The Peshwa's Desperation: Isolation & Fundraising Through Marriage

Marathi History Book Reading Session Summary

Communication Blackout at Paitan

Location & Timing (December 21, 1760):

• Peshwa reached Paitan/Rakshas Bhuvan (Paitan famous for sarees; Eknaath Maharaj saint from there)
• Stopped near the town, away from main routes
• Had no interest in getting watered down or exposed

Information Vacuum:

• Cut off from news coming from Panipat
• Last letter received: first week of December (written November 14)
• Over a month out of date by December 21
• Afghan interception made message flow nearly impossible
• No recent updates on actual situation at Panipat

The Alarm Begins:

• Peshwa understood two massive armies faced each other at short distance
• With such proximity and no news, logic suggested Maratha side was being shut out
• Bad omens: silence meant either war was happening or communications completely blocked
• Growing worry but no concrete information

Peshwa's Desperate Letter to Baburao Koneer

The Content: Peshwa wrote to Baburao Koneer (in Jhashi, far north):

"Bhau wrote that the two armies are only 5 miles apart with daily skirmishes occurring. Given such large armies in close proximity, why is there such an absence of news? Has war occurred or has peace been negotiated? I don't know which it is."

The Dilemma:

• Armies too close to not be fighting constantly
• But receiving no battle reports or casualty news
• Could mean either outcome (war or peace)
• Complete uncertainty about what's happening

Letters Getting Through (Barely)

Courier Success Rate: Several letters managed to reach Pune despite blockade, dated after November 15:

• November 20 (Barwant Rao)
• November 27
• December 5 (Abdali moved camp—this news got through)
• December 6 (Gopal Ganesh Barve)
• December 23 (Bundele's death, sent by Shinde courtier)
• December 28 (Nana Fardanavis's brother Moroba Hiala wrote from Panipat)

Communication Timeline:

• Each letter took ~3 weeks to arrive
• By the time they reached Pune, events were already outdated
• January 10 or so before some December messages arrived

Example of Courier Risk:

• December 18: Peshwa gave messenger instructions to deliver Delhi messages
• Messenger was caught by Afghan (Pathan)
• Messenger managed to escape with some of the message
• Shows constant danger of interception

Marriage for Funds Strategy

The Desperation:

• Peshwa needed money urgently
• Had no way to raise funds through normal channels
• Identified wealthy merchant/moneylender families

The Plan:

• Interviewed marriage-age girls from wealthy families
• December 9, 12, 15: viewed candidates
• Selected families with liquid money reserves
• Strategy: marry into money-lending families to access their wealth

The Marriage (December 29-31, 1760):

• Married Radha Bai, 9-year-old daughter of wealthy money lender
• Also married off two of his officers to other girls from money-lending families
• Three-day celebration (December 29-31)
• Distributed large donations to needy people (tradition for elite families)
• Showed wealth and morality through charitable giving at weddings

How It Worked:

• When marriages were rejected: still gave gifts to girls (consolation prizes)
• Peshwa's decision was absolute (great honor to marry into Peshwa family)
• Girls and families couldn't refuse without losing face
• Selected families were essentially coerced into financial relationships
• Donations given during wedding celebrations: money flowing back out for show, but family relationships created opportunity for loans

The Distraction:

• While these weddings occurred, emergency situation at Panipat deteriorating
• Peshwa unaware of severity or urgency
• Focused on wedding logistics, traditions, and fundraising
• No reliable news arriving to convey crisis

Journey North Begins

Departure (December 31, 1760):

• Peshwa finally began journey toward north
• Only after wedding obligations completed
• Still sick and uncertain about situation
• Bringing new wife and wedding entourage with him

Why So Late:

• Weddings completed (essential for fund-raising)
• Communications blackout meant he didn't fully understand urgency
• Last letter was a month old—couldn't assess real time severity
• By waiting until December 31, Panipat battle was only 2 weeks away

The Presentation Opportunity

Dad's Suggestion:

• After finishing the book, Rohan should present at Itihas Manch (History Forum)
• Create 25-30 PowerPoint slides
• Present in English with Western perspective
• Dad will help coordinate with Chetan

Why This Matters:

• Third Battle of Panipat is culturally significant to Maharashtrians
• Near-universal emotional response to mention of Panipat
• Verbal expression: "That's Panipat" (idiom meaning catastrophe)
• 1760 (Satrashesat) is landmark year in collective memory
• Presentation would attract significant audience and discussion

Geographic Context

Paitan: Northern Deccan town, famous for Paitan sarees (traditional textile), birthplace of saint Eknaath Maharaj

Rakshas Bhuvan: Town near Paitan (Bhuvan = house, so "Demon's House")

Jhashi: Far north, indicating how spread out Maratha communication networks were

Timeline

Key Insights

Communication as Strategic Weapon: Abdali's blockade wasn't just physical—it was informational. By cutting off messages, he kept Peshwa ignorant of the urgency. The Peshwa couldn't react to a crisis he didn't know existed.

Forced Marriage as Financing: In desperation, Peshwa weaponized marriage customs. What should be a ceremony of love became a coercive financial transaction. The weddings were theater for extracting wealth.

The Distraction Problem: Peshwa was genuinely trying to help Bhau but was pulled in multiple directions. Wedding obligations, fundraising, southern defense, illness—all prevented focused attention on northern crisis.

Too Little, Too Late: Even after starting December 31, Peshwa wouldn't reach Panipat before January 14 battle. The months of delay (Nizam's obstruction, fundraising, weddings) meant he couldn't possibly arrive in time.

Elite Traditions as Liability: Wedding donations and ceremonies had to happen because refusal would damage Peshwa's reputation. Even in crisis, maintaining elite status required ritual expenditure.

Where We Left Off: Peshwa is finally on his way north (December 31) with new wife and wedding entourage. But it's too late—Panipat battle is 2 weeks away. Communication blackout has kept him ignorant of how dire the situation is. Bhau will fight Abdali without reinforcements. The empire's center has been too distracted to help its armies in the field.

The Peshwa tried everything: letters to the Nizam (who ignored him), loans (which he couldn't repay), and finally marriage (which bought him a few lakh rupees). But none of it mattered because he was always one month behind reality. By the time a message arrived telling him things were desperate, the crisis had already evolved past desperation into catastrophe. And he was still in Paitan, marrying a nine-year-old girl while his armies starved at Panipat.