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SOCIO-POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF GUJARAT IN

THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

Ph.D Thesis in History

Submitted to

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

By

Rashmi R. Batchu

Under the Guidance of

Prof. S. Hasan Mahmud

Department of History

acu!ty of "rts

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

#adodara$%&' ''(

JUNE 2009

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")*+,-/DG/M/+TS

This work is an outcome of aspirations and blessings of many people.I take this opportunity to thank them all with sincere sentiments. This work

would not have come to conclusion without the blessings of God, who I

believe, is responsible for this happy occasion. I am unable to find enough

words to express my gratitude towards my Parents. Their constant

encouragement, interest in my work and unfailing support kept me going. I

dedicate this work to both my parents, to my mother Shobha for always

standing by my side and to my father aghu for his constant interest in my

progress and for his wise advice.

I can!t thank enough my Guide and Teacher Prof. "asan #ahmud for

his valuable guidance. I have been greatly benefitted by his knowledge of

"istory and his willingness to part with that knowledge. I am especially

thankful to him for reading the Persian texts for me. I am also very thankful

to $ahra aunty for all her affection and care that she showed me while I was

staying with them. I also wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to my other

teachers in the "istory department. I wish to thank Iftikhar Sir for his

continuous encouragement. It was his classes on %&th

century Transition thatinspired me to take up this sub'ect for research. I am greatly indebted to

Shama #a!m and (ibhuti #a!m for their support, both personal and

professional. I thank )runa #a!m, a'*umar Sir, #aitre #a!m, )dhya

#a!m and #aurya Sir for being there whenever I needed them. I also wish

to thank Prof. .+.Shah for his encouragement and for clearing away all

administrative hurdles as the "ead and ean of )rts faculty. To r. -harat

#ehta I am most thankful for guiding me through the Gua'arati sources and

to Prof. Siddiui and r. /a'eehuddin for their information on Persian

sources on Gu'arat.

I must thank my sisters before proceeding further 0i.e., if I wish to live

to see this pro'ect till its end1. 2irst of all, a big thanks to my sister Pannaga

and Sailesh +ee'u, 3arsimha 4ncle and anga )unty, for making my stay at

"yderabad en'oyable and to "arshita and hanya, my nieces, for making it

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lively 5 en'oyable. I must thank my -rother (asu, )parna -habhi, odappa

and oddamma for having me at their place in elhi and taking such good

care of me. -eing with San'ana and Sunaina was a lovely experience. I can!t

express the gratitude I feel for my sisters 6hitra and (eena7 6hitra for her

affectionate care and for 8being there! whenever I needed her throughoutthis work7 (eena for all the help she provided me and the affection that she

covers with constant banter and for having a lively attitude towards life. The

presence of all my three sisters provided the strength to wade through some

rough patches. #y strength also increased because of the support I received

from my friends. 2rom the bottom of my heart I thank all of them. To

)rvinda for being a good friend and especially for lending her shoulder to

cry7 To Shubhra 'ust for being herself7 To akesh for being a chatter box

and for diverting my attention, once in a while, with his innumerableuestions and to )yesha and Pallavi. I also wish to thank my 'uniors uby,

Payal, )fiya, 9ogi, avi and others. Their presence in the department was

refreshing. To my fellow researchers, )shish and Shubhali, with who I

happily shared the highs and lows of doing esearch. I must also thank my

friends +anki and :ucky along with akesh and Payal for translating the

Gu'arati garbas.

I must thank the staff of the department of "istory. I especially wish to

thank ave bhai for all the pains he took with regard to my 2ellowship. Ialso wish to thank the I6" for granting me the +unior esearch

2ellowship which enabled me to complete my research work with

satisfaction. #y thanks is also due to the various :ibraries and epositories

including The 3ational )rchives, 3ew elhi7 +34 :ibrary, 3ew elhi7

I6" :ibrary, 3ew elhi7 The -.+.Institute, )hmedabad7 Gu'arat

(idyapith, )hmedabad7 #.+.:ibrary, )hmedabad7 The ).P.Sate )rchives,

"yderabad, The ;smania 4niversity library, The State 6entral :ibrary,

"yderabad, Salar+ung #useum :ibrary, etc in "yderabad7 The 6entral:ibrary of -aroda, -aroda ecord ;ffice and Shrimati "ansa #ehta

:ibrary, #.S. 4niversity, -aroda. I especially am indebted to the staff of the

Shrimati "ansa #ehta :ibrary for complying with all my reuests.

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction 6

1. The Decline of Mughal Authority in u!arat "#

"$ The New %ower Structure &'

3. (ise of the )ritish as a %olitical %ower '*

4. Multi+le Authorities ,, Dis+uted So-ereignties ./"

5. Some reflections on the Social Conditions .0.

6$ Mercenary System .1&

Conclusion "/.

)i2liogra+hy "/'

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INTRODUCTION

The .'thCentury is considered to 2e a turning +oint in Indian 3istory$

The death of Aurang4e2 in .0#0 not only ended the hegemony of the

centrali4ed Mughal Em+ire in the su2,continent 2ut also what is called the

5old order$ Im+ortant changes took +lace in many s+heres$ These as+ects

ha-e 2een well researched in the recent years$ In case of u!arat in the

course of the century the +olitical scenario changed from the centrali4ed7

hierarchical and -ertical structure to a decentrali4ed7 hori4ontal one$ In this

newly emerging structure -arious +rinci+alities emerged which were situated

e8ually in terms of resources and sources of legitimacy and were constantly

-ying for greater +ower as well as resources$ These +rinci+alities largely

could not consolidate their gains$ This in turn +ro-ided sco+e for the

in-ol-ement of non,+olitical +eo+le to take a share in the actual +ower in

these +laces leading to an augmentation of their resources$

The region of u!arat was one of the si9teen Su2ahs of the Mughal

Em+ire$ Situated on the western +art of the su2continent u!arat was an

em+orium of o-erseas trade of India with (ed Sea7 Africa and from thence

to Euro+e$ The geogra+hical contours of the region 2egan to take sha+e since

around the ./th Century$ :nder the (a!+ut rulers of Anhilwad,%atan a

sem2lance of a centrali4ed %olitical +ower came to 2e esta2lished$ It was

strengthened to a greater e9tent during the rule of u!arat Sultans$ ./ th to

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.*th Centuries also contri2uted towards the identity formation and the

de-elo+ment of the regional language as distinct from the Marwad in the

North and Malwa in the East of u!arat and Deccan in the South$ Different

+arts of the region in earlier times were known 2y different names like

Anarta7 ;atha7 and etc$ )y .*thCentury howe-er the name u!arat referring

to the whole region came into 2eing$ Thus when u!arat +assed into Mughal

control it had 2ecome a com+act distinct region which was fostered 2y the

Mughals$ The +resent day u!arat largely corres+onds with Mughal Su2ah

u!arat$ The region com+osed of three su2,regions ha-ing distinct micro

cultures -i4$7 Main land u!arat further di-ided into South7 Central and

North u!arat for the sake of con-enience< Saurashtra and =utch$ It was

always attem+ted 2y the rulers o+erating from the mainland to assert their

control o-er the other two su2,regions$ They were successful in -arying

degrees in esta2lishing control o-er Saurashtra 2ut =utch only tacitly

acknowledged the su4erainty of the rulers from mainland7 2e it the

>aghelas7 Solankis7 Sultans or the Mughals$ This situation of near +olitical

autonomy of =utch +erha+s 2ecame greater during the .'thCentury$

An attem+t has 2een made in this study to gain a com+rehensi-e

understanding of the de-elo+ments that took +lace during the .' thCentury

including the changes that came into 2eing with the death of the Mughal

Em+eror Aurang4e2 in .0#0 and the esta2lishment of different +rinci+alities$

The aim has also 2een to unra-el the %ower structure of the region during

this -olatile +eriod$ It was +ercei-ed that the changes mentioned a2o-e were

in the nature of institutional changes which sha+ed the new +ower structure$

%ower here has to 2e necessarily seen in terms of localities and not at the

+an,regional le-el as elsewhere$ This was one of the +eculiarities of u!arat$

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The +olitical +ower and authority was e9tremely fragmented$ The -ery

e9tent of this fragmentation is what defines .'th Century u!arat$ The

e9istence of many +rinci+alities7 around "0" that +assed under the )ritish

rule as +rincely states7 was a +roduct of this +eriod$ In fact the contours of

the local +ower structure as it de-elo+ed during this +eriod were carried into

the .1thCentury su2!ect to )ritish modifications$ )esides the e9istence of

multi+le +olitical authorities the increased +artici+ation of +eo+le from

Social7 Martial and Economic arena not con-entionally connected directly

with State,2uilding also contri2uted towards this fragmentation$

This study 2egins roughly from the last years of Aurang4e2s reign

when the cracks in the Mughal administrati-e a++aratus were 2ecoming

a++arent$ These cracks 2ecame wider since the 2eginning of the .'thCentury

leading to the com+lete 2reakdown of the Mughal +ower$ The most -isi2le

result of this 2reakdown was the +er-asi-e and regular Maratha raids into

u!arat which was largely unchecked 2y the Mughal officers$ The study

ends with the esta2lishment of )ritish hegemony in the region$ 3owe-er7 theesta2lishment of )ritish hegemony in the region was not uniform$ This

differed from one +rinci+ality to another and has 2een treated accordingly$

The affairs of Surat for instance ha-e not 2een taken into consideration after

.'## when the whole administration of the +lace had +assed into )ritish

hands and the Nawa2i was a2olished$ Similarly )haruch +assed into )ritish

hands in .00" 2ut it was handed o-er to Sindhia in .0'" as a gift for

2ringing a2out the Treaty of Sal2ai$ In .'#/ )haruch was regained 2y the

)ritish$ )aroda acce+ted )ritish +aramount +ower in .'#" and more

definitely since the conclusion of the definiti-e treaty in .'#* and therefore

the affairs of )arodas administration7 etc does not concern us after this

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+eriod$ 3owe-er7 it was through )arodas acce+ted su4erainty in the rest of

the region that the )ritish (esident could further esta2lish the Com+anys

hold on the -arious +rinci+alities of these areas$ In addition the areas under

the %eshwas control and that of the aekwads in u!arat were minutely

intertwined$ This made the )ritish (esident use the aekwad as a shield in

case of conflicts$ This situation makes it im+erati-e to look at the +art +layed

2y the aekwad chieftain in areas outside )aroda well u+ to .'.0,.' from

-arious +ers+ecti-es$ It has also 2een found that the o-er lordshi+ of the

aekwads in Saurashtra was asserted and enforced 2y the )ritish East India

Com+any after .'#" so as to further its own interests$ The )ritish Com+any

2ecame a +arty in the affairs of Saurashtra since .'#0 and in the Mewasi

areas of North u!arat since .'..,." through the re-enue settlements$ The

)ritish inter-ention was resented 2y the +arties who were ousted from +ower

2y the )ritish and their resistance continued well u+ to .'.*$ In .'.0,.'

