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This short film has been made with the objective of sharing aspects of our glorious history with the masses and covers historical facts and draws inspiration from various books, texts  and articles written on this subject over the years. The objective of this short film hence is not to hurt the sentiments of any particular caste or community. Various imagery commonly available is obtained from the web and has been used to depict people, places and scenes  and we do not claim for this imagery to be our own creation in any way.   We have used simple tools like PCs and mobile phones to create this short film hence technology wise this may seem very basic but we do have our hearts in the right place as we attempt to revisit our glorious history and share it with you.

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Around the year 1630 more than half of greater India was ruled by foreign influences- the Mughals, the  Nizam   Shahi , the  Adil   Shahi , the  Barid   Shahi , and the  Qutubshahi . They were either foreigners or converts to Islam, a religion with foreign roots. The rule under these imperial forces was barbaric where slavery and forced religious conversions and widespread looting were rampant.

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In the same year of 1630 was born a hero who would give us our own indigenous Empire free from the control of these foreign powers. This hero was  Chhattrapati   Shivaji   Maharaj - the Founder of the Maratha Empire.

Chhattrapati   Shivaji   Maharaj  is said to have proclaimed the ideal of a  Hindavi   Swarajya

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The ideal of the  Hindavi   Swarajya  covers the entire region which is holy and sacred to the original inhabitants of India- the Hindus and people of all those religions which originate on this holy land. In this great ideal there is tolerance and mutual respect among all castes, creeds and religions on this  pious soil, however the culture and the way of life will be one which is in accordance with the natural lifestyle practiced and evolved from the last 5000 years of civilization  on this land  .

There will be no slavery practiced or coercion on people to practice a particular faith, women will be provided with great respect which also includes women folk from the enemy’s side. Although  Chhatrapati   Shivaji   Maharaj  started out from the Deccan region and founded a small kingdom in his early days, his glorious vision was to create a grand  Hindavi   Swarajya  covering the whole of Bharat and granting independence to all those territories of Bharat which were under foreign control.

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Chhatrapati   Shivaji   Maharaj  only lived for 52 years but in his lifetime laid the foundation of a robust Maratha Empire which would later expand and develop into a full fledged Maratha Confederacy.

He conquered around 230 forts from the Mughals and other foreign influences.

As the great  Chhatrapati  started from scratch with modest means he and the Maratha Warriors became famed in the subcontinent for the use of guerilla warfare where they could operate and overwhelm the enemy although only possessing limited means and resources.

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Some Strategic forts under Maratha  Control

Line wise L to R: Raigad (Capital),  Sinhgad  (Pune),  Panhalgadh  (Kolhapur),  Purandar  (Pune  Dist ,   Purandar ),   Tornagadh  (Pune  Dist ,  Velha ),   Lohagad  (Raigad  Dist ,  Lonavala )

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Some Prominent Martyrs- Warriors & Noblemen of the  Chattrapati   Shivaji   Maharaj  Era and their iconic final crusades

Line wise L to R:  Baji   Pasalkar  ( Purandar ),  Baji   Prabhu  Deshpande ( Panhalgadh ), Shiva  Kashid  ( Panhalgadh ),  Tanaji   Malusare  ( Sinhgad ),  Murarbaji  Deshpande ( Purandar ),  Prataprao  Gujar ( Naseri ),  Kondaji   Farzand  ( Panhalgadh , recapture),  Hambirrao   Mohite  (Battle of Wai)

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Patron Saints of  Chhatrapati   Shivaji   Maharaj  (L to R):   Samarth  Ramdas  ( a.k.a  Narayan  Suryaji   Thosar ): Strategic Guru Saint  Tukaram  ( a.k.a   Tukaram   Bolhoba   Ambile ): Spiritual Guru

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Chhatrapati   Shivaji   Maharaj’s  untimely death in 1680 leads to the ascension of his son  Chhatrapati   Sambhaji   Maharaj  to the throne at the young age of 24.

