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{{Short description|Polity in the Maratha Confederacy (1739–1853)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Cleanup rewrite|date=September 2023}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2023}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name =
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Nagpur
| common_name = Nagpur
| status = Kingdom
| status_text = State within the [[Maratha Empire]] (1729–1818) [[Protectorate]] of the [[East India Company]] (1818–1853)
| stat_area1 = 2,17,560
| stat_year1 =
| stat_pop1 =
| era =
| year_start = 1739
| date_start =
| event_start = Founded by [[Raghoji I]] after making [[Gonds of Deogarh|Burhan Shah]] a state pensionary.
| year_end = 1853
| date_end =
| event_end = Death of the last ruler, [[Raghoji III]]
| event1 = British Protectorate
| date_event1 = 1818
| p1 = Gonds of Deogarh
| p2 = Marathas of Saugor
| p3 = Kingdom of Chanda
| p4 = Garha Kingdom
| s1 = Nagpur Province
| image_flag = Flag of the Princely State of Nagpur.svg
| flag_width = 80px
| flag_border = no
| image_coat =
| image_map = Bhonsle kingdom of Nagpur.png
| image_map_caption = The Kingdom of Nagpur at its greatest extent.<ref>{{cite web |title=-- Schwartzberg Atlas -- Digital South Asia Library |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=187 |website=dsal.uchicago.edu |access-date=29 March 2022 |archive-date=6 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206065307/https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=187 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| capital = [[Nagpur]]
| government_type = [[Monarchy]]
| common_languages = {{plainlist|
*[[Marathi language|Marathi]] (official and court language)
*[[Languages of India|Other Indian languages]]}}
| leader1 = [[Raghoji I]]
| leader2 = [[Raghoji III]]
| year_leader1 = 1739–1755 (first)
| year_leader2 = 1818–1853 (last)
| title_leader = [[Raja of Nagpur|Raja]]
| today = [[India]]
| footnotes = [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_A-J.html#nagpur Princely States of India – Nagpur]
}}
The '''Kingdom of Nagpur''' was a kingdom within the [[Maratha Confederacy|Maratha Empire]] in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was ruled by the Maratha [[Bhonsles of Nagpur|Bhonsle]] dynasty in the mid-18th century. The city of [[Nagpur]] was the capital of the state.

After the [[Third Anglo-Maratha War]], it became a [[princely state]] of the British Empire in 1818, and was annexed to [[British India]] in 1853 becoming [[Nagpur Province]].

