"My health is better. I have a meal every second or third day. I have to eat carefully. The skin over the wound is still not strong. The wound over a nerve is causing aches all over. I am still feeling weak and I'm unable to do push-ups and namaskars due to the injury on my back."

The Assessment:

Stabbed very severely in his back
Just not killed
Still recovering

The Maratha Forces Assemble

Who Marched to Udgir

The Commanders:

Raghunath Rao - Brother of Nanasaheb Peshwa
Vishwas Rao - Eldest son of Peshwa (barely 19 years old)
Balwant Rao Mehendale - Maratha commander (Brahmin)
Visaji Krishna Bini Wale - Another commander (Brahmin)
Gopal Rao Patwardhan - Commander

Note on Brahmins in Army:

Mehendale and Bini Wale both Brahmins
At the time no such restriction
If proper training and liking → could be in fighting force
Could be in any function

The Relationships

Raghunath Rao:

Cousin of Bhau
His father = Bajirao I's brother
So first cousin to Nanasaheb

Vishwas Rao:

Son of Nanasaheb Peshwa
The true next Peshwa (designated heir)
Very young - 19 years old
Also accompanying

The Battle Preparations

Bhau Takes Bahadurgarh

What He Did:

Took Fort of Bahadurgarh
On the river Bhima

Nizam's Strategy

The Split:

Sent main army ahead to Fort of Bahadur
Stayed with slow-moving artillery
Part of army moved ahead
They were with artillery force following up

The Siege of Udgir

The Encirclement

What Happened:

Nizam camped at Udgir
Besieged by Maratha armies

The Artillery Deployment

First Move:

Ibrahim Khan sent to confront Nizam
With his powerful French artillery

Maratha Cavalry:

Stood fast
Prevented anybody escaping their cordon

The Hollow Square Formation

The European Tactic

What Nizam Did:

Formed a square or circle
Moving towards safe haven
This was Nizam Ali's only hope

How It Works:

Army inside the square
Artillery guns all around on square's sides
Manned by musketeers
Providing cover
Whole square marches forward

The Protection:

Artillery defending troops inside square
Square everywhere = artillery guns on sides
Whole unit moving forward
Under protection of artillery

The Goal:

Move towards Fort of Bahadur (safety)
Guns protected his army
Began to march slowly

The Battle (January 19-20, 1760)

The Maratha Attack

What They Did:

Began harassing Nizam from all sides
Nizam stuck to formation
Moved towards Dharur and safety

Bhau's Strategy:

Sent army to Nizam's rear
Began attack on weak part of hollow square

Major Battle

January 19-20, 1760:

Major battle occurred
Nizam's right wing cut down

The Result:

Night found Nizam still 40 miles short of Dharur fort
Besieged by Maratha armies
Short of supplies

Why They Couldn't Run:

If they ran for fort
Marathas would really fire at them
Had to go slowly

The Capitulation (February 3, 1760)

At Ausa

The Location:

Town of Ausa
South of Latur town
Surrounded and immobilized by Marathas

The Surrender

February 3, 1760:

Nizam finally capitulated
Sent his seal
Symbol of complete acceptance of terms

The Treaty of Udgir

What Nizam Lost

Territory & Cities:

Became subsidiary to Peshwa
Surrendered imperial cities:
- Bijapur (old Adil Shahi power seat)
- Aurangabad (established by Aurangzeb)
Besides:
- Asirgad
- Burhanpur
- Malhar forts
Territory worth nearly 60 lakhs
Effectively half his kingdom

60 Lakhs:

Income from taxes
Annualized basis

The Immediate Seizure

Daulatabad:

Strong fort of Daulatabad
Immediately taken charge of

The Trio Rises to Prominence

The Three Leaders

Who Gained Fame:

Bhau (Sadashiv Rao)
Raghunath Rao
Vishwas Rao

The Result:

Came into prominence in this war
Brought Nizam to his knees

Bhau's Leadership

The Credit:

Sadashiv Rao's stewardship
Brought him morals from all
Under his guidance and leadership
Got all the credit

The Artillery Revelation

Ibrahim Khan's Impact

What Happened:

"The artillery of Ibrahim Khan made its mark and impressed Bhau by its efficacy."