Chhatrapati   Sambhaji   Maharaj  is  brave and ambitious but also short tempered at the same time. He faces resistance on the domestic front as his stepmother  Soyrabai  wants his  minor aged stepbrother  Chhatrapati   Rajaram  to succeed  Shivaji   Maharaj  to the throne but  Sambhaji   Maharaj  ultimately prevails through bravery and strategy.

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Chhatrapati   Sambhaji   Maharaj  successfully won the Battle of  Burhanpur , the Siege at  Ramsej  and foiled Mughal attacks on Raigad. He led military campaigns against the  Siddis  (Abyssinians), the Portuguese and the British. There was severe drought during his reign during which he showed exemplary management skills. He patronized,  incentivised  agriculture, widened areas of cultivation and took number of measures to boost revenue from agriculture.

Administration in the reign of  Chhatrapati   Sambhaji   Maharaj

He was a well versed, multitalented person who authored many books and could speak a wide number of languages.  Chhatrapati   Sambhaji   Maharaj  however in comparison to his father had a fiery temper, which would be his strongest and also weakest point in his overall years of rule. He faced rebellion at times as certain people from his camp  favoured   Soyrabai’s  son  Rajaram  as the heir and conspired to overthrow him sometimes even allying with the Mughals.

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Aurangzeb promises riches and positions of power to the captured  Chhatrapati   Sambhaji   with the pre-condition that he convert to Islam. Sambhaji   Maharaj , 31 years of age refuses vehemently and is tortured for 2 weeks and finally put to death along with his advisor  Kavi   Kalash .  Chhatrapati   Sambhaji   Maharaj’s  widowed Queen  Yesubai  and young son  Shahu  are sent to Mughal custody where they would live for the next few years under house arrest.

The Battle  of Wai which also claimed the life of his General  Hambirrao   Mohite  found  Chhatrapati   Sambhaji   Maharaj  in precarious position in which he was deserted by many of his soldiers and the  Shirkes  who had never supported his accession to the throne aligned with the Mughals and spied on him. Finally  Chattrapati   Sambhaji   Maharaj  and his team of 25 counsels were arrested at  Sangameshwar  by Aurangzeb’s General  Muqarrab  Khan.

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After the death of  Chhatrapati   Sambhaji   Maharaj  his brother  Rajaram  becomes the next  Chhatrapati  but does not survive fatal illness.

Chhatrapati   Rajaram’s  widow ,queen  Tarabai  wields power, commands armies and leads military campaigns defensively against Aurangzeb’s forces not allowing him any inroads into the Maratha Empire for the next 10 years.

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Aurangzeb releases  Chhatrapati   Sambhaji   Maharaj’s  son  Shahu  from captivity but does not allow the release of Queen  Yesubai . The aim behind this release is to counter Queen  Tarabai .

There are obvious clashes between  Shahu   and  Tarabai  as the latter prefers her son  Shivaji -II as  Chhatrapati  and not  Shahu  as the rightful heir. The kingdom is split into 2 factions- the  Satara  camp and the Kolhapur camp.

Although the two camps remain, the friction is thawed after  Shivaji -II dies of small pox post which  Chhatrapati   Shahu   Maharaj  who is heirless decides to adopt  Shivaji -II’s son  Ramraja .

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Chhatrapati   Shahu   Maharaj  empowers his  Peshwa  (Prime Minister)  Balaji   Vishwanath  in a CEO role and a new era of success starts. After Aurangzeb’s death the next Mughal rulers are weak and incapable and  Peshwa   Balaji  takes full advantage of the situation. He patronizes pro-Maratha Empire noblemen in the Mughal court, the  Sayyed  Brothers and they turn the Mughal Emperor into a puppet.

Peshwa   Balaji  strategically marches with a hidden army to Delhi and negotiates release of Queen  Yesubai  from Mughal Emperor  Fahrukhsiyar  who walks free after 3 decades. Peshwa   Balaji  is also instrumental later in deposing  Fahrukhsiyar  with help from  Sayyed  Bros and installing his own puppet Rafi  Ul   Darjat  on the Mughal throne.  The Mughals now are bound to pay taxes to the Maratha Empire.