with the end of the %eshwas rule his territories +assed into the hands of the

)ritish Com+any$ =utch also acce+ted )ritish su2sidiary alliance in .'.1$

Through some other treaties and agreements the Com+any emerged as the

su4erain +ower in the region 2y .'"# and thus the study also ends here$

Although this study is not concerned with the economic changes it

has 2een found in the course of the study that the +olitical s+here had o+ened

u+ considera2ly and the +ower +olitics was 2eing affected 2y the social and

economic de-elo+ments to a greater e9tent$ The enhanced (ole of the

2ankers?Shroffs in the .'thCentury +olitics is a well researched area$ In case

of u!arat also the role of the )ankers was enhanced and their +artici+ation

in State acti-ities was more direct and at times decisi-e$ The +erennial want

of resources 2y the rulers and lack of access to ready cash dictated the

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in-ol-ement of the 2ankers$ The 2ankers?merchants also contri2uted towards

safeguarding towns and @as2as earlier in the Century when the Marathas

used to hold these +laces for ransom and demanded ready cash for s+aring

the town from destruction$ At that time the 2ankers?merchants largely

+ro-ided the money and not the rulers$ The administrators and soldiers were

also +aid in cash which again was defrayed 2y the 2ankers$ >e also find the

in-ol-ement of the Nagarsheths7 etc undertaking such acti-ities as managing

the le-ying of the cesses7 etc to safeguard the local +o+ulation from the

undue and harsh e9actions from the rulers$ The )hats and Charans7 held to

2e sacred7 also 2ecame integral to the working of these +rinci+alities7 to a

greater e9tent than what they were earlier$ The situation thus turned out to 2e

more dynamic than hitherto understood$

SIGNIFICANCE OF 18TH CENTURY

It is largely held 2y the modern scholars that .' th century was a

significant +eriod in Indian 3istory$ The century witnessed ma!or u+hea-al

in the +olitical situation with the decline and disintegration of the Mughal

Em+ire$ >hile the nature of the decline of the Mughal Em+ire and the

causes for the same has 2een a matter of intense de2ate in the recent times7

the esta2lishment of -arious authorities filling the -acuum so created has

also engaged the attention of the scholars$ >hile the modern scholars freely

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use the term 5successor,state to these .'th century entities in the larger

conte9t of India7 the use of the term 5State in the conte9t of .' th century

u!arat has 2een a-oided in this study$ This issue is discussed in detail in the

&thcha+ter of the +resent study$ A thorough study of the esta2lishment of

these +rinci+alities and the nature of their sur-i-al will without dou2t

+ro-ide greater understanding of the +rocess of decentrali4ation that was a

significant feature of this +eriod$ Towards the end of the century the

emergence of the )ritish East India Com+any as the +aramount authority in

the su2,continent has 2een another ma!or concern that has engaged the

attention of the scholars since a long time$ The nature of )ritish +resence7 its

rise to +olitical +ower and its e9+ansion was neither uniform nor similar in

different regions of the su2,continent$ In case of u!arat7 e-en in the .1 th

century7 the nature of )ritish +resence was 2y and large not direct 2ut

through %rincely states$

The significance of the .'th century in other areas has also 2een

2rought to our notice through many recent studies$ The decentrali4ation ledto the emergence of a dynamic military market$.>ith the disintegration of

the Mughal Em+ire which was the 2iggest em+loyer of martial elements and

the su2se8uent struggle 2etween -arious contenders to resources7 the

soldiers found am+le sco+e to make fortunes$ Many grou+s organi4ed on

ethnic lines found em+loyment as soldiers like osains7 Ara2s7 (ohillas7

Sindhis7 etc$ Their success de+ended on their entre+reneurial skills$ It is also

2eing asserted through some recent studies that this +eriod saw significant

1 (ecent monogra+hs include >illiam ($ %inch7 /arrior )scetics and Indian ?@%&>?,C:%7 Cam2ridge7 .11#$

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changes in the collecti-e +erce+tions of the +eo+le +ro-ing to 2e a +recursor

to 5Communalism"$

CHAPTERISATION

This work is di-ided into si9 cha+ters$ In the first cha+ter the

2reakdown of the Mughal authority in the region has 2een traced in detail$ It

has 2een found that the cracks in the administrati-e a++aratus of Mughal

u!arat were -isi2le from the last forty years of Aurang4e2s reign itself$

These cracks o+ened wide since the 2eginning of the .'th Century and

engulfed the Em+ire$ The Maratha in-asion and su2se8uent occu+ation of

the region was a manifestation of this significant trend$ The Maratha

occu+ation of u!arat itself was not com+lete$ The Marathas under aekwad

and the %eshwa emerged as the o-erlord in the region 2y mid,century 2ut

their authority in actual terms was su+erficial and limited$ The situation also

worsened due to increased tendencies amongst the Mughal officers to

disregard im+erial orders$ >hat followed was the rise of local recalcitrant

elements that were largely uncontrolla2le 2y these officers$ The Mughal

Na4ims and au!dars were in-ol-ed in their 2id to attain greater control of

their fau'daris and did not concentrate on maintaining order$ They

e-entually chalked out se+arate s+heres of control and authority called

Nawa2is$ Se-eral such Nawa2is s+rang u+ in the course of the first half of

the Century in the region$

2 Iftikhar Ahmad =han7 Surat C$ .01*B State7 Community and Society7 %h$d dissertation

su2mitted to the Mahara!a Saya!irao :ni-ersity7 adodara7 "##0$

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In the Second cha+ter an attem+t to understand the role of certain

social grou+s in the emerging +ower structure has 2een made$ 3ere it was

found that the role of the hereditary land right holders working at the semi,

official le-el was enhanced$ This was es+ecially the case with the su+erior

right holders called desais in u!arat$ The 2hats and charans7 originally

genealogists to (a!+uts and =athis and held to 2e sacred 2y these +eo+le7

had emerged as im+ortant links 2etween the newly emergent +rinci+alities

and the local +o+ulace es+ecially the ryots$ In the course of the Century they

emerged as the most sought after 5Securities or sureties in all the acti-ities

of the State including re-enue collection7 inter,%rinci+ality relationshi+s and

securing the tra-elers against looters$ This situation also increased their

resources materially$ This +osition was later filled 2y the Ara2 and Sindhi

Sibandis as well and much later the )ritish East India Com+any undertook

similar duties which contri2uted towards the esta2lishment of )ritish

hegemony in the region$ The wides+read use of I!ara and later its

institutionali4ation was a discerni2le feature of the Mughal and Maratha

administration of .'thcentury7 as also of the rest of the %rinci+alities$ This

ga-e rise to institutions like the #anotidari7 kamavisdari7 as also su2,

farming leading to e9+loitation of the ryots$

The third cha+ter looks at the nature of )ritish e9+ansion in the

region$ The )ritish East India Com+any was initially a trading concern

which came into the +ossession of Surat castle in .0*1 gi-ing it a +olitical

status in the region$ The Com+any made three attem+ts to gain +olitical

+ower at Surat in .0/*7 .0*. and .0*1$ The last one was successful$ In .00"

the Com+any con8uered the district of )haruch through armed force$ 3ere

the claim of the early )ritish 3istorians of the Com+any not ha-ing a

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territorial am2ition in this area during this time is 2elied$ The con8uest of

)haruch was concei-ed and well +lanned kee+ing in mind the strategic

im+ortance of the +lace as well as the fertility of the %arganas for growing

cotton$ During the first Anglo,Maratha war u!arat was the theatre of war$ It

was also the time when an internal struggle was taking +lace 2etween two

factions of the aekwads of )aroda$ The )ritish were 2enefitted 2y +laying

one +arty against the other$ :ltimately7 atehsing (ao aekwad7 the man in

control of )aroda was su++orted against o-ind (ao aekwad7 the fugiti-e$

In the last +hase of the war the Treaty of =undhela was signed 2etween

atehsing (ao and the )ritish which +ro-ed to 2e the foundation of Anglo,

aekwad relations in the su2se8uent times$ They !ointly made se-eral

territorial con8uests which howe-er had to 2e ceded 2ack to the %eshwa

through the Treaty of Sal2ai$ The first Anglo,Maratha was a2orted with the

)om2ay %residency losing all the 2enefits$ In .'#" the )ritish were acce+ted

as the o-erlords 2y aekwads$ Internal commotions in the +rinci+ality led to

the )ritish inter-ention$ The )ritish esta2lished their %aramount authority at

)aroda 2y defeating Malhar (ao of kadi and later the Ara2 Si2andis7 who

had ac8uired much +ower in the +rinci+ality$ Through )arodas authority in

Saurashtra and the Mehwasi areas of North and East u!arat the )ritish

authorities e9tended their hegemony in these areas$ The instrument for this

was the 5re-enue settlements$ The )ritish assumed the role of mediators

2etween the smaller chieftaincies of these areas and the aekwad and

%eshwa for tri2ute +ayment that the Marathas were entitled to as o-erlords$

This ended the annual Mulkgiri or tri2ute collection e9+editions undertaken

2y the Marathas$ Through the Treaty of %oona concluded in .'.0,.' the

%eshwas territories in u!arat7 as elsewhere7 +assed into the control of

)ritish East India Com+any$

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The fourth cha+ter is a discussion on the nature of su+erior rights in

the conte9t of the dis+utes 2etween -arious +rinci+alities$ The authority is

seen here as a right to collect the re-enues of a gi-en +lace$ The e9istence of

-arious such claimants in one +lace ga-e rise to fre8uent dis+utes$ These

dis+utes were largely undecided and were carried into the ne9t Century to 2e

resol-ed through )ritish ar2itration$ This situation also ga-e rise to the

+ractice of seeking 5+rotection from higher +owers with the )ritish

Com+any emerging as the most sought after +rotector$

The fifth cha+ter throws some light on the social conditions and the

+erce+tions of the +eo+le regarding the e9isting situation as reflected in the

folk literature called garbas$ It was found that the ganim Marathas were

feared 2y the common +eo+le$ Many garbas and pavadas were written

regarding the de+redations committed 2y the Marathas and also descri2ing

their o++ressi-e rule later$ )esides this the le-ying of different kinds of

cesses on -arious +rete9ts was a constant source of harassment and drain of

resources for the +eo+le$ The situation saw the inter-ention of the localleaders like Nagarsheths7 Shroffs7 etc who re+eatedly sa-ed the towns from

