Adgaon
Encyclopedia
Adgaon, known as Argaon during the period of the British Raj
, is a village located in the Telhara
tehsil
near Akot
in the Akola district
of Maharashtra
, India
. Situated 32 miles north of Akola, the village was the site of the Battle of Argaon between British troops and the Marathas
during the Second Anglo-Maratha War
.
Adgaon is on the bank of Vidrupa River which flows from the nearby Satpura Range
to the Purna River
. It is the site of the temple of Dwarkeshwar which holds an annual fair to which thousands of devotees visit from different part of Maharashtra. Adgaon has a small railway station (Code - ABZ), on the Akola- Khandwa
South Central Railway
line. Maharashtra State Highway 194 passes through Adgaon.
under the command of General Arthur Wellesley
(later the Duke of Wellington
) and the forces of The Rajah of Berar and Nagpur, Raghoji II Bhonsle, under Sindhia of Gwalior. The battlefield is located between Adgaon and Sirsoli
, three miles south of Adgaon. This battle followed the victory of Arthur Wellesley at the Battle of Assaye
.
Three of Wellesley's battalions, which had previously fought well, on this occasion broke and fled, and the situation was at one time very serious. Wellesley, however, succeeded in rallying them, and in the end defeated the Marathas, with the loss of all their guns and baggage. The British lost 346 - killed and wounded.
The series of battles between British and Marathas in second Anglo-Maratha War, were consequences of Peshwa Baji Rao II being defeated by the Holkar ruler of Indore, at the Battle of Poona
, at Hadapsar, near Pune on 25 October 1802. He fled to British protection, and in December the same year concluded the Treaty of Bassein
with the British East India Company on 31 December 1802, ceding territory for the maintenance of a subsidiary force and agreeing to treaty with no other power. This act on the part of the Peshwa, their nominal overlord, horrified and disgusted the Maratha chieftains, in particular, the Sindia rulers of Gwalior and the Bhonsle rulers of Nagpur & Berar. They contested the agreement. But there were defeated - Sindia at Laswari and Delhi by Lord Lake and Bhonsles in Battle of Assaye
and Battle of Argaon by Sir Arthur Wellesley.
After initial treaty signed in the palace of Argaon, to endorse the defeat in the Battle of Argaon, on 30 December 1803, the Scindhia signed the Treaty of Surji-Arjungaon with the British and ceded to the British Ganges-Jumna Doab, the Delhi-Agra region, parts of Bundelkhand, Broach, some districts of Gujarat and fort of Ahmmadnagar. Subsequently, by the partition treaty of Hyderabad (1804) between British and Nizam, the ceded territories in Berar were transferred to the Nizam, together with some tracts about Sindkhed and Jalna which had been held by Sindhia.
On the other side, on 17 December 1803, Raghuji Bhonsale (II) of Nagpur signed the Treaty of Deogaon with the British after the Battle of Laswari and gave up the province of Cuttack including Balasore.
Medal, with the bar of commemorative of Argaon, was struck in 1851 and presented to the surviving officers and soldiers.
battle-ground to make a surprise attack on enemy from underground. British army used this information to trap and kill the Maratha army soldiers who were marching through that secret tunnel. This, is said, was major cause of Maratha army defeat in that battle.
Deshpandes held their Vatandaari till the system was abolished by the Government of India. The family was allowed to retain the palace and some land around Adgaon as their personal property. Later in 1950s, Desphande family moved out of Adgaon to the cities for better prospects. To look after, the palace was handed over in 1960 to a local doctor - Dr Shashikant Jawale. He looked after it till 1973 when it was forced to demolish due to its depleting condition.
's Gajanan Maharaj
, an Indian guru and yogi, regarded by his followers as an incarnation of God, having many stories and eyewitness accounts of miracles he performed, visited Adgaon on the request of local Sant Bhaskar Maharaj. He performed another yet miracle here at Adgaon.
Making Crows disappear from Adgaon :
During Shegaon's Gajanan Maharaj's visit, Bhaskar Maharaj arranged the grand lunch with distinguished guests of Adgaon region. The food was served on the open ground, on the plates made up of leaves. When everybody was ready about to start the lunch, the hungry crows from nearby tree flew to the plates and started eating the food. The volunteers rushed towards the plates to drive away the crows to save the food. Gajanan Maharaj stopped the volunteers in doing so. He talked to crows like talking to human being. He told them, "Now you can eat stomachful of food without fear but never come back to this place where you get insulted". Since then the crows are not seen in and around Adgaon till date.