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The Maratha Empire enters into a new Golden era with the arrival of  Shreemant   Bajirao   Peshwa  (elder) as the next  Peshwa  after his father  Peshwa   Balaji .  Bajirao  is merely 20 years old when he is anointed in the  Peshwa  position in the year 1720.  Peshwa   Bajirao  expands the Maratha Empire northward and also at the same time subjugates the  Nizam  in the south. Is credited for commanding 41 battles and not losing any.

As  Peshwa   Bajirao  is opposed by many old timers from  Chhatrapati   Shahu   Maharaj’s  court for being a youngster prematurely pushed into the  Peshwa  position he sets out to prove them wrong and does it too. He inducts a new team of able young Generals in his army who also attain nobleman status and this paves way for the Maratha Empire to entrench itself firmly as a full fledged Maratha Confederacy which goes on to control almost the whole of Modern day India and Pakistan in years to come.

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New Generals in the team of  Shreemant   Bajirao   Peshwa

From L to R:  Fatehsinh   Bhosale  ( Akkalkot   Federation ), General  Pilaji   Jadhav ,  Chimaji   Appa   Peshwa ,  Ranoji   Scindia  (Ujjain  Federation ) and  Malharrao   Holkar  (Indore Federation). It may be noted that there are no file pictures available of  Udaji  and  Anadji   Pawar  ( a.k.a  the  Pawar  Brothers of  Dhar  Federation) who were also noblemen in the  Peshwa   Bajirao  (elder) era.

Shreemant   Bajirao   Peshwa  and his young team are instrumental in expanding the Maratha Confederacy to encompass the regions of  Malwa , Gujarat and  Bundelkhand  in the Maratha Confederacy and also establishing control over Delhi to establish a Hindu  Patshahi .  Furthermore his brother  Chimaji   Appa   Peshwa  fights a 3 month long campaign and ousts the Portuguese out of Vasai and conquers the Vasai fort.

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Rapid expansion in the north ( incl  conquering Delhi  Patashahi ) and 41 victorious campaigns without any loss. Encourages young talented Generals who also go ahead to attain royalty/ nobility status.

In addition to his campaigns in the north, his successful campaign against the  Nizam  more famously called the Battle of  Palkhed  is memorable too.

Peshwa   Bajirao  (elder) will always be remembered for fulfilling the dream of  Chhatrapati   Shivaji   Maharaj  of establishing a Pan Bharat  Hindavi  Swaraj.  After the death of  Peshwa   Bajirao  at the age of 40 due to heatstroke in the course of duty, his son  Nanasaheb  ( a.k.a   Balaji   Baji  Rao) becomes his successor. His other sons Raghunath Rao and  Shamsher  Bahadur show a lot of courage too in the years to come.

Pune becomes the seat of power in his era and the  Shaniwarwada  his citadel.

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New territories integrate with the Maratha Confederacy:  L to R in pic:  Peshwa   Nanasaheb  (elder),  Peshwa   Raghunathao ,  Nawab   Shamsher  Bahadur,  Peshwa   Sadashivrao   Bhau  &  Peshwa   Vishwasrao

Peshwa   Nanasaheb  (elder) carried on the expansion of Maratha Empire and established the Maratha Banner on various provinces of Bengal.

Nanasaheb’s  brothers  Peshwa   Raghunathrao  and  Nawab   Shamsher  Bahadur (Krishna Rao) become the first in the Maratha Empire to cross the Indus River.  In this campaign they chase away Ahmed Shah  Abdali’s  son  Taimur  to conquer the forts of  Attock  and Lahore (in today’s Pakistan).

Peshwa   Sadashivrao   Bhau  (son of  Chimaji   Appa   Peshwa ) and  Peshwa   Vishwasrao  (teenaged son of  Nanasaheb ) become the first in the Maratha Empire to conquer the fort of  Udgir  in battle, also a long held dream of  Chhatrapati   Shivaji   Maharaj .  Sadashivrao    Bhau  also subjugates the  Nizam  diplomatically and gains control on the  Ahmadnagar  Fort.