+lunderers 2y +aying the ransom money$

The si9th cha+ter deals with the Military situation in the region$ The

decline of the Mansa2dari system of martial arrangement ga-e rise to the

em+loyment of mercenary system$ The si2andis and their head +amadar

came to ac8uire much im+ortance$ 3ere an account of the functions of theSi2andis7 their organi4ation7 kinds of wea+ons in -ogue then7 their

(emuneration7 etc has 2een discussed$ Amongst the -arious ethnic grou+s

that were working as Si2andis in u!arat the Ara2s were +erha+s the most

sought after$ They had come to ac8uire much im+ortance in the +ower

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+olitics in the -arious +rinci+alities as well$ The Ara2 sibandis were

dismissed in large num2ers from the region through )ritish interference who

+ercei-ed them as a threat to the esta2lishment of the )ritish hegemony$

SOURCES

This study is an attem+t to understand the 2roader changes that had

taken +lace in the .'thcentury$ As already noted7 u!arat e9+erienced the

esta2lishment of se-eral different +rinci+alities during this +eriod$ These

+rinci+alities deri-ed their source of legitimacy from different authorities

mainly the Mughal Em+eror7 the %eshwa and the English East India

Com+any$ A student of 3istory therefore faces a serious hurdle in terms of

sources as there are no homogenous set of documentation that can gi-e an

idea of the de-elo+ments at the regional le-el during this +eriod$ Therefore7

the researches carried out so far co-er only some areas that were com+act

and could 2e studied through a homogenous set of sources7 and not the

region as a whole$ 3owe-er7 understanding the region as a whole is

im+ortant to a student of medie-al 3istory as u!arat was a com+act unit7

culturally and +olitically7 +rior to the .'th century$ Notwithstanding this

+ro2lem7 an attem+t has 2een made here to +iece together the information

a-aila2le largely from different con-entional sources$

The +rimary sources for this study are mainly the 5Con-entional

sources -i4$7 the Chronicles7 Tra-el accounts and similar com+ilations$

Amongst the Chronicles the#irat@i@ahmadi com+osed 2y the last Im+erial

Diwan Ali Muhammad =han has 2een the 2asic source of information$ It

contains information u+ to .06. in the most detailed manner$ Tarikh@i@

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Sorathis another im+ortant source +ertaining e9clusi-ely to the history of

Saurashtra with unagadh 2eing the centre of the authors attention7 during

our +eriod of concern$ It was written in the .1th century 2y (anchod!i

Amar!i7 son of (anchod!i Amar!i the cele2rated diwanof unagadh$ This

te9t gi-es a succinct account of the de-elo+ments of Saurashtra during this

+eriod$ This te9t has a mine of information for this area which is otherwise

o2scure$ )hwal@i@Gaekwad7 a %ersian work dealing with the rise of the

Marathas and their acti-ities in u!arat has also 2een used$ This te9t was

written in .'"0 2y Sara2hai Nagar7 an official in the )aroda residency$

Sara2hai Nagar was commissioned to write a history of Marathas in u!arat

2y the )ritish (esident of )aroda$ It also hel+s to corro2orate information in

the Mirat,i,Ahmadi$ Aissa@i@Ghamghin is an account of the end of the

)haruch Nawa2i and the )ritish take o-er of )haruch$ It was written 2y

Munshi A22as Ali7 a Munshi in the ser-ice of Mua44a4 =han7 the last

Nawa2 of )haruch$

In addition +u2lished Documents7 mostly letters7 ha-e also 2een used$Im+ortant amongst these is the .# olume series 2y the name Gaekwads of

-aroda$ It is the most com+rehensi-e +u2lication of documents with relation

to the acti-ities of the aekwads in u!arat7 the information coming from

the )ritish records$ It concentrates largely on the inter,relations of the

)ritish and aekwads in this 8uarter of the country7 as well as their

indi-idual acti-ities$ 3owe-er it suffers from one limitation7 it does not

+ro-ided information on e-ents going 2eyond the +ur-iew of the aekwads

in-ol-ement$ )esides this the Selections from the -ombay ecords in

se-eral -olumes chiefly the one containing Ale9ander >alkers o2ser-ations

on Saurashtra7 )allantines o2ser-ations on Mahi,=antha7 (ewa,=antha7

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17

etc< and that of (o2ertson on Cam2ay has 2een used$ Another ma!or source

from the Maratha side has come from the +u2lished Maratha records in the

Selections from the Poona aftarand"istorical Selections from the -aroda

State ecords$ )esides this certain sundry records like Selections from the

hereditary minister!s of -arodaand the Selections from the Shastri aftar

has 2een found useful$ In addition -arious tra-el accounts has also 2een

used$ An attem+t has also 2een made to study the local contem+orary folk

literature called garba and pavada to gauge the im+act of the Maratha

intrusion in the region$

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18

DECLINE OF MUGHAL AUTHORITY IN GUJARAT

The 2eginning of the .'th Century saw ma!or changes in the su2,

continent$ The death of Aurang4e27 in .0#0 A$D$ led to a general decline of

the Mughal +ower in the Su2ah of u!arat7 as in the rest of the Mughal

Em+ire$ The most noticea2le manifestation of this decline was the steady

2reakdown of the carefully 2uilt Mughal system of administration$ TheMaratha in-asion and the serious distur2ances created 2y such grou+s as the

=olis7/=athis7&irasias7*etc$7 contri2uted to the decline of effecti-e Mughal

administration and authority in the region in a ma!or way$

The Decline of Mughal authority in the region of u!arat was the

result of a com2ination of factors and is to 2e understood at -arious le-els$

Mainly it was the interests of the 4mrah at the Im+erial Court< their

mani+ulations in controlling the Su2ah through Nai2s< the +ercolation of the

3 The =olis are 2elie-ed to 2e the indigenous +o+ulation of u!arat who were marginali4ed

first 2y the (a!+uts and later 2y the u!arat Sultans and the Mughals$ They were a

recalcitrant section of the Society and fre8uently indulged in harassing the officers and the

+eo+le$ This acti-ity increased in the .' thCentury leading to disorder and chaos$ They are

fre8uently referred as 8#uaBBaran!in the %ersian sources$

4

=athis were a tri2e of +eo+le residing in central Saurashtra and were known to 2erecalcitrant$ Their areas 2ordered with the sarkar of Ahmada2ad$ :nder effecti-e Mughalauthority these elements were ke+t in check 2ut with the decline of this su+erior authority

their acti-ity increased leading to disorder and insecurity$

5 The irasias were younger mem2ers of the family of local chieftains who were gi-en

su2sistence 2y the chiefs$ They fre8uently e9+anded their fortunes 2y the use of sword$

Their acti-ities were ke+t in check 2y the Mughals earlier$ During this +eriod the irasias

also took ad-antage of the decline of su+erior authority and e9+anded their 2ase$ The roleof the irasias has 2een e9+lored in detail in su2se8uent cha+ters of this study$

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19

Im+erial factional fight to the le-el of Su2ah officials and their su2se8uent

infighting< regular in-asions 2y the Marathas and the failure on +art of the

Mughal officials to control them7 etc7 contri2uted to the weakening of the

Mughal administrati-e mechanism in u!arat7 leading e-entually to the

disintegration of the Mughal u!arat$ At the Su2ah le-el the administrati-e

2reakdown is reflected mainly in the a2andonment of the +ractice of

se+aration of offices originally meant to 2e a check on each other7 and the

coalescing of offices7 either in one +erson or in one faction< ci-il wars as a

result of growing am2itions amongst the officers to gain greater +owerFE@%F?7

Cam2ridge7 "##67 %$ .".$ 3owe-er during the +eriod of our concern this le-y had 2ecome

common and was considered to 2e a +rerogati-e of the Na4im$ It su2se8uently 2ecame ashuge source of income as mentioned in the#irat7 %+$ /&/,/&&$

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Diwan of the Su2ah was ordered to transfer the 2alance into the Im+erial

treasury< its e9ecution though is dou2tful$

>ith the a++ointment of Asaf,ud,Daula the factional fights at the

Im+erial court had reached greater heights$ In the +ro-ince of u!arat this

trend gets reflected in the a++ointments of the3aibs in +lace of the Na4ims

themsel-es taking charge of the Su2ah$ As already mentioned7 the Su2ah of

u!arat was one of the most co-eted regions and was strategically and

economically integral to the Mughal Em+ire$ During the early .'thCentury

any no2le wanting to control Deccan naturally aimed at the control of

u!arat as it ga-e un+recedented +ower and financial resources to such a

no2le$This was es+ecially true in case of Ni4am,ul,Mulk Asaf ah$/&During

this +hase the Na4ims ke+t changing with much greater fre8uency than

2efore and this reflects u+on the factional fights at the Im+erial Court$ Asad

=han sent Sar2uland =han as his Nai2,Na4im$ Daud =han %anni7 a +rotJgJ

of ulfi8ar =han7 soon re+laced him$ >ith the rise of the Sayyid )rothers

and the Ni4amat of Deccan 2eing gi-en to 3asan Ali =han7 their associate

A!it Singh was made Na4im of u!arat$ ollowing the end of the Sayyid

2rothers hegemony7 the -ictorious +arty at the Im+erial court sent 3aider

@uli =han as the Nai2,Na4im$/* The incoming and the outgoing Na4ims

in-aria2ly settled scores 2y armed struggle$ The +ro2lem was further

aggra-ated due to the financial crisis e9+erienced 2y each +arty$

34 Itimad Ali =han7#irat@ul@"aai7 raser collection7 ."&7 )odleian ;i2rary7 O9ford7 f$

66 FaG$35 I2id$

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27

>ith the coming of Daud =han %anni F.0.&G the Su2ah went into

further administrati-e chaos$ Daud =han %anni was known to 2e a good

soldier 2ut not ade+t in the art of administration$ 3e was a )i!a+uri no2le

who had entered Mughal ser-ice following the Mughal occu+ation of

)i!a+ur$/6 3e entrusted the administration of the Su2ah to the eccani

pandits who had accom+anied him to the su2ah$ The Mirat attri2utes his lack

of administrati-e wisdom as the main reason for the success of the raids

made 2y the kolis into the city of Ahmeda2ad$ The eccani pandits also

introduced a cess called chattaman to 2e le-ied on the >a4ifadars and

Sayyids$/0During this time7 an Im+erial order was recei-ed directing the

remission of duties collected on hee7 egeta2les and cotton mandis to the

Im+erial treasury$ The Na4im ignored it as it was an additional source of

income for him and thus he was not willing to +art with the same$/'