==History==
===Gond kingdom===
{{Main|Gonds of Deogarh}}
The [[history of Nagpur|historical record]] of the Nagpur kingdom begins in the early 18th century, when it formed part of the [[Gonds of Deogarh|Gond Kingdom of Deogarh]]. [[Bakht Buland Shah]], the ruler of Deogarh, visited Delhi and afterwards was determined to encourage the development of his own kingdom. To this end he invited Hindu and Muslim artisans and cultivators to settle in the plains country, and founded the city of Nagpur. His successor, Chand Sultan, continued the development of the country, and moved his capital to Nagpur. After the death of Chand Sultan, the [[Bhonsle]]s took over the control of the kingdom.<ref name="host">{{cite book |title=Host Bibliographic Record for Boundwith Item Barcode 30112050248951 and Others |date=2013 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4b4uPjJJFOkC&q=bakht+buland+shah |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405024725/https://books.google.com/books?id=4b4uPjJJFOkC&q=bakht+buland+shah |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="berar">{{cite book |last1=Sil |first1=Jogendra Nath |title=History of the Central Provinces and Berar |date=1917 |publisher=J.N. Sil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=emxBAQAAMAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405024723/https://books.google.com/books?id=emxBAQAAMAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="gazetteer mp">{{cite book |last1=Pradesh (India) |first1=Madhya |last2=Krishnan |first2=V. S. |title=Madhya Pradesh District Gazetteers: Chhindwara |date=1995 |publisher=Government Central Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xSELAQAAIAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405024718/https://books.google.com/books?id=xSELAQAAIAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="bulletin">{{cite book |title=Bulletin of the Anthropological Survey of India |date=1976 |publisher=Director, Anthropological Survey of India, Indian Museum |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hvK-QHwRM9YC&q=bakht+buland+shah |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405043538/https://books.google.com/books?id=hvK-QHwRM9YC&q=bakht+buland+shah |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="man">{{cite book |last1=Bahadur) |first1=Sarat Chandra Roy (Rai |title=Man in India |date=1979 |publisher=A. K. Bose |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1O9EAQAAIAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408054922/https://books.google.com/books?id=1O9EAQAAIAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="gazetter mah">{{cite book |title=Maharashtra State Gazetteers: Bhandara |date=1979 |publisher=Director of Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, Maharashtra State |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WK9hAAAAIAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405043542/https://books.google.com/books?id=WK9hAAAAIAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="society">{{cite book |last1=Society (MANCHESTER) |first1=Northern Central British India |title=Proceedings of a Public Meeting for the formation of The Northern Central British India Society held in the Corn Exchange, Manchester, on Wednesday evening, August 26th, 1840 |date=1840 |publisher=Northern Central British India Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gSFYAAAAcAAJ&dq=bakht+buland+shah&pg=RA2-PA8 |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405024720/https://books.google.com/books?id=gSFYAAAAcAAJ&dq=bakht+buland+shah&pg=RA2-PA8 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="buddhism">{{cite book |last1=Naik |first1=C. D. |title=Buddhism and Dalits: Social Philosophy and Traditions |date=2010 |publisher=Gyan Publishing House |isbn=978-81-7835-792-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VrlLNltm5dMC&dq=bakht+buland+shah&pg=PA199 |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=24 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324164318/https://books.google.com/books?id=VrlLNltm5dMC&dq=bakht+buland+shah&pg=PA199 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="community">{{cite book |last1=Kurup |first1=Ayyappan Madhava |title=Continuity and Change in a Little Community |date=1986 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TCNfWRGXd04C&q=king+of+deogarh+chand+sultan&pg=PA8 |language=en |access-date=16 February 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408054929/https://books.google.com/books?id=TCNfWRGXd04C&q=king+of+deogarh+chand+sultan&pg=PA8 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="hunter">{{cite book |last1=Hunter |first1=William Wilson |title=Naaf to Rangmagiri |date=1881 |publisher=Trübner |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GYoIAAAAQAAJ&dq=bakht+buland+shah&pg=PA30 |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405024726/https://books.google.com/books?id=GYoIAAAAQAAJ&dq=bakht+buland+shah&pg=PA30 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="vidarbha">{{cite book |last1=Deogaonkar |first1=Shashishekhar Gopal |title=The Gonds of Vidarbha |date=2007 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=978-81-8069-474-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X39c2VODLT0C&pg=PA16 |language=en |access-date=16 February 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408054922/https://books.google.com/books?id=X39c2VODLT0C&pg=PA16 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="railways">{{cite book |title=Indian Railways |date=1997 |publisher=Railway Board |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wzNUAAAAMAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405024731/https://books.google.com/books?id=wzNUAAAAMAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |url-status=live }}</ref>

After [[Chand Sultan]]'s death in 1739,<ref name="community"/> there were quarrels over the succession, leading to the throne being usurped by Wali Shah,<ref name="society"/><ref name="hunter"/><ref name="chanda">{{cite book |last1=Thusu |first1=Kidar Nath |title=Gond Kingdom of Chanda: With Particular Reference to Its Political Structure |date=1980 |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CoAtAAAAMAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405024728/https://books.google.com/books?id=CoAtAAAAMAAJ&q=bakht+buland+shah |url-status=live }}</ref> an illegitimate son of [[Bakht Buland Shah]].<ref name="society"/><ref name="vidarbha"/> Chand Sultan's widow invoked the aid of the Maratha leader [[Raghoji I Bhonsle|Raghuji Bhonsle of Berar]] in the interest of her sons Akbar Shah and Burhan Shah. Wali Shah was put to death and the rightful heirs placed on the throne. [[Raghoji I Bhonsle]] was sent back to Berar with a plentiful bounty for his aid. The Maratha general judged that Nagpur must be a plentiful and rich country by the magnificence of his reward.<ref name="chanda"/><ref name="hunter"/><ref name="society"/>