This Is Important:

Bhau understood importance of artillery force
In winning battle on flat land

Before:

Not necessarily discounted artillery
But now saw demonstration in actual practice

The Realization:

Undeniable now
This was the future
Said: "This is something that is extreme"
Very impressed

The Analysis:

Now artillery fire from Ibrahim Khan
Without it, battle very difficult to win
Just based on cavalry and foot soldiers = not enough
Said: "This is something that is going to make the difference"

The Divided Opinion

Bhau vs. Other Chiefs

Bhau's View:

Very much impressed
Only one ahead of his time
Said: "If we want to win wars of future"
"Artillery guns with long range power = must"
"Without which we cannot do"
Convinced
Said: "This is it, going forward this is my main stake"
Thinking of future battles
Sticking with artillery

Other Maratha Chiefs:

Not with him
Did not see it that way
Did not understand power of artillery
Why it's necessary

The Problem:

Not necessarily resentment
But not really completely convinced
Maybe just lack of discipline
Wouldn't believe they could trust artillery

The Context:

This happening for first time
Sadashiv really impressed

The Zenith of Maratha Power

The New Reality

Mughals in Deccan:

Very little territory now
Only because of Nizam
Now almost totally gone
Well, almost totally

The Foothold:

Nizam was city of Mughal
Their foothold in Deccan
Now Marathas calling the shots
Were the boss
In their homeland

The National Pride

Nana Saheb Peshwa:

At zenith of his reign
Kingdom at its most powerful

Grant Duff's Assessment:

Southernmost rivers in Indian peninsula (Bhima)
Deccan horse quenched thirst from waters of Indus (north)
Maratha people felt pride in conquests of countrymen

The Context:

Abdali was foreigner
Would come and go
Not part of Indian landscape
Basically no parallel to Maratha power
In entire Indian subcontinent
Outsider but big threat

The Reality:

Entire Indian landmass
No other parallel for Marathas
Now the preeminent power

The Celebration (8 Days)

The Rejoicing

Where:

In Maratha camp at Udgir
Udgir = town close to northern Maharashtra

Who:

Camp of Sadashiv Rao
All other warriors

How Long:

Lasted all of eight days
Only eight days

Why So Short:

Now comes the kick
Some bad news comes

The Disturbing News (February 13, 1760)

The Crisis Arrives

February 13, 1760:

Disturbing news came from the north

The Situation:

"At the zenith of his power, Nana Saheb Peshwa was faced with a crisis of massive proportions."

The Emergency Meeting

What Peshwa Did:

Summoned victorious commanders to Pathdur
Near Aurangabad
To plan Maratha response

Why Pathdur:

Closer to Udgir
Wanted people from:
- Udgir
- Pune
- All over
Whoever can come assemble there
Weighty decisions had to be taken

The Realization

Nanasaheb's State:

Shocked beyond belief
Realized he was underestimating the situation
Now has to come up with course of action
Counter the news from north

What Changed:

So far = underestimating
Now = time for action

Key Players

Name	Role	Action/Status
Sadashiv Rao Bhau	Southern commander	Survived assassination, led campaign, impressed by artillery
Ibrahim Khan Gardi	Artillery chief	1,000 musketeers, impressed Bhau with performance
Muzaffar Khan	Former artillery chief	Ordered assassination of Bhau, hanged
Haider Khan	Assassin	Muzaffar's son-in-law, executed
Nizam Ali	Hyderabad ruler	Defeated, lost half kingdom
Salavat Jung	Nizam's brother	Fought alongside Nizam Ali
Raghunath Rao	Veteran commander	Cousin of Nanasaheb, prominent in victory
Vishwas Rao	Peshwa's son	19 years old, gaining prominence
Nanasaheb Peshwa	Peshwa	At zenith, now facing crisis
Balwant Rao Mehendale	Commander	Marched to Udgir
Visaji Krishna Bini Wale	Commander	Marched to Udgir
Gopal Rao Patwardhan	Commander	Marched to Udgir

Timeline

Date	Event
Oct 28, 1759	Assassination attempt on Bhau at Wano-ri
Oct 29, 1759	Trial - Muzaffar Khan hanged, Haider executed
Nov 1759	Crucial month - multiple crises
Nov 9, 1759	Marathas take Fort of Ahmadnagar
Nov 1759	Ibrahim Khan Gardi joins with 1,000 soldiers
Dec 16, 1759	Bhau reports recovery from injury
Jan 19-20, 1760	Major battle against Nizam
Feb 3, 1760	Nizam capitulates at Ausa
Feb 3-11, 1760	Celebration in Maratha camp (8 days)
Feb 13, 1760	Disturbing news from north arrives
Feb 1760	Emergency meeting summoned at Pathdur

