Battle of Bharatpur
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Bharatpur took place between 2 January and 22 February 1805 in what is now Rajasthan
, India
, during the Second Anglo-Maratha War
. Forces of the British East India Company
, led by General Gerard Lake
, were four times repulsed in attempts to storm the fortress. The Marathan victory was an embarrassing defeat for the British.
had attacked the British and chased colonel Manson. He had attacked Delhi to free the Mughal Emperor from the British. Meanwhile he learnt that Colonel Mare and Colonel Wallace had attacked his Kingdom.
Holkar suffered setbacks when his forces outside Deeg
were defeated in battle
, and the fortress there was taken after siege
. However, the Jat King Ranjit Singh of Bharatpur welcomed him and decided to be with Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar against the British. The Jats greeted him with open arms. The Jats would not give up their traditional hospitality and courtesy even at the cost of their lives. Lord Lake advanced on Bharatpur in spite of the combined forces of Jats and Holkars.
General Lake besieged Deeg
on 11 December 1804, and it surrendered on 24 December, after which he proceeded to Bharatpur.
war. Surprisingly the Jat ruler Ranjit Singh of Bharatpur signed a treaty with the British on 17 April 1805 when they had nearly won the war. Due to this, Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar had to leave Bharatpur. Due to heavy pressure from the enemy, the Jats had to evacuate Deeg for better defensive positions.
Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar sought help from Raja Bhag Singh of Jindh, Raja Fathesinh Ahuwalia of Patiyala and other Sikh rulers they all rejected to help Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar against the British. He then went to Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Punjab)
of Lahore who too turned down his request to fight against the British. As soon as the British learnt this, they sent Bahg Singh, uncle of Ranjit Sinh, to prevent Ranjit Singh from helping Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar. Ranjit Singh and Fateh Singh signed a friendship treaty with British (The Treaty with Lahore). The agreed draft of this treaty was ready on 17 December 1805. Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar cursed him. This curse became a saying in Punjab.
British army and the army of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar again came face to face near Amritsar
. The English Council told Lord Lake to anyhow make a treaty with Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar because if they were late and the other rulers accept the appeal of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar it would be difficult for them to remain in India. The British were worried because of the continuous failure against Holkars. The British approached him for peace.
Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar saw that rest of the Kings were not ready to unite and were interested in personal benefits and interests, he was the last to sign a treaty with the British on 24 December 1805 at a place called Rajghat
(in Punjab) (Treaty at Rajghat). He was the only King in India to whom the British approached to sign a peace treaty. He didn’t accept any condition which would affect his self-respect. The British recognised him as a sovereign King and returned all his territory. They accepted his dominion over Jaipur
, Udaypur, Kota
, Bundi
, and some Rajput Kings. They also accepted that they would not interfere in the matters of Holkars. The Victorious King reached Indore and started ruling his Kingdom.
He was successful in keeping the British out of his state but he wanted them out of India. He knew that was impossible without sufficient cannons. He built a factory to manufacture cannons in Bhanpura
.
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, during the Second Anglo-Maratha War
Second Anglo-Maratha War
The Second Anglo-Maratha War was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India.-Background:...
. Forces of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, led by General Gerard Lake
Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake
General Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake was a British general. He commanded British forces during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and later served as Commander-in-Chief of the military in British India.-Background:...
, were four times repulsed in attempts to storm the fortress. The Marathan victory was an embarrassing defeat for the British.
Background
Yashwantrao HolkarYashwantrao Holkar
H. H. Maharajadhiraj Raj Rajeshwar Sawai Shrimant Yashwant Rao Holkar Bahadur, Nusrat Jang, Maharaja of Maratha Empire, was born on 3 December 1776...
had attacked the British and chased colonel Manson. He had attacked Delhi to free the Mughal Emperor from the British. Meanwhile he learnt that Colonel Mare and Colonel Wallace had attacked his Kingdom.
Holkar suffered setbacks when his forces outside Deeg
Deeg
Deeg is a city and a municipality in Bharatpur district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is situated in the north of Bharatpur at a distance of 32 km, and North of Agra....
were defeated in battle
Battle of Deeg
The Battle of Deeg, fought on 13 November 1804, took place outside Deeg, now in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India, then within the territories of the Maratha Empire. It was part of the Second Anglo-Maratha War...