However, dissensions continued between the brothers and once again, the elder brother Burhan Shah requested the aid of [[Raghoji I Bhonsle|Raghuji Bhonsla]]. Akbar Shah was driven into exile and finally poisoned at [[Hyderabad]]. However this time, Ragoji Bhonsle did not have the heart to leave such a plentiful and rich country, with it being within his grasp.<ref name="hunter"/><ref name="society"/> He declared himself 'protector' of the Gond king. Thus in 1743, Burhan Shah was practically made a state pensionary, with real power being in the hands of the Maratha ruler. After this event the history of the Gond kingdom of Deogarh is not recorded.<ref name="community"/> A series of [[Bhonsles of Nagpur|Maratha rulers]] came to power following the fall of the Gonds from the throne of [[Nagpur Kingdom|Nagpur]], starting with [[Raghoji I Bhonsle|Raghoji Bhonsle]].<ref name= "hotels">{{cite web|url=http://www.nagpur-hotels.com/nagpur-tourism/history-of-nagpur-people.aspx|title=Nagpur – History – People – Art and Culture – Festivals|publisher=Nagpur-hotels.com|access-date=25 November 2016|archive-date=9 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509161614/http://nagpur-hotels.com/nagpur-tourism/history-of-nagpur-people.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Gond King |url=http://nagpur.nic.in/zpnagpur/English/history.htm |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531051603/http://nagpur.nic.in/zpnagpur/English/history.htm |archivedate=2014-05-31 }}</ref>

===Maratha Bhonsle kingdom===
====Raghoji I Bhonsle (1739–1755)====
[[File:Nagardhan-Fort-View-from-other-side.jpg|thumb|right|An inside view of Nagardhan Fort in [[Nagpur district]], commissioned by [[Raghoji I of Nagpur|Raghoji I]].]]
Bold and decisive in action, Raghoji was the archetype of a Maratha leader; he saw in the troubles of other states an opening for his own ambition, and did not even require a pretext for plunder and invasion. Twice his armies invaded Bengal, and he obtained the cession of [[Cuttack]]. [[Chandrapur|Chanda]], [[Chhattisgarh]], and [[Sambalpur]] were added to his dominions between 1745 and 1755, the year of his death.

====Janoji, Madhoji I, and Raghoji II Bhonsle (1755–1816)====
[[File:Nagardhan-Fort-Main-Entrance.jpg|thumb|right|Main entrance of the ''Nagardhan Fort'', built by the Bhonsle dynasty of the [[Maratha confederacy|Maratha Confederacy]] ]]
His successor [[Janoji Bhonsle]] took part in the wars between the [[Peshwa]] and the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]]. After he had in turn betrayed both of them, they united against him and sacked and burnt Nagpur in 1765.

On Janoji's death on 21{{nbsp}}May 1772, his brothers fought for the succession, until [[Mudhoji Bhonsle]] shot the other in the [[Battle of Panchgaon]], six miles (10 km) south of Nagpur, and succeeded to the regency on behalf of his infant son [[Raghoji II Bhonsle]] who was Janoji's adopted heir. In 1785 [[Mandla]] and the upper [[Narmada River|Narmada]] valley were added to the Nagpur dominions by treaty with the Peshwa. Mudhoji had courted the favor of the [[British East India Company]], and this policy was continued for some time by Raghoji II, who acquired [[Hoshangabad]] and the lower Narmada valley. But in 1803 he united with [[Daulat Rao Sindhia]] of [[Gwalior State|Gwalior]] against the British. The two leaders were decisively defeated at the battles of [[Battle of Assaye|Assaye]] and [[Battle of Argaon|Argaon]], and by the Treaty of Deogaon of that year Raghoji ceded [[Cuttack]], southern [[Berar Province|Berar]], and [[Sambalpur]] to the British, although Sambalpur was not relinquished until 1806.

