Bravest of the Brave Marathas

With the wit of a scholar and the courage of a warrior, Sadashivrao Bhau led the Marathas to victory on several occasions. However, the last battle of his life ended the win streak and his life

If 'bravery' were a person, it would most definitely be Sadashivrao Bhau; Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Sadashivrao Bhau was no Peshwa, just like his father Chimaji Appa, he was destined to be just another member of the Maratha royal family. After all, Chimaji Appa would have never stood a chance against his brother Bajirao Peshwa, the bravest of them all.

Sadashivrao was born to a Brahmin family in Satara located in the city of Pune. Tragedy fell upon the boy when he lost both his parents by the age of 10 (his mother had died when he was barely a month old). His grandmother, Radhabai, and aunt, Kashibai took it upon themselves to raise the young boy. Sadashivrao was a very bright student, at least that is what his tutor from Satara, Ramchandra baba Shenvi had said.

At the age of 16, he was assigned his first campaign in Karnataka. Accompanied by his political advisors Mahadoba Purandare and Sakharam Bapu, Sadashivrao left with a force of 20,000 soldiers. This campaign lasted for a month, at the end of which he emerged victorious in his very first battle - The Battle of Ajra - located south of Kolhapur.

After this, there was no looking back. No matter which battlefield he stepped onto after this, he emerged victorious alongside his political advisors at his command. May it be the Battle of Udgir against Nizam of Hyderabad or a battle against the Nawab of Savanur (Carnatic region), it was Sadashivrao who would carry the day each time.

Winning at battles became almost like a routine - the word ‘defeat’ became absent from his dictionary. All of a sudden, the victory streak was overshadowed by dark clouds of defeat. The most detrimental battle of Sadashivrao’s life came around - The Third Battle of Panipat.

In January 1760, somehow the news of the Afghan king - Ahmad Shah Abdālī capturing Punjab reached the ears of Nanasaheb Peshwa. He also learnt that the Afghan king had formed alliances with other kings of North India in the name of religion.

The Peshwa decided to pick Sadashivrao to lead the Maratha army against Ahmad Shah Abdālī in the Third Battle of Panipat.  He was made responsible to change the ‘hit and run’ tactics used by the Maratha forces, which proved to be ineffective. They had learnt this the hard way after their battles. He prepared his forces for everything except starvation, which eventually became the cause of their defeat.

The Maratha Camp moved slowly; Abadli’s forces had made it past Yamuna River which worried Sadashivrao. The forces also became extremely lethargic, all thanks to the dearth of food and water, the condition of Maratha forces worsened.

However, the Maratha forces were soon confronted with the Afghans. Sadashivrao and his allies fought the battle relentlessly, the clinking of swords and stomping of large elephants sounded around the dusty battlefield.

In this process, Vishwasrao, the only heir to Nanasaheb, lost his life in the battle. A very angry and saddened Sadashivrao charged towards the Afghanese without rethinking the consequences. With one slay of the sword, Sadashivrao’s head was separated from his body, which was discovered only 3 days after his death.

This is how, very dramatically, Bhau’s life came to an end. His ashes were spread out in Kashi.

Back at home, however, his family members refused to accept his death. In 1770, a man claiming to be Sadashivrao appeared in Pune who was immediately busted and called an imposter.

Sadashivrao continues to be remembered through a place in Pune that was named after him, Sadashiv-Peth.