The Delhi Conquest & The Three-Way Power Struggle

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

Nana Purandare's Opening Statement

The Historical Record:

• Nana Purandare was a key contemporary chronicler
• Made a statement assessing the situation before major battle
• Key observations:
  • Marathas took Delhi and its riches
  • Abdali moved his horses across Yamuna
  • Yamuna is bottomless/not shallow (payab nahi) = impassable
  • Chances for battle are increasing
  • Peace only comes when you totally destroy the enemy

The Prophecy:

• Understood that this was heading toward decisive confrontation
• Neither side could back down without losing face
• Victory would require complete annihilation of opposition

The Red Fort Siege: Three Days to Conquest

The Advanced Force:

• Bahu sent advance detachments before arriving himself
• They breached Asad Burj (tower/section) where defenses were weak
• Witthal Shivadev (prominent Maratha commander) led penetration
• His soldiers entered and began looting inside

The Defense Collapses:

• Yakub Khan defended the fort for only 10 days
• When looting started inside, defenders panicked and fired
• Killed many Marathas but couldn't stop the assault
• Main gate stayed locked—full Maratha army couldn't get in easily

Bahu Arrives July 29:

• Advanced forces made progress but weren't enough alone
• Took 3 days of active battle after Bahu's arrival to finish
• Full conquest achieved by early August

The Artillery Breakthrough:

• Ibrahim Khan Gardi deployed cannons
• Focused on outer lookout points (burus)
• Bombarded buildings and structures inside
• Created havoc but forced surrender rather than destruction

The Surrender Negotiation

Yakub Khan's Predicament:

• Was hoping Abdali's forces would rescue him
• Realized rescue wasn't coming
• Called for negotiations

His Demand:

• Wanted safe passage for his soldiers to leave fort
• Wanted: "Let my forces exit with safety and security"
• Basically a right of escape/safe corridor

What He Got:

• Bahu granted safe passage
• Yakub Khan left the fort with his men on Ashawin Miralia (date in text)
• Fort surrendered without complete destruction

The Three-Way Fight for Delhi Control

Immediately After Surrender:

Imad-ul-Mulk's Demand:

• Wanted complete control of the Red Fort itself
• Wanted reinstatement as Wazir (Prime Minister) of Mughal Empire
• Had fled earlier after blinding/killing the emperor
• Wanted to use Maratha victory to reclaim his old position

Suraj Mal Jat's Demand:

• Wanted control of entire Delhi town (not just fort)
• Wanted to be political kingmaker/power broker in Delhi
• Had ambition of sitting on throne himself (or having surrogate there)
• Represented Jat interests in north India

Bahu's Position:

• Refused both demands
• Wouldn't give Imad control of fort (didn't trust him)
• Wouldn't give Suraj Mal control of Delhi (not acceptable to Marathas)
• Basically said: "This doesn't fit our plan"

The Bribe & The Backroom Deal

The Kumbher Incident:

• Shinde Horkar managers took bribes from Imad
• Amount: 1-1.5 lakhs (large sum)
• In exchange: Promised Imad the Wazir position
• This was done at Kumbher

The Problem:

• Bahu's refusal to accept Imad destroyed the deal
• Managers who took bribes now faced angry creditor (Imad)
• Promised something (Wazir position) they couldn't deliver
• Created enemies among Maratha officers

The Agra Exchange Scheme

The 1752 Contract Background:

• Marathas had contract with Mughal emperor
• Controlled Agra and Ajmer districts for tax collection
• Revenue source for Maratha war effort

Suraj Mal's Proposal to Imad:

• "Give me Agra's tax rights"
• "I'll give you Delhi fort + Wazir position"
• Basically: Remove Marathas from Agra, put Jat in control
• Would have been major wealth transfer to Suraj Mal

Why Bahu Blocked It:

• Couldn't afford to lose Agra revenue
• Would cripple Maratha finances
• Suraj Mal would benefit at Maratha expense
• All three parties (Imad, Suraj Mal, Gangadhar/Ramaji) were trying to exploit the situation

The Rohila-Jat Connection: Hafiz Rehmat Khan

The Outside Pressure:

• Hafiz Rehmat Khan (Rohila commander) visited Suraj Mal
• Suggested Marathas shouldn't cross Chambar River (boundary)
• Meant: "Keep out of the north"

The Strategy:

• Hafiz Rehmat is a Rohila (Afghan-origin)
• Different from Najib Khan (they have Afghan affinity but no camaraderie)
• His pitch to Suraj Mal: "We're all northerners"
• "Why welcome Marathas? They'll usurp power forever and make us servants"
• Proposed: "Let's ensure they don't come north"

Suraj Mal's Interest:

• Agreed with Hafiz's logic
• Wanted to be king or kingmaker in Delhi
• Threatened by Maratha dominance
• Preferred Afghan competition to Maratha occupation

The Conspiracy Logic:

• All three (Imad, Suraj Mal, Hafiz) saw Marathas as threat
• Each had own ambition for Delhi
• Better to keep Marathas out than submit to them
• Planned to exploit Maratha military power, then eject them

Bahu's Response: The September 27 Letter

What Bahu Wrote:

• Refused to hand over fort to Imad (coward who abandoned fort twice)
• Yakub Khan demanded guarantees from Shinde, Holkar, Jat, and Imad before surrendering
• Bahu offered: Safe passage from him + two chiefs, or else attack continues
• Refused to give Imad any guarantee (didn't trust him)

The Implication:

• Bahu understood the corruption (bribes to managers)
• Knew Imad was unreliable (had fled before)
• Wasn't going to let this opportunity be exploited
• Took direct control of fort himself

The Power Vacuum Problem

What Bahu Did:

• Took control of Delhi fort
• Gave administrative control to: Suraj Mal, Imad-ul-Mulk, Gangadhar Tatya, Ramaji Anant
• This was supposed to be temporary/administrative

What Started Happening:

• Inter-rivalry between the factions developed
• Each trying to strengthen own position
• Each trying to exploit victory for own gain
• Bahu soon discovered the machinations

The Exploitation Plan

How They Saw It:

• Suraj Mal, Imad, and others needed Maratha military power
• Couldn't break Red Fort without Ibrahim Khan's cannons
• Used Marathas to achieve military objective
• Then planned to exploit victory for own political gain

Their Logic:

• "Use Maratha artillery to win"
• "Then renegotiate terms"
• "Remove them from power structure"
• "Install ourselves"

Bahu's Rejection:

• Said clearly: "This is not going to work"
• "This is not going to fly"
• "You're trying to play me for a fool"
• "I didn't come here to be exploited"

The Inter-Maratha Tension

The Shinde-Holkar Complication:

• Shinde Horkar managers took Imad's bribes
• Created obligation to support Imad
• But Bahu's guru (Ramchandra Pant) was anti-Holkar
• Shinde clan was more loyal to Peshwa
• These internal Maratha divisions weakened negotiating position

Timeline

Key Insights

The Military Reality:

• Marathas had military power (artillery, organization)
• Others had local knowledge, legitimacy, resources
• All needed each other but wanted to exploit

The Trust Problem:

• Imad was untrustworthy (had fled, had blinded emperor)
• Suraj Mal was ambitious (wanted whole Delhi)
• Managers were corruptible (took bribes)
• Bahu was isolated (couldn't trust any of them fully)

The Delhi Trap:

• Military victory ≠ Political victory
• Could take fort but couldn't hold it politically
• Every local player wanted to exploit the situation
• Bahu had to prevent others from using Maratha power against Marathas

The Northern Politics:

• Everything was negotiable except power itself
• Everyone willing to take bribes
• Everyone claiming legitimacy (Mughal, Jat, Afghan)
• No shared vision of what Delhi should be

The Central Paradox

Bahu's Victory:

• Conquered Delhi fort (military success)
• Prevented exploitation (political success)
• But created enemies (Imad, Suraj Mal, potentially Hafiz Rehmat)
• Left himself managing hostile city with unstable allies

The Cost:

• Couldn't trust local allies
• Couldn't depend on promises
• Had to maintain direct control (resource-intensive)
• Created rivals who would later undermine him

Where We Left Off: Bahu has secured Delhi militarily but failed to secure a stable political settlement. Every local actor (Imad, Suraj Mal, Hafiz Rehmat) sees Marathas as exploitable or threatening. The fort is under Maratha guns but the city remains politically fragmented. Bahu suspects conspiracy between Hafiz Rehmat, Suraj Mal, and others to eventually eject Marathas from north. Trust has collapsed and he's about to face Abdali while managing a hostile Delhi.

Bahu won the battle for Delhi but was losing the battle for Delhi. Conquest was easy—the cannons did that. But keeping what he conquered while preventing others from using his own power against him? That was the real war. And he was fighting it alone, without trustworthy allies. That's when you know victory is hollow.