On the recall of Daud =han %anni7 Mahara!a A!it Singh was a++ointed

as the Na4im$ 3e was a confederate of the Sayyid 2rothers$ %erha+s as a

check u+on their com2ined +ower 3aider @uli =han Fa +rotJgJ of the other

+arty at the Im+erial CourtG was sent as the Diwan of the Su2ah$ In .0.0

Samsam,ud,Daula =han,i,Dauran7 with =hwa!a A2dul 3amid =han as his

tem+orary Nai27 re+laced A2hay Singh$ At this !uncture 2oth the +arties

+re+ared to fight for the Ni4amat7 3owe-er7 his ad-isors dissuaded the

Mahara!a and a ma!or ci-il war was thus a-erted$/1

In .0.' 3aider @uli=han was a++ointed as the Nai2,Na4im as well as the Diwan$ In .0.1

howe-er Mahara!a A!it Singh FA2hay Singhs son and successorG was 2ack

36 Satish Chandra7Parties and Politics at the #ughal 6ourt %F?F@%F=?,Aligarh7 .1*17 %$ *$37 #irat7 %$ /6&$38 I2id$ %$ /*039 #irat7 %$ /00$

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as the Na4im while the Diwani was gi-en !ointly to Nahir =han and his

2rother (uhulla =han$ The fre8uent transfers of the Na4ims created a

situation of uncertainty and affected the general administration of the Su2ah$

The situation was worsened due to internal fighting amongst the local

officers$ The higher authorities7 in-ol-ed as they were in their own affairs7

could hardly take cogni4ance of this +ro2lem$ The first intra,administration

tussle took +lace 2etween Shahamat =han7 the Nai2,Na4im and Mohammad

)eg =han7 the au!dar of %atan$ The conte9t of it was as followsB

Mohammad )eg =han7 the Nai2 au!dar of %atan and a relati-e of Shahamat

=han7 was asked to take charge 2y Shahamat =han for the a2o-e duty till his

arri-al from Surat$ 3e in-ol-ed himself in the sei4ure of =han iru4 ungs

+ro+erty$ Muhammad )eg7 it a++ears7 em2e44led some of it and did not

de+osit the entire +ro+erty to the Im+erial treasury$ 3owe-er7 Shahamat

=han took charge as Nai2,Na4im of the Su2a and relie-ed Mohammad )eg

=han of the charge$ Shortly Shahamat =han sent men to collect the wealth

confiscated 2y Mohammad )eg =han$ Mohammad )eg =han resisted this

attem+t 2y military force and the 2attle took +lace on the streets of

Ahmeda2ad$ Ele+hants7 guns and muskets were freely used on 2oth sides$

%eace was restored e-entually due to the inter-ention of officers like Meher

Ali =han7 the )akshi and Safdar =han )a2i$&.

In another e-ent of .0./,.&7 a confrontation took +lace at Surat

2etween the Mutsaddi7 Muhtarim =han and the @illedar7 Ahmed )eg$ The

40 I2id$ %+$ /'6,/'0$41 I2id$ %+$ /&6,/&0$

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conflict ended into an armed struggle 2etween the two +arties with aid 2eing

summoned from outside 2y 2oth +arties$&"In .0.* another similar conflict

took +lace again at Surat 2etween Momin =han7 the Mutsaddi and ia =han7

the @iledar$ The @iledar was defeated and +eace was restored$&/ In .0.'

during the Nia2at of 3aider @uli =han7 a trifling 8uarrel 2etween the

soldiers of Safdar =han )a2i&&and 3aider @uli =han escalated into a 2attle

while 2oth officers were encam+ed at %etlad for re-enue collection$ In this

case Safdar =han )a2i was defeated and he fled seeking refuge with the

=oli chief of Attarsum2a$&* The two were later reconciled through the

inter-ention of the Diwan of %alan+ur$

Meanwhile7 the Maratha de+redations continued in the region$ Dhana

adha-7 a Maratha sardar who had in-aded u!arat in .0#67 continued with

his +redatory acti-ities al2eit on a lower scale$ 3e continued to carry out

se-eral raids into southeast of u!arat7 mainly controlling the trade route

from )urhan+ur to Surat and e9acting*handanifrom the cara-ans$ In .0.6

=hande (ao Da2hade7 a sardaracti-e in Mughal Deccan7 was a++ointed as

the Sena+ati 2y (a!a Shahu$ 3e entrusted the charge of raiding u!arat and

settlement of chauthto =antha!i =adam )ande and Dama!i (ao aekwad I7

and his ne+hew %ila!i (ao aekwad$ It was mainly %ila!i who made a lasting

mark on the history of the region$ In .0.1 he +lundered the -illages around

Surat entering South u!arat form =handesh$ 3e succeeded in ca+turingSon+ara within the !urisdiction of Tokruh7 South of Surat from a )hil

42 I2id$ %$ /**43 I2id$ %$ /6"44 Safdar =han )a2i was a++ointed as the au!dar of -arious areas in early .'thCentury$ 3e

also took i'araof -arious %arganas$ It was the descendents of his family that later

esta2lished the Nawa2is of unagadh and )alasinor$45 #irat7 %+$ /'.,/'"$

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amindar7 2uilt a fort and took u+ residence there$&6The new fort came to 2e

called Songadh7 which 2ecame the nucleus of the rise of aekwad rule in

u!arat$ %ila!i gradually occu+ied the %arganas of Surat sarkar and 2uilt forts

at =onde a!a+ur7 Sakul =had FSaekal =acha of AhwalG7 (u+gadh and

Sadar )ehl and thus consolidated his +ower in the region$ 3e also 2efriended

the (a!a of (a!+i+la and %anch Mahal$&0 The Nai2 Mutsaddi of Surat

Shaikh,ul,Islam sent Mohammad %anah and Syed A8il =han to re+el %ila!i

(ao$ They were7 howe-er7 defeated and Mohammad %anah was taken

hostage and released su2se8uently on collection of ransom$ Since then %ila!i

started making annual incursions dee+er into u!arat and the a++ointees at

Surat7 with the e9ce+tion 2eing (ustam Ali =han7 remained merely +assi-e

s+ectators$&'

3owe-er7 some s+oradic attem+ts were made 2y the Mughal Court to

control the Maratha inroads7 which +ro-ed largely unsuccessful$ In .0..

Shahamat =han7 the Na4im successfully re+elled =hande (ao Da2hades

attack on )haruch$&1In .0.1 it was decided 2y the (oyal Court that *###

sawar2elonging to Mahara!a A2hay Singh must 2e maintained at Surat and

another *### sawarwere to 2e +osted at a distance of .* kurohs at the fords

and +asses from the Deccan7 to sto+ the Marathas$*#The Diwan7 Nahir =han

was ordered to march immediately to Surat with a ca-alry and infantry of

/### each for the same +ur+ose$

46 #irat7 %$ *1.< -aroda State GaBetteer7 %$ &/'< Sara2hai Nagar7)hwal@i@Gaekwad7

u!arat idya Sa2ha collection no$."17 f$*F2G$47 #irat , %$ &.&< -aroda State GaBetteer7 %$ &/'


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31

>ith the end of the Sayyid 2rothers hegemony at the Im+erial Court

and the a++ointment of Ni4am,ul,Mulk to the >i4arat of the Em+ire7 3aider

@uli =han was made the Na4im of u!arat F.0".G$ 3e a++ointed Shu!a5at

=han*. as his Nai2$ rom this time the military struggle 2etween the

outgoing and incoming Na4ims 2ecomes a feature in u!arat$ A 2attle

lasting for three days took +lace 2etween the Nai2,Na4ims7 Anu+ Singh Fand

Nahir =han7 the Diwan7 2elonging to the same +artyG and Shu!a5at =han$

%eace was finally restored and Shu!a5at =han came in control of the

administration$ )y this time one can see the rise of a new generation of

au!dars who were locali4ed and distinguished themsel-es in -arious offices

of the Su2ah$ The fact that they held I!ara of -arious +arganas only ga-e

them greater sco+e to entrench themsel-es in the Su2ah$ The )a2is under

Safdar =han )a2i and awan Mard =han I and Shu!a5at =han and his

2rothers are the two most noticea2le factions$ It was ine-ita2le that their

interests should clash$ O-ert clash howe-er was a-erted since 2oth recei-ed+atronage of Mui4,ud,Daula 3aider @uli =han7 the Na4im of the Su2ah$

In .0"" 3aider @uli =han himself came to take control of the Su2ah$

According to the narration in the Mirat it seems that this no2le wanted to

2reakaway from the Im+erial control and his su2se8uent acti-ities also

suggest the same$ 3owe-er7 to understand his 2eha-ior in the larger conte9t7

other contem+orary sources 2ecome useful$*"Originally Mohammad (e4a7 a

51 This Shu!a5at =han is to 2e distinguished from the earlier one who was a Na4im of

u!arat under Aurang4e2$52 adunath Sarkar7 The :ater #ughals, -ol$II7 Orient ;ongman7 fourth edition7 .1''$ It

gi-es a succinct account of this no2les career taking information from -ariouscontem+orary %ersian sources$

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+rotJgJ of Mir umla7 he rose in Im+erial fa-our during the reign of

arrukhsiyar$ 3e recei-ed the title of 3aider @uli =han and was a++ointed

as Diwan of the Deccan %ro-inces$ 3e did not get on well with Ni4am,ul,

Mulk7 then the Na4im of Deccan$ 3e came 2ack fuming$ In .0.0 3e was

gi-en the Diwani of u!arat along with many other im+ortant offices$ This

was meant as a check u+on the com2ined +owers of the Sayyid 2rothers7

who held 2oth Deccan and u!arat under their control$ 3aider @uli it seems

showed an increase in the re-enues of the Surat +ort and the khalsa mahals

of u!arat during his Diwani$ 3e was howe-er not +o+ular with the

i'aradars of the region$*/ 3e also took an im+ortant +art in ousting the

Sayyid 2rothers$ As a reward he was gi-en the +ost of Im+erial Mir Atish as

also the Ni4amat of u!arat$ )etween the time of the fall of the Sayyids and

Ni4am,ul,Mulks taking charge of the >i4arat7 3aider @uli 2ecame -ery

influential at the (oyal Court$ 3e is said to ha-e commanded considera2le

influence o-er the Em+eror$ Ni4am,ul,Mulk7 u+on his arri-al at Delhi

+rodded him to take direct charge of his Ni4amat in u!arat Faround .0""G$

This was the 2ackground for his su2se8uent actions in u!arat$ :+on his

arri-al in the region he started to confiscate the 'agirs gi-en to Im+erial

Mansa2dars$ 3is 'agirs near Delhi were therefore confiscated as a

+unishment$ 3e also sei4ed the Ara2 horses that were 2eing sent to the

(oyal Court7 as also the wa4ifas7 etc7 and started granting 'agirsto +eo+le of

his choice$ In short7 he dis+layed all signs of re2ellion$*& This 2rought

Ni4am,ul,Mulk to u!arat who had o2tained the Ni4amat of u!arat for his

son ha4i,ud,din =han$ 3earing of the Ni4ams arri-al7 3aider @uli sought

to 2efriend the local no2les who were howe-er not +re+ared to desert the

53 Shah Nawa4 =han and A2dul 3ayy7#aathir@ul@4mra, FedG 3$)e-eridge and )aini

%rasad7 ol$ I7 Calcutta7 .1&.$%+$ 6##,6#.$54 #irat7 %$ '