, and the fortress there was taken after siege
Siege of Deeg Fort
The Siege of Deeg Fort was a siege of the main fortress at Deeg, now in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India, then within the Maratha Empire...
. However, the Jat King Ranjit Singh of Bharatpur welcomed him and decided to be with Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar against the British. The Jats greeted him with open arms. The Jats would not give up their traditional hospitality and courtesy even at the cost of their lives. Lord Lake advanced on Bharatpur in spite of the combined forces of Jats and Holkars.
General Lake besieged Deeg
Siege of Deeg Fort
The Siege of Deeg Fort was a siege of the main fortress at Deeg, now in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India, then within the Maratha Empire...
on 11 December 1804, and it surrendered on 24 December, after which he proceeded to Bharatpur.
Siege
Lord Lake began besieging Bharatpur on 2 January 1805. After a breach was effected in the fort's walls on 9 January, the British attacked, but were repulsed. A second attack on 20 January was also thrown back. Following about one month of analysis and new breaches, a third attack was made against a new location on 20 February. This one was repulsed with heavy casualties, and a fourth and final assault the next day also failed.Aftermath
British forces suffered more than 3,000 casualties. This war was compared with the MahabharataMahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
war. Surprisingly the Jat ruler Ranjit Singh of Bharatpur signed a treaty with the British on 17 April 1805 when they had nearly won the war. Due to this, Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar had to leave Bharatpur. Due to heavy pressure from the enemy, the Jats had to evacuate Deeg for better defensive positions.
Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar sought help from Raja Bhag Singh of Jindh, Raja Fathesinh Ahuwalia of Patiyala and other Sikh rulers they all rejected to help Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar against the British. He then went to Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Punjab)
Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Punjab)
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
of Lahore who too turned down his request to fight against the British. As soon as the British learnt this, they sent Bahg Singh, uncle of Ranjit Sinh, to prevent Ranjit Singh from helping Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar. Ranjit Singh and Fateh Singh signed a friendship treaty with British (The Treaty with Lahore). The agreed draft of this treaty was ready on 17 December 1805. Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar cursed him. This curse became a saying in Punjab.
British army and the army of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar again came face to face near Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
. The English Council told Lord Lake to anyhow make a treaty with Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar because if they were late and the other rulers accept the appeal of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar it would be difficult for them to remain in India. The British were worried because of the continuous failure against Holkars. The British approached him for peace.
Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar saw that rest of the Kings were not ready to unite and were interested in personal benefits and interests, he was the last to sign a treaty with the British on 24 December 1805 at a place called Rajghat
Rajghat
Rajghat Dam is an Inter-state Dam project of the Government of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh being constructed on Betwa River about 14 km from Historical place Chanderi, dist Ashoknagar in Madhya Pradesh and 22 km from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh, India...
(in Punjab) (Treaty at Rajghat). He was the only King in India to whom the British approached to sign a peace treaty. He didn’t accept any condition which would affect his self-respect. The British recognised him as a sovereign King and returned all his territory. They accepted his dominion over Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
, Udaypur, Kota
Kota, Rajasthan
Kota , formerly known as Kotah, is a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located south of state capital, Jaipur. Situated on the banks of Chambal River, the city is the trade centre for an area in which millet, wheat, rice, pulses, coriander and oilseeds are grown; industries...
, Bundi
Bundi
Bundi is a city and a municipality of approximately 88,000 inhabitants in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan state in northwest India. It is of particular architectural note for its ornate forts, palaces, and stepwell reservoirs known as baoris...
, and some Rajput Kings. They also accepted that they would not interfere in the matters of Holkars. The Victorious King reached Indore and started ruling his Kingdom.
He was successful in keeping the British out of his state but he wanted them out of India. He knew that was impossible without sufficient cannons. He built a factory to manufacture cannons in Bhanpura
Bhanpura
Bhanpura is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandsaur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.Bhanpura is 127 km from Mandsaur in north-east direction. The Bhanpura town is south of other historically important places Hinglajgarh and Navali in Mandsaur district. It has a museum...
.