Battle of Khadki
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The Battle of Khadki (Kirkee) took place on November 5, 1817 between the forces of the English East India Company and those of Bajirao II the Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. The battle took place after 4 o'clock that afternoon.
A detachment commanded by Lt. Col. Burr advanced from near the village of Khadki near Pune in a southwestern direction. It swung a little to the right to meet up with a battalion under Captain Ford arriving south from Dapodi via Bopodi (near the confluence of Pavana and the Mutha rivers). The battalion threw back its right wing and repulsed the Peshwa forces somewhere in the eastern part of the current University of Pune campus. It is conjectured that this event took place by a brook (probably the brook running behind the garden along the road by the Ladies Hostel) from accounts of one Mr. Jadhavrao of Malagaon who had visited the Governor's residence(currently Main Building) in the 1860s or 1870s. This gentleman had taken part in the battle and recounted its incidents while visiting the Governor. Ford's battalion linked up with Burr's forces at a place probably near the point where the current Mutha right bank canal crosses from Agricultural College into Khadki Cantonment. The Jaree-pat (Peshwa's flag) also refers to the detachment which carried it. The Jaree-pat charged the 7th Bombay Native Infantry somewhere near the present Range Hills colony from the north west part of the Agricultural College Campus as did the Peshwa horse which is known to have floundered on account of an unknown morass. The Khadki Cantonment boundary turns North suddenly as one goes further westward. This is probably where the Infantry was actually attacked. The University has an internal road running from the main gate to the Main Building. It looks very similar in shape to the formation of the Peshwa's troops present in that area. This is perhaps not a coincidence given that the troops had taken position there. Moropant Dixit, Peshwa's commander was killed somewhere near this formation. The Peshwa's cavalry, its charge broken then made its way up North probably via the current day University campus towards Khadki where it was repulsed by guns. It is known that a battery existed at the site of the current day Queen Mary Technical Institute and it is likely that the guns were those. However, by local knowledge, the battery at the Institute was supposed to have been the Peshwa's. This matter has not been resolved. A Portuguese battalion commanded by one F. Pinto took part in the battle against the East India Company. The church in Wakdewadi associated with "Father Pinto" was constructed after this action at Khadki.
The battle marked the end of the Maratha polity. A few battles were fought in sequel against the Bhosale faction at Sitabardi in Nagpur and against the Pindaris. But the Peshwa, the executive of the Maratha Confederacy was militarily defeated in the Battle of Khadki. Another brief skirmish occurred after 5 November at Yerawda following which the Peshwa fled Pune. The East India Company took over the Shaniwar Wada, the seat of the Peshwa on 17 November 1817. By 1818, the Peshwa surrendered to the East India Company.
After the battle, the East India Company troops crossed the river at a place called Yellur point which is still unidentified. It is guessed that the place was probably where the bund of Bund Garden exists today. Also, the morass which played a crucial role in the battle is unidentified as of today. It is expected to have existed in the Range Hills Colony, the Military Station Depot of Khadki or near the Symbiosis Institute of Management or towards College of Agriculture. An account of the battle by Grant Duff is well known to historians. Grant Duff observed the battle from a position on the hills of Bhamburda. This location is likely to have been some place on the hill faces behind the present day Hanuman Nagar or Pandav Nagar.
One can have a good view of most of the battle area while travelling by train between Shivajinagar and Dapodi stations. Important features like Chatushshrungi temple, Range Hills Colony and Agricultural College can be easily seen in one go. One can also view the battlefield from the south-west by climbing atop the hill face above Chatushshrungi temple (footwear is allowed on the steps which take you around and above the shrine onto the narrow paths which lead you further up). This view is the best by far. The Ganeshkhind hillock, University Main Building, Range Hills and Agricultural College are clearly seen in a single view besides other features.
[edit] References
- Memoirs of the operations of the British Army in India during the Mahratta war of 1817,1818 and 1819, London 1821- by Lt. Col. Valentine Blacker.
- J.M.Campbell, Gazeteer of the Bombay Presidency. Vol XVIII Part III Pune District, 1885.
- Pune:Queen of the Deccan - J Diddee and S. Gupta (2000) publ. Elephant Design Pvt. Ltd., Kothrud, Pune, INDIA . ISBN 81-87693-00-2
- There is an account of the battle from the "Peshwyaanchee Bakhar" (the official record of the reign of the Peshwas). It was written in the Modi script (translations are available) and it does not include maps. The fact that the 'Zaree Pat' staff broke prior to the battle has been recorded here, that being perceived as a bad omen. There is also a mention of the morass which obstructed the cavalry charge and that the Peshwa watched the battle unfolding from Parvati Hill with the help of a telescope.
- The morass which caused the Maratha cavalry charge to break is likely to have survived till today. Results of field work being carried out presently will be reported shortly to Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, Pune, India.