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33

Im+erial cause in his fa-our$ 3e therefore left for Delhi through an alternate

route$ It seems that his re2ellion was not so much aimed against the Em+eror

whose fa-our he en!oyed 2ut was against the rising +ower of the Ni4am$

This will e9+lain as to why he was acce+ted 2ack into the Im+erial fold

without any reser-ation$

In the a2sence of any -ia2le arrangement to run the administration of

the Su2ah firmly and the continuing +olitical u+hea-als7 the affairs in the

+ro-ince ke+t on deteriorating$ During the .'th Century the +ractice of

com2ining se-eral offices in one +erson that was first noticed in the later .0th

Century 2ecame ram+ant$ 3aider @uli =han7 as mentioned earlier7 held

simultaneous charges of %ro-incial Diwan7 Mutsaddi of Surat7 Diwani of

=halsa lands7 Mutsaddi of Cam2ay7 au!dari of )aroda7 Nadot7 Arhar Matar7

forests of the 3a-eli parganaof Ahmeda2ad7 etc$** In .0.& Momin =han

was a++ointed as the Mutsaddi of Surat7 au!dar of )aroda7 %argana of

%etlad7 Dholka7 )haruch and Nadiad$*6Nahir =han7 the confidant of A!it

singh7 was a++ointed the Diwan of the Su2ah7 Darogha and =arori of =athra

%archa7 offices of octroi duties7 Amin of the arrears of re-enues of

Ahmeda2ad Su2ah7 au!dar of %etlad %argana and Dholka$ (uhulla =han7

his 2rother7 was gi-en the Nai2,Diwani$ Again in .0". 3aider @uli was

a++ointed to the au!dari of =adi7 %atta Chunwal7 %argana of 3alwad7

Thanadari of Tharad7 (a!an+ur7 )hamu2i7 %etha+ur and =heralu7 in additionto the Diwani and Ni4amat of u!arat$ 3is relati-e Sherud,Din =han was

a++ointed the )akshi and >a8ai,nawis$*0

55 #irat7 %$/60$56 #irat, %$/6.$57 #irat7 %$&$

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During this +eriod7 the nature of the office of Diwan was

com+romised to a large e9tent lea-ing the Diwan ineffectual in the

administration$ During the .0thcentury7 the +ro-incial Diwan was a++ointed

2y a royal order$ 3e had ci-il +owers and his duties included collection of

re-enues from the =halsa Mahals and dues on charita2le endowments7

+ayment of salaries as +er rules and looking after financial matters relating

to'agirassignments$*'3e was also re8uired to look after the general welfare

of the ryots and encourage culti-ation< kee+ strict watch o-er the treasury

and re+ort em2e44lement< sto+ collection of abwabs7 scrutini4e accountants7

reali4e Ta8awi7 etc$*1In short7 the Diwan was a check on the +owers of the

Na4im in a Su2ah$ During the .'thCentury7 following the factional fights

amongst the :mrahs and their attem+ts towards aggrandi4ing their own

+osition7 the Na4im encroached u+on the +owers and resources of the

Diwan$ It was in the Na4im that all the +owers came to 2e concentrated and

the Diwani was relegated to a su2ordinate +osition$ )ait,ul,mal wasremo-ed from the control of the Diwan and +ut under the control of the

=otwal in the city and the au!dar,i,ard in case ofPurahs$6#In the course

of time the +ost of 2oth the offices came to 2e com2ined in either one +erson

or one faction$ In .0.'7 as o2ser-ed earlier7 3aider @uli was made the Nai2,

Na4im as well as the Diwan6.and in .0". when he was made the Na4im7 his

son afar @uli was made the Diwan$ Mahara!a A2hay Singh a++ointed Anu+

Singh )handari as Nai2,Na4im and Nahir =han as Nai2,Diwan$ ;ater

Shu!a5at =han was gi-en the3iabat of 2oth Ni4amat and Diwani$

58 Syed Nawa2 Ali and C$N$Seddon7 #irat@i@)hmadi@Supplement7 )aroda7 .1"'7 +$.&'$59 %$Saran7Provincial Government under the #ughals,Allaha2ad7 .1&.7 %+$ .1.,.1"$60 #irat, %$ &1#$61 I2id$%$/01$

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35

3owe-er it must 2e o2ser-ed that the +rocess of decline was not a

linear one$ Attem+ts are also noticed in some cases to make the

administration conform to the standard Mughal norms$ In .0.' a royal order

was issued to Diwans of all Su2ahs to the effect that any ser-ant who was

not +resent in his +lace of ser-ice and has a++ointed a gumashtainstead was

to 2e remo-ed from ser-ice$ During the wi4arat of Ni4am,ul,mulk7 as is well

known7 attem+ts were made tighten the reins of administration in +ro-inces$

In .0"/ a royal order under the seal of the Ni4am was sent to the Diwan

idwi =han remo-ing the =arora of the Na4im in the katra +archa and

certain cesses such as the 5ulak,i,Na4im were duly a2olished$6" In

addition7 a >a8ai,nawis was a++ointed in such +laces where octroi was

collected and also in the =utcheri of the +ro-incial Diwans$ It seems that a

ta2 was sought to 2e ke+t on the Diwans office$6/

:+on his arri-al in the region in .0"/ to oust 3aider @uli =han the

Ni4am a++ointed his own Nai27 3amid =han to take charge of the Su2ah$

3amid =han was the uncle of the Ni4am$ )y .0"* howe-er the Ni4am went

to Deccan and declared his inde+endence$ The ri-al +arty at the (oyal court

under the leadershi+ of )urhan,ul,Mulk again a++ointed Sar2uland =han7

this time as the Na4im of u!arat in +lace of ha4i,ud,din =han$ Sar2uland

=han a++ointed Shu!a5at =han as his Nai2 and entrusted to him the task of

ousting 3amid =han$

62 I2id$ %$&./$63 I2id$ %$&./$

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36

Since this time the +rocess of Mughal decline took a different turn in

the region$ In the su2se8uent e-ents the regional factional fights 2ecomes

manifest$ The inclusion of the Marathas in the regional +olity added a new

dimension leading closer towards the disintegration of the Su2ah$ The 2attle

2etween 3amid =han and Shu!a5at =hans faction forms an im+ortant

cha+ter in the history of .'thcentury u!arat$ Shu!a5at =han7 along with his

2rothers7 had emerged as a +owerful grou+ in the region7 2y this time$6&To

oust 3amid =han from the Su2ah and there2y reducing Ni4ams stake in the

region7 Shu!a5at =han a++lied for financial aid from the Im+erial Court and

he was sanctioned (s$/ lakhs that was to 2e defrayed from the re-enues of

Surat +ort$6*3amid =han on the other hand allied with =antha!i =adam

)ande through the manoeu-res of the Ni4am$66=antha!i was +romised the

chauthof u!arat for his su++ort in regaining the Su2ah from Shu!a5at =han$

In the 2attle that followed7 Shu!a5at =han was killed$ ollowing the death of

Shu!a5at =han the Marathas entered the city of Ahmeda2ad for the first time$

6hauth2elonging to =antha!i was fi9ed in all the#ahals of the city$60As

the news of the death of Shu!a5at =han S+read7 the Marathas came to the

region in hoards$ I2rahim @uli7 the younger 2rother of Shu!a5at =han7

attacked 3amid =han in his house and in the ensuing scuffle7 lost his life$6'

64 It will not 2e out of +lace here to take a 2rief look at the fortunes of this family that

+layed an im+ortant +art in sha+ing the history of this region at this im+ortant !uncture$

Early in the century a au!dar 2y the name of @asim )eg had earned fame in the regionthrough his e9+loits against the kolis$ 3e howe-er was killed while fighting the kolis of

Mun!+ur in )aroda sarkar$Two other 2rothers of @asim 2eg were similarly killed while in

royal ser-ice$ 3is other 2rothers and sons were +atroni4ed 2y 3aider @uli =han$ Masum

@uli7 later Shu!a5at =han comes to notice when he ousted the Marwari Nai2 of Mahara!aA2hay Singh from the au!dari of Sorath for 3aider @uli$ 3e was also a++ointed as the

Nai2,Na4im 2y 3aider @uli in .0". who held on to the Su2ah 2y ousting the Marwari

faction$ 3e along with his 2rothers I2rahim @uli =han and (ustam Ali =han had earned

much fame es+ecially in fighting the Marathas$ They also held I!ara of -arious +laces atdifferent +oints of time$

65 #irat, %$ &.0$66 I2id$ %$&.0$67 I2id$ %$&"/$68 #irat, %$ &"*$

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(ustam Ali =han7 who was then the Mutsaddi of Surat and was

successful in containing %ila!i (ao aekwads acti-ities7 came to know of

the death of his 2rothers$ 3e immediately called for a truce with %ila!i and

entered into an agreement with him where2y %ila!i agreed to hel+ (ustam

Ali =han in fighting 3amid =han$ 3owe-er7 %ila!i7 who could +ercei-e

(ustam Ali =han as his ri-al as the latter had single handedly sto++ed

%ila!is inroads in the -icinity of Surat7 secretly allied himself with 3amid

=han$ (ustam Ali too was killed in the ensuing 2attle with 3amid =han$

3amid =han took control of Ahmeda2ad in the name of the Ni4am$ As +er

agreement made earlier with the Marthas7 3amid =han agreed that %ila!i 2e

allowed to collect the chauthon the south of the Mahi (i-er61com+rising

the districts of Nandod7 Cham+aner7 )aroda7 )roach7 Surat sarkars7 and

=antha!i was to collect the chauth of sarkars to the north of the Mahi

(i-er$0#

The -ictory of 3amid =han was howe-er short,li-ed$ :+on the

recei+t of the news of the death of Shu!a5at =han and his 2rothers7 Sar2uland

=han was sent 2y the Em+eror to take charge of the Ni4amat of u!arat$ The

news of his ha-ing reached the 2orders of the Su2ah em2oldened the

au!dars of the Su2ah and they o+enly came out against 3amid =han$ Sardar

Mohammad =han horni7 the fau'dar of =alol F.& kos from Ahmeda2adG7

closed the gates of the town against 3amid =han and =antha!i com2ine< the

latter was on way to the region to collect the chauthandpeshkash$ Shaikh

69 In-aria2ly referred to as 5this side of Mahi and 5that side of Mahi in the contem+orary

%ersian sources$70 )hwal7 f$0F2G$

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Illah Kar7 along with others7 held out Ahmeda2ad against 3amid =han0.

