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Sadashivrao Bhau | |
|---|---|
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 Amatya of theMaratha Empire | |
| In office 1760 – 14 January 1761 | |
| Monarch | Rajaram II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1730-08-04)4 August 1730 |
| Died | 14 January 1761(1761-01-14) (aged 30) |
| Spouse(s) | Umabai Parvatibai |
| Relations | Baji Rao I (uncle) Vishwasrao (nephew) Madhavrao I (nephew) Narayanrao (nephew) Balaji Baji Rao (cousin) Raghunathrao (cousin) Shamsher Bahadur I (Krishna Rao) (cousin) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent | Chimaji Appa (father)Rakhmabai (mother) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Maratha Empire |
| Branch/service | Maratha Army |
| Years of service | 1746–1761 |
| Rank | Senapati (1760 – 1761) |
| Battles/wars |
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Sadashivrao Bhau Bhatt (4 August 1730 – 14 January 1761) was the son ofChimaji Appa (younger brother ofBaji Rao I) andRakhmabai of the Pethe family, and the nephew of Baji Rao I. He held administrative responsibilities and served as a finance minister during the reign ofMaratha rulerRajaram II.
He was appointedsarsenapati (commander-in-chief) of the Maratha army and led its forces during theThird Battle of Panipat on 14 January 1761.[9] The battle was fought against the army ofAhmad Shah Abdali and was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the 18th century in India.
His role in the battle, both as a military commander and administrator, is remembered as a combination of organizational skill and the limitations imposed by logistical and strategic challenges.
Sadashivrao Bhau was born inSatara into aMarathiChitpavan Brahmin family. He was named after the Hindu deityShiva.[10] His father, Chimaji Appa, was the brother of Bajirao I.[11] His mother, Rakhmabai, died when he was about a month old, and his father passed away when he was ten. He was subsequently raised by his grandmother Radhabai and auntKashibai. Sadashivrao received his education in Satara underRamchandra Baba Shenvi.[12]
Sadashivrao undertook his first military campaign inKarnataka in 1746, accompanied by his political advisers Mahadoba Purandare andSakharam Bapu. He won his first battle atAjra, south ofKolhapur, and captured thirty-sixparganas during this campaign.[13]
In 1760, Sadashivrao led another campaign in theCarnatic region. He conquered territories from theNawab of Savanur and annexed the cities ofKittur,Parasgad,Gokak,Yadwad,Bagalkot,Badami,Navalgund, Umbal, Giri, Torgal,Haliyal,Harihar, and Basavapatna. During this campaign, he suppressed the revolt led by Yamaji Shivdev.[14] He also led the Battle of Udgir, which weakened the authority of theNizam of Hyderabad.[15]
In January 1760, news reached PeshwaBalaji Baji Rao, thatAhmad Shah Durrani, better known as Ahmad Shah Abdālī, had invaded and captured thePunjab region.[citation needed]
Abdali formed an alliance against the Marathas with otherRohilla chieftains, principallyNajib-ul-Daula, and theNawab ofAwadh,Shuja-ud-Daula. Abdali also recruitedAfghans displaced by the war.
Balaji Baji Rao, at the zenith of his power after defeating the Nizam atUdgir,[16] appointed Sadashivrao Bhau to lead the Maratha army toDelhi. UnlikeMalharrao Holkar andRaghunathrao, who were familiar with the politics and leaders of the northern regions of theIndian subcontinent, Sadashivrao lacked knowledge of the region.[17] This lack of experience contributed to his mishandling of regional rulers and failure to form strategic alliances, which became a major reason for the Marathas’ eventual defeat.[18]
An army of about 55,000 men set out from Patdur (modernPartur) on 14 March 1760, accompanied by roughly 200,000 non-combatants, including families and pilgrims seeking safety with the army.[citation needed] Forces under Holkar andScindia joined en route.
Sadashivrao adapted thehit-and-run tactics of the Maratha cavalry to integrate French-style heavy artillery and infantry, resulting in victories such as at Udgir. However, some generals, like Holkar, were hesitant to adopt these changes fully and felt the new units were incompatible with the rest of the army. Despite these concerns and limited resources, Sadashivrao established a force of 10,000 infantry and 50 artillery pieces.
Holkar and Scindia urged Sadashivrao to form alliances withSuraj Mal,Jat ruler ofBharatpur, theRajputs,Sikhs,Shuja-ud-Daula, and other northern leaders. The Rajputs refused to support the Marathas, citing previous interference in their succession disputes, while Suraj Mal initially distrusted Sadashivrao. Eventually, Holkar and Scindia persuaded Suraj Mal to join the Maratha forces, securing his personal safety.[19]
Sadashivrao's overconfidence in artillery and strong personality caused him to neglect alliances with the Jats, Rajputs, and Sikhs. He also failed to heed Suraj Mal’s advice to leave civilians inAgra, resulting in severe shortages of food and supplies, which would prove critical at the Battle of Panipat.
