Yashwantrao Holkar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chakrāvarti Yashwant Rao Holkar |
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| 'Maharaja (Ruler of Indore) Ali Jah (the Exalted Dignity) Zubdat ul-Umara (Best of the Army) Bahadur ul-Mulk (Brave of the Empire) Farzand-i-Arjmand (Son of the Nobleman) Nusrat Jang (Helper in War)' |
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 6th Holkar Maharaja of Indore |
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| Reign | (as regent. 1799 – 1807) (r. 1807 - 1811) |
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| Coronation | 6 January 1799 | ||||
| Successor | Malhar Rao Holkar III | ||||
| Born | 3 December 1776 Wafgaon, Maratha Empire (present-day Maharashtra, India) |
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| Died | 28 October 1811 (aged 34) Bhanpura, Malwa, Maratha Confederacy |
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| Spouse | Ladabai , Krishna Bai Holkar, Tulsabai | ||||
| Issue | Bhimabai,Malhar Rao Holkar III. | ||||
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| Marathi | महाराजाधिराज यशवंतराव होळकर | ||||
| Father | Tukoji Rao Holkar | ||||
| Mother | Radhabai Holkar | ||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||
Yashwant Rao Holkar (1776 – 1811), also known as Jaswantrao Holkar, was a powerful ruler from the Holkar family. He was the Maharaja of Indore in the Maratha Confederacy. Yashwant Rao was a brilliant military leader. He was also educated in accounting and could read and write in Persian, Marathi, and Urdu.
On January 6, 1799, Yashwant Rao Holkar became king in a traditional Hindu ceremony. The Mughal Emperor gave him royal titles. Even the British recognized him as a true king.
Contents
Becoming the Ruler
Yashwant Rao Holkar's older brother, Kashirao, was not a strong leader. But his other brother, Malharrao, was very brave and good at leading soldiers. People and soldiers wanted Malharrao to be the next ruler after their father, Tukoji Rao Holkar. Malharrao had shown great courage in the Battle of Lakheri in 1793.
Kashirao felt his power was in danger. So, he asked for help from the Scindia family, who were rivals of the Holkars. On September 14, 1797, Daulat Rao Scindia suddenly attacked and killed Malharrao II. He even imprisoned Malharrao's pregnant wife and daughter.
Yashwantrao Holkar had to hide in Nagpur. But he was arrested on February 20, 1798. Luckily, a friend named Bhawani Shankar Khatri helped him escape on April 6, 1798.
Yashwantrao's Rise to Power
After escaping, Yashwantrao Holkar became very cautious. But more and more people started to support him. Many brave leaders and their armies joined him.
The King of Dhar asked Yashwantrao for help with a rebellion, and Holkar successfully helped him. In December 1798, Yashwantrao Holkar defeated an army and captured Maheshwar. In January 1799, he was crowned King.
Yashwantrao Holkar began expanding his territory to the north. Meanwhile, his brother Vithojirao campaigned in the south. The Peshwa, Bajirao II, ordered Vithojirao's arrest. In April 1801, Vithojirao was captured and tragically sentenced to death by being crushed by an elephant. This made Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar furious, and he swore to get revenge.
Fighting Sindhia and the Peshwa
Because of the unfair things done to his family, Yashwant Rao rebelled against the Peshwa Baji Rao II. The Peshwa was heavily influenced by Daulat Rao Sindhia. Yashwant Rao stayed loyal to the Maratha ruler of Satara, Shahu II.
Battle of Ujjain
On July 4, 1801, Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar attacked Sindhia's capital, Ujjain. He defeated Sindhia's army and took a large sum of money from the city. This was a big defeat for Sindhia.
Battle of Poona
In May 1802, Yashwantrao Holkar marched towards Pune, the capital of the Maratha Empire. He sent messages to the Peshwa, asking for peace if certain things happened:
- Sindhia should release Malharrao's son.
- Malharrao's son, Khanderao, should be recognized as the head of the Holkar family.