who was left with little choice 2ut to lea-e for Deccan along with =antha!i$0"

Sar2uland =han took control of the Su2ah$

The Marathas howe-er +ersisted in their endea-our to make chauth

collection in u!arat$ :+on reaching the region7 Sar2uland =han

commissioned his son =hana4ad =han to tackle the Marathas$ %ila!i and

=antha!i made Ali Mohan Fofficial Mughal names for Chota :dai+ur and

De-gadh )ariyaG in the east their 2ase and started +lundering north and

central u!arat well u+ to Dholka7 Dhandhuka andiramgam$ In order to

thwart the efforts of Mughal officers 2oth the Maratha sardars started

creating distur2ances in different areas at the same time$ inding the

Marathas undaunted7 Sar2uland =han agreed in .0"6 to =antha!is claim of

6hauthon the north of Mahi e9ce+t %argana 3a-eli Ahmeda2ad and the

Ahmeda2ad city$0/In .0"0 a third faction of the Marathas entered the region$

)a!i (ao %eshwa sent :da!i %owar as his re+resentati-e on the in-itation of

Sar2uland =han$ The rift 2etween the %eshwa and the Sena+ati Triam2ak

(ao Da2hade in the wake of the rising +ower of the %eshwa was common

knowledge$ Through this ste+7 the Na4im sought to undermine the +ower of

=antha!i and %ila!i who were the re+resentati-es of the Maratha Sena+ati

Da2hade$ 3owe-er7 no agreement could 2e reached immediately$0&In .0"1

an agreement finally was reached where2y the %eshwa was 2ound to oust2oth %ila!i and =antha!i from u!arat and he would in return get the sole

rights of chauth in the region$ It seems that the Im+erial Court did not

71 #irat, %$ &$72 I2id$ %$&&"$73 I2id$ %$&&0$74 I2id$ %$&**$

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welcome this arrangement made 2y Sar2uland =han and he was

su2se8uently recalled from u!arat$

Mahara!a A!it Singh7 son of A2hay Singh re+laced Sar2uland =han as

the3aBim$ 3owe-er7 A!it Singh followed the +olicy of his +redecessor and

honoured the agreement reached 2etween the earlier3aBim andthe %eshwa$

The latter arri-ed near Ahmeda2ad to undertake the o+erations +ersonally

against %ila!i7 who had 2y then occu+ied )aroda$ The %eshwa7 along with

Mughal officers7 laid siege to )aroda$ 3owe-er7 the siege had to 2e lifted as

Ni4am,ul,Mulk7 who was then a confederate of the Sena+ati in the Deccan7

came close on the %eshwas heel$ The whole e9ercise thus remained

inconclusi-e$ A year later7 the %eshwa killed the Sena+ati =hande (ao

Da2hade in the )attle of )hilu+ur Fsituated near Ahmeda2adG$ :ma2ai

Da2hade7 the mother of the infant Kashwant (ao Da2hade7 the new Sena+ati

took control as the regent$ She made %ila!i (ao aekwad the sole incharge

of chauthcollection in u!arat$ This alarmed the Na4im7 A!it Singh$ In .0/"

through an intrigue he got %ila!i murdered in his tent while the latter was on

way to the north of region for collection of chauth.A!it Singh immediately

crossed the Mahi (i-er and reoccu+ied )aroda and laid siege to Da2hoi7 2ut

failed to occu+y it$ 3e succeeded in +ushing the Marathas out of the region7

though tem+orarily$ The Marathas came 2ack in .0// once again7 under the

leadershi+ of :ma2ai Da2hade7 the regent to the infant Sena+ati7 who+lundered and +illaged the -icinity of Ahmeda2ad$ The Na4im A!it Singh

was left with little choice 2ut to settle chauthfor the year with the Marathas$

A*handaniof '#7### was +aid and +eace was concluded$0*Since then such

75 I2id$ %$*#0$

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Maratha e9+editions 2ecame an annual affair in this +art of the region as

well$

In .0/* )aroda was retaken 2y the Marathas under Mahma!i7 2rother

of %ila!i7 from Sher =han )a2i$ Around the same time Dama!i7 son of %ila!i

was a++ointed the de+uty 2y :ma2ai and was assigned the sole charge of

collection of chauthof u!arat$ 3e sent (enko!i to the region north of Mahi

(i-er as his Nai2$ =antha!i resented this and had to 2e defeated at Anand

Moghri$ Since then =antha!i is not to 2e seen in u!arats +olitics any more$

Around this time7 (enko!i7 with the conni-ance of the desaiof the +lace7

ca+tured pargana iramgam7 a fertile area that was +art of the =ahlsa

mahal$ iramgam was also strategically im+ortant since it was through this

+lace that Sorath or the %eninsular u!arat could 2e reached$ (atan Singh

)handari7 the Nai2 of the Mahara!a who administered the region was known

for 2eing o++ressi-e$ )esides7 he also could not get on well with the local

officers$ A disagreement with Momin =han +rom+ted Momin =han to

cons+ire against the Mahara!a A!it Singh at the Im+erial Court$ 3e o2tained

a sanadto oust the Nai27 (atan Singh )handari from Ahmeda2ad and take

control as the Na4im himself$ 3e sought (enko!is aid for this and agreed to

share half the re-enues of the Su2ah e9ce+t that of the city and pargana

3a-eli Ahmeda2ad and the +ort of Cam2ay$ ;ater7 he also agreed to share

the re-enues of 3a-eli pargana and e9change the full re-enues ofiramgamparganain lieu of Cam2ay$06In .0/6,/07 after a year long siege7

Ahmada2ad finally fell into the hands of Na!m,ud,Daula Momin =han I$

This was the 2eginning of the !oint Mughal,Maratha rule in the region$00The

76 I2id$ %$*&.$77 I2id$ %$*06$

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%ost Momin =han %hase was wrought with factional fights 2etween the local

officers for the +ost of Ni4amat and the Im+erial court ceased to +lay any

decisi-e role in the +olitics of u!arat$ The Court well u+ to .0*" made

s+oradic attem+ts to a++oint Na4ims 2ut it was more of a ritual than a

dis+lay of so-ereign +ower$

In the rest of the Su2ah as well the disintegration of Im+erial Mughal

authority had 2egun simultaneously$ At Surat since the death of (ustam Ali

=han7 his son Sohra2 =han7 entitled )ehram =han7 continued to rule as the

5Nawa27 inde+endent of Ahmada2ad$ The Im+erial attem+ts at re+lacing

him7 first with Mustafid =han and then Momin =han were fruitless$ Surat

chalked out its own history since then$ In .0/.7 while Ni4am,ul,Mulk was

encam+ed in the -icinity of Surat ha-ing followed )a!i (ao %eshwa7

A2dullah )eg7 the au!dar of )haruch7 a++ointed earlier 2y Mu2ari4,ul,

Mulk Sar2uland =han7 a++roached the Ni4am and o2tained a sanad

acknowledging A2dullah )eg as his de+uty$ 3e was also gi-en the title of

Nek Alam =han$ The Sarkar of )haruch consisting of the parganas of

)haruch7 Amod7 Ankleshwar7 3ansot7 am2usar and Ol+ad was the +ersonal

'agirof the Ni4am$0'E-en after the Ni4ams withdrawal from the Im+erial

ca+ital his 'agirswere not confiscated$ Thus7 the Nawa2i of )haruch was

formed although it was much later F.0*'G7 under Nek Nam =han II that a

formal sanadwas o2tained from the Court for the Nawa2i$ As already seen7)aroda7 Da2hoi7 Cham+aner7 iramgam7 etc had fallen under Maratha

control$ Although Cam2ay was not inde+endent7 it was marked out as

Momin =hans +ersonal s+here from around .0/#s7 as seen in the terms of

78 I2id$ %$&'*$

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agreement reached 2etween (enko!i and Momin =han in the sharing of

Su2ah$ In the %eninsula of u!arat it was only in .0&0 that Sher =han )a2i7

titled as )ahadur =han formed the unagadh Nawa2i$ )ut Mughal authority

in the +eninsula started declining early in the century$ This was largely

unchecked due to the +reoccu+ations of the officers with the mainland$ The

authority of the au!dar of Sorath came to 2e confined to the area called

5New Sorath$01)y .0"0 the au!dar entirely lost control of the thanas$ The

thanadars of Mangrol7 =utiana7 :na,Delwada7 Sutra+ada7 Somnath,%atan7

etc 2ecame inde+endent$'# Nawanagar7 the 2iggest peshkashi Bamindari in

the %eninsula was included in the Im+erial =halsa in the last 8uarter of the

.0thCentury 2y Aurang4e2$ It 2ecame inde+endent soon after Aurang4e2s

death$ The ethwa chief7 a bantha FwantaG holder of Chhaya occu+ied

%or2andar7 a rich +ort town on the southern most ti+ of the %eninsula and

started asserting himself in this area$ Similarly7 the ohel chief of Sihor7 a

small chieftain to the southeast of the %eninsula founded the )ha-nagar +ort

and made it his ca+ital in .0"/$ It was these chieftains who e9+anded their

s+heres of acti-ity in the course of the century and 2ecame decisi-e in the

new +ower Structure in their res+ecti-e localities$ Thus7 2y .0 the last

-estiges of the effecti-e Mughal authority were com+letely lost and a new

+ower structure was taking its +lace$

79 M$ S$ Commissariate7"istory of Gu'arat7 II7 Ahmeda2ad7 .1'#7 %$&//$80 I2id$

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THE NEW POWER STRUCTURE

The disintegration of the Mughal Em+ire in u!arat led to the gradual

emergence of -arious inde+endent +olitical entities in the region$ The

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com+osition and structure of each +olity differed from the other in many

res+ects$ 3owe-er7 there were certain characteristics that were common in

the entire region$ These features are to 2e seen as a natural outcome of a

situation calling for realignment at the +olitical le-el$ The newly emergent

+olities hardly had any control o-er these factors?elements$ They lacked the

necessary administrati-e a++aratus to +ut into force a more feasi2le

alternati-e$ The +erennial want of resources e9+erienced 2y these +olities

was an added hurdle$

>e ha-e seen in the earlier cha+ter that the effecti-e Mughal authority

had declined 2y a2out the middle of .0/#s$ The +er-asi-e +resence of the

Marathas was felt 2y their occu+ation of Da2hoi7 )aroda7 Cham+aner7

iramgam and settlement of regular Chauth in )haruch7 Cam2ay and Surat$

In .0/0,/' the Su2ah came to 2e administered !ointly 2y the Mughals and

the Marathas$ In .0*' Ahmada2ad came under firm authority of the

%eshwas officers there2y esta2lishing Maratha rule in the region of u!arat$

:nder the -arious Sarsubahdars'. after .0*' the smaller (a!+ut and =oli

chiefs to the North and North,east of the region were su2dued and a claim to

Salami or 4dhad +amabandi&Ewas esta2lished 2y the Marathas$ Similarly7 in

Saurashtra the Marathas could esta2lish a right to tri2ute from the Chieftains

called khandani$ The decline of the Mughal authority7 the su2se8uent rise of

the new +olitical entities and the esta2lishment of Maratha rule in the region

led to the emergence of a num2er of +ower wielders at the local le-el$ In the

following +ages we will trace the fortunes of these local +otentates in

-arious +arts of u!arat$

81 (e+resentati-es of the %eshwa7 similar to Mughal Na4im$82 >alter 3amilton7escription of "indostan,) General, Statistical and "istorical escription

