Ranoji Scindia

Ranoji Scindia
1st ruler of the Scindia Dynasty
A plaque outside Shaniwar Wada in Pune
Reign	1731–1745
Successor	Jayappaji Rao Scindia killed in third battle of Panipat, Mahadji Scindia
Born	c. 1700
Died	3 July 1745(1745-07-03) (aged 44–45) Shujalpur, Malwa, Maratha Empire modern day Madhya Pradesh, India
Spouse	Maina Bai Chima Bai
Issue	Jayappaji Rao Scindia Dattaji Rao Scindia Jyotiba Rao Scindia Tukoji Rao Scindia Mahadji Scindia
House	Scindia dynasty
Father	Jankoji Scindia (I)
Religion	Hinduism
Military career
Allegiance	Maratha Empire
Rank	Sardar Maharaja
Commands	Gwalior State
Battles / wars	Battle of Palkhed Battle of Jaitpur Battle of Vasai Battle of Dabhoi

Ranoji Scindia or Ranoji Sendrak (Shinde), popularly known as Ranoji Shinde, was a Maratha military commander and the founder of the Scindia dynasty, establishing the state of Gwalior under the Maratha Empire. He served the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire in several military campaigns. The Scindia dynasty rose to prominence in the 18th century and went on to dominate central and north India as one of the most prominent powers due to their influential presence in Delhi and their highly modernised army. ^[1]

Early life

Ranoji Scindia was born in a Maratha family, who were the hereditary Patils (Sarpanch) of Kanherkhed, a village in present day Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The Scindias or Sendraks in the previous centuries had served as shiledars (cavalrymen) under the Bahmani Sultanate. ^[2]

Career

As a young man, Ranoji started in the service of Balaji Vishwanath Peshwa. ^[3] At that time Ramchandrababa Sukhtankar, one of the Peshwa's diplomats, recognised Ranoji's talents and had him made the personal servant of the Peshwa's son, Bajirao I. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]} Upon the death of his father, Bajirao was appointed as the Peshwa at the age of twenty by Chhatrapati Shahu. This evoked jealousy from senior officials at the Maratha court. This in turn led Baji Rao to promote talented young men who were barely out of teens such as Ranoji, Malhar Rao Holkar, the Pawar brothers, Pilaji Jadhav, and Fateh Singh Bhosle as commanders of his troops. None of these men belonged to families that held hereditary Deshmukhi rights under earlier rulers such as the Deccan Sultanates. ^{[8] [9] [2] [6]}

Ranoji, along with Malharrao Holkar and Pawar brothers, was in charge of the Maratha campaign initiated by Peshwa Bajirao in Malwa in 1726. Ranoji established his capital at Ujjain in 1731. He appointed Ramchandrababa Sukhtankar as his dewan, or administrator, and Made Yashaji Rambhaji sarsenapati of his army, while he spent most of his life on military campaign. ^[10] Some historians credit Sukhtankar with bringing the Kumbh mela to Ujjain in 1732. ^{[11] [12] [13]} An early account of the Haridwar Kumbh Mela was published by Captain Thomas Hardwicke in 1796 CE. ^[13]

Family

Ranoji had five sons: Jayappa rao, Jyotibarao, Dattajirao, Tukojirao, and Mahadji Scindia. The eldest four died fighting in various battles in northern India between 1750-1761. Mahadji, the youngest, had an illustrious career in the second half of the 18th century. ^[14] His descendants were the rulers of the Princely state of Gwalior during the British colonial period (1818-1947).

See also

• Scindia

References

1. Scindia, Ranoji. "Scindia Research Centre". The Jai Vilas Palace Museum .
2. Richard M. Eaton (19 December 2005). A social history of the Deccan, 1300-1761: eight Indian lives. Cambridge University Press. pp. 188–. ISBN   978-0-521-25484-7 . Retrieved 16 July 2011.
3. Rathod, N.G., 1994. The Great Maratha Mahadaji Scindia. Sarup & Sons.page=1-5
4. Ainslie Thomas Embree (1988). Encyclopedia of Asian history. Scribner. p. 14. ISBN   978-0-684-18899-7. Ranoji Scindia (d. 1750), the founder of Gwalior state, started his political career reputedly as a slipper-bearer at the court of the peshwa, or prime minister, of the Marathas, but soon rose to high office.
5. K. V. Krishna Ayyar (1999). The Zamorins of Calicut: From the Earliest Times Down to A.D. 1806. Publication Division, University of Calicut. ISBN   978-81-7748-000-9. The carrying of the Pallimaradi before the Zamorin on public occasions might have been due to the same reason as the carrying of a pair of golden slippers before Scindia , whose ancestor was the slipper - bearer of Peshwa Baji Rao - to show his respect for his original humble office which was the cause of his subsequent success
6. Satish Chandra (2003). Essays on Medieval Indian History. Oxford University Press. p. 93. ISBN   978-0-19-566336-5. The Sindhias, it is well-known, were drawn from a Kunbi family which had the hereditary patel-ship of Kumberkerrab in the district of Wai. The origins of the Holkar were even more humble: they belonged to the caste of goat-herds (dungar), the family holding zamindari rights in the village of Hal.
7. Romila Thapar (1994). "Seminar - Issues 417-424": 59. Many peasant caste men who distinguished themselves in battle or otherwise served the ruler became Marathas . Witness the first Holkar who was a shepherd and the first Scindia who was a Kunbi personal servant of the Peshwa{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
8. Gordon, Stewart (2007). The Marathas 1600–1818. Cambridge [u.a.]: Cambridge University Press. pp. 117–121. ISBN   978-0521033169.
9. Sardesai, Govind Sakharam (1946). New History of the Marathas: The expansion of the Maratha power, 1707-1772. Phoenix Publications. pp. 65, 69.
10. Rathod, N.G., 1994. The Great Maratha Mahadaji Scindia. Sarup & Sons.page=1-5
11. Pandey, J., 2007. The ‘Habitus’ and ‘Doxa’of Great Tradition of Kumbha Mela: Role of Shiva Legends. The Public. An International Refereed Research Journal, 6(2), pp.11 Archived 27 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine
12. MANIT, B., 2012. BACHELOR OF PLANNING (Doctoral dissertation, MAULANA AZAD NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY).
13. James Lochtefeld (2008). Knut A. Jacobsen (ed.). South Asian Religions on Display: Religious Processions in South Asia and in the Diaspora. Routledge. pp. 31–33. ISBN   978-1-134-07459-4.
14. Rathod, N.G., 1994. The Great Maratha Mahadaji Scindia. Sarup & Sons.page=1-5

Ranoji Scindia Scindia Dynasty Born: - Died: 1745
Regnal titles
Preceded by None	Maharaja of Gwalior 1731–1745	Succeeded by Jayappaji Rao Scindia