- Sindhia should return the Holkar family's lands.
- Holkar should get his fair share of land in North India, as agreed in his grandfather's time.
Yashwantrao conquered many towns and forts on his way to Pune. On October 25, 1802, during the Diwali festival, Yashwantrao Holkar defeated the combined armies of Scindia and the Peshwa near Pune. This battle was called the Battle of Poona. Yashwantrao ordered his army not to attack first. He waited until 25 cannonballs were fired by the enemy. After winning, he told his soldiers not to harm the people of Pune.
When the Peshwa realized he was defeated, he ran away from Pune. Yashwantrao Holkar even sent food to the Peshwa, showing he didn't want him to suffer.
On December 31, 1802, Peshwa Bajirao II signed a treaty with the British. This was the Treaty of Bassein. By signing it, he gave up much of his power to the British. The British then put him back on the throne in Pune.
Controlling Pune
After winning Pune, Yashwantrao Holkar took control of the government. He appointed his own people to run things. He freed important leaders who had been imprisoned by Bajirao II. He then returned to Indore on March 13, 1803.
The British put Bajirao II back as Peshwa on May 13, 1803. But Bajirao II soon realized he was just a puppet ruler. The British were now in charge.
Maratha-British Treaties
Yashwantrao Holkar saw how strong the British were becoming. He decided to fight them. He tried to get other Maratha leaders, like Raghuji Bhonsale and Daulat Scindia, to join him. But his demands were not met.
Daulatrao Scindia secretly wrote to the Peshwa, planning to betray Holkar after defeating the British. This letter was intercepted and given to Yashwantrao Holkar. Realizing the betrayal, Yashwantrao Holkar decided not to join the Maratha alliance.
Other Maratha leaders signed treaties with the British, giving up land and power. For example, Raghuji Bhonsale II signed the Treaty of Deogaon in December 1803. Scindia signed the Treaty of Surji-Anjangaon later that month. The British saw Yashwantrao Holkar as a brave and ambitious leader who needed to be stopped.
Yashwantrao's War with the British
Yashwantrao Holkar wrote letters to many Indian kings. He asked them to unite and fight the British. He said, "First Country, and then Religion. We will have to rise above caste, religion, and our states in the interest of our country. You too must wage a war against the British, like me." But his pleas were ignored. Most kings had already made treaties with the British. So, Yashwant Rao decided to fight alone.
He demanded that the British recognize his right to collect taxes and return his family's lands. He warned them that his army would cause endless trouble if they didn't agree.
Yashwantrao Holkar defeated British armies in several battles. In June 1804, the British Governor-General was very worried. He said that Holkar's victories were a great insult and could endanger British rule in India.
Siege of Delhi
On October 8, 1804, Holkar marched towards Delhi. He wanted to control the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, who was now a puppet of the British. The Siege of Delhi (1804) lasted over a week. But Holkar couldn't win because the Emperor's army helped the British. Holkar changed his plan. The Emperor Shah Alam admired Holkar's bravery and gave him a special title.
March to Deeg and Bharatpur
On November 16, 1804, Yashwantrao Holkar reached Deeg, defeating a British army. The Jat King Ranjit Singh of Bharatpur welcomed him and joined him against the British.
The British attacked Deeg in December 1804. Holkar's army and the Jats fought back successfully. They then moved to Bharatpur. The British attacked Bharatpur on January 3, 1805. The siege lasted three months. It was a very tough fight, and many poems were written praising Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar.
During this time, some of Holkar's allies betrayed him. The British gave them rewards for their disloyalty. Even the Jat King Ranjit Singh signed a treaty with the British in April 1805, which forced Yashwantrao Holkar to leave Bharatpur.
The British failure to capture Bharatpur showed that they were not unbeatable. This worried the British government in England. Lord Wellesley, who had pushed for war, was recalled.
Trying to Unite Indian Kings
Yashwantrao Holkar continued to try and unite the Indian kings against the British. He met with the Satara Chattrapati and Chatarsinh. They decided to work together to remove the British from India. But Daulat Rao Scindia was no longer interested in fighting. He preferred to be friends with the British.