of "indostan and the ad'acent 6ountries, ol$ I7 Delhi7 .10.7%$ 6#0$

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SAURASHTRA

The %eninsula of u!arat known in the Mughal sources as Sorath

com+rised mainly of the Sarkar 2y the same name and some other %eshkashi

amindaris and -antha FwantaG holding chiefdoms$ E9ce+t for the Sorath

sarkar7 with unagadh as its ca+ital7 other areas in Saurashtra were not

administered directly 2y the Mughals e-en in the .0thCentury$ The decline

of the Mughal +ower 2rought definite changes in the +ower relations of this

su2,region as well$ Since .0"" the Maratha incursions into Saurashtra had

started on a regular 2asis$ In the initial stages the Marathas did gain a

foothold here 2ut later they could only collect the tri2ute through the

Mulkgiri e9+editions$ The si4e of Sorath sarkarwas reduced 2y .0"0 as the

2au'dars of Sorath lost control o-er the outlying thanas$ The fre8uent

change of fau'dars in the su2se8uent years and their ina2ility to crystalli4e

their hold o-er this fau'dari led to a situation of chaos$ The only Mughal

fau'darca+a2le of administering the area effecti-ely was Sher =han )a2i$

3e was conse8uently made the 3aib@fau'dar of the region in .0"0 2y

hulam Muhiyuddin =han7 who succeeded as fau'darafter the death of his

father7 Asad =han$'/ Sher =han was also gi-en the I'araof the +lace for

(s$'#7 ###'&$ In .0/# Mir Ismail re+laced Sher =han )a2i$'*;ater7 )ehram

=han7 on 2eing ousted from Surat7 was a++ointed to the fau'dari of Sorath

re+lacing Mir Ismail$ 3e was also gi-en the additional charge of iramgam

for the +ossession of which he had to contest with the Nai2,3aBim7 (atan

83 #irat7 %$ /*&$84 (anchod!i Amar!i7 Tarikh@i@Sorath7 tranls$ E$ (ehatsek7 ;ondon7 .''"7 %$./&$ In case of .' th

Century the official word3aibin-aria2ly im+lied taking of the +ost on i'ara$85 #irat, P.&61$

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Singh )handari$ 3e therefore left Syed A8il =han as his Nai2 at unagadh

and went to iramgam$ In the 2attle that ensued7 )ehram =han was killed$

3i42ar =han was then a++ointed as the fau'darof unagadh around .0

and he ga-e the Nia2at to Mir Dost5Ali =han$ 3owe-er7 Mir Dost =han and

Sadi8 =han7 the !oint fau'dars of the +lace could not manage its affairs$ The

ryotsand theesais of the +lace7 therefore7 sent one Dal+at (am7 who was

the vakil of the Ara2 sibandis7 to 2ring Sher =han )a2i to unagadh$'6The

#iratattri2utes Mir Dost Alis ina2ility to +ay his soldiers as the reason for

the recall of Sher =han )a2i$ Sher =han )a2i took o-er the administration

from Mir Dost Ali$ It seems that Sher =han )a2i could gain local su++ort

i$e$7 from the ryotsand desais 2ecause he took the i'araof this area se-eral

times in the +ast7 2oth from the Mughal Su2ahdars and the Marathas$ 3e is

also said to ha-e conducted re-enue settlements of the region +rior to the

collection ofpeshkash2y the3aBimof Ahmada2ad$ 3e also used to 2e the

surety holder for the re-enue +ayments of the localBamindars of Sorath as

well as mainland u!arat$'0Sher =han assumed the title of 5)ahadur =han

and 2ecame the first Nawa2 of unagadh in .0&0$

The +ower grou+s at unagadh com+rised of the Sayyids7 Nagars and

the @as2atis$ Amongst these7 the Sayyids and Nagars were e9em+t from

+ayment of Bakat.'' The only other grou+ e9em+t from Bakat was of the

Sipahis.'1The Sayyids7 )okhari and @adiri7 were waBifadars of the Sultans

and their grants were renewed 2y the Mughals$ )y the .' th Century they

seem to ha-e assumed 4amindari rights in Sorath$ They are said to ha-e86 Tarikh@i@sorath7 %$./1$87 I2id$ %$./'$88 I2id$ %$//$89 Si+ahis were originally Afghans and were in the +rofession of soldiery$ They were gi-en small

land grants 2y the u!arat Sultans in this area and in course of time7 they 2ecame wellentrenched in the region$

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e9+elled the >aghelas7 the original 4amindars of Mangrol and occu+ied it

themsel-es$1#They had also held land in =odinar and =utiana in waBifa.At

=utiana the Sayyids had 2uilt two stone forts in the wake of the distur2ances

in the early .'th Century and 2ecame inde+endent of unagadh fau'dar$

These in-ited Niamat =han ;odi to administer the +lace$ 3owe-er7 later

they ousted him and in-ited (ana Surtan!i of %or2andar for the same$ Still

later 3ashim =han7 the ado+ted son of )ahadur =han )a2i was called in$ It

was from him that Diwan Amar!i wrested this +lace and included it into

unagadhs +ossession$1.

The ne9t im+ortant grou+ was of the @as2atis$ The definition of the

@as2atis is not a-aila2le in our sources$ Neither is their origin s+ecified$

>hat seems definite is that this was a section of the indigenous +o+ulation

residing in the @as2as with soldiery as their +rofession$ The @as2atis of

Dholka were well known$ %rof$ S$C$Mishra says that the @as2atis were an

agrarian community similar to irasias and concedes that their origin is

du2ious$1"@as2atis in the .'thcentury had emerged as a +ower grou+ in

many of the ma!or ur2an centers and fortified towns$ There seems to ha-e

2een a constant tussle 2etween the Sayyid >a4ifadars and the @as2atis to

take control of the fortifications in this su2,region$ This is 2orne 2y se-eral

instances$ At Mangrol7 Shaikh Mian7 the son of @a4i akhrud,din7 a Syed7

ousted the %eshwas thanadaradha- aswant in .0&' and took control of

the fort and the parganaof Mangrol$ 3is main su++orters were the %atani,

@as2atis1/of Mangrol$ 3e later ousted the asbatis from this +lace and ruled

90 Tarikh@i@sorath7 %$ *"$91 I2id$%+$ &1,*#$92 S$C$Mishra7#uslim 6ommunities in Gu'arat, "nd Edition7 .1'*7 New Delhi7 %+$FE,0/$93 According to the Tarikh@i@Sorath%atanis were @as2atis con-erted to Islam$ This im+lies that

not all @as2atis were Muslims as suggested 2y the )ritish sources$

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inde+endently and for this the latter nursed a grudge against him$1&In .00#,

0. ;atif Mian another Sayyid from Delwada con8uered :na from the

@as2atis of that +lace$ 3owe-er7 later7 due to Amar!is interference the +lace

was restored to the @as2atis$1*

The Nagars who held the desaigirirights in the Mangrolpargana7 as

elsewhere in Saurashtra7 had emerged as the third most im+ortant +ower

grou+ during this +eriod$ The Nagars were thus an influential grou+ and

therefore any one who wanted to consolidate his +osition in the region tried

to 2efriend them and seek their hel+$16 The Nagars had come to hold

im+ortant administrati-e +ositions in the administration of the .'thCentury

+rinci+alities of u!arat7 es+ecially 2ecause of their fluency with %ersian and

Marathi languages$10The Nagars e9+anded their +ower under the tutelage of

the Diwan of unagadh7 (anchod!i Amar!i in unagadh$ 3e single handedly

e9+anded the +ossessions of this Nawa2i during the +eriod after )ahadur

=han$ )ahadur =han )a2i ruled o-er the much,reduced area of Sorath and

tried to e9+and his +rinci+ality and con8uered the fort of era-al with the

su++ort of Niamat =han ;odhi$ 3e was7 howe-er7 too +reoccu+ied with the

affairs of mainland as he was holding )alasinor$ Due to this reason he

remained away from Sorath for long and his wi-es looked after unagadhs

administration$ Conse8uently7 after his death in .0*' the sta2ility of the

kingdom was ad-ersely affected$ Many of Soraths areas were encroached

u+on 2ecause of the e9+ansionist acti-ities of the wanta chieftains of

%or2andar7 ondal7 )ha-nagar and Nawanagar while the outlying thanasof

94 Tarikh@i@Sorath7 %+$ */ L 66$95 I2id$ %$0'$96 I2id$.&6$97 C$($Naik7 Gu'arat ma 3agaron nu 2arsi -hasha ane sahityanu *hedan, Ahmeda2ad7 .1*#7

+assim$

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Mangrol7 era-al7 =utiana7 :na,Delwada7 Amreli7 etc were se+arated from

unagadh7 the thanadars declaring their inde+endence$ New forts like

Sutra+ada7 3irakot7 Dhamle!7 ;odhwa7 %ushna-ara7 ;athi7 etc came u+ as

sym2ols of assertion of inde+endence 2y different +ower grou+s in

res+ecti-e regions$1' It was under these conditions that Amar!i came to

control the affairs of unagadh$ The Marathas were le-ying tri2ute on all the

+rinci+alities here since .0"&,"* e9ce+t for unagadh$ In =odinar the

Marathas o2tained *# of the re-enue 2ut Amar!i succeeded in re+elling

them and fi9ed the %eshkash of this +lace at (s$ *###$11 At Mangrol the

%eshwa had esta2lished a Thana around .0/0$ 3owe-er7 theBamindars of

theparganamigrated from the region to unagadh and ad!oining areas as a

result of the harassment from Nai2 Nata!i7 the Nai2 of the %eshwa$.##The

Musalmans and the ats were also harassed on account of the ekadashiand

Monday fasting7 +ossi2ly forcing a shut down of 2usiness on these days$

These factors were res+onsi2le for Shaikh Mians success in the con8uest of

Mangrol in .0&' and e9+elling of the Maratha ruler$.#.

