Bhau's Boat Bridge Plan & The Unfair Blame (April-June 1760)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

The Boat Bridge Strategy

The Order to Govindapant:

"Find out how you can build a bridge out of boats."

Why:

• Bhau's army traveling to Doab
• Must cross Yamuna river
• To meet Suja-ud-Daula
• Fight Abdali in the Doab

The Timing Problem:

• Left Patadur March 14, 1760
• Takes 2-3 months to reach Yamuna
• By then: Monsoon starts (June-July)
• River will be full
• Must prepare bridge in advance

Why the Whole Army Had to Move

The Threat:

"Abdali was waiting in the north. He was actually in Doab himself. So that would just be an opportunity for him to strike."

The Lesson:

• Learned from Taji Shinde's fate
• Learned from Holkar's defeats
• Can't risk small contingent
• Must be properly protected

Abdali's Timing Advantage

The Critical Detail:

"Before Sadashiv Rao Bhau was chosen as leader, Abdali was already in Anupshahar."

Anupshahar:

• In the Doab itself
• In Suja's territory
• Abdali camped there before Bhau even selected

The Sequence:

1. Abdali arrives → camps in Suja's land
2. Taji dies → news reaches Pune
3. Meeting at Udgir → Bhau chosen
4. Result: Abdali has huge head start

The Unfair Blame on Bhau

Why He Gets Blamed:

"Sadashiv Rao Bhau is blamed for the fall of Panipat battle."

• 100,000+ killed
• Prestige lost
• Enormous damage

Why It's Unfair:

"That was not entirely his fault. Over the years, Shinde and Holkar armies had created that environment."

What They Created:

• Harassed Rajputs constantly
• Harassed Suraj Mal Jat
• Only wanted tributes, money
• Made natural allies into enemies

Bhau's Innocence:

• Had nothing to do with it
• First time crossing Narmada
• First time in north
• Inheriting the whole mess
• Politics of north already poisoned

Bajirao I: The Strategic Genius

Why Shahu Chose Him:

"Shinde and Holkar were good fighters. But they had no brains."

Their Mistakes:

• Only looked at tactical advantages
• Harassed Rajasthan princes for money
• Made them mad
• Lost natural allies

Bajirao I's Difference:

• Not just fighter - had brains
• Great warrior AND great statesman
• Strategic thinker

His Principle:

"You cannot make enemies out of our natural allies."

The Tree Analogy

Shahu's Test:

• "Who is biggest enemy of Marathas?"
• "How would you deal with Mughals?"

Bajirao's Answer:

"You can go after branches of big tree. But if you cut the trunk, entire tree comes down. You don't have to go after each and every branch."

The Strategy:

• Trunk = Mughal Empire
• Branches = Small kingdoms they spawned
• Go after the trunk, not branches
• Strategic over tactical thinking

Why This Mattered:

• Shahu chose 19-year-old Bajirao
• Over experienced commanders
• Because he had strategic vision
• "That turned out to be correct decision"

Bhau's Reconciliation Attempts

Messengers Sent (Late April 1760):

• To Madhav Singh of Jaipur
• To Vijay Singh of Jodhpur

What He Asked:

1. Send troops
2. Send funds
3. Send supplies

His Pitch:

"We are all Indians. We live in India. Abdali is outright foreigner and has no business here. We should all be on same side."

The Vision:

• Unite all Indian powers
• Fight foreign army together
• Even tried to include Rohilas
• But difficult to convince after years of harassment

Why Govindapant Failed

The Assignment:

• Build bridge out of boats
• Meet Suja-ud-Daula
• Convince him to join

Why It Failed:

"Could not accomplish the task given to him."

The Problems:

1. Couldn't reach Suja to convince
2. Couldn't build bridge across Yamuna

Why:

• Abdali's forces lurking around Itawa
• 10,000-20,000 Afghan soldiers moving
• Govindapant only had 4,000-5,000 soldiers
• Didn't want to start skirmish (would lose)
• Bridge takes weeks to build
• Too vulnerable during construction

Key Figures

Major Themes

1. The Inherited Mess

Bhau inherits years of bad diplomacy. Rajputs angry, Suraj Mal angry, natural allies driven away.

2. Strategic vs Tactical

Bajirao I understood strategy (trunk). Shinde/Holkar only understood tactics (grab money now).

3. Politics > Military

"Politics is biggest part of battle. Physical battle is just fighting in different way to resolve differences."

4. Timing is Everything

Abdali in Anupshahar before Bhau even chosen. Head start is massive.

5. The Bridge Problem

Can't build bridge with enemy around. Maratha weakness at river crossings apparent.

Geographic Context

• Anupshahar: In Doab, Suja's territory, where Abdali camped
• Itawa: Only Maratha-held city in Doab, surrounded by Afghan forces
• Yamuna: Major river crossing needed

Where we left off: Bhau trying to undo years of damage. Sent messengers to Rajputs. Ordered bridge built. But Govindapant can't accomplish either - Afghan forces everywhere. Abdali already in position. Bhau still hundreds of miles away. The political damage may be irreversible.

"If only Bajirao had no brains" successors. Now Bhau, capable but inexperienced in north, inherits their mess. Trying to fix it, but Abdali's timing advantage and river-crossing weakness may prove fatal.