The Strategic Split: Bhau vs Holkar & The Caste Insult (June 1760)

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

Bhau's Financial Crisis: The Letter to Pune

June 26, 1760

Who He Wrote To:

• Nanasaheb Peshwa (through Nana Fadnavis)
• Nana Fadnavis = clerk/administrator, handled correspondence

The Main Message:

"We are planning to destroy or get rid of the enemy (Abdali's force). And when that happens, everything will be set right."

The Revenue Problem

The Strategy

What Bhau Was Doing:

"Wherever we go, we try to get revenue from that area so that we are not putting too much strain on the treasury."

The System:

• Move through territory
• Extract tributes
• Get revenue from local areas
• "Taking care of our expenses as much as possible"

The Leadership Vacuum: Dattaji's Death

The Crisis

What Happened After Dattaji Fell:

"Since Dattaji Shinde has fallen, there are a lot of conflicts happening within our camp."

Why This Mattered:

• Dattaji = handled the northern front for Marathas
• Since he's dead = no clear leadership
• Conflicts between different commanders
• "It's becoming difficult to manage"

The Strife:

• Internal disputes
• Power struggles
• Chain of command unclear
• Unity fractured

The Revenue Ultimatum

Until Dasara (Festival Date)

The Question:

"Where would I get our revenues to support our force?"

The Order:

• Send letters to Mamlidars (revenue officers in different areas)
• They should provide enough revenue to support the army
• "This is a little bit older Marathi" (hard to translate precisely)

The Moral Dilemma: Looting vs. Reputation

The Conflict

The Option:

"We could rob and put pressure on the locals to get our money or revenues, but that will not look good."

The Concern:

• If they harass local people
• If they pressure local societies
• If they pressure local kingdoms
• "We will not be perceived nicely"

The Reputation Problem:

"We won't look like the good guys."

The Grim Reality

The Conclusion:

"But we don't have any alternative. That's why I have written this letter."

What This Means:

• Will have to loot
• Will have to pressure locals
• "Wherever we go, we have to get money"
• Only way = force locals to pay up
• Not stealing, but forced extraction

The Letter's Purpose:

• Asking for alternative revenue sources
• But if none = will loot anyway
• Just giving Peshwa a heads-up

Suraj Mal Jat Joins the Cause

The Meeting

What Happened:

• Suraj Mal Jat came to see Bhau
• Showed willingness to join Maratha camp
• Against Abdali's forces

The Welcome:

"Bhau went out of his camp to welcome Suraj Mal Jat into their midst."

• Big ceremonial greeting
• Sign of respect
• Important alliance

The Unlikely Alliance: Former Enemies Unite

The Reconciliation

The History:

"Once upon a time, Suraj Mal Jat and Imad-ul-Mulk were enemies."

Now:

• They've come together
• Joined Maratha force
• United against Abdali

Why:

"Abdali was such a force that people knew they cannot stay on the fence unless they have a reason to be."

The Calculation:

• Both knew they had to pick a side
• Staying neutral = getting destroyed by Abdali
• Maratha side suited them better
• Former enemies = now allies

Holkar's Hospitality: Three Months at Bharatpur

Where They Stayed

The Arrangement:

"For the last three months, Holkar and his army had taken the hospitality of Suraj Mal Jat at Bharatpur."

What "Hospitality" Meant:

• 15,000-20,000 soldiers had to be fed
• Had to be given salary
• Had to be protected (from Abdali's vicious forces)
• Bharatpur = well within Suraj Mal Jat's territory

The Demoralized Northern Forces

Why They Were Hiding

The Situation:

• Holkar's force lost morale
• Shinde's force lost morale
• "Both armies were beaten by Abdali forces"

What They Were Doing:

• Staying away from Abdali's wrath
• Doing surgical strikes here and there
• But not dealing with them face-to-face
• "Not going toe-to-toe"

Why:

"They had seen the power of Abdali's force."