Amar!i had come to unagadh at the head of a 2and of Ara2 si2andis

and offered to con8uer the fort of erawal from Shaikh Mian of Mangrol

who had taken it from Sultana )i2i7 aunt of the Nawa2$ 3e was .' years old

then$ The new Nawa27 Maha2at =han agreed to take him into ser-ice if he

could accom+lish the a2o-e task$ ollowing his success in this -enture7 he

was em+loyed7 although he was not gi-en the charge of the#ulkior re-enue

and udiciary de+artments immediately$.#"It was only after the fort of Tala!a

98 Tarikh@i@sorath7 %$6&$99 I2id$ %$00$100 I2id$ %$*"$101 I2id$%+$ *",*/$102 I2id$ %$.&'$

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was con8uered in .00. 2y the !oint forces of the )ritish East India

Com+any7 )ha-nagar chief7 the Nawa2 of Cam2ay and Amar!i from

unagadh that he was gi-en the insignia of the Diwan like palki7 etc$.#/

ollowing this he made many con8uests in the +eninsula adding to

unagadhs +ossessions$ Amar!i con8uered Sutra+ada from Chand @as2ati7

a %atani @as2ati$ =utiana was also con8uered from 3ashim =han 2efore

(ana Surtan!i of %or2andar could +urchase it through an intrigue$.#&3e also

attacked Mangrol and could fi9 half the share of its re-enue as the Nawa2s

share$.#*The !oint forces of Amar!i and Mehraman =hawas of Nawanagar

reduced the +ort of Okha$.#6In .00&,0* the tri2ute of halawad was fi9ed$.#0

Diwan Amar!i thus stood out as the most im+ortant +erson in the state$

3e consolidated his +osition also 2ecause the successi-e Nawa2s of

unagadh7 Maha2at =han and 3amid =han were 2oth of a weak dis+osition$

During this +eriod7 the Amar!i asserted his +osition and +laced his own

trusted +eo+le at im+ortant +ositions$ The 2rothers7 sons and other close

relati-es of the Diwan 2elonging to the Nagar caste7 wielded the real +owers

in the state$ The Ara2 Si2andis who were em+loyed since earliest times 2y

Amar!i also remained his confidants$ The name of one Salim amadar

amongst his main su++orters a++ears fre8uently

Another reason for Amar!is im+ortance was that he also en!oyed the

trust of the Marathas$ A2urai Mahi+atrai7 the sarsubah of Ahmada2ad7

entrusted Amar!i the work of re-enue collection of the share of the

103 I2id$%+$ .*#,.*.$104 I2id$ %$.*#$105 I2id$%$.*"$106 I2id$%+$.*1,.6#$107 I2id$%$.6#$

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Marathas$.#' In s+ite of this7 Amar!i continued to o++ose the Marathas

whene-er the interests of unagadh were in-ol-ed$ In .000 one iwa!i

Shamra!7 de+uty of atehsing aekwad7 occu+ied the fort of Amreli$ 3e

tried to esta2lish an inde+endent rule there$ Amar!i attacked him and

destroyed the fort of Amreli and e9+elled the Maratha sardar from

Saurashtra$.#1 ollowing this incident atehsing in-aded the +eninsula 2ut

2efore military confrontation could 2egin7 the -arious chieftains 2rought

a2out an agreement and +resents were e9changed 2etween Amar!i and

atehsing$ In .000 also atehsing could not le-y any tri2ute in Saurashtra

2ecause of Amar!i$..#Similarly Amar!i could defeat Amrit (ai and Tho2an7

%eshwas re+resentati-es at a2out the same time$...

The Diwan7 in the +rocess of e9+anding his +ower also made many

enemies$ The ondal Chief ade!a =um2ha!i was chief amongst them$ 3e

was an energetic ruler with a small area of authority in the northwest of

unagadh$ 3e as+ired to e9+and his +ossessions at the e9+ense of unagadh$

3e was a man of resources and constantly intrigued against the Diwan$

Mehraman =hawas7 the Diwan of Nawanagar was another of Amar!is

enemies$ (ana Surtan!i of %or2andar and Shaikh Mian of Mangrol7 as also

(a!a >akhatsinh held grudge against him$ They had reali4ed that so long as

Amar!i was at the helm of affairs at unagadh7 they would not 2e a2le to

achie-e their am2itions in the region$ Therefore they indulged in intrigues to

remo-e him$ The nature of dealings 2etween the Nawa2 and Amar!i also

contri2uted in the 2reach of relations 2etween them$ Amar!is family was

108 Tarikh@i@Sorath7%$.6.$109 I2id$ %+$ .6/,.6&< $>$>atson FedG7Statistical )ccount of +unagadh7 )om2ay7 .''/7 %$$110 Statistical account of +unagadh7 %+$ ,&.$111 I2id$ %+$ /1,$

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amongst the desais of Mangrol pargana and they were resourceful and

+owerful7 as noticed 2efore$ They also tookI'aras of -arious +laces7 which

was +ractically +er+etual$ )eing a man of resources7 Amar!i7 the Diwan used

to gi-e loans to the Nawa2 as the latter was always in need of money$ In the

course of time the Nawa2 had a huge de2t to +ay to Amar!i and had

mortgaged re-enues of -arious +laces to him$ Amar!i was the 2eneficiary at

the e9+ense of the Nawa2$ In addition to this7 the Ara2 sibandis who were

largely em+loyed in this chieftaincy7 were defrayed their salaries 2y the

Diwan who also acted as their akil$ The sibandis therefore7 +aid direct

allegiance to him and not to the Nawa2$ :nder these situations the intriguers

succeeded in +reci+itating a conflict 2etween the Nawa2 and Diwan Amar!i

and Nawa2 Maha2at =han assassinated Amar!i in .0'&$ The mem2ers of

Amar!is family were im+risoned$

Immediate to this e-ent7 the Nawa2 le-ied 4akat on the Nagars and

collected considera2le amount of money$ The Nawa27 howe-er7 could not

rea+ the 2enefits of his act$ The Marathas7 atehsing aekwad and (u+a!i

Sindhia7 on 2ehalf of the %eshwa inter-ened as o-erlords and restored

Amar!is sons to +ower$ The Nawa2 had to grant immunity to Amar!is

family as a +rice for Amar!is assassination$ The outstanding +ayments of

the late Diwan 2y the Nawa2 had amounted to a sum of 6# lakhs of am

=odis$ It was agreed that theparganas of :na7 Delwada7 Mangrol7 Sil and

Dilwasa were to 2e mortgaged to his family 2y the Nawa2 until the

li8uidation of the a2o-e de2t with interest$ )esides this7 the Nawa2 also had

to cede four -illages of 3alyad7 )hansan7 Antaroli and Akhodar as

com+ensation for the murder of the Diwan$ In addition to that7 the children

of the Diwan were to recei-e * -illages each from Mangrol and Sutra+ada

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res+ecti-ely$.." (aghunath!i and Dula2!i7 sons of Amar!i7 were also

a++ointed !ointly as Diwans$ Their +osition was howe-er not sta2le as the

Nawa2 continued to hold grudge against them7 and their re+resentati-es who

administered the fortifications under unagadhs authority were ousted one

2y one 2y the Nawa2$ They had to lea-e unagadh later and found

em+loyment in Nawanagar for some years$ They had to 2e recalled 2y the

Nawa2 found it difficult to manage financial affairs$ The relations 2etween

the Nawa2 and the Diwan 2rothers continued to 2e conflict ridden$ >ith the

death of Dula2!i the +ower of the Diwan family was greatly reduced$

(aghunath!i continued to function as the Diwan well u+ to the end of 3amid

=hans reign 2ut could not e9ercise much hold o-er the Nawa2 as his late

father$ >ith the succession of )ahadur =han II in .'.*:mar Mukhasan7 an

Ara2 amadar7 2ecame all,+owerful at unagadh$ (aghunath!i 8uit the office

of the Diwan 2ecause of a fall,out with the regent,mother of the new Nawa2$

She had ke+t him out of the re-enue settlement made with the English East

India Com+any$ >ith the coming of the )ritish7 the +ower relations in the

region underwent a change$ :mar Mukhasan amadar was soon ousted from

unagadh7 and (aghunath!i7 who was seen as a threat to the e9ercise of

)ritish influence at unagadh7 was also ke+t out of Dur2ar affairs$ Sunder!i

Shi-!i7 a horse trader from =utch7 on the recommendation of Ca+tain

)allantine7 the officer in charge of =athiawad affairs was a++ointed the

Diwan of unagdh$ It was Sunder!i Shi-!i who made o-er unagadhs

Mulkgiri rights in halawad to the )ritsh through an agreement$ ;ater7 the

fortification of =utiana7 which was considered a right of the Amar!i family7

was taken away from (aghunath!i and handed o-er to the aekwad7 a

+rotJgJ of the )ritish$

112 I2id$ %+$ .0&,.0*$

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At the lower le-el a constant struggle 2etween %or2andar and Mangrol

was going on during this +eriod$ Shaikh Mian of Mangrols resources

+ro-ed to 2e inade8uate and he used to occasionally raid the =athiawad area

and carry away cattle from that region so that he could +ay salaries to his

soldiers$ 3e also le-ied tri2ute on =eshod7 Chorwad7 =odinar7 %atan and

%or2andar$../Similarly7 the chieftain of %or2andar too collected tri2ute from

-illages 2elonging to Mangrol$

)ha-nagar and Nawanagar7 on the other hand7 e9+anded their s+heres

of authority after Amar!is death$ This was made +ossi2le7 as the aekwad

chieftaincy had 2ecome la9 in asserting its authority on this region following

its own internal +ro2lems$ The Maratha*handanihad fallen into arrears of

+ast se-eral years$ The situation was fa-oura2le for 2oth )ha-nagar and

Nawanagar chieftains to e9+and their territories at the e9+ense of their

neigh2ours7 the =athis and their own -hayad$ The increased +ower of the

)ha-nagar chieftain could 2e gauged from the fact that he could successfully

defy the aekwad Mulkgiri army under Shi-ram ardi in the last years of

the .'thCentury$ This tendency of encroachments and e9+ansion at the cost

of each other 2y the chieftains of Saurashtra ended when the )ritish were

a2le to enforce their re-enue settlements in the region$

HEREDITARY SUPERIOR RIGHT HOLDERS

113 I2id$ %$*/

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During the .'th Century7 following the distur2ed conditions7 the

2alance in the agrarian relationshi+s 2rought a2out under the Mughals was

distur2ed to a great e9tent$ Anyone who was in a +osition to gain an

ad-antage attem+ted to augment his resources and +ower at the e9+ense of

the other$ In these anarchic conditions in-aria2ly the hereditary su+erior

right holders 2enefited the most$ These su+erior right holders had

accumulated wealth from the 2eginning of the century$ Amongst them the

desaiwere the most im+ortant$ Many of the desais had 2een holding i'ara of

Rashmi Thesis Finalized1

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