THE PRINCES WHO LOVED SLAVERY TO SELF RESPECT IN 1857 WAR

THE PRINCES WHO LOVED SLAVERY TO SELF
RESPECT IN 1857 WAR
MAHARAJA TUKOJI RAO II HOLKAR

Dr K Prabhakar Rao


The war of 1857 is dubbed as Sepoy Mutiny by the English historians while Indians claim it as first war of Independence. The war was mostly confined to Delhi, Kanpur. Meerut, Lucknow, Bareli, Faizabad and Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, Arrah in Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh. Other north Indian States and south India were peaceful although some isolated actions were fought that were crushed easily. The causes for this war were many. However they can be briefly stated as :
a. The arrival of missionaries had caused great unease among the Indians. Evangelical
Christians had little understanding of, or respect for, India's ancient faiths. The attitude of scrupulous non-interference in religious affairs that had characterized British rule in the 18th century was forgotten. Native populace started to believe that the British wished to convert them. The passing of Act XXI of 1850, which enabled converts to inherit ancestral property, confirmed this belief; the new law was naturally interpreted as a concession to Christian converts. Hindus and Muslims were forced into Christianity. The British were rude and arrogant towards the Indians who they described as barbarians without any culture. The European judges hardly ever convicted British for their crimes.
b. Thousands of soldiers and nobles got unemployed when Lord Dalhousie annexed Avadh. Under his 'Doctrine of Lapse' the princes were denied the long-cherished right of adoption; in this way Dalhousie annexed the Maratha States of Satara, Nagpur and Jhansi and several minor principalities. On the death of the ex-Peshwa, Baji Rao II, the pension granted to him was abolished and the claims of his adopted son, Nana Sahib, were disregarded.
c.British administrative laws ruined both the peasants and landlords. Indian handicrafts completely collapsed and the craftsmen were impoverished. India became a market place for finished goods from England. Poverty increased and the discontent among the masses motivated the Indians to join the revolt in large numbers. Thus, the British drained India of her wealth and all her natural resources.
The most important personalities who had grievances against the British rule were Nana Sahib, adopted son of former and last Peshwa of Maharashtra, Rani Laxmi Bai ( Widow of ruler Gangadhar Rao) of Jhansi, Begum of Awadh, Kunwar singh of Arrah, Emperor ( Namesake) Bahadur shah ( Zafar) II at Delhi (2). Unfortunately many princes of native states did not join the struggle. They did not want to take risk of loosing their states, dynastic rule and power over their subjects. They preferred to be with the Company at the crucial hour. Probably they were not sure of the victory of the rebels and considered the English men and the company army to be superior and were sure of their victory. This would have turned scales in favor of them. They also must have lacked self confidence, national spirit, true patriotism, conviction, strong determination and commitment to the motherland. They were taken over by narrow sectarian interests and inner rivalries among the princes apart from family feuds.

They were many rulers in this class. The ruler of Indore state was one among them. He was Maharaja Tukoji Rao II Holkar. He is from one of the prestigious dynasties whose name became associated with the very title of the ruler, which was generally known as Maharaja Holkar or Holkar Maharaja, while the official full title was Maharajadhiraj Raj Rajeshwar Sawai Shri Tukoji Rao II Holkar Bahadur, Maharaja of Indore, with the colonial style of His Highness. Tukojirao Holkar II (1835-1886) was installed on the throne on 27 June 1844. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he was loyal to the British East India Company and palyed to their tune. During the 1857 revolt, the Purbia and Pathan infantry in the Holkar army and in the British subsidiary force at Indore and Mhow, joined their revolutionary brethren in the EIC army, just as they had at Gwalior. And after the revolt was subdued the reigning Holkar (Tukoji), like his contemporary at Gwalior, was rewarded for his loyalty with titles and gun salutes; although in the latter respect Indore remained an also ran with a salute of 19 guns against the 21 guns for Gwalior! In October 1872, he appointed T. Madhava Rao as the Diwan of Indore. He died on 17 June 1886 and succeeded by his eldest son, Shivaji Rao.
The state was Indore was merged with Indian union after 1947 and the rulers were namesake Maharajas with privy purses. They lost the purses and titles too during Mrs Indira Gandhi’s time and merged with society. They were soon forgotten and vanished into some corners of Indian history. So was the case with the ruler during