Yashwantrao Holkar sent letters to other kings, asking them to fight. Some, like the King of Jaipur and Bhosale of Nagpur, agreed but didn't offer direct help. The British learned of Holkar's plans and sent their forces to pursue him.
In a letter from February 15, 1806, Yashwantrao wrote:
The Maratha state had been grasped by foreigners. To resist their aggression, God knows, how during the last two and a half years I sacrificed everything, fighting night and day, without a moment’s rest. I paid a visit to Daulatrao Sindia and explained to him how necessary it was for all of us to join in averting foreign domination. But Daulatrao failed me. It was mutual cooperation and goodwill which enabled our ancestors to build up, the Maratha states. But now we have all become self-seekers. You wrote to me that you were coming for my support, but you did not make your promise good. If you had advanced into Bengal as was planned, we could have paralyzed the British Government. It is no use of now talking of past things. When I found myself abandoned on all sides, I accepted the offer which the British agents brought to me and concluded the war.
The British were worried about their continuous failures against Holkar. They feared he might drive them out of India. So, they recalled Lord Wellesley and appointed Lord Cornwallis as the new Governor-General. Cornwallis immediately wanted peace with Holkar. He even offered to return all of Holkar's territory.
Holkar refused to sign any treaty at first. But after Lord Cornwallis's sudden death, George Barlow became Governor-General. Barlow realized that Holkar and Scindia together were too strong. The British signed a treaty with Daulatrao Scindia, leaving Holkar to fight alone.
Yashwantrao Holkar tried to form an alliance with Sikh rulers, but it didn't work out. The British found out about his plans and prevented the Sikh rulers from helping him.
Finally, the British decided to make peace with Yashwant Rao Holkar. They were afraid he might unite all the Indian kings against them.
Holkar-British Treaty
The British government told Lord Lake to make peace with Yashwantrao Holkar at any cost. They feared that if other Indian kings joined Holkar, it could lead to a major British defeat and force them to leave India.
Yashwant Rao Holkar was the only Indian king whom the British approached for a peace treaty on equal terms. This was not a "Subsidiary Alliance" treaty, which usually meant giving up power. Yashwant Rao saw that other kings were not ready to unite. They were only interested in their own benefits from the British.
So, on December 24, 1805, he signed a treaty with the British at Rajghat. The treaty was called 'The Treaty of Peace and Amity between the British Government and Yashwantrao Holkar.' The British recognized him as a sovereign king. They returned all his lands and possessions. They also accepted his rule over Jaipur, Udaipur, Kota, and Bundi. They promised not to interfere in Holkar family matters.
The treaty was officially approved in January 1806. Yashwantrao Holkar had successfully resolved his disputes with Scindia, the Peshwa, and the British. He returned to Indore in triumph, having saved his family's state.
Lord Lake, the British commander, was so upset about abandoning Indian allies that he resigned and returned to England.
Later Years and Legacy
Even after the treaty, Holkar tried again to unite the Maratha Confederacy. He wrote to Daulatrao Scindia. But Scindia told the British about the letter. Holkar and Scindia did agree on some defensive plans in November 1807, but the British again prevented a strong alliance.
Yashwantrao Holkar decided to fight the British alone and drive them out of India. He stayed in Bhanpura to build a large army and make cannons. He successfully kept the British out of his state. He worked day and night, building a factory that produced 200 cannons. He gathered an army of 100,000 soldiers to attack Calcutta.
The stress of this huge effort, along with the deaths of his nephew and Kashirao Holkar, led to his sudden death. He died on October 27, 1811, at the age of 35, likely from high blood pressure and stress.
Yashwantrao Holkar was a brilliant organizer and a master of warfare. He is considered one of the greatest generals in Indian history. His bravery and leadership were so strong that his state remained safe even after his death. He rose to power through his own courage and spirit.
See also
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