trained on the
deploymentMilitary deployment is the movement of armed forces and their logistical support infrastructure around the world.-United States:The United States Military defines the term as follows:...
of the new units. Despite reservations of his generals and a shortage of time and money, Bhau formed a unit consisting of 10,000 infantry and 50 artillery pieces.
Finally on 14 January 1761, the Marathas, who were on the verge of starvation made a bold effort to break the blockade and issued forth to battle. The attack on Durrani was fierce and his wazir was found sitting on the ground eating mud and telling his fleeing soldiers that Kabul is far off. The battle was in the favour of Marathas till about 2 pm in the afternoon, when a stray bullet hit Vishwasrao and Durrani managed to throw in ten thousand troops who had fled the battle along with fresh 500 slave troops that guarded him. Bhausaheb was surrounded along with jankoji Scindia and Ibrahim gardi, while Malhar Rao Holkar managed to slip away. Fighting to the last man, Bhausaheb perished in battle. Durrani had noted the huge number of non-combatants following Bhausaheb's army, and ordered an attack on their camp, slaughtering large numbers of civilians and soldiers' families. The resulting casualties and refugees fleeing to the Maratha camp caused overcrowding, supply shortages and shook the morale of Bhau's army, forcing him to turn his attention to safely transporting the civilians to
PunePune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
. In January 1761, Bhausaheb faced
famineA famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
and was blocked reinforcement due to Durrani's control of key transportation routes.
Final battle and death
After not receiving a reply regarding the terms of the treaty, Bhau decided to try to break the siege and allow the civilians under his protection to escape to
RohtakRohtak City is a Municipal Corporation in Rohtak district that styles itself as the "Heart of Haryana". It is located 70 km Northwest of New Delhi and 210 km South of the state capital Chandigarh at the NH 10...
and
JindJind is a town in Jind District, Harayana state, India.It is one of the oldest districts of Harayana. It is one of the first Sikh Kingdoms. It lies in central Haryana and is the fourth district of the Jat belt .The city is beautiful...
.
Sadashivrao Bhau along with Ibrahim Khan Gardi had planned and were executing a battle strategy to pulverise the enemy formations with cannon fire and not to employ his cavalry until the Afghans were thoroughly softened up. With the Afghans now broken, he would move camp in a defensive formation towards Delhi, where they were assured supplies but jealous of the exploits of their artillery chief envious Maratha generals overacted while some left battlefield leaving their defences open resulting in the defeat of the Marathas.
Durrani was taken unaware by the early morning attack, and decided to counter-attack during daylight. Durrani faced heavy initial losses, ultimately moving his forces out of range of the artillery bombardment and awaited Bhau's attempt to break the civilians out of the battlelines, a plan that was brought to his attention by spies placed in Bhau's camp. While Bhau's forces were split between escorting civilians and defending the battle, Durrani planned to kill the opposing leader and
VishwasraoVishwasrao was an Indian noble of the Maratha Empire.- Early life :Vishwasrao was born the eldest son of Nanasaheb Peshwa at Supa near Pune...
, Bhau's nephew and
heirInheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
to
Nanasaheb PeshwaNanasaheb Peshwa , also known as Balaji Bajirao, was the son of Bajirao from his marriage with Kashibai and one of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire. He contributed heavily to the development of the city of Pune, India. He was appointed as Peshwa by Chattrapati Shahu himself...
. A stray cannon shell hit Vishwasrao's head and he died on the spot. Bhau departed the battlefield to visit the corpse and plunged into the army, with devastating effect on the
moraleMorale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used to describe the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others...
of his troops. Durrani attacked to take advantage of the confusion and weakness of Bhau's forces. Bhau counter-attacked but ultimately the army was defeated and any remaining civilians were massacred. Bhau kept on fighting till his last breath and died fighting on the battlefield.(ref Kashiraj Pandit bakhar). His body without head was found in the heap of dead bodies 3 days after the war. It was identified by the maratha Vakil who were with the camp of left marathas with kashiraj pandit, the wazir of Shuja Udaulla. Bhau's body was cremated with all rituals. The next day, his head was found, which was kept hidden by one Afghan soldier. It was creamted then. (Vishwas Ptil, Kashiraj Pandit bakhar)
Establishment of artillery units
While observing several battles, Bhau witnessed the effectiveness artillery and light-weight guns mounted on
BritishGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
ships and began incorporating artillery units in the army of Balaji Baji Rao. Bhau enlisted the services of
Ibrahim Khan GardiIbrahim Khan "Gardi" was a Dakhani Muslim general in the 18th century India. His forefathers were from some Bhil or allied tribe, who may have embraced Islam during Aurangzeb's military campaign in the Deccan. An expert in artillery, he initially served the Nizam of Hyderabad, before working for...
, who brought with him 2,500 trained soldiers and fifteen cannons. Bhau also employed European mercenaries who used be in the employ of Tulaji Angre before his defeat. Notable among them was an engineer named Le Corbosier, who was an expert in foundry and in handling explosives. Within two years, Balaji Baji Rao's Infantry-Artillery division had 10,000 men and 56 guns.
Bhausaheb was a man of strong. The Maratha relations with the Jats and Rajputs were not cordial. This led to their non-cooperation and an acute shortage of supplies.
He was brave and courageous but acted on the spur of the moment. On seeing the demise of his beloved
VishwasraoVishwasrao was an Indian noble of the Maratha Empire.- Early life :Vishwasrao was born the eldest son of Nanasaheb Peshwa at Supa near Pune...
, Bhausaheb came down from his elephant, climbed on a horse and plunged into the enemy army, without realizing the consequences. His troops thought that he had fallen and that they were leaderless. This led to chaos. However, Bhau did not leave the battlefield and fought till his last breath.
Family
His first wife's name was Umabai. She gave birth to two sons who died as soon. Umabai died in 1750
His second wife was Parvatibai. She accompanied Sadashivrao during war of Panipat. She did not believe that Bhausaheb died in battle.