Maratha–Mysore War (1785–87)

01Nargund and Kittur

Haidar Ali had taken the Maratha districts south of the Krishna in 1776–79. When Tipu raised the tribute of Nargund, its chief Venkatrao Bhave turned to Pune, and Tipu besieged Nargund in February 1785; it surrendered in July. He also seized Kittur, whose Desai family looked to the Marathas. Nana Phadnavis, freed from the British war by Salbai, allied with the Nizam, and in 1786 their combined armies under Haripant Phadke moved into the Doab and took Badami after a siege.

02Adoni, Savanur and the peace

Tipu struck back. He besieged Adoni, held for the Nizam, and though the allies relieved its garrison he took the fort after they withdrew. He crossed the Tungabhadra in the rains and beat the Marathas near Savanur in October 1786, and the Nawab of Savanur, the Marathas’ ally, lost his lands. Neither side could finish the other. In April 1787 the Treaty of Gajendragad gave the Marathas Badami, Nargund and Kittur and the Nizam Adoni, while Tipu paid tribute and kept the rest.

Dynasty · 1713–1818 CEThe Peshwas of PuneThe Peshwas were the hereditary chief ministers of the Chhatrapatis, and from 1713 to 1818 they ran the Maratha state from Pune. Under Bajirao I and his son Nanasaheb the Marathas became the strongest power in India, until Panipat in 1761 and the British wars that ended the line in 1818.Read →