The Strategy:

• Saving their strength
• Waiting for Bhau to arrive
• Preserving forces
• Playing it safe

Suraj Mal: The Political Expert

Why He Was Valuable

His Background:

• Friends with Shuja-ud-Daula from way back
• "Friends for some long time"

His Knowledge:

"Suraj Mal was very well versed in the conspiracies and politics of the North."

Why This Mattered:

• He was at stone's throw from Delhi
• More or less around Agra
• Agra = not far from Delhi
• Understood who was on whose side
• Knew all the conspiracy and intrigue

For Bhau:

• "He was very important"
• Could understand what's going on
• Could help form strategies
• Insider knowledge of northern politics

The War Council: First Meeting Goes Badly

The Setup

When It Happened:

"On this occasion, the discussion about the war took place on the first day of the meeting."

Who Was There:

• Suraj Mal Jat
• Holkar
• Shinde
• Bhau

The Significance:

"Main players from the Maratha side had gotten together."

The Purpose:

• Figure out how to counter Abdali's force
• Coordinate strategy
• Unite the different factions

The Disagreement Emerges

The Problem

What Happened:

"When these meetings were taking place for the first time, there was some disagreements coming to the surface between the main players."

The Core Issue:

• Not on the same page
• Different views on how to fight
• "Disagreements about how to go to battle with Abdali and how to defeat his force"

The Old Guard Position: Surgical Strikes

Holkar & Suraj Mal's View

Their Strategy:

"We should not have a frontal battle with Abdali. We should apply pressure on him by doing various surgical strikes and bringing him to his knees."

What This Means:

• No frontal confrontation
• Hit-and-run tactics
• Surgical strikes (Shivaji style)
• Wear them down
• Make enemy "dilapidated and losing morale"

The Philosophy:

"Hack away at their ankles."

The Tradition:

"So far, Maratha forces had never done frontal warfare."

When Did Marathas Do Frontal Battles?

The Exceptions

Who Did Frontal Battles:

• Shinde forces
• Malhar Rao Holkar forces

Against Whom:

• Weaker enemies only
• Rajputs
• Suraj Mal Jat (in the past)
• Small players
• Rohillas

Against Nizam:

• Yes, they did frontal battle
• In the south (Bhau's experience)
• With heavy artillery (Udgir)

But:

"This was a different matter. This is a whole different ballgame and scale and enemy as well."

The Experience Gap

Who Knew Abdali?

Bhau's Inexperience:

"Bhau had not had any experience of dealing with Abdali's force."

Holkar & Shinde's Experience:

"Malhar Rao Holkar and Shinde army, they had dealt with these guys and they knew how ferocious these people were."

The Knowledge:

• They knew firsthand
• "Not any standard army"
• This was a different animal
• More dangerous than anyone else

Their Advice:

"Instead of frontal attack and frontal battle, let's do a variety of peripheral surgical strikes and bring them to their knees."

Bhau's Counter-Argument: The Artillery Solution

Why He Disagreed

His Belief:

"Bhau came to believe in the long-distance artillery."

His Experience:

• Used it against the Nizam
• "With a lot of deadly force"
• Saw how effective it was

His Strategy:

"I know how to deal with it and let's not worry about surgical strikes because it will take time."

The Problem with Surgical Strikes:

• "We will have to do a cat and mouse game"
• Takes too long
• Abdali might leave
• Not decisive

His Preference:

"Instead, I believe we should go to battle, just frontal battle."

Holkar's Specific Advice: Store the Guns

The Old Timer's Wisdom

Who Holkar Was:

• "An old timer"
• "A little older man also"
• Never done frontal battles
• Didn't believe in them

His Recommendation:

"Keep the heavy guns in the Gwalior fort along with some other heavy artillery, heavy pieces, elephants and stuff."

