On the history trail: The Battle of Bhopal

As the Maratha bands began to harass the Mughals with their famed guerrilla tactics pushing them towards the south where Peshwa Bajirao was waiting in Malwa, the Nizam decided to take shelter in a fortified enclosure where he could keep his men safe and wait and watch.

 

He however, found himself coming straight towards the Peshwa and as he neared Bhopal took refuge there without making any arrangement for provisions for his men and animals. The large army of the Nizam was well and truly trapped exactly like how the Peshwa had planned.

 

The Peshwa immediately mobilized his men and besieged the enclosed place and stopped provisions from reaching them from outside. The siege commenced on 14 December 1737 and in less than a week’s time, the Mughals were brought to their knees.

 

There was severe shortage of food leading to discontentment among his men. The Mughals managed to keep the Marathas at bay with their artillery but soon found the situation untenable.

 

The Nizam was forced to move his entire camp under gunfire but could hardly cover even four to five miles a day. An entire fortnight passed this way for the Nizam and his men.

 

When he was informed that his son Nasir Jung also had been held back admirably by Chimaji Appa, the Nizam had to concede defeat yet again. He sent for Anandrao Sumant and begged the Peshwa for peace.

 

The Peshwa refused to negotiate with the Sumant as he was friendly with the Nizam and instead sent his own agents Pilaji Jadhav, Baji Bhivrao and Baburao Malhar. Sawai Jai Singh’s minister Ayamall arrived on behalf of the Nizam along with Saiyad Lashkar Khan and others to arrange terms of peace.

 

They urged the Peshwa to release the Nizam from his difficult position without causing any disgrace to him. In return, the Nizam would agree to any compensation. Deliberations went on for a long time and at the end the Nizam was forced to swallow his pride and agree to the following terms on 7 January 1738 near Sironj –

Nizam-ul-Mulk solemnly undertook to grant the Marathas a formal cession of Malwa under the imperial seal.

To deliver over to them all the territory between the Narmada and the Jamuna and

To pay 50 lacs in cash from the imperial treasury by way of expenses to the Marathas.

 

All the chiefs and jagirdars who had deserted to the Nizam’s camp for this campaign were sent back to the Marathas and received warmly by the Peshwa. Though the Peshwa had the golden opportunity to humiliate the Nizam in the worst possible manner, he chose to follow the path of magnanimity and moderation and desisted from inflicting a crushing blow upon the Nizam.

 

The Peshwa gave an account of what transpired to his brother Chimaji Appa that runs thus, “Fortified as the Nawab was with a strong artillery and with the Bundela and Rajput princes as his staunch allies, I accepted your advice and agreed to much lower terms than could have been exacted.

 

You can realize what a severe mortification it must have been to Asaf Jah to sign a document with his own hand parting with Malwa and the rights therein of chauth and sardeshmukhi, of which he never allowed even a mere mention till then.

 

It was the height of shame for him to be compelled to yield these. Even this much success is the result of the blessings we have secured both from our revered Chhatrapati and our late parent.

 

The highest noble of the Mughal empire has been brought to his knees. He has taken sacred oaths on the Quran to abide by the terms agreed upon.”

 

The Nizam was allowed to depart and the Peshwa stayed back in the north waiting for a formal ratification of the terms by the ruler at Delhi. When the formalities were completed, he proceeded to Kota where he received ten lacs as tribute and returned to Poona in July 1738 to a grand welcome.

 

Written by Lakshmi Subramanian

 

* Information about Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj is taken from archives