Until the close of the 18th century the Maratha administration had been on the whole good, and the country had prospered. The first four of the Bhonsles were military chiefs with the habits of rough soldiers, connected by blood and by constant familiar interaction with all their principal officers. Up to 1792 their territories were seldom the theater of hostilities, and the area of cultivation and revenue continued to increase under a fairly equitable and extremely simple system of government. After the treaty of Deogaon, however, all this changed. Raghoji II was deprived of a third of his territories, and he attempted to make up the loss of revenue from the remainder. The villages were mercilessly [[rack-rent]]ed, and many new taxes imposed. The pay of the troops was in arrears, and they maintained themselves by plundering the cultivators. At the same time the raids of the [[Pindari]]s commenced, who became so bold that in 1811 they advanced to Nagpur and burnt the suburbs. It was at this time that most of the numerous village forts were built; on the approach of these marauders the peasantry retired to the forts and fought for bare life, all they possessed outside the walls being already lost to them.

====Mudhoji II Bhonsle (1817–1818)====
On the death of Raghoji II in 1816, his son Parsoji was supplanted by [[Mudhoji II Bhonsle]], also known as Appa Sahib, son of Vyankoji, brother of Raghoji{{nbsp}}II, in 1817. A treaty of alliance providing for the maintenance of a subsidiary force by the British was signed in this year,<ref name=Naravane>{{Cite book |last=Naravane |first=M.S. |title=Battles of the Honorourable East India Company |publisher=A.P.H. Publishing Corporation |year=2014 |isbn=9788131300343 |pages=82}}</ref> a British resident having been appointed to the Nagpur court since 1799.<ref name="state">{{cite web |title="Mahratta (Maratha) states- Nagpur": Indian Princely States K–Z |url=https://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_K-W.html#Nagpur |website=World statesmen |access-date=4 February 2023 |archive-date=26 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226221028/https://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_princes_K-W.html#Nagpur |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1817, on the outbreak of war between the British and the Peshwa, Appa Sahib threw off his cloak of friendship, and accepted an embassy and a title from the Peshwa. His troops attacked the British, and were defeated in the action at [[Sitabuldi Fort|Sitabuldi]], and a second time close to Nagpur city. As a result of these battles the remaining portion of Berar and the territories in the Narmada valley were ceded to the British. Appa Sahib was reinstated to the throne, but shortly afterwards was discovered to be again conspiring, and was deposed and sent to [[Allahabad]] in custody. On the way, however, he bribed his guards and escaped, first to the [[Mahadeo Hills]], subsequently to the [[Punjab region|Punjab]] and finally took asylum in the court of [[Man Singh of Marwar|Man Singh]] of Jodhpur. Man Singh gave him refuge against the wishes of British.

====Raghoji III Bhonsle (1818–1853) ====
A grandchild of Raghoji II was then placed on the throne, and the territories were administered by the resident from 1818 to 1830, in which year the young ruler known as Raghoji{{nbsp}}III was allowed to assume the actual government. He died without a male heir in 1853, and the kingdom was annexed by the British under the [[doctrine of lapse]]. After Raghoji's ill-health and death the reins of the kingdom were handed over to his cousin Tukaramji Mehere who was a [[Maratha]] land administrator and landlord in belt who managed large portions of land from [[Nagpur]] to [[Akola]] until India got the independence in 1947

====Aftermath====
The former kingdom was administered as [[Nagpur Province]], under a commissioner appointed by the [[Governor-General of India]], until the formation of the [[Central Provinces]] in 1861. During the [[revolt of 1857]] a scheme for an uprising was formed by a regiment of irregular cavalry in conjunction with the disaffected Muslims of the city, but was frustrated by the prompt action of the civil authorities, supported by Madras troops from [[Kamptee]]. Some of the native officers and two of the leading Muslims of the city were hanged from the ramparts of the fort, and the disturbances ended. The aged princess [[Baka Bai]], widow of [[Raghoji II Bhonsle|Raghoji II]], used all her influence in support of the British, and by her example kept the Maratha districts loyal.<ref name="nagpur">{{cite book |title=Central Provinces District Gazetteers- Nagpur |location=Nagpur |url=http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/handle/2015/14273 |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.14273 |archive-date=19 January 2017 |language=English}}</ref>