Why:

• They'll be safe at Gwalior
• Fort can protect them
• Gwalior = to the south (behind them)
• Fort already there

What to Bring Instead:

• Take the cavalry force
• "Quick moving"
• Use them for surgical strikes
• Do Gherao (surrounding) tactics

What to Leave Behind:

• Cannons (too slow, too vulnerable)
• Ibrahim Khan Gardi's 10,000 musketeer force
• Heavy artillery
• Elephants

His Reasoning:

"Holkar did not believe in it. He said just keep them there and let them not get into the battle. We don't need them."

Holkar's Expertise: Master of Cavalry

His Style

What He Was Good At:

"Malhar Rao Holkar was expert in using the cavalry force in a very effective manner and quick movements."

His Teacher:

• Previous mentor = Bajirao I
• Learned cavalry tactics from the master
• Hit-and-run, quick strikes

His Objection:

"This is not the way we fight battles in the north, because it's all flatland and it's not going to be good for us."

His Inexperience:

• Never seen big cannons in action
• "He has never been confronted with big guns"
• No evidence for himself that they work
• Can't believe in them

The Fundamental Divide

Two Philosophies Clash

Bhau's View:

• From the south
• Came with intention of frontal battle
• Big guns are the key
• Long-distance French cannons
• Ibrahim Khan's training and technology
• "Deep trust" in this approach

Holkar's View:

• Northern warfare expert
• Not comfortable with cannon strategy
• Flatland = different tactics needed
• Never seen it work
• Doesn't sit right with him

The Caste Weapon: Bhau's Arrogance

The Insult

What Bhau Said:

"I will not listen to a Zamindar (landowner) and a shepherder."

What This Meant:

• Zamindar = just a landowner (Suraj Mal Jat)
• Shepherder = shepherd boy with few hundred sheep

The Aurangzeb Echo:

• Aurangzeb used to call Shivaji "Zamindar"
• Dismissive term
• Means: you're just a local nobody

About Holkar Specifically:

"He's a shepherd man, you know, who has this few sheep, like few hundred sheep in charge of him."

Why This Was Devastating:

• Holkar came from a caste that looked after sheep
• Not warrior caste
• Not Brahmin caste
• Lower caste

The Brahmin Superiority

The Caste Hierarchy

Bhau's Status:

• Brahmin = high caste
• "Superior, so-called superior caste"
• Intellectual class
• Religious authority

Holkar's Status:

• Shepherd caste
• Lower caste
• "Lowly caste, you know, shepherd boy type"

Why Bhau Weaponized This:

"He basically is looking down upon him as someone who doesn't understand the art of warfare as much as he does."

The Dismissal:

• You're not educated enough
• You're not smart enough
• You're not high-born enough
• I won't listen to you

The Reaction: Holkar's Fury

Who Was Insulted

Malhar Rao:

• Took it as an insult
• Deeply offended

Suraj Mal Jat:

• Also insulted (called "Zamindar")
• Also offended

Holkar's Reported Response

What He Said:

"This arrogant Brahmin is going to learn some, learn it the hard way. And that is only right."

The Translation:

• You're going to get what's coming to you
• You deserve to fail
• Reality will humble you
• And I'm not going to help you

The Resentment:

• Not just tactical disagreement anymore
• Now it's personal
• Now it's about respect
• Now it's about caste hierarchy

Key Players

Timeline

Strategic Disagreements Matrix

On Tactics

Critical Insights

1. The Financial Strain

The Reality:

• Army is expensive
• No reliable revenue source
• Must loot or get local revenue
• But looting = bad reputation
• Catch-22 situation

The Scale:

• Need revenue until Dasara (festival months away)
• Massive army to feed and pay
• No treasury support from Pune
• Living off the land

2. The Leadership Vacuum

Dattaji's Death:

• Created power struggle
• Multiple commanders, no clear leader
• Conflicts within camp
• Unity breaking down

The Problem:

• Who's in charge in the north?
• Bhau is coming but not there yet
• Holkar? Shinde? Suraj Mal?
• Confusion and strife

3. The Experience vs. Confidence Divide

Holkar & Shinde:

• Fought Abdali's forces
• Got beaten
• Scared of them
• Know how dangerous they are
• Want caution

Bhau:

