Page:The Imperial Durbar Album of the Indian princes, chiefs and zamindars.djvu/19



THE first of the Gaekwar family who' came into prominence was Damajee, a gallant soldier in the service of Raja Shahu of Satara. In 1720-21 A.D. he distinguished himself so signally in* the battle-field that Khunde Rao Dabhade, the Senaputee, or Commander-in-Chief, obtained for him the appointment of second-in-command or Lieutenant in the army, with the title of Samsher Bahadoor from Raja Shahu. The Senaputee and his Lieutenant Damajee were the most distinguished among the first Mahratta leaders who levied contributions in Gujrath. Both of them died in 1721 A.D. and were succeeded in office, the former by his son Trimbuck Rao Dabhade, and the latter, by his nephew Pilajee Rao Gaekwar.

In 1729 A.D. the Peshwa, Bajee Rao I, began to interfere in the affairs of Gujrath. He opened negotiations with Sirbulund Khan, the Mogul Viceroy, and undertook to endeavour to relieve the province from the exactions and excesses of the Mahratta leaders who infested the province, on the Khan's making a formal cession to the Raja of Satara of certain cesses called "Chowth" and "Surdeshmookhee." This excited the hostility of Dabhade and his Lieutenant, who formed a confederacy of the disappointed Mahratta Chiefs to oppose the designs of Bajee Rao, who crushed their revolt in a battle near Baroda fought on 1st April 1731 A.D., in which Trimbuk Rao Dabhade was killed. His young son, Yeshwant Rao was, however, appointed as Senaputee, and Pilajee Gaekwar Avas confirmed in his post of Lieutenant or Mootalik with the additional title of Sena-Khas-Khel. It was agreed that the Peshwa and the Senaputee should not interfere with each other's possessions, and that Yeshwant Rao should have the entire management in Gujrath, on the stipulation of his paying half the revenues to the Peshwa, and rendering an 'account of all contributions levied from countries not mentioned in the deeds of cession that had been given to the Peshwa by Sirbulund Khan. The cession of the Chowth etc. by Sirbulund Khan, was however, disallowed by the Emperor of Delhi. Sirbulund Khan was removed from office, and was superseded by Abhay Singh, Raja of Jodhpur, one of whose emissaries murdered Pilajee Gaekwar in 1732 A.D. pilajee was succeeded by his son Damajee, during whose long and active career of nearly forty years the whole of Gujrath was wrested from the Moguls.

Yeshwant Rao, the Senaputee, grew up a wicked and vicious man, and the Dabhade family gave place to the Gaekwars. The possession of the city of Baroda was finally and permanently secured by Damajee in 1732 A.D., and it has ever since remained in the hands of his 'descendants as the capital of the Gaekwar State. In the year 1775 A.D. the Mogul rule in Ahmedabad was entirely overthrown, and the metropolis and the country under it were shared between themselves by the Peshwa and the Gaekwar.

Damajee had occasional ruptures with the Peshwa to whom he had to pay a large tribute besides furnishing a contingent of horse. At the disastrous battle of Paniput in 1761 A.D., Damajee commanded his contingent with credit. His death in 1768 A.D. was a signal for family dissensions, which eventually brought the State into its present relations with the British Government.