LESSON 4 LORD HASTINGS (1813-1823)

Learning Objectives
Students will come to know
1. The condition of India when Lord Hastings became
Governor-General.
2. The War with Nepal, the kingdom of the Gurkhas.
3. Who were the Pindaris and how they were exterminated.
4. The third and Final War with the Marathas.
5. The causes for the defeat of the Marathas at the hands of the
British.
6. The Reforms introduced by Lord Hastings.
7. An estimate of Lord Hastings.

Lord Hastings became GovernorGeneral in 1813. He adopted a vigorous forward

policy and waged wars extensively. His aggressive and imperialist polices paved the
way for the general of expansion of the British Empire. He further expanded the
British power in India. The conditions in India when he assumed power posed a
serious threat to the British administration. There was anarchy in central India. The
Pindaris plundered the whole region and the Marathas could not control them. Also,
there was infighting among the Maratha chiefs. Yet, they were aiming at the
expulsion of the British from India. The Peshwa was secretly plotting against the
British. Hastings was also troubled by the expansion of the Gurkha power.
Therefore, Hastings determined to restore order by suppressing the Pindaris and to
eliminate threats to the British power by waging wars with the Marathas and the
Gurkhas.

War against the Gurkhas (1814-16)

Nepal emerged as a powerful Gurkha state in 1768. This country is situated to the
north of India with its boundary touching China in the north and Bengal and Oudh in
the east and south, respectively. In 1801, the British acquired the districts of
Gorakhpur and Basti from the Nawab of Oudh. This move brought the boundary of
Nepal to touch the British frontier. The aggressions of the Gurkhas into the British
territories culminated in a war. In May 1814, the Gurkhas attacked the British police
post and killed 18 policemen and their officer. Hastings declared war on Nepal. In
1814 several battles were fought between the British and the Gurkhas. Amar Singh
Thapa, the able General of Nepal Army was forced to surrender. In March 1816, the

Treaty of Sagauli was concluded. The Gurkhas gave up their claim over the Tarai
region and ceded the areas of Kumaon and Garhwal to the British. The British now
secured the area around Simla and their north-western borders touched the
Himalayas. The Gurkhas had to withdraw from Sikkim