Critical Insights

The Assassination as Nizam's Desperation

Why It Matters:

Nizam so threatened by Bhau
Willing to assassinate through proxy
Shows how dangerous Bhau was
But also shows Nizam's weakness

The Betrayal:

Muzaffar Khan takes the fall
Nizam throws him under bus
Even though Nizam ordered it
Classic political murder

The Hollow Square Tactic

European Warfare:

Nizam using European tactics
Learned from colonial powers
Square formation with artillery
Very effective defensive formation

Why It Worked (Temporarily):

Protected retreat
Artillery covering all sides
Moving fortress essentially
Prevented Maratha cavalry charges

Why It Failed:

Marathas had better artillery (Ibrahim Khan)
Could break the formation
Bhau attacked weak part
Cut off supplies
40 miles from safety = too far

The Artillery Awakening

Bhau's Revelation:

First commander to fully understand
Artillery = future of warfare
Ahead of his time
Saw it in actual practice
Completely convinced

The Problem:

Other chiefs not convinced
This will cause issues later
Cultural resistance to new warfare
Glory-seeking vs. tactical advantage
Indiscipline will be fatal

The Irony:

Bhau learned lesson perfectly
But army won't follow his vision
He'll have the artillery
But won't be able to use it properly
Because of cavalry indiscipline

The Two-Front War

November 1759 Reality:

North: Abdali threatening Dattaji
South: Nizam campaign
Army stretched breath in on two ends

The Danger:

Can't focus full strength anywhere
Resources divided
If one front collapses, other threatened
This is unsustainable

The Zenith Before the Fall

The Peak:

Nana Saheb at zenith of power
Kingdom most powerful
No parallel in India
Just defeated Nizam
Took half his kingdom
National pride

The Timing:

"At the zenith of his power, Nana Saheb Peshwa was faced with a crisis of massive proportions."

The Pattern:

Classic hubris before nemesis
Highest point = moment before fall
Celebrating victory
While disaster brewing in north
8 days of celebration
Then the bad news

The February 13 News

What Must Have Happened:

Dattaji's death (January 10)
News takes ~1 month to reach Pune
Arrives February 13
During celebration
Ends celebration immediately

The Impact:

Nanasaheb shocked beyond belief
Realized underestimating situation
Everything changes
Must respond comprehensively
No more half-measures

The Geographic Nightmare

The Problem:

1,000 miles between Pune and Dattaji's position
2 weeks for any message
Can't coordinate
Can't respond quickly
Fog of war literal

The Result:

By time they know = too late
Dattaji already dead
Army already routed
Can only react, not prevent

Bhau's Character Revealed

The Recovery:

Stabbed in back
Still recovering in December
Can't do push-ups
Wound causing aches

The Determination:

Still leads campaign
Still fights
Still wins
Toughness

The Intelligence:

Only one who understood artillery
Ahead of his time
Strategic thinker
But also hot-tempered (foreshadowed earlier)

What's Coming

The Setup:

Bhau impressed by artillery
Other chiefs not convinced
Nanasaheb shocked by northern disaster
Calls meeting at Pathdur
Must decide response to Abdali
Someone must go north
Comprehensively, not half-measures

The Question:

Who will lead the campaign?
Raghunath Rao? (experienced but financially risky)
Sadashiv Rao Bhau? (just proved himself, understands artillery)
Someone else?

The Foreshadowing:

Bhau understands artillery importance
But other chiefs don't
This gap in understanding will matter
Cavalry indiscipline will persist
Bhau hot-tempered (problem in politics)
Doesn't know northern politics

October 1759 - February 1760: Bhau survives a knife in the back. Muzaffar Khan doesn't. The Nizam tries the European hollow square formation, but Ibrahim Khan's French cannons tear it apart. Bhau watches and learns: artillery is the future. The other chiefs watch and don't learn. Half the Nizam's kingdom falls. The Marathas celebrate for eight days. On day nine, a messenger arrives from the north. Dattaji is dead. The celebration ends. Nanasaheb, at the absolute zenith of his power, realizes he's been underestimating everything. He calls everyone to Pathdur. Someone has to go north. Someone has to face Abdali. Comprehensively. No more half-measures. The question is: who? And the answer will determine everything that follows.