== Rajas of Nagpur ==
{{Infobox former monarchy
| border =
| royal_title = Raja
| realm = Nagpur
| native_name =
| coatofarms = {{box|type=transparent|padding=0px|[[File:Flag of the Princely State of Nagpur.svg|80px]]}}
| coatofarmscaption = Flag
| image ={{box|type=transparent|padding=0px|[[File:Raghuji Bhosale III.jpg|280px]]}}
| caption = '''Last to reign''' '''[[Raghuji III]]''' 26 June 1818 – 11 December 1853
| first_monarch = [[Raghuji I]]
| last_monarch = [[Raghuji III]]
| style = [[Majesty|His Majesty]]
| residence =
| began = 1739
| ended = 11 December 1853
| pretender =
}}

* [[Raghoji I Bhonsle|Raghoji I]] (1739{{snd}}14{{nbsp}}Feb 1755)
* [[Janoji of Nagpur|Janoji]] (1755{{snd}}21 May 1772)
* [[Mudhoji Bhonsle|Mudhoji]] (1772{{snd}}19 May 1788)
* [[Raghoji II Bhonsle|Raghoji II]] (1788{{snd}}22{{nbsp}}Mar 1816)
* Parsoji (1816{{snd}} 2 Feb 1817) (b.{{nbsp}}1778{{snd}}d.{{nbsp}}1817)
* [[Mudhoji II Bhonsle|Mudhoji II]] "Appa Sahib" (1817{{snd}}15{{nbsp}}Mar 1818) (b. 1796{{snd}}d.{{nbsp}}1840)
* [[Raghuji Bhonsle III|Raghuji III]] (1818{{snd}}11{{nbsp}}Dec 1853) (b.{{nbsp}}1808{{snd}}d.{{nbsp}}1853)
[[File:Senior Bhonsle palace.jpg|thumb|Senior Bhonsle palace]]

== Family tree ==

{{Chart top|width=100%|collapsed=no|Family tree of Maratha Rajas and later Maharajas of Nagpur}}

{{Tree chart/start|align=center|style=font-size:95%}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Raghoji I of Nagpur|Raghoji I the Great]]''' (1) r. 1739-1755|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FF0000}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | |A02 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Janoji]]''' (2) r. 1755-1772|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FF0000|
A02='''[[Mudhoji Bhonsle|Mudhoji I]]''' (3) r. 1772-1788|boxstyle_A02=border-color:#FF0000}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | |A02 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Raghoji II Bhonsle|Raghoji II]]''' (4) r. 1788-1816|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FF0000|
A02=Vyankoji}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|-|-|(| | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | |A02 | |A03 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''Parsoji''' (5) r. 1816-1817|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FF0000|
A02=Banubai|
A03='''[[Mudhoji II Bhonsle|Mudhoji II Appa Sahib]]''' (6) r. 1817-1818|boxstyle_A03=border-color:#FF0000}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Raghuji Bhonsle III|Raghoji III]]''' (7) r. 1818-1853|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FF0000}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Tukramji Mehere]]''' (7) r. 1854-1920|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FF0000}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |A01 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
A01='''[[Bhikaji Mehere]]''' (7) r. 1921-1955|boxstyle_A01=border-color:#FF0000}}

