Dabhade (Pronunciation: ̪abʱaːɖe surname signifies

Maratha The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...

and Koli clans found largely in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

, India. The Maratha Dabhades were originally centered on

Talegaon Dabhade Talegaon is a town on the outskirts of the city of Pune, India. Demographics At the 2001 Census of India, Talegaon Dabhade had a population of 42,574. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. The average literacy rate was 79%, ...

(in present-day

), but became the chiefs of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

. They held the hereditary title of ''Senapati'' (commander-in-chief) and several

jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...

s in Gujarat until 1751. That year, Umabai Dabhade and her relatives were arrested for a rebellion against the

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

, and were stripped of their titles.

Rise to power

At Dabhoi in 1731 the

Marathas The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

and their allies used flintlocks as well as matchlocks. Several Maratha contingents were composed of what one might term peripheral peoples. Sardars from the Gaikwad, Bande and Dabhade clans recruited Kolis armed with matchlocks. The coastal Kolis had gained firearms and infantry warfare experience while serving as auxiliary matchlock levies to the Portuguese and to a lesser extent the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

. The Dabhade clan traces its ancestry to Bajajirao Dabhade. His son Yesajirao Dabhade was the personal bodyguard of the

king

Shivaji Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...

. The family rose to prominence under his son Khanderao Dabhade, a Maratha military leader. He was conferred the title of "Sarsenapati" (commander-in-chief) on 11 January 1717 by Shivaji's grandson

Shahu I Shahu I (Shivaji Sambhaji Raje Bhonsale; ; 18 May 1682 – 15 December 1749) was the fifth Chhatrapati or head of state of the Maratha Empire founded by his grandfather, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shivaji I. He was born into the House of B ...

of Satara. His younger son Shivaji Dabhade helped Rajaram I reach Gingee safely from the Mughals.

Rebellion against Peshwa Baji Rao

The Dabhades carried out several raids in the rich province of

, collecting '' chauth'' and '' sardeshmukhi'' taxes. When Shahu's

(prime minister)

Baji Rao I Bajirao I (né Visaji, ; 18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740) was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He was appointed Peshwa at the age of nineteen by Shahu I, following the death of his father, Balaji Vishwanath. He is credited with establi ...

decided to take over the tax collection in Gujarat, the Dabhades and other Maratha clans that had traditionally controlled Gujarat ( Gaekwad and Kadam Bande) rebelled against Shahu and Baji Rao. Baji Rao defeated them, and Trimbak Rao Dabhade was killed in a battle the Battle of Dabhoi on 1 April 1731. Umabai Dabhade, the wife of Khanderao and mother of Trimbak Rao, became the

matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which positions of power and privilege are held by women. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. While those definitions apply in general English, ...

of the family after their death. Shahu granted all of Trimbak Rao's assets and titles (including ''senapati'') to his minor brother Yashwant Rao. The Peshwa allowed them to retain control of Gujarat, on the condition that they would remit half of the revenues to his treasury. Since Yashwant Rao was a minor, Umabai exercised the executive power. Even as he grew up, he was addicted to alcohol and opium, and the Dabhades' lieutenant Damaji Rao Gaekwad gradually increased his power during this time.

Aftermath

Umabai pretended reconciliation with Peshwa Baji Rao, but always maintained a grudge against him for killing her son. Under her, the Dabhades never actually remitted half of the revenues to Shahu's treasury, but Shahu did not want to take any extreme measures against a grieving widow and a mother who had lost her son. However, after Shahu's death in 1749, Peshwa

Balaji Baji Rao Balaji Baji Rao (8 December 1720 – 23 June 1761), often referred to as Nana Saheb I, was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon the death of his father, Peshwa Bajirao I. During his tenure, the Chhatra ...

, who was facing an empty treasury, sought a share of revenues from the Dabhades. Umabai then joined Tarabai in a rebellion against the Peshwa. In November 1750, she dispatched 15,000 troops under Damaji Gaekwad to support Tarabai. Damaji was defeated by the Peshwa loyalists after a few initial successes. He remained in the Peshwa's captivity from May 1751 to March 1752.

Decline

Shortly after the Peshwa's arrest, Umabai, Yashwant Rao and their relatives were also arrested. The Dabhades were deprived of their

s as well as their hereditary title ''senapati''. In March 1752, Damaji Gaekwad agreed to Peshwa's demands, and abandoned the service of the Dabhades. Subsequently, the

Gaekwad dynasty Gaekwads (also spelled as Gaikwads, Guicowars, Gaekwars) (IAST: ''Gāyakavāḍa''), a Hindu Maratha (caste), Maratha dynasty of the former Maratha Confederacy, Maratha Empire and its subsequent (erstwhile) princely state of Baroda State, Baroda ...

replaced the Dabhades as the Maratha chiefs of Gujarat. Gaekwad agreed to provide an annual maintenance expense to the Dabhades, but the latter lost all of their power and much of their wealth. Umabai died on 28 November 1753. After her death, Peshwa Balaji Rao took Yashwant Rao on his Carnatic campaign. On the way, Yashwant Rao died of fatigue in Miraj, on 18 May 1754. The Dabhade family line was continued by Trimbak Rao Dabhade II, who controlled a small ''riyasat'' (estate). The family was divided into the Senior Branch and Junior Branch in 1933. The descendants presently live in Talegaon Dabhade and Pune. Sardar Jayendraraje Sangramsinhraje Dabhade is the head of the senior branch since 1993 and Sardar Satyasheelraje Padmasenraje Dabhade is the head the junior branch since 2014.

Notable members

* Khanderao Dabhade, Maratha military leader and Commander-in-Chief * Trimbak Rao Dabhade * Umabaisaheb Khanderao Dabhade, wife of Khanderao; exercised executive powers while her minor son was the titular commander

References