Page:The Imperial Durbar Album of the Indian princes, chiefs and zamindars.djvu/184

 Aundh.

THE State of Aundh is situated in the Bombay Presidency and is under the political superintendence of the Collector of Satara. The family of the Pant Pratinidhi, which passed through a series of vicissitudes, is descended from Tnmbak Krishna, Kulkarni of Kinhai, in the Koregaon taluka of the Satara collectorate. Parashram Pant, the" son of Tnmbak Krishna, was taken into service by Ramchandra Pant Amatya, and in 1690 A.D. was made a Sirdar by Rajaram, the youngest son of the great Shiwaji. He was conferred the title of Pratinidhi or Viceroy in 1698 A.D. Parashram Tnmbak was the chief general and adviser of Tarabai, the widow of Rajaram, in the civil war. till his defeat and imprisonment by Shahu, the grandson of Shiwaji in 1707 A.D. The title of Pratinidhi was again conferred on Parashram Trimbak in 1713 A.D. and made hereditary in his family.

Parashram died in 1717 A.D. leaving behind him three sons, of whom the second Shriniwas, inherited his father's office, as the elder held the Pratinidhiship of Vishalgarh under Kolhapur.. Shriniwas died in 1746 A.D. As he had no male issue, his younger brother, Dadoba, was appointed Pratinidhi by Maharaja Shahu. After the death of Shahu, however, the Peshwa deprived Dadoba of his office and put Shriniwas alias Bhawan Rao, his own protege, in his place. In 1752 A.D. Dadoba managed to get himself reinstated and Shriniwas was made his assistant. On the death of Dadoba the office devolved on Shriniwas. In 1762 A.D. Shriniwas was removed by Raghunath Rao Peshwa, but through the intercession of the Nizam and the Bhonsle of Nagpur he was restored. In 1765 A.D. he was again dismissed and his office entrusted to his cousin Bhagwant Rao Trimbak. There was a deadly enmity between the cousins. Bhagwant Rao died in 1775 A.D. and Shriniwas Rao also died a year later. Nana Fadnawis, who was at helm of affairs at the Court of the Peshwa, installed Parashram, the infant son of Shriniwas as Pratinidhi. At the age of eighteen (1795 A.D.) he assumed charge of his hereditary estate but was deprived of his office by the Peshwa Baji Rao II and was put in prison. On the overthrow of the Peshwa's rule in 181 8 A. D., he was released by the British Government and a mhagir was granted to him which he managed till his death in 1848 A.D. He was succeeded by Shriniwas Rao, who had been adopted in 1847 A.D. with the sanction of the suzerain Power. The jahagir, which was feudatory to the Raja of Satara, became a tributary of the British Government on the lapse of that State in 1849 A.D. Shriniwas Rao was nominated as an additional member of the Council of the Governor of Bombay in 1862 A.D He was much respected for his piety and good character.

The total area of the State is 501 square miles containing 72 villages and a population of 68,918 souls. The gross revenue is Rs. 2,75,942.

The present Chief Bhawan Rao Shriniwas Rao Pandit alias Balasaheb Pratinidhi who came to the gadi in 1909 A. D., is a graduate of the Bombay University and is one of the best artists in India. His heir-apparent, Trimbak Rao alias Rajesaheb, is a youth of about 18 years of age, and evinces a hopeful promise of following his fairer in his predilection for learning and art.