Malhar Rao Holkar II ,terribly defeated in which war?
Answers
Malhar Rao Holkar fought in several important campaigns that handed down decisive defeats to the Mughal army
“Two pearls have been dissolved, 27 gold coins have been lost and of the silver and copper the total cannot be cast up”- Message to Balaji Baji Rao after Panipat
The 3rd Battle of Panipat had dealt one of the worst blows ever to the Maratha empire. Balaji Baji Rao, the Peshwa, could not recover from the debacle and died broken hearted in the very city of Pune that he so lovingly built. The Marathas lost the entire northern territories of India from Delhi onwards, and the empire ran up into huge debts.
It was at such a critical juncture that Madhavrao I became the Peshwa on June 23, 1761, at a very young age of 16. Due to his rather young age, his uncle Raghunathrao was appointed as his regent to assist him in administrative affairs. Madhavrao I managed to bring the administration back on track, and also secured the treasury that was being looted. He had the unenviable task of rebuilding the Maratha empire that had suffered a body blow after Panipat and setting right the rot in the administration. Madhavrao I’s reign however, would be remembered for the creation of the semi-autonomous Maratha states in the Deccan and the north- it was a tactical decision to keep the Maratha empire intact.
While the Peshwas ruled over Pune, in the western part of India, Pilaji Rao Gaekwad captured Baroda from the Mughals in 1721, leading to the establishment of the Gaekwad dynasty there. The Peshwa authority by now had considerably eroded post Panipat, and the semi-autonomous dynasties like the Gaekwads began to assert themselves even more.
In central India, Ranoji Scindia, a patil from Satara district, commanded the Maratha invasion of Malwa, under Peshwa Baji Rao and became a subedar of the province in 1736. He established his own capital at Ujjain in 1731, and later in 1810 moved it to Gwalior, which would be the seat of the Scindia dynasty.
In Maharasthra itself, the Bhonsles established semi-autonomous fiefs at Nagpur, Satara and Kolhapur, while smaller semi-autonomous provinces like Dhar, Sangli, Aundh etc sprang up.
Malhar Rao Holkar
The Holkars were technically not Marathas, they were primarily Dhangars, a community of shepherds and cattle herders, predominantly found in Maharashtra. It is believed they were originally from the Gokul near Mathura, and later migrated into Mewar, from where they spread into Gujarat and Maharashtra. They were known for their poetry called Ovi, which was inspired by the pastures and forests where their flocks grazed. Their patron deity was Biroba, a form of Lord Shiva. The Dhangari Gaja dance in his honour is pretty well known.