Yashwantrao Holkar
Chakrāvarti Yashwant Rao Holkar (1776–1811) also known as Jaswantrao Holkar belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Confederacy was the Maharaja of the Indore. He was a gifted military leader and educated in accountancy as well as literate in Persian and Marathi and Urdu.[1]
Yashwant Rao Holkar
(as regent. 1799–1807)
(r. 1807–1811)
6 January 1799
3 December 1776
Wafgaon, Maratha Empire
(present-day Maharashtra, India)
28 October 1811 (aged 34)
Bhanpura, Malwa, Maratha Confederacy
Ladabai , Krishna Bai Holkar, Tulsabai
Bhimabai,Malhar Rao Holkar III.
महाराजाधिराज यशवंतराव होळकर
Yamunabai Holkar
In January 1799, Yashwant Rao Holkar ascended the Holkar throne.[2]
Early rebellion[edit]
Jasvant Rao was the third son of Tukoji Rao. Tukoji appointed his eldest son Kashi Rao as his successor and head of Holkar state. Tukoji's second son Malhar Rao rebelled against his father's decision, and Jaswant joined his ranks. The rebels plundered Malwa and Khandesh, leading Kashi Rao to call in the army of Daulat Rao Sindia. Sindia's army led a surprise attack on the rebel camp, leading to the death of Malhar and Jaswant was wounded and fled.[3]
Jaswant Rao took protection under Raghuji Bhonsle of Nagpur, a friend of his father Tukoji. One his way to Nagpur, he met Bhawani Shankar who became a loyal servant. Once Daulat Rao became aware of Jaswant Rao's presence in Nagpur, he sent a letter to Raghuji telling him to arrest Jaswant as a rebel. Bhawani Shankar helped engineer Jaswant's escape from Napur.[4]
Jaswant Rao, who was plundering the nearby countryside, initially claimed he was only attacking Kashi Rao's villages in order to be granted a jagir as was his birthright. Kashi Rao himself was an unpopular ruler, and was despised by servants of the Holkar throne for being subservient to Daulat Rao Sindia. Jaswant then began claiming to represent the interests of his infant nephew Khande Rao II (son of Malhar Rao), and asked the Peshwa to recognize Khande Rao as the head of the Holkars and Jaswant Rao as his regent. Jaswant's campaigns of plunder attracted jungle robbers, Grasias, Pindharis, and Afghans (notably Mir Khan). In Khandesh, Jaswant received many allies. He was hired by Anand Rao Pawar, Raja of Dhar, but upon his employer's failure of payment he looted the state. At this point he had raised an army of 2000 cavalry and 5000 infantry. [5]
He then defeated two battallions that were under the command of Chevalier Dudrenec, the commander of Kashi Rao's main army. Jaswant entered Maheshwar, from where Dudrenec had fled to Indore. After back and forth between the two armies, Dudrenec was defeated and acknowleded Jaswant Rao as head of the Holkars.[6]
Conflict with Sindhia and Peshwa[edit]
Battle of Poona[edit]
He conquered Sendhwa, Chalisgaon, Dhulia, Malegaon, Parol, Ner, Ahmadnagar, Rahuri, Nashik, Sinnar, Dungargaon, Jamgaon, Pharabagh, Gardond, Pandharpur, Kurkumb, Narayangaon, Baramati, Purandhar, Saswad, Moreshwar, Thalner, and Jejuri. On Sunday, 25 October 1802, on the festival of Diwali, Yashwantrao Holkar defeated the combined armies of Scindia and Peshwa at Hadapsar, near Pune. This Battle of Poona took place at Ghorpadi, Banwadi, and Hadapsar. Yashwantrao Holkar had ordered his army not to attack first and wait until 25 cannonballs were fired from other side; when 25 cannonballs were fired, Yashwantrao Holkar ordered his army to attack. As soon as he won the war, he ordered his army not to harm the civilians of Pune. When the Peshwa learned that he was defeated, he fled from Pune via Parvati, Wadgaon, to Sinhagad.[7] Yashwantrao Holkar asked the Peshwa to return to Pune. If Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar wanted to arrest the Peshwa, he would have arrested him; but he sent food to Peshwa so that he didn't suffer.
The British also had to check the French influence in India. The British Government feared that if they had not adopted measures for the restoration of the Peshwa's authority, Yashwantrao Holkar would have either attacked the company's territories, or those of their ally the Nizam of Hyderabad. They felt, therefore, the restoration of the Peshwa under the protection of the British power was a measure indispensably requisite for the defence, not only of the territories of their allies, but of their own possessions bordering on the Maratha dominions in the peninsula of India.[8]
Peshwai[edit]
The flight of Peshwa left the government of Maratha state in the hands of Yashwantrao Holkar.[9] After conquering Pune, the capital of the Maratha Empire, Yashwantrao Holkar took the administration in his hands and appointed his men. The Conquest of Pune left Holkar in charge of the administration and he took some constructive steps to rebuild the Maratha Empire.[10] He appointed Amrutrao as the Peshwa.[11][12] All except Gaekwad chief of Baroda, who had already accepted British protection by a separate treaty on 29 July 1802, supported the new regime.
Legacy[edit]
He was a gifted organizer and he was skilled in arts of warfare. The various branches of the army were organized on the sound military basis. As a military strategist he ranks among the foremost generals who have ever trod on Indian soil. His heroic achievements shed a noble luster on his military genius, political sagacity, and indefatigable industry. He was one of the greatest and most romantic figures on the stage of Indian history.[24] Yashwant Rao Holkar rose to power from initial nothingness entirely by dint of his personal valour and spirit of adventure. So great was his personality that even in those troublesome times, no state or power could venture to commit aggression on his territory; and this influence kept the Holkar State secure even after his death for some years.