• Never fought Abdali
• Confident in artillery
• Saw it work against Nizam
• Doesn't understand the fear
• Thinks northern generals are cowards

4. The Philosophical Split

Two Ways of War:

• Shivaji's doctrine (hit-and-run)
• European doctrine (line battles)

Maratha Identity:

• Built on guerrilla warfare
• Never done massive frontal battles
• This is new and uncomfortable

Bhau's Innovation:

• Trying to modernize
• Adopt European tactics
• Use advanced weapons
• But army not trained for it

5. The Caste Poison

What Should Have Been:

• Tactical disagreement
• Debate the merits
• Find compromise
• Unite for common enemy

What It Became:

• Caste-based insult
• Personal attack
• Resentment and anger
• Division and mistrust

The Consequences:

• Holkar won't forgive this
• Suraj Mal also insulted
• Unity destroyed
• Cooperation impossible

6. The Reputation vs. Survival Trade-off

The Moral Dilemma:

• Need money desperately
• But looting makes you the bad guy
• Can't protect people if you're robbing them
• Can't win war if you're broke

The Choice:

• Loot and lose legitimacy
• Or don't loot and lose the war
• No good options

7. The Old Guard vs. New Guard

Generational Gap:

• Holkar = old school, experienced, cautious
• Bhau = new generation, confident, aggressive
• Neither will listen to the other
• Age and experience dismissed by youth
• Innovation dismissed by tradition

8. The Expertise Paradox

Who Should Lead?

• Holkar has northern experience
• Knows Abdali's capabilities
• But hasn't won against him
• Maybe his caution is why he's still alive?

Bhau's Position:

• Has won battles with artillery
• But never fought Afghans
• Confidence based on different enemy
• Will it translate?

The Warning Signs

Why This Meeting Was Ominous

Red Flags:

1. Financial crisis - looting for revenue
2. Leadership vacuum - Dattaji's death causing conflicts
3. Demoralized forces - Holkar & Shinde beaten, scared
4. Strategic split - fundamental disagreement on tactics
5. Inexperience - Bhau never fought Afghans
6. Arrogance - Bhau dismissing experienced advice
7. Caste insult - personal resentment poisoning cooperation
8. Disunity - everyone pulling different directions

The Pattern:

• Internal division
• External threat (Abdali)
• Financial pressure
• Tactical confusion
• Personal animosity
• Recipe for disaster

The Two Paths Not Taken

Path 1: Holkar's Way

What If They'd Listened:

• Store heavy guns at Gwalior
• Use cavalry for quick strikes
• Avoid frontal battle
• Play to Maratha strengths
• Wear Abdali down over time

Problems:

• Takes months (monsoon already here)
• Abdali might leave
• No decisive victory
• Continued financial drain
• But: might avoid total defeat

Path 2: Compromise

What If They'd United:

• Bhau brings artillery as backup
• Holkar leads cavalry strikes
• Combined strategy
• Use both approaches
• Respect each other's expertise

Why It Didn't Happen:

• Bhau's arrogance
• Caste-based dismissal
• "Won't listen to shepherder"
• Personal insult destroyed trust
• Unity impossible after that

Where We Left Off

The Situation:

• Main commanders finally together
• Immediate strategic disagreement
• Holkar/Suraj Mal: surgical strikes, store the guns
• Bhau: frontal battle, bring the artillery
• Bhau insults Holkar using caste weapon
• "Arrogant Brahmin" vs. "Shepherd boy"
• Holkar furious, resentful
• Unity destroyed before battle even starts

The Question:

• Can they repair this rift?
• Will Holkar cooperate?
• Or has the caste insult doomed them?
• What happens when personal pride meets military necessity?

The war council should have been where they united against Abdali. Instead, it became where Bhau called Holkar a lowly shepherd and destroyed any chance of cooperation. The enemy wasn't just outside the camp anymore - it was inside too. Arrogance, caste prejudice, and clashing egos were about to kill more Marathas than Abdali's guns ever would.