Ranoji Scindia

Ranoji Scindia or Ranoji Shinde was a Maratha army commander and the founder of the Shinde clan, who served the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire in several military campaigns. The Scindia dynasty rose to prominence in the 18th century and went on to dominate central India as one of the most prominent powers due to their influential presence in Delhi and their highly modernised army.

Early life

Ranoji Scindia was born to a Marathi family, who were the hereditary Patils of Kanherkhed, a village in present day Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. He adopted and christened his surname from Shinde to Scindia when he became the independent ruler in Malwa and central India thus founded the Scindia dynasty. The Scindia family had, in the previous centuries, served as shiledars (cavalrymen) of the Bahmani Sultanate.

Military career

As a young man, Ranoji started in the service of Balaji Vishwanath Peshwa. At that time Ramchandrababa Sukhtankar, one of the Peshwa's diplomats, recognised Ranoji's talents and had him made the personal bodyguard of the Peshwa's son, Bajirao I. Upon the death of his father, Bajirao was appointed as the Peshwa at the age of twenty by Chhatrapati Shahu I. This evoked jealousy from senior officials at the Maratha court. This in turn led Baji Rao to promote talented young men who were barely out of their teens such as Ranoji Scindia, Malhar Rao Holkar, the Pawar brothers, Pilaji Jadhav, and Fateh Singh Bhosle as commanders of his troops. None of these men belonged to families that held hereditary Deshmukhi rights under earlier rulers such as the Deccan Sultanates. Ranoji Scindia, along with Malharrao Holkar and Pawar brothers, was in charge of the Maratha campaign initiated by Peshwa Bajirao in Malwa in 1726. Template:See Ranoji was also involved in Bajirao's several battles, such as the Battle of Palkhed and the Battle of Bhopal. He established his capital at Ujjain in 1731. He appointed Ramchandrababa Sukhtankar as his dewan, or administrator, and Made Yashaji Rambhaji sarsenapati oo commander-in-chief of his army, while he spent most of his life on military campaign. Some historians credit Sukhtankar with bringing the Kumbh mela to Ujjain in 1732. An early account of the Haridwar Kumbh Mela was published by Captain Thomas Hardwicke in 1796 CE.

Family

Ranoji had five sons: Jayappajirao, Jyotibarao, Dattajirao, Tukojirao, and Mahadji Shinde. The eldest four died fighting in various battles in northern India between 1750-1761. Mahadji, the youngest, had an illustrious career in the second half of the 18th century. His descendants were the rulers of the princely state of Gwalior who ruled during British colonial period from 1731 to1947.

See also

• Scindia