Kashibai
Encyclopedia
Kashibai sadashiv was the daughter of Parvatibai
and Sadashivrao Bhau
, Commander-in-Chief of the Maratha
forces, in the ill-fated Maratha campaign against Durrani
forces led by Ahmed Shah Abdali. Her name ceremony took place on Chhatrapati Shahu
’s lap. She was married to the Sikh
chieftain Sardar Hardas Singh, who was killed when Ahmed Shah Abdali attacked Amritsar in 1762.(The descendants of the Peshwa family and Parvatibai's family (of origin), however, have not verified this claim).(As per all available records Parvatibai did not have any child and this entire account of Kashibai is not supported by any evidence/records)
, age 13, left Deccan in May 1758 along with their entourage for Kurukshetra
to perform a religious pilgrimage. As per the records available at various pilgrimage sites, Paravatibai, Kashibai and Radhikabai visited Ujjain
, Vrindavan, Haridwar, the Shiv temple of Rawalpindi, and the Narasinha temple of Multan. Donations given by Parvatibai to the Harmandir Sahib
at Amritsar
for burning oil lamps is clearly recorded, with the confirmed date of her visit as Diwali
Amavasya
of 1759, almost 14 months prior to the battle day.
reached them. Following Sikh
tradition, Sardar Ramdas gave refuge to these ladies from Deccan. As per the prevailing Hindu
custom of marrying a daughter within the first calendar year of her father’s death, Kashibai was married off to Sardar Ramdas’ son Sardar Hardas Singh on Baisakhi day, 1761 at Amritsar. Radhikabai became a yogini
and led a pious life at Hardwar
until her death in 1801. Kashibai gave birth to a daughter, Dharmabai alias Dharma Kaur, in April 1762. Dharmabai was a posthumous child, as Sardar Hardas Singh had been killed earlier in a skirmish when Ahmed Shah Abdali invaded Amritsar in February 1762. Dharmabai married Gurdial Singh (d. 1797) of Gujranwala
, situated in the west Punjab province of Pakistan
. Dharmabai died in 1792 in labour pains after giving birth to Sardar Hari Singh
.
’s personal guards, played a big part in teaching Hari Singh the use of mechanics-mathematics in firing artillery-muskets.
Kashibai died at Majitha
near Amritsar in 1803, a few months before Sikh Maharaja Ranjeet Singh commissioned Hari Singh in his army and granted him a command of 700 infantrymen and cavalrymen along with the honour of title Sardar
. Sardar Hari Singh was a pioneer in using light artillery effectively against strongly defended fortifications and became a legendary Sikh general in the Maharaja’s government, defeating the Afghans several times in strategically important battles.
Parvatibai
Parvatibai was second wife of Sadashivrao Bhau. She was from Kolhatkar family of Pen.- Family Life:...
and Sadashivrao Bhau
Sadashivrao Bhau
Sadashivrao Bhau was son of Chimaji Appa and Rakhmabai and nephew of Peshwa Baji Rao I and served as the commander of the Maratha army.-Birth and early years:...
, Commander-in-Chief of the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
forces, in the ill-fated Maratha campaign against Durrani
Durrani
Durrani or Abdali is the name of a chief Pashtun tribal confederation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Originally known by their ancient name Abdali later as Durrani they have been called Durrani since the beginning of the Durrani Empire in 1747. The number of Durranis are estimated to be roughly 16%...
forces led by Ahmed Shah Abdali. Her name ceremony took place on Chhatrapati Shahu
Shahuji
Shahu Sambhaji Raje Bhosale Chhatrapati Maharaj was the fourth ruler of the Maratha Empire created by his grandfather, Chhatrapati Shivaji, and was officially the Raja of Satara...
’s lap. She was married to the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
chieftain Sardar Hardas Singh, who was killed when Ahmed Shah Abdali attacked Amritsar in 1762.(The descendants of the Peshwa family and Parvatibai's family (of origin), however, have not verified this claim).(As per all available records Parvatibai did not have any child and this entire account of Kashibai is not supported by any evidence/records)
Childhood
Kashibai was born in Kalyan. She spent most of her childhood at Satara. Like her mother, she was taught the use of armour, archery, horse riding and using muskets. At an early age she was exposed to court administrative matters at Satara and later during the Panipat campaign.Panipat campaign
When Kashibai was 11, her mother Parvatibai and Kashibai's maternal cousin RadhikabaiRadhikabai
Radhikabai was the daughter of Sardar Gupte of Nashik, Maharashtra, India, a Tipnis of Baji Rao I and later Raghunathrao. She was the niece of Parvatibai, wife of Sadashivrao Bhau, and was emotionally attached to her...
, age 13, left Deccan in May 1758 along with their entourage for Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra is a land of historical and religious importance. Historically the land belonged to Punjab now a district in Haryana state of India. It is a holy place and is also known as Dharmakshetra . According to the Puranas, Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru, the ancestor of Kauravas and...
to perform a religious pilgrimage. As per the records available at various pilgrimage sites, Paravatibai, Kashibai and Radhikabai visited Ujjain
Ujjain
Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
, Vrindavan, Haridwar, the Shiv temple of Rawalpindi, and the Narasinha temple of Multan. Donations given by Parvatibai to the Harmandir Sahib
Harmandir Sahib
The Harmandir Sahib also Darbar Sahib , also referred to as the Golden Temple, is a prominent Sikh gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab . Construction of the gurdwara was begun by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru, and completed by his successor, Guru Arjan Dev...
at 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...
for burning oil lamps is clearly recorded, with the confirmed date of her visit as Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
Amavasya
Amavasya
Amavasya is the Indian name for a New moon. The word Amavasya is common to many Indian languages especially Sanskrit, Hindi, Assamese, Kannada, Bengali, Konkani, Marathi, Oriya, Telugu, and Gujarati...
of 1759, almost 14 months prior to the battle day.
Life after the Panipat campaign
Kashibai and Radhikabai were staying in the house of Sardar Ramdas of Majitha when news of the total rout of Maratha forces, the death of Kashibai’s father Sadashivrao Bhau and of Radhikabai's fiance VishwasraoVishwasrao
Vishwasrao was an Indian noble of the Maratha Empire.- Early life :Vishwasrao was born the eldest son of Nanasaheb Peshwa at Supa near Pune...
reached them. Following Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
tradition, Sardar Ramdas gave refuge to these ladies from Deccan. As per the prevailing Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
custom of marrying a daughter within the first calendar year of her father’s death, Kashibai was married off to Sardar Ramdas’ son Sardar Hardas Singh on Baisakhi day, 1761 at Amritsar. Radhikabai became a yogini
Yogini
Yogini is the complete form source word of the masculine yogi- and neutral/plural "yogin." Far from being merely a gender tag to the all things yogi, "Yogini" represents both a female master practitioner of Yoga, and a formal term of respect for a category of modern female spiritual teachers in...
and led a pious life at Hardwar
Hardwar
Hardwar is a 1998 science fiction flight simulation computer game developed by The Software Refinery and published by Gremlin Interactive. In the USA, the game was distributed by Interplay under license...
until her death in 1801. Kashibai gave birth to a daughter, Dharmabai alias Dharma Kaur, in April 1762. Dharmabai was a posthumous child, as Sardar Hardas Singh had been killed earlier in a skirmish when Ahmed Shah Abdali invaded Amritsar in February 1762. Dharmabai married Gurdial Singh (d. 1797) of Gujranwala
Gujranwala
Gujranwala is a industrial city in the north-east of the Punjab province. It is the sixth largest city in Pakistan with a population of approximately 2,661,360 as on 24 June 2011...
, situated in the west Punjab province of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Dharmabai died in 1792 in labour pains after giving birth to Sardar Hari Singh
Hari Singh Nalwa
Hari Singh Nalwa was Commander-in-chief of the Khalsa, the army of the Sikh Empire. He is known for his role in the conquests of Kasur, Sialkot, Multan, Kashmir, Attock, and Peshawar. He led the Sikh Army in freeing Shah Shuja from Kashmir and secured the Koh-i-Nor diamond for Maharaja Ranjit Singh...
.
Upbringing of Hari Singh
Hari Singh was brought up and tutored by his maternal grandmother, who made special arrangements for teaching her grandchild to be a fearless administrator and an expert in archery, armoury and musketry. Naik Fateh Khan Gardi, captain of Sadashivrao BhauSadashivrao Bhau
Sadashivrao Bhau was son of Chimaji Appa and Rakhmabai and nephew of Peshwa Baji Rao I and served as the commander of the Maratha army.-Birth and early years:...
’s personal guards, played a big part in teaching Hari Singh the use of mechanics-mathematics in firing artillery-muskets.
Kashibai died at Majitha
Majitha
Majitha is a town and a municipal council in Amritsar district in the Indian state of Punjab. Majitha holds a distinguished place in the history of Punjab as the well-known Majithia Sirdars came from this region. These were several generals in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army of the Sikh Empire in the...
near Amritsar in 1803, a few months before Sikh Maharaja Ranjeet Singh commissioned Hari Singh in his army and granted him a command of 700 infantrymen and cavalrymen along with the honour of title Sardar
Sardar
Sardar is a title of Indo-Aryan origin that was originally used to denote feudal princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It was later applied to indicate a Head of State, a Commander-in-chief, and an Army military rank...
. Sardar Hari Singh was a pioneer in using light artillery effectively against strongly defended fortifications and became a legendary Sikh general in the Maharaja’s government, defeating the Afghans several times in strategically important battles.