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The Maratha Confederacy in 1759 at it’s Zenith

MARATHA EMPIRE
1759 AD
MARATHA
EMPIRE
08

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The Third Battle of  Panipat - Solstice, year 1761

Although  Raghunathrao  emerges militarily victorious in his campaigns at  Attock  and Lahore still he is unable to accumulate monetary wealth from these victories and creates huge debt. Sadashivrao   Bhau  in charge of Finances adopts a hawkish approach in recovery of taxes from all provinces under Maratha control to narrow down the deficit, thus angering many noblemen. Najib   Ud   Daula  hatches a plan to invite Afghan King Ahmed Shah  Abdali  to attack India again tantalizing him with dreams of the throne of Delhi.

Many Indian noblemen decide to support  Abdali  in his mission with a view to avoid paying taxes to the Maratha Empire. Resultantly a Maratha General  Dattaji   Scindia  entrusted with the task of collection of taxes is killed on connivance of  Najib  thus awakening the Maratha Confederacy. Peshwa   Nanasaheb  decides to send  Sadashivrao   Bhau  to battle with an army not as large as  Abdali’s  and instructs his elder son  Vishwasrao  to accompany  Bhau . Raghunath Rao though a more experienced military commander is sidelined as he is perceived as very expensive in terms of budgetary matters.

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A bravely fought battle, mass destruction  and loss but hopes ahead

Marathas under the leadership of  Sadashivrao  capture Red Fort at Delhi and  Kunjpura  before coming face to face with  Abdali’s  army at  Panipat  (14 th  Jan 1761) and then the bloodbath begins. The battle inches towards a Maratha victory but suddenly  Vishwasrao  gets hit by a cannonball and dies instantly.  Sadashivrao   Bhau  in a fit of rage attacks an  Abdali  battalion and goes missing in a swarm of enemy forces. His dead body is recovered two days later.  Facing leadership  vaccum  with the death of both leaders there is chaos in the Maratha camp and soldiers. Scores of soldiers die on both sides.  High ranking Commanders  Malharrao   Holkar , Nana  Phadnavis  and  Mahadaji   Scindia  leave the battlefield but would come again to play a bigger role in consolidating the Maratha Confederacy in the years ahead.   Although it is a clear victory for Ahmed Shah  Abdali  it does him no good as he loses a great deal of personnel as well as wealth in the process. Pressures of losing his throne in Kandahar to his rivals compel him to leave Delhi and head for home. Abdali  writes to  Nanasaheb   Peshwa  expressing regret for the losses he has caused and sends him gifts.  Nanasaheb  sends him return gifts but before they can reach  Abdali  at Delhi he has already left for Kandahar. Nanasaheb   Peshwa  who has been unwell from a few years dies at age 40 few months after the battle. The Maratha Empire has lost control over Delhi by then.

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Some Prominent Martyrs of the Third Battle of  Panipat  & related campaigns

Peshwa   Sadashivrao   Bhau   Peshwa   Vishwasrao Ibrahim Khan  Gardi Shamsher  Bahadur Jankoji   Scindia Balwant  Rao  Mehendale Yashwantrao   Pawar Sardar   Bhoite Vitthal   Vinchurkar Sidhoji   Gharge

Dattaji   Scindia Govindpant   Bundele Appa   Jadhav Antaji   Mankeshwar Tukoji   Shinde Sonaji   Bhapkar Manaji   Paygude Ramaji   Dabholkar Bhilwadekar   Patwardhan Bhivrao   Panse

Although a defeat for the Marathas on paper, the martyrs of  Panipat  are remembered as saviors who prevented North India from falling in the hands of an invader. Delhi wouldn’t have been our national capital neither our northern states would have been part of India today had these brave people and many more unnamed martyrs not resisted Ahmed Shah  Abdali .   Sadashivrao   Bhau  is credited for his vision on leading a fight on behalf of our national territory as a whole and not only on behalf of the Maratha Empire.