{{Tree chart/end}}

{{Chart bottom}}

==Army==
Though Marathas constituted 30% of the total army,
they deployed families across the region that were the main task force in the expansion of Maratha Empire in Gondwana and Northern region.
As a part of that, the Bhonsles raised two infantry brigades with modern military training, however without guidance of European officers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Roy |first1=Kaushik |title=War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740–1849 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-58767-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n8GsAgAAQBAJ&q=shivaji+hetkari+Musketeers&pg=PT201 |date=2011-03-30 |access-date=1 October 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408055451/https://books.google.com/books?id=n8GsAgAAQBAJ&q=shivaji+hetkari+Musketeers&pg=PT201 |url-status=live }}</ref> They extensively employed [[Pindari]]s and silently supported them like the [[House of Holkar|Holkars of Indore]] and [[Scindia|Scindias of Gwalior]].<ref name="pin">{{cite book |last1=Collins |first1=Bruce |title=War and Empire: The Expansion of Britain, 1790–1830 |date=19 September 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-87076-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q_DfBgAAQBAJ&dq=bhonsle+pindari&pg=PT255 |language=en |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408055452/https://books.google.com/books?id=q_DfBgAAQBAJ&dq=bhonsle+pindari&pg=PT255 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Gadre |first1=Prabhakar |title=Bhosle of Nagpur and East India Company |date=1994 |publisher=Publication Scheme |isbn=978-81-85263-65-6 |url=https://www.google.co.in/https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nagpur_kingdom&action=edit#books/edition/Bhosle_of_Nagpur_and_East_India_Company/wEluAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=bhonsle+pindari&dq=bhonsle+pindari&printsec=frontcover |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Light cavalry mercenaries called [[Bargi]] were employed by the Bhonsles during the brutal [[Maratha invasions of Bengal]]. The [[Bargi]] mercenaries led by the general [[Bhaskar Ram Kolhatkar|Bhaskar Pandit]] into Bengal caused so much destruction that lullabies were composed in which mothers would use the fear of a Maratha raid to get their children to go to sleep. These poems are popular amongst Bengalis even today, one traditional song translated is as follows, ''When the children fall asleep, silence sets in, the Bargis come to our lands. Bulbuls have eaten the grains, how shall I pay the nawab's tax demands.''<ref name=":0">{{cite book|last=Ahmed|first=Wakil|title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh|publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]|year=2012|editor1-last=Islam|editor1-first=Sirajul|editor1-link=Sirajul Islam|edition=Second|chapter=Folk Literature|editor2-last=Jamal|editor2-first=Ahmed A.|chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Folk_Literature|access-date=1 October 2022|archive-date=22 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922075844/https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Folk_Literature|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The story behind the lullaby: Maratha invasions in Bengal |date=7 June 2020 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/picknpolitics/the-story-behind-the-lullaby-maratha-invasions-in-bengal-21157/ |language=en |access-date=1 October 2022 |archive-date=21 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921213748/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/picknpolitics/the-story-behind-the-lullaby-maratha-invasions-in-bengal-21157/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Daniyal |first1=Shoaib |title=Forgotten Indian history: The brutal Maratha invasions of Bengal |url=https://scroll.in/article/776978/forgotten-indian-history-the-brutal-maratha-invasions-of-bengal |website=Scroll.in |access-date=1 October 2022 |archive-date=21 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921202347/https://scroll.in/article/776978/forgotten-indian-history-the-brutal-maratha-invasions-of-bengal |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Artillery===
[[Mahadaji Shinde]], a distinguished Maratha general from the [[Shinde]] royal clan, focused his attention on European artillery and secured the services of the noted [[French India|Frenchman]] [[Benoît de Boigne]] who had received training from the best of the European military schools. Following suit, the Bhosales and other Maratha chiefs also raised French-trained artillery battalions.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Roy |first1=Kaushik |title=War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740–1849 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-58767-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n8GsAgAAQBAJ&q=shivaji+hetkari+Musketeers&pg=PT201 |date=2011-03-30 |access-date=1 October 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408055451/https://books.google.com/books?id=n8GsAgAAQBAJ&q=shivaji+hetkari+Musketeers&pg=PT201 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Bhonsle]]
* [[Maratha (caste)]]
* [[Maratha Empire|Maratha Confederacy]]
* [[List of Maratha dynasties and states]]
* [[List of princely states of British India (by region)]]
* [[Nagpur]]
* [[Nagpur district]]
* [[Nagpur division]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, et al. (1908). ''Imperial Gazetteer of India'', Volume 17. 1908–1931; Clarendon Press, Oxford.

{{Nagpur}}
{{Princely states annexed by British India}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|21.15|N|79.09|E|region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Maratha Empire]]
[[Category:History of Nagpur]]
[[Category:1818 establishments in India]]
[[Category:1853 disestablishments in India]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1853]]

Kingdom of Nagpur - Revision history

KelseyMarsden6 at 07:55, 12 March 2026