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, is a village located in the Telhara
Telhara
Telhara.HISTORYTelhara.-Telhara is a town in the west of Akot taluk 17 miles from Akot. It is situated near to Satpuda parvat and having extreme climate conditions always. Town suffers too much cold in winter , too much rain and too much hot . It is situated near by "Gautama" river...
tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
near Akot
Akot
Akot is a city and a municipal council in Akola district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Prashis Meshram-Geography:Akot is located at . It has an average elevation of 345 metres .-Demographics:...
in the Akola district
Akola District
Akola is a district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city of Akola is the district headquarters. Akola district forms the central part of Amravati Division, and was a former British Raj Berar Province.Area of the district is 5,431 km²...
of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, 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...
. Situated 32 miles north of Akola, the village was the site of the Battle of Argaon between British troops and the Marathas
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
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:...
.
Adgaon is on the bank of Vidrupa River which flows from the nearby Satpura Range
Satpura Range
The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat state near the Arabian Sea coast, running east through Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide the...
to the Purna River
Purna River
The Purna River is a river of Western India. It runs parallel to the Tapti river and empties in it at Changdev in Jalgaon, Maharashta.-Description:...
. It is the site of the temple of Dwarkeshwar which holds an annual fair to which thousands of devotees visit from different part of Maharashtra. Adgaon has a small railway station (Code - ABZ), on the Akola- Khandwa
Khandwa
Khandwa is a town in the Nimaad region of Madhya Pradesh, an Administrative State in central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Khandwa District, formerly known as East Nimar District.Khandwa is an ancient town, with many places of worship, like many other towns in India...
South Central Railway
South Central Railway
The South Central Railway is one of the 16 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Secunderabad and has the following divisions:# Secunderabad# Hyderabad# Guntakal # Vijayawada# Guntur# Nanded...
line. Maharashtra State Highway 194 passes through Adgaon.
Battle of Argaon
The Battle of Argaon took place on 29 November 1803, between the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
under the command of General Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
(later the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
) and the forces of The Rajah of Berar and Nagpur, Raghoji II Bhonsle, under Sindhia of Gwalior. The battlefield is located between Adgaon and Sirsoli
Sirsoli
Sirsoli is a village in Telhara tehsil of Akola district and is known for the Battle of Argaon. The Battle of Argaon took place on November 28, 1803, between the British under the command of General Arthur Wellesley and the forces of The Rajah of Berar under Sindhia of Gwalior...
, three miles south of Adgaon. This battle followed the victory of Arthur Wellesley at the Battle of Assaye
Battle of Assaye
The Battle of Assaye was a major battle of the Second Anglo-Maratha War fought between the Maratha Confederacy and the British East India Company...
.
Three of Wellesley's battalions, which had previously fought well, on this occasion broke and fled, and the situation was at one time very serious. Wellesley, however, succeeded in rallying them, and in the end defeated the Marathas, with the loss of all their guns and baggage. The British lost 346 - killed and wounded.
The series of battles between British and Marathas in second Anglo-Maratha War, were consequences of Peshwa Baji Rao II being defeated by the Holkar ruler of Indore, at the Battle of Poona
Battle of Poona
The Battle of Poona took place on 25 October 1802 near Pune between the rival factions of the Maratha Confederacy. The forces of the Scindia and the Peshwa Bajirao II were attacked by the Holkars...
, at Hadapsar, near Pune on 25 October 1802. He fled to British protection, and in December the same year concluded the Treaty of Bassein
Treaty of Bassein
The Treaty of Bassein could refer to one of the articles shown below.*Treaty of Bassein - a treaty signed by Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat and the Portuguese....
with the British East India Company on 31 December 1802, ceding territory for the maintenance of a subsidiary force and agreeing to treaty with no other power. This act on the part of the Peshwa, their nominal overlord, horrified and disgusted the Maratha chieftains, in particular, the Sindia rulers of Gwalior and the Bhonsle rulers of Nagpur & Berar. They contested the agreement. But there were defeated - Sindia at Laswari and Delhi by Lord Lake and Bhonsles in Battle of Assaye
Battle of Assaye
The Battle of Assaye was a major battle of the Second Anglo-Maratha War fought between the Maratha Confederacy and the British East India Company...
and Battle of Argaon by Sir Arthur Wellesley.