The Maratha army reached Delhi on 1 August 1760, taking the city the next day with artillery playing a key role. Supplies were limited due to Sadashivrao's strained relations with regional rulers, forcing him to move about 110 km (68 mi) north toKarnal and captureKunjpura fort about 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Karnal. Using artillery and combined cavalry-musketeer attacks, the Marathas destroyed the fort and killed the entire garrison.
TheKunjpura victory provoked Abdali to cross the swollenYamuna River atBaghpat on 23–25 October 1760, taking Marathas by surprise while they were preoccupied with sacking Kunjpura.[11]
The Marathas set up defenses nearPanipat but were gradually encircled. On 26 October, Abdali’s forces clashed with the Maratha vanguard nearSamalkha, leading to successive skirmishes and the killing of Maratha officers such asGovind Pant Bundele.[20] The Afghan forces effectively cut off Maratha supply lines.
By November 1760, Abdali’s army of 45,000 blocked the Marathas’ access south to Delhi. The ensuing two-month siege led to severe food shortages in the Maratha camp, which included roughly 100,000 non-combatants. By late December 1760 or early January 1761, famine struck the camp, and many civilians and livestock died.[11]
On 14 January 1761, on the occasion of theMakar Sankranti festival, the Marathas attempted to break the siege. Initial progress was made, but the death ofVishwasrao, Sadashivrao's nephew and heir to Balaji Baji Rao, demoralized the army. Sadashivrao and key generals like Jankoji Scindia were surrounded, while Malhar Rao Holkar escaped. Despite careful planning to use artillery first and cavalry later, coordination failures among Maratha generals contributed to the defeat. Sadashivrao died in battle along with his close commanders, and remaining civilians were massacred.[11]
Following the death of his nephew, Vishwasrao, around 2 p.m. on 14 January 1761, Sadashivrao reportedly mounted a horse and charged into the enemy lines, leaving his elephant’s howdah empty. This apparently caused confusion among the Maratha troops, some of whom believed their commander had fallen, further lowering morale.[11]
Sadashivrao continued to fight despite being surrounded and heavily injured. Contemporary accounts suggest he died in combat, although sources differ on the fate of his body. Some records state that his headless body was recovered three days later and identified by Maratha officials present in the camp, while other accounts indicate that his body was never definitively found amid the battlefield chaos.[11]
These discrepancies reflect the extreme disorder and high casualties during the battle, which left thousands of soldiers and civilians dead, making precise identification difficult. Sadashivrao's death marked a pivotal moment in the battle, leading to the collapse of the Maratha forces and the eventual victory of Ahmad Shah Durrani’s army.
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While observing various battles, Sadashivrao Bhau recognized the effectiveness of artillery and light guns as used by the British and began incorporating similar units into the Maratha army under Balaji Baji Rao. In 1760, he enlisted the services ofIbrahim Khan Gardi, a former officer in the Nizam’s army, who brought with him 2,500 trained soldiers and fifteen cannons. Bhau also employed European mercenaries, many of whom had previously served under Tulaji Angre before his defeat. Among them was an engineer named Le Corbosier, noted for his expertise in foundry work and explosives. Within two years, the Maratha infantry-artillery division had grown to 10,000 men and 56 guns, significantly strengthening the army’s firepower.[citation needed]
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Sadashivrao Bhau's first wife, Umabai, gave birth to two sons who died around 1750. He later marriedParvatibai, who accompanied Sadashivrao Bhau during the Third Battle of Panipat and helped as an accessory in the campaign. Parvatibai also embarked on a pilgrimage toMathura andVrindavan along withNana Fadnavis and some women from the Maratha camp. After the news of Sadashivrao’s death, Parvatibai refused to accept the conventional life of widowhood and continued to live independently.[citation needed]
Around 1770, an individual had reportedly appeared inPune claiming to be Sadashivrao Bhau. He was soon revealed as a fraud and became popularly known as “Totayaa” (तोतया), meaning impostor.[citation needed]
TheSadashiv Peth area of Pune is named in his honor.[citation needed]
Balaji Rao then decided to ... designate as the supreme commander Sadashiv Rao ... This proved to be an unfortunate choice, because, contrary to a Raghunath Rao or a Holkar, Sadashivrao was completely ignorant of the political and military situation of North India.
