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Telugu Historyతెలుగు చరిత్ర

Balwant Rao Mendle

Maratha commander of the Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao, left in the Carnatic in 1757 to collect tribute. On 24 September 1757 he defeated the Nawabs of Cuddapah and Kurnool near Cuddapah. The Nawab of Cuddapah was killed, and the Marathas took Gurramkonda and Punganur. He then marched across the Cuddapah country to the coast. He took tribute from the zamindars of Venkatagiri and Kalahasti and was bought off before Nellore. He was killed at Panipat in December 1760.

Balwant Rao Ganpat Mendle was the Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao’s officer in the Carnatic in the 1750s.12 Grant Duff calls him “Bulwunt Rao Gunput Mendlee”.12 In his campaign of 1757–58 the Marathas came to hold forts in Rayalaseema.34 The Nellore manual follows his army to the Telugu coast.34 See the Marathas in the Telugu country.

The Carnatic, 1756–1757

In 1756 the Peshwa was at war with the Nawab of Savanur.5 Grant Duff says that it was through “the agency of Bulwunt Rao Mendlee” that the Ghorpades were drawn away from the Nawab’s alliance.5

Early in 1757 the Peshwa marched on Srirangapatna (then Seringapatam) and took tribute from Mysore.61 When he went back to Poona, “Bulwunt Rao Mendlee was left with a large detachment, for the purpose of reducing these ancient possessions”.61 These were Shahji’s old districts in Mysore.61 Chauth and sardeshmukhi were Maratha claims to a share of the revenue. He was also left “with a power, somewhat discretionary, of levying the chouth and surdeshmookhee from Arcot”.61

He took Hoskote, which belonged to the Nawab of Cuddapah, and received Mulbagal.61 He forced the Nawab of Arcot to settle the unpaid chauth for two lakhs in cash and two and a half in assignments of revenue.61

The battle near Cuddapah

The Nawabs of Cuddapah, Savanur and Kurnool and the Maratha Morari Rao of Gooty formed a league against the Peshwa’s army.7 Grant Duff writes that on 24 September 1757 Balwant Rao fought the Nawabs of Cuddapah and Kurnool near Kadapa (then Cuddapah) and won.7 He says that “the Nabob of Kurpa was killed, and his capital plundered”.7

But the Nawab’s cousin and heir, Abdul Nabi Khan, “still defended the country, and occupied the Mahrattas for a period much longer than they could spare”.7 Grant Duff adds that Balwant Rao “was detained in the districts of Kuddapah, or in levying contributions from Polygars, until the month of February”.8

Gribble’s Cuddapah manual says that in 1757 “the Cuddapah district was overrun by the Mahrattas under Balavanta Rao, who gained a decisive battle over the Patan chiefs near the town of Cuddapah”.9 But the conquest “appears, however, to have been only a very temporary one, for in the following year Balavanta Rao was recalled on account of home disturbances”.9

The handover of Gurramkonda is linked with this battle.310 The Cuddapah gazetteer of 1915 says that it was “apparently on this occasion that the Mahrattas were bought off by the cession of Gurramkonda”.310 The North Arcot manual says that the poligar (local chief) of Punganur fell fighting on the side of the Nawab of Cuddapah in 1757.310 Then “half his soubah, including Punganúr, was taken by the Mahrattas”.310 Wilks says only that the Nawab of Cuddapah “had purchased the retreat of a Mahratta invasion by the cession of Goorumconda”.11 See Gurramkonda and Punganur.

To the Telugu coast

The Nellore manual follows Orme.4 It says that after the battle Abdul Nabi Khan “threw himself into the strong fortress of Sidhout”.4 Balavanta Rao marched with his main army east across the Kadapa country and divided it into three parts:4

  • one went against the poligar of Bomraz
  • a second went “against the Zemindars of Venkatagiri and Calastry”
  • with the third he appeared before Nellore4

He claimed six years of tribute from the zamindars (landholders).4 The Nawab of Arcot had charged them for only one.4 Nuzibulla, the rebel governor of Nellore, “bought him off with a sum adequate to his expectations”.4 The force sent north plundered the towns of Venkatagiri and Kalahasti, and then the Marathas withdrew on the Peshwa’s orders.4

The manual says that on his way back to Kadapa, Balavanta Rao “concluded a treaty with Abdul Nabhi Khan, agreeing that the country should be equally divided between them”.4 An earlier Maratha force of the same campaign was led by his deputy, whom the manual calls “Armet Rao”.12 It had demanded the tribute of the Carnatic and been bought off “by money, chiefly supplied by the English”.12 See Nellore and Srikalahasti.

Panipat

Balwant Rao went north as Diwan to the Peshwa’s cousin Sadashiv Rao Bhau, in the campaign against Ahmad Shah Durrani.2 Grant Duff says that on 23 December 1760, in a fight before the Afghan lines at Panipat, he charged the Rohilla chief Najib-ud-daula.2 Then, “in the moment of victory”, Balwant Rao “was shot, after the close of day, by a musket-ball”.2 In a note Grant Duff identifies him as “the same officer that levied the contribution from the Carnatic, and with whom Mr. Pigot corresponded in 1757”.2

Footnotes

  1. Grant Duff, History of the Mahrattas, Vol. II (1826), p. 103 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  2. Grant Duff, History of the Mahrattas, Vol. II (1826), p. 147 and note (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  3. C. F. Brackenbury, Madras District Gazetteers: Cuddapah, Vol. I (1915), p. 44 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  4. Boswell, Nellore District (1873), p. 455 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11

  5. James Grant Duff, A History of the Mahrattas, Vol. II (1826), p. 93 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  6. Grant Duff, History of the Mahrattas, Vol. II (1826), pp. 101–102 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  7. Grant Duff, History of the Mahrattas, Vol. II (1826), p. 104 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  8. Grant Duff, History of the Mahrattas, Vol. II (1826), p. 105 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  9. J. D. B. Gribble, A Manual of the District of Cuddapah (1875), p. 95 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  10. Arthur F. Cox, rev. Harold A. Stuart, Madras District Manuals: North Arcot, Vol. II (1894), p. 408 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  11. Mark Wilks, Historical Sketches of the South of India, Vol. II (1817), p. 11 note (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  12. John A. C. Boswell, A Manual of the Nellore District (1873), p. 454 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

References

Sources (6)
  1. James Grant Duff, A History of the Mahrattas, Vol. II (opens in a new tab), Longmans, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green, London, 1826, pp. 93, 101–105, 147. [Public domain]
  2. C. F. Brackenbury, Madras District Gazetteers: Cuddapah, Vol. I (opens in a new tab), Government Press, Madras, 1915, pp. 44. [Public domain]
  3. J. D. B. Gribble, A Manual of the District of Cuddapah in the Presidency of Madras (opens in a new tab), Government Press, Madras, 1875, pp. 95. [Public domain]
  4. John A. C. Boswell, A Manual of the Nellore District in the Presidency of Madras (opens in a new tab), Government of Madras, 1873, pp. 454–455. [Public domain]
  5. Arthur F. Cox (rev. Harold A. Stuart), Madras District Manuals: North Arcot, Vol. II (new edition) (opens in a new tab), Government Press, Madras, 1894, pp. 408. [Public domain]
  6. Mark Wilks, Historical Sketches of the South of India, in an Attempt to Trace the History of Mysoor, Vol. II (opens in a new tab), Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, London, 1817, pp. 11. [Public domain]

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