After initial treaty signed in the palace of Argaon, to endorse the defeat in the Battle of Argaon, on 30 December 1803, the Scindhia signed the Treaty of Surji-Arjungaon with the British and ceded to the British Ganges-Jumna Doab, the Delhi-Agra region, parts of Bundelkhand, Broach, some districts of Gujarat and fort of Ahmmadnagar. Subsequently, by the partition treaty of Hyderabad (1804) between British and Nizam, the ceded territories in Berar were transferred to the Nizam, together with some tracts about Sindkhed and Jalna which had been held by Sindhia.
On the other side, on 17 December 1803, Raghuji Bhonsale (II) of Nagpur signed the Treaty of Deogaon with the British after the Battle of Laswari and gave up the province of Cuttack including Balasore.
Medal, with the bar of commemorative of Argaon, was struck in 1851 and presented to the surviving officers and soldiers.
Role of Deshpandes-local vatandar, in Battle of Argaon
According to locals, it is said that, Deshpandes, the local chieftain(Vatandaar) of Argaon region, received the information in advance about the size of Maratha army that was arriving, so as to make themselves ready to provide the food and other required amenties locally to the arriving soldiers. But Deshpande handed over this information to the Intelligence of Arthur Wellesley, for the verbal promise that Deshpandes Vatandaari(chieftain-ship) would not be touched in case of defeat of Marathas. The intelligence also acquired the information about the secret tunnel which Maratha army had built from Argaon palace to SirsoliSirsoli
Sirsoli is a village in Telhara tehsil of Akola district and is known for the Battle of Argaon. The Battle of Argaon took place on November 28, 1803, between the British under the command of General Arthur Wellesley and the forces of The Rajah of Berar under Sindhia of Gwalior...
battle-ground to make a surprise attack on enemy from underground. British army used this information to trap and kill the Maratha army soldiers who were marching through that secret tunnel. This, is said, was major cause of Maratha army defeat in that battle.
Palace of Argaon
It is officially not known when Deshpande family acquired the Vatandaari of Argaon and when the palace was built. But according to local elders, Deshpandes served under different rulers, having twice history of betrayal to their own ruler. The tunnel built during the Anglo-Maratha war, had its opening inside the palace. The palace was also known to have the temple of Lord Hanuman, the idol of which was eshtablished by none other than renowned saint of Maharashtra during Shivaji's time, Sant Ramdas Swami.Deshpandes held their Vatandaari till the system was abolished by the Government of India. The family was allowed to retain the palace and some land around Adgaon as their personal property. Later in 1950s, Desphande family moved out of Adgaon to the cities for better prospects. To look after, the palace was handed over in 1960 to a local doctor - Dr Shashikant Jawale. He looked after it till 1973 when it was forced to demolish due to its depleting condition.
Shegaon's Gajanan Maharaj visit to Adgaon
ShegaonShegaon
Shegaon is a city and a municipal council in Buldana district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:Shegaon is located around 550 km east of the city of Mumbai and 300 km west from the city of Nagpur...
's Gajanan Maharaj
Gajanan Maharaj
Gajanan Maharaj from Shegaon , Maharashtra, India is a Saint from India. "Sant Gajanan Maharaj Sansthan" is the largest temple trust in the Vidarbha region....
, an Indian guru and yogi, regarded by his followers as an incarnation of God, having many stories and eyewitness accounts of miracles he performed, visited Adgaon on the request of local Sant Bhaskar Maharaj. He performed another yet miracle here at Adgaon.
Making Crows disappear from Adgaon :
During Shegaon's Gajanan Maharaj's visit, Bhaskar Maharaj arranged the grand lunch with distinguished guests of Adgaon region. The food was served on the open ground, on the plates made up of leaves. When everybody was ready about to start the lunch, the hungry crows from nearby tree flew to the plates and started eating the food. The volunteers rushed towards the plates to drive away the crows to save the food. Gajanan Maharaj stopped the volunteers in doing so. He talked to crows like talking to human being. He told them, "Now you can eat stomachful of food without fear but never come back to this place where you get insulted". Since then the crows are not seen in and around Adgaon till date.