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Shreemant   Madhavrao   Peshwa  (elder)- Resurrection of an Empire

Shreemant   Madhavrao   Peshwa  (elder) who is  Nanasaheb’s   son and  younger brother of  Vishwasrao  is  coronated  at age 16 as the next  Peshwa  on 15 th  June 1761, inheriting a Maratha state in an atmosphere of chaos having suddenly lost 3 top leaders ( Nanasaheb ,  Sadashivrao  and  Vishwasrao ), a Maratha Empire heavily under debt and having lost a lot of control over north India including Delhi in the aftermath of the Battle of  Panipat .

In addition, the only senior  Peshwa   left, his uncle  Raghunathrao  fumes with envy for being sidelined for the  Peshwa  position.  Raghunathrao  mocks  Madhavrao   Peshwa  publicly in his first address in the  Peshwai   C ourt for getting a huge ‘playground’ at age 16.  In the course of history to follow,  Madhavrao  in a short span at the helm and captured only by illness and untimely death later at 27 would prove himself to be among the greatest  Peshwas  and  Raghunathrao  once credited as a brave military commander would find himself trapped in a cycle of his own consuming greed for the  Peshwa  position (which would never come his way in real sense).

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Shreemant   Madhavrao   Peshwa’s  achievements and revival of past glory

Peshwa   Madhavrao  (elder) is credited to have recovered all the losses posted by the Maratha Empire due to the Third Battle of  Panipat .  Launched military campaigns against  Hyder   Ali in Karnataka in the Battles of  Sira  and  Madgiri  in 1767  inflicting  severe defeats  on  Hyder  Ali.  Defeated the  Nizam  in the famous Battle of  Rakshasbhuvan Establishment  of a new  Commisionerate  system to hit internal crimes at record low

Long before the British had gained control of India,  Madhavrao  had understood their plans of obtaining grants of land for establishing trade, becoming financially stronger, and finally overpowering the host. So when a delegation of British Colonel  Mostin  met  Madhavrao  asking for a land grant to set up a factory,  Madhavrao  put forward his demand in the meeting much to  Mostin’s  dismay- ‘No problem, I will give you land in my territory for your trade but lets barter, please also provide us with land in equal measure in England so the Maratha Empire can also set up trade there’   Under his leadership great General  Mahadji   Scindia   launched military campaign to re-establish lost control over Delhi leading to victory in 1771.

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Along with the re-establishment of power in Delhi under the leadership of  Peshwa   Madhav  Rao and in the command of  Mahadji   Scindia ,  Tukoji   Holkar  and  Visaji  Krishna  Biniwale  (L to R in pic), a punitive campaign is launched. This campaign aims at targeting all those provinces which had supported Ahmed Shah  Abdali  and his cause which had led to the Battle of  Panipat .  The Maratha Generals attack  Najibabad  (the stronghold of  Najib  Khan) and extract huge fines from his son  Zabeta  Khan. Similarly the  Rohillas  and  Pathans  in the Doab are also humbled and so is  Nabab  Singh at  Bharatpur  who also pay hefty fines.

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Madhavrao’s  sad demise, a big blow to the Empire

Shreemant   Madhavrao   Peshwa  (elder) contracted Tuberculosis called the  Rajyakshama  (King of Diseases) in an era when cure was not available. His illness  didnt  prevent him from going about his duties whether in Office or on the Battlefield

He finally expressed his desire to spend his last few days at the  Theur   Ganesha  Temple. His wife  Ramabai  decided voluntarily and determinedly to commit sati as she could not live without him, even as  Madhavrao  dissuaded her from doing so.  His mother  Gopikabai  did not come to see him on his deathbed as against her wishes he had in the line of duty punished his maternal uncle   Raste  Mama for treachery for aligning with the  Nizam

Madhavrao  finally died on 18 th  Nov 1772 at age 27. In the opinion of British Historian James Grant Duff the loss to the Maratha Empire due to his premature death was equivalent if not more to the setback caused by the Battle of  Panipat .

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In the era of  Peshwa   Madhavrao , Raghunath Rao had tried to act in treason by aligning with the  Nizam , in later years Raghunath Rao would also align with the British in the hope of getting his seat of power.   Young Narayan Rao,  Shreemant   Madhavrao   Peshwa’s  younger brother succeeds him as  Peshwa  again to the dismay of Raghunath Rao who plans to get him arrested with the help of the  Gardis .   Raghunath Rao’s demonic wife  Anandibai  manipulates the written message issuing instructions to Sumer Singh  Gardi  to assassinate Narayan Rao an order which he carries out.

Raghunath Rao becomes the ruling  Peshwa  in 1773, but only  for a  few months.  Chief Justice of the Court Ram  Shastri    Prabhune  convicts him of murder although the sentence is not executed leading to the resignation of Ram  Shastri  who relinquishes his post.   Raghunath Rao is overthrown by General Nana  Phadnavis  in 1774 who forms the  Barbhai  Council to administer the Maratha Empire.  Ganga Bai, the widow of  Peshwa  Narayan Rao delivers an infant boy who is also named as  Madhavrao  in  honour  of the elder  Madhavrao   Peshwa .  Nana  Phadnavis  pledges to train and instill the young boy on the  Peshwai  seat upon his attaining maturity and till then he as a part of the  Barbhai  Council would continue to administer the Empire. This decision is widely accepted by the masses as Raghunath Rao has become a hated figure.

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Maratha Victory against the British- The First Anglo Maratha War

Raghunath Rao once upon a time a celebrated hero for crossing river Indus (Sindhu) and capturing  Attock  and Lahore, is now a villainized figure for his hunger for power at all costs. Raghunath Rao seeks alliance with the British in 1775 through the Treaty of Surat to further his cause for his seat of power. Agrees to cede Vasai and  Salsette  to the British if they help him attain the  Peshwa  seat in Pune.

The British under the leadership of Viceroy Warren Hastings and Colonel Keating indulge in warfare with the Maratha Empire only to face defeat.  As is depicted in the old pic, the British surrender in front of Nana  Phadnavis  and  Mahadji   Scindia  in 1782 and sign the Treaty of  Salbai  which provides formal acceptance to  Peshwa   Sawai   Madhavrao  ( Madhavrao -II) at the helm instead of Raghunath Rao.

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Sawai   Madhavrao   Peshwa  ( Madhavrao -II), Nana  Phadnavis  and  Mahadji   Scindia

The Maratha Empire again enjoyed short lived moments of glory under the trio of (L  to  R)  Sawai   Madhavrao   Peshwa  ( Madhavrao -II), Nana  Phadnavis  and  Mahadji   Scindia Mushramulk  Khan the General of  Tipu  Sultan (son of  Hyder  Ali) vowed before his king to capture Nana and  Mahadji  and send the young  Peshwa  to  Benaras  as a beggar and launched an attack. The young  Peshwa , Nana and  Mahadji  retaliated and next-  Mushramulk  was seen standing before the  Peshwa , Nana  Phadnavis  and  Mahadji   Scindia  begging for mercy.

Sawai   Madhavrao   Peshwa  sadly also died at the young age of 21 under mysterious circumstances, his rule was also very short . Nana  Phadnavis  and  Mahadaji   Scindia  remained the two stalwarts of the Maratha Empire. Till they were alive the Maratha Empire did not fall in the hands of any enemy.

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Voice Overs: Nikhil  Chaudhari Nehal   Khaitan Tanish   Venkatesh Prof  Divya   Mehandiratta Prof Manu  Rajan Deepti   Ghosal Deepti  Joshi Dole

Caption Written by: Nikhil  Chaudhari   Narration written by:  Nikhil  Chaudhari  & Prof Manu  Rajan

Disclaimer

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