A battle in the Third Anglo-Maratha War was fought on January 1, 1818, in the Koregaon Bhima region. In memory of this Battle, the British erected a victory pillar (Jaystambh). The British honoured their brave soldier, Jamadar Khandojibin Gajojji Malvadkar, who was injured in the Battle, by granting him a sanad (official recognition) and appointing him as the ‘in-charge’ of the victory pillar. His seventh-generation descendant, Advocate Rohan Jamadar (Malvadkar), wrote a booklet titled “The Reality of the Koregaon Bhima Battle of January 1, 1818”, based on contemporary references and evidence he meticulously collected. The booklet was released in Pune on January 18 by Shrimant Raje Mudhoji Bhonsle of Nagpur. According to the booklet, some key points with references are as follows:
The Battle of Koregaon Bhima had no victor
On January 1, 1818, in Koregaon Bhima, Pune district, a British force of approximately 775 soldiers faced off against the Peshwas army of 28,000 troops. A contingent of Arab soldiers fighting for the Peshwas attacked the British forces. The battle lasted throughout the day and ended in a stalemate by nightfall.
Meanwhile, on the night of January 1, British officer Captain Staunton sent a letter to his superiors stating, “We are completely surrounded by the Peshwa’s forces, and we cannot hold out beyond tonight. Many of our soldiers and officers have been killed. Send reinforcements quickly, or they will kill us by tomorrow.”
However, the battle came to an end. The Maratha forces withdrew towards Satara. The sentence in Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Writings and Speeches, Volume 17, Part 3, published by the State Government, states: “At 9 PM, even when the decisive phase of victory was near, it is difficult to explain why the Peshwa’s forces stopped the attack and retreated from Koregaon.” Therefore, the claim that 500 Mahar soldiers from the British side killed 28,000 Brahmin Peshwa soldiers in the Koregaon Bhima battle is historically inaccurate.
Veer Shidnak Mahar was not part of the Koregaon battle, and it was not a battle for the end of casteism:
Mahar soldiers were brave, and casteism existed during the Peshwa era, which is true. However, the claim that 500 Mahar soldiers, under the leadership of Shidnak Mahar, joined the British forces to fight against the Peshwas to end casteism is incorrect. Shidnak Mahar was a valiant warrior of the Maratha side. There is no evidence to suggest that he fought on the side of the British or against the Peshwas. The Peshwas army included Arab soldiers and soldiers from the Mang, Ramoshi, and Bhil communities. Chhatrapati Pratapsingh Bhonsle II of Satara and Baji Rao Peshwa II were present with the forces. The British army also had Mahar soldiers, Marathas, and soldiers of various other castes and religions, such as Khandoji Bin Gajoji. No contemporary evidence suggests that Mahar soldiers joined the British forces to fight a caste war against the Brahmin Peshwas.
The Battle of Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 1818, was not revenge for the assassination of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in 1689 – such claims are completely false:
There is no connection between the Koregaon Bhima battle and the assassination of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, which took place 129 years earlier in the nearby village of Wadhu Budruk. The Mahar Regiment did not exist during the Koregaon Bhima battle. The British forces involved in this battle included the “Second Battalion First Bombay Native Infantry,” “The Pune Auxiliary Horse,” and “Madras Artillery.” The Mahar Regiment was established only in 1941.
British Casteism
During the formation of the Pune Auxiliary Horse Battalion for the battle of Koregaon, the British issued advertisements that stated, “Men of low caste not to be admitted.” (Reference: Pune Horses book). Additionally, contemporary British documents reveal that a representative from the “Parwari” (Mahar) caste was not deemed suitable for the position of “in-charge” of the victory pillar. This reflects the casteism practised by the British.
(Reference to the advertisement given by the British during the formation of the Pune Auxiliary Horse Battalion and the contemporary British document stating that a representative from the Parwari caste was not suitable for the position of “in-charge” of the victory pillar can be found in the book Pune Horses.)
Ambedkar’s visit to the victory pillar and the movement against British Casteist Policies
Before and after 1818, many Mahar soldiers served in the British army and displayed bravery in various battles. However, due to their casteist policies, the British denied entry to Mahar soldiers (considered untouchables) in the army. To highlight the betrayal by the British and to commemorate the bravery of Mahar soldiers who fought for the British in the Battle of Koregaon, Dr Ambedkar chose the site of the victory pillar. On January 1, 1927, Dr Ambedkar held a gathering at the Victory Pillar and, in his speech, vehemently condemned the betrayal by the British. He also called for a rebellion against their casteist policies.
Dr Ambedkar said in his speech at the Victory Pillar, “It is not a matter of special pride that the Mahar soldiers fought on the British side; this is true. But why did they join the British forces? Because the so-called ‘higher caste’ Hindu leaders treated them worse than dogs and cats, so out of necessity, they joined the British army. This should be kept in mind.”
Three months later, during his speech at the Chavdar Tale Satyagraha in Mahad, Dr Ambedkar stated, “Napoleon, who called England ‘a country that should be wiped off the earth,’ was the same country that brought down the Maratha Empire. The cause of the downfall was not the caste divisions and fighting among the Marathas but the British raising an army here, and that army was made up of untouchables. If the strength of untouchables had not been behind the British, they would never have been able to conquer this country.” (Reference: Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Charitra by Dhananjay Keer)
Dr Ambedkar never referred to the Koregaon Bhima battle as a struggle against casteism. He also never made statements claiming that 500 Mahar soldiers killed 28,000 Brahmin Peshwa soldiers. No contemporary evidence suggests that Dr Ambedkar visited the Victory Pillar after 1927. It is appropriate to remember Dr Ambedkar’s visit to the Victory Pillar as an important moment in the historic anti-British movement for the recruitment of untouchables into the army. These and other issues are presented with references in the pamphlet. The author has maintained humility in the language. Scholars and thinkers should read the pamphlet, and those engaged in the Ambedkarite movement and its references should be examined. The media, historians, and social activists should facilitate a comprehensive discussion about the Koregaon Bhima battle of January 1, 1818. Some issues in the pamphlet may be liked and disagreed with by others, but such discussions should be conducted in a friendly, constitutional manner. The author has promised to make corrections if errors are pointed out with proper evidence. The pamphlet is available on Amazon and Flipkart.
Protection of the author’s Right to free expression
There are many misconceptions and misunderstandings about the Koregaon Bhima battle. On January 1, 2018, violence erupted in the Koregaon Bhima area, which had serious social repercussions. For law and order reasons, the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad police notified Advocate Rohan Jamadar to publish the book after January 1, 2022. The author complied with the notice. However, many people have called the author without reading the book, using abusive language and threats. In Aurangabad, a young man posted a WhatsApp status related to the pamphlet, and he was forced to apologize at the police station, so the video went viral. Such incidents need to stop. First, the police must read the pamphlet, and action should be taken against those who violate the law. The author’s right to freedom of expression, as granted by the Constitution, must be protected.
