The 18th century saw the rise of several powerful noble families in Maharashtra. One such family was the Phadkes. Like many before him, Balambhat Phadke left his native village of Guhagar to seek his fortunes on the Desh plateau. On arriving in Pune he started working as a clerk for Sadashiv Dikshit Patwardhan, one of Pune's most prominent bankers and a relative of the Peshwa. The association of the Phadkes with the Dikshit Patwardhans brought them to the notice of the Peshwas. Pune, at that time, was growing and prospering due to the arrival of the Peshwas which had provided it much-needed stability. Under the Peshwas, many merchants, traders, and bankers made their way to Pune. To accomodate the increasing population, several new Peths (wards) were set up. Bajirao Peshwa undertook the redevelopment of a small settlement called Malkapura on Pune's outskirts. It was renamed as Ravivar Peth. Setting up a Peth was no easy job, it needed the appointment of several officers like Shetes, Kamavisdars, etc. Balambhat Phadke, who was working at the Dikshit Patwardhan's at that time, was transferred to the job of setting up this peth.
Balambhat had a total of six children, 5 sons, Bapuji, Mahadji, Abaji, Haripant and Dhondopant and one daughter, Bahinabai. His eldest son Bapuji worked under the Peshwa's Phadnis. He was also the Kamavisdar of Ravivar Peth. His son Moro Bapuji had been given the Deshmukhi of Kelshi. He was also made the Mamlatdar of Suvarnadurg.
Balambhat's fourth son was called Haripant Phadke. He was the Senapati of the Peshwas for a period of over 20 years. He started out as a clerk at the Dikshit Patwardhan's just like his father. Madhavrao Peshwa had him transferred into the service of the Peshwa as a karkun (clerk). He rose up through the ranks rapidly and became one of Madhavrao's closest advisors. Even though he was not involved in the military activities of the empire, he accompanied Madhavrao on almost every campaign. The experiences he gathered during these campaigns must have been vital for him and helped build the foundation of his career as the Peshwas Senapati.
Madhavrao Peshwa contracted tuberculosis sometime in the early 1770s, His reign had been a taxing one, full of internal as well as external strife. The disease was proving to be fatal. Madhavrao chose to spend his last days at the Chintamani temple in Theur. This had been his favorite temple and he had contributed to its development. During his stay at Theur, he was accompanied by his closed kin and advisors, including Haripant. Haripant had been a constant companion for most of his reign, and a father figure to him, having fed him him last meals with his own hands. He gave him the Peshwa's ancestral village of Shrivardhan as an inam during this time, as a token for his loyalty.
After Madhavrao's death, his younger brother Narayanrao was made the Peshwa. Haripant continued to be an important advisor during his reign. Narayanrao's reign proved to be short lived. He was brutally assasinated on the orders of his uncle, Raghunathrao. Haripant had to flee for his safety to Baramati at the house of Babuji Naik Baramatikar to escape the anarchy ensued by the Gardis in Pune. He returned after a period of 10 days. By now, Raghunathrao had seized the throne. But his act was so heinous that he had lost the support of even his most loyal associates. A group of ministers including Nana Phadnis, Sakharambapu Bokil, Haripant Phadke and others swore to not accept the authority of Raghunathrao and overthrow him. All they were waiting for was an opportunity to strike. The news that Narayanrao's widow was pregnant with a child gave them just that. The Barbhai's as they were called, soon seized power and deposed Raghunathrao. While the composition of the Barbhai council changed through the years, Nana Phadnis and Haripant Phadke continued to remain at its helm.
The Barbhais chased Raghunathrao out of Pune. However, capturing him proved to be very taxing. The death of Trimbakrao Pethe at the battle of Kasegaon shocked everyone, particularly Nana Phadnis. His immediate response was, "हरीपंत जीवंत आहे की मेला?" (Is Haripant alive?) Sakharambapu replied, "हरीपंत जीवंत आहे तोपर्यंत मसलत बिघडत नाही. तो पुन्हा राजकारण उभं करेल." (We haven't lost the battle until Haripant is alive). Haripant was appointed as the Senapati after Trimbakrao. The following campaign of Gujarat was a particularly tough one, and really taxing for Haripant. Haripant had to face external as well as internal enemies. The refusal of his allies, the Bhosales of Nagpur, the Nizam, the Shindes, and the Holkars to cooperate hampered the Maratha interests. But slowly and steadily many people on Raghunathrao' side were won over. Following the treaty of Purandar, Raghunathrao was left with virtually no allies. The British were also tired of him due to his troublesome nature. He was eventually subdued and the Barbhais emerged victorious, ruling in the name of the young Peshwa, Sawai Madhavrao.
The fertile region of North Karnataka between the Krishna and the Tungabhadra had long been a bone of contention between the kingdoms of the Deccan. This feud which went back to the times of Vijaynagar and the Deccan Sultans, had reemerged in the 18th century as one between the Marathas and Mysore. During Madhavrao's reign, the Marathas had managed to subdue Hyder Ali. But he had managed to rear his head once again, taking advantage of the internal strife in the Maratha quarter. Haripant Phadke joined Parshurambhau Patwardhan on a campaign against Hyder. They managed to captured large parts of Northern Karnataka during this campaign. Following this, Haripant returned to Maharashtra where he was involved in resolving the conspiracy of Morobadada Phadnis and fought in the First Anglo Maratha War.
However, the issue of Karnataka was not over yet. Tipu Sultan, who had succeeded his father, had laid seige to the Maratha state of Nargund. It was ruled by the Bhaves. During this siege, Tipu captured several people, including the diwan, Kalopant Pethe, and several royal women. While help did arrive from Pune, it was late and the prisoners couldn't be freed. The Marathas went on to capture Badami and other parts of Northern Karnataka. This campaign ended with the treaty of Ganjendragad. However, it didn't prove to be a decisive victory for either the Marathas or Tipu. It was followed by the campaign of Shrirangapatnam. This was a particularly long campaign against Tipu which ended with the siege of Shrirangapatnam. This campaign was greatly beneficial to the Marathas since they got large amounts of wealth and territory. Haripant returned to Pune in 1792, victorious. However, years of war had taken their toll on his health. He had suffered from a stomach ailment for a long time, which only got worse on his return. He chose to spend his last days at the Siddhivinayak Temple at Siddhatek, just like Madhavrao had chosen Theur. He died in 1794 in its precincts. Haripant's samadhi was built in Siddhatek. Today it lies submerged at the bottom of the Bhima.
Haripant had one girl from his first wife and 4 sons, Chintamanrao, Ramchandrarao, Lakshmanrao and Madhavrao and 1 girl from his second wife. His eldest son Chintamanrao was married to Venubai Dikshit, the daughter of Chintamanrao Hari Dikshit, a prominent moneylender. Chintamanrao's daughter Radhabai was married to Bajirao II. Haripant's second daughter was married to Keshavrao Patwardhan of Miraj and his second son Ramchandrarao's daughter was also married into the same family to Pandurangrao Patwardhan. One of Haripant's daughters, Savitribai, was married to Amrutrao Pethe, the grandson of Trimbakrao Pethe.
The Phadkes had been associated with the setting up of Ravivar Peth for a long time. Haripant built a large 7 chowki wada in Ravivar Peth. Some parts of it were 5 and 7 storeys high. It had 4 entrances, several diwankhanas, a paga (stables) to its north and an adjoining haud (tank). This unique tank was lined with copper and was designed to heat large quantities of water. The Wada also has a Ganapati Temple with a 10 armed idol of Ganapati seated with Shakti. This idol was brought from north India along with an idol of Vishnu which was given to Nana Phadnis.
He laid down several gardens in Pune in Sadashiv Peth, Kothrud and Hingane (Sinhagad Road). He built temples in these gardens such as the Phadke Ganapati in the garden at Hingane and Dashabhuja Ganapati and Mrutyunjayeshwar in the garden at Kothrud. The garden in Sadashiv Peth called Motibag, along with the garden in Kothrud were given to Bajirao II as part of the dowry of Radhabai Phadke. Bajirao later built Vishrambag Wada on the site of Motibag.
Haripant contributed to the development of the Siddhivinayak temple at Siddhatek and also built a wada there. He also built a Ganapati temple at Gangamasla in Beed in the bed of the Godavari. He also built a wada in Guhagar and built/renovated several temples there. The Scottish artist James Wales painted a portrait of Haripant Phadke. However, its current location remains unknown. Another painting of Haripant Phadke is currently at BISM.
The Phadkes served as the Kamavisdars of Ravivar Peth until as late as 1824. Several apartment buildings have come up on the site of the large wada built by Haripant. Except for this wada, most of the other monuments built by Haripant have managed to survive. They stand today as the legacy of this multifaceted, loyal, and amiable 18th-century general.
Comments