| Umabai Dabhade | |
|---|---|
| Born | Unknown Abhone, Nashik, India |
| Died | 28 November 1753 Pune, Maharashtra, India |
| Spouse | Khande Rao Dabhade |
| Issue | Trimbak Rao Dabhade |
| Clan | Dabhade |
| Father | Devrao Thoke Deshmukh |
Umabai Dabhade (died 1753) was a prominent member of the Maratha Dabhade clan. The members of her family held the hereditary title senapati (commander-in-chief), and controlled several territories in Gujarat. After the deaths of her husband Khande Rao and her son Trimbak Rao, she exercised executive powers while her minor son Yashwant Rao remained the titular senapati. Her unsuccessful rebellion against Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao resulted in the downfall of the Dabhade family.
Umabai Dabhade was the daughter of Abhonkar Devrao Thoke Deshmukh. She married Khanderao Dabhade, and was the youngest of his three wives. The couple had three sons (Trimbakrao, Yashwantrao, and Sawai Baburao) and three daughters (Shahbai, Durgabai, and Anandibai). In 1710, Umabai built 470 steps on the hill to reach the temple of the goddess Saptashringi near Nashik.
Umabai's husband Khande Rao was the Maratha senapati (commander-in-chief) under Chhattrapati Shahu. After his death in 1729, their son Trimbak Rao Dabhade became the senapati. The Dabhades had the rights to collect taxes (chauth and sardeshmukhi) from Gujarat province and it was an important source of revenue for them. When Shahu's Peshwa (prime-minister) Bajirao I decided to take over tax collection from Gujarat, the Dabhades rebelled against the Chhattrapati and the Peshwa. Bajirao defeated and killed Trimbak Rao at the Battle of Dabhoi in 1731. [1] [2]
After the death of her husband and her son, Umabai became the matriarch of the Dabhade family. Chhatrapati Shahu granted all of Trimbak Rao's assets and titles (including senapati) to her minor son Yashwant Rao. [3] The Peshwa allowed them to retain control of Gujarat, on the condition that they would remit half of the revenues to his treasury. [2] As he grew up, Yashwant Rao became addicted to alcohol and opium, and the Dabhades' lieutenant Damaji Rao Gaekwad increased his power. [4]
Umabai pretended reconciliation with Peshwa Bajirao, but always maintained a grudge against him for killing her son. Under her, the Dabhades never actually remitted half of the revenues to Shahu's treasury, but Shahu did not want to take any extreme measures against a grieving widow and a mother who had lost her son. Peshwa Bajirao I died in 1740, and Chhattrapati Shahu in 1749. The new Chhattrapati Rajaram II and his Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao faced a severe financial crunch. As a result, Peshwa Balaji decided to subdue the Dabhades and force them to remit money to the Chhattrapati's treasury. Umabai unsuccessfully petitioned to the Peshwa, requesting him to release the Dabhades from the covenant that required them to share revenues with the Chhattrapati. [4]
Tarabai, the former Maratha Queen, also held a grudge against the Peswha. She approached Umabai to forge an alliance against the Peshwa. The two women met in 1750, and Umabai promised to support her if the Peshwa refused to release the Dabhades from the covenant. On 1 October 1750, Tarabai and Umabai met again at the temple of Shambhu Mahadev, where Tarabai may have instigated her to rebel against the Peshwa. On 20 October 1750, Umabai asked her agent Yado Mahadev Nirgude to make a final appeal to the Peshwa, to release the Dabhades from the revenue-sharing covenant. Peshwa Balaji rejected the appeal and declared that he wanted the Dabhades to remit money to the Chhatrapati's treasury immediately. Umabai was still unwilling to rebel, and sought a personal meeting with the Peshwa. The two met at Alandi on 22 November. At this meeting Umabai argued that the covenant had been unfairly imposed by force, and was therefore, not binding. The Peshwa refused to accept this as a valid argument, and demanded half of the revenues collected from Gujarat. [4]
When Balaji Baji Rao left for the Mughal frontier, Tarabai imprisoned Chhatrapati Rajaram II on 24 November 1750. In Tarabai's support, Umabai dispatched a force of Marathi and Gujarati soldiers led by her lieutenant Damaji Gaekwad to help Tarabai. After initial successes against the Peshwa loyalists in March 1751, Gaekwad was trapped in a gorge in the Krishna River valley. As his soldiers deserted him, he was forced to seek a peace agreement with the Peshwa. The Peshwa demanded half of Gujarat's territories in addition to a war indemnity of ₹ 25,00,000. Damaji refused to sign an agreement, stating that he was only a subordinate, and asked Peshwa to consult Umabai. On 30 April, the Peshwa launched a surprise evening attack on Gaekwad's camp, which surrendered without resistance. [4]
In May 1751, the Peshwa arrested Damaji Gaekwad and his relatives, and sent them to Pune. Shortly after, Umabai, Yashwant Rao, and other members of the Dabhade family were also arrested. They were deprived of their jagirs as well as their hereditary title senapati. [3] In March 1752, Gaekwad agreed to abandon Dabhades in favour of the Peshwa, who made him the Maratha chief of Gujarat. Gaekwad agreed to provide the Dabhade family an annual maintenance expense. [4]
After their arrest and Gaekwad's subsequent alliance with the Peshwa, the Dabhades lost their power and much of their wealth. [4] Umabai died on 28 November 1753 at Nadgemodi in Pune. Her samadhi (tomb) is situated at the "Shrimant Sarsenapati Dabhade Shri Baneshwar Mandir" in Talegaon Dabhade.
Bajirao I was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. He, after Shivaji, is considered to be the most charismatic and dynamic leader in Maratha history. He was just twenty years old and already had a reputation for rapid decisions and a passion for military adventure.
The Maratha Confederacy, also referred to as the Maratha Empire, was an early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent Maratha states often subordinate to the former. It was established in 1674 with the coronation of Shivaji as the Maratha Chhatrapati and recognised by Emperor Bahadur Shah I as a tributary state in 1707 following a prolonged rebellion. Following this, the Marathas continued to recognise the Mughal emperor as their nominal suzerain, similar to other contemporary Indian entities, though in practice, imperial politics at Delhi were largely influenced by the Marathas between 1737 and 1803.
The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Confederacy, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary after the death of Shahu in 1749. During the reign of Shahu, the office of Peshwa grew in power and the Peshwas came to be the de facto rulers of the Maratha Confederacy. However following the defeat of the Marathas in 1761, the office of the Peshwa became titular as well and from that point onwards served as the ceremonial head of the Confederacy underneath the Chhatrapati.
Balaji Baji Rao, often referred to as Nana Saheb I, was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon the death of his father, the Peshwa Bajirao I.
Gaekwads, a Hindu Maratha dynasty of the former Maratha Confederacy and its subsequent (erstwhile) princely state of Baroda in western India from the early 18th century until 1947. The ruling prince was known as the Maharaja Gaekwad of Baroda. With the city of Baroda (Vadodara) as its capital, during the British Raj its relations with the British were managed by the Baroda Residency. It was one of the largest and wealthiest princely states existing alongside British India, with wealth coming from the lucrative cotton business as well as rice, wheat and sugar production.
Shahu I was the fifth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Confederacy founded by his grandfather, Shivaji I. He was born into the Bhonsle family, and was the son of Sambhaji I and Yesubai. At a young age, he was taken into custody at the Siege of Raigad by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and held captive. He was released from captivity after the death of Aurangzeb in the hope of engineering an internecine struggle among the Maratha factions of Tarabai and Shahu. Shahu emerged victorious in the bloody Battle of Khed and was crowned as Chhatrapati.
Balaji Vishwanath Bhat was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Confederacy and other Mughal vassals during the early 18th century. Balaji Vishwanath assisted a young Maratha king Shahu to consolidate his grip on a kingdom that had been racked by civil war and persistently intruded on by the Mughals under Aurangzeb. He was called the Second Founder of the Maratha State. He secured a grant from the Mughal court that confirmed Shahu as the legitimate Mughal vassal, at the expense of his rival Sambhaji II. Later, his son Bajirao I became the Peshwa.
Rajaram II, also known as Ramaraja, was the sixth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Confederacy. He was an adopted son of Chhatrapati Shahu I. Tarabai had presented him to Shahu as her own grandson and used him to grab power after Shahu's death. However, after being sidelined, she stated that Rajaram II was only an impostor. Nevertheless, Balaji Baji Rao retained him as the Chhatrapati. In reality, Peshwa and other chiefs had all the executive power, while Rajaram II was only a nominal head of the Marathas.
Maharani Tarabai Bhosale (née Mohite) was the regent of the Maratha Empire from 1700 until 1708. She was the queen of Rajaram I, and daughter-in-law of the kingdom's founder Shivaji I. She is acclaimed for her role in keeping alive the resistance against Mughal rule in Konkan, and acting as the regent of the Maratha Empire during the minority of her son, Shivaji II. She defeated Mughal forces of Aurangzeb in several battles and expanded the Maratha Empire.
Pilajirao Gaekwad was a Maratha general. He is considered to be the founder of the Gaekwad dynasty of the Maratha Empire, who became Maharaja of Baroda.
Chimaji Balaji Bhat, commonly known as Chimaji Appa, was a military commander and statesman of the Maratha Empire. As the younger brother of Peshwa Bajirao I and the son of Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, Chimaji played a crucial role in expanding and consolidating Maratha power during the early 18th century. Known for his strategic acumen and leadership in various military campaigns, Chimaji is particularly celebrated for his successful campaign against the Portuguese, which culminated in the capture of the Vasai fort in 1739.
Dabhade surname signifies Maratha and Koli clans found largely in Maharashtra, India. The Maratha Dabhades were originally centered on Talegaon Dabhade, but became the chiefs of Gujarat. They held the hereditary title of Senapati (commander-in-chief) and several jagirs in Gujarat until 1751. That year, Umabai Dabhade and her relatives were arrested for a rebellion against the Peshwa, and were stripped of their titles.
Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar was a Maratha General during the Peshwa Period. He is renowned as the builder of the Varadvinayak temple in Mahad.
The Battle of Dabhoi was fought on 28 April 1731, and it was a major confrontation between the Trimbak Rao Dabhade and Baji Rao I due to political interference of Peshwas in Gujarat Province. It was fought due to rights of Chauth of Gujarat. The rights of collecting Chauth of Gujarat was held by Dabhade clan from the time of Khanderao Dabhade. Baji Rao I asked Trimbak Rao Dabhade to share the rights of Chauth of Gujarat to him. But Trimbak Rao refused because of which Baji Rao attacked the army camp of Dabhades in April 1731. The Pawar brothers of Dhar were also upset with Baji Rao I due his policy in Malwa so they also joined Trimbak Rao's side. Some other sources say that Trimbak Rao joined Nizam of Hyderabad due to which Bajirao I attacked him.
The following list includes a brief about the titles of nobility or orders of chivalry used by the Marathas of India and by the Marathis/Konkanis in general.
Damaji Rao Gaekwad was the second Maharaja of Baroda reigning from 1732 to 1768 until his death.
Trimbak Rao Dabhade was a Senapati of Maratha empire during 1729–1731. He was the son of Khande Rao Dabhade and Umabai Dabhade.
Kashibai Bhat was the first wife of Bajirao I, the Peshwa to the fourth Maratha Chhatrapati (Emperor) Shahu. With Bajirao, she had four children, including Balaji Baji Rao and Ragunath Rao. Balaji succeeded Bajirao as Peshwa upon the latter's death in 1740. Also following Bajirao's death, Kashibai fostered her step-son, Shamsher Bahadur, whose mother was Bajirao's second wife, Mastani.
The Bhatt Peshwa family earlier known as Bhat family is a prominent Indian Chitpavan Brahmin family who dominated India for around 100 years in the late 18th century and early 19th century. Most of the members in this family were the Peshwas in the Peshwa Era of the Maratha Empire, and Peshwa later became their family name. During their regime, most of the Indian subcontinent was under their control. The last Peshwa, Baji Rao II, was defeated by the British East India Company in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. The territory was annexed to the British East India Company's Bombay Presidency, and he was pensioned.
Damaji Thorat (Marathi pronunciation:[d̪əmaːd͡ʒit̪ʰoːɾaːt̪]; was a Maratha chief who rose to prominence during the reign of Tarabai in the early 18th century. He joined Dhanaji Jadhav in his campaign across Khandesh, Baglan, and Gujarat from 1704 to 1708. When Shahu I arrived in the Deccan to assert his claim to the throne, Damaji supported Tarabai against Shahu. In 1711, he defeated and captured Balaji Vishwanath and Shahu's Pant Sachiv, later releasing them for a substantial ransom. After this incident, in 1713, Shahu, with the assistance of the Sayyid brothers, sent his Huzurat cavalry under the command of Balaji Vishwanath & Ambaji Purandare to defeat Damaji. Balaji besieged the fortress of Hingangaon and captured Damaji. The fortress was subsequently destroyed. Later, Damaji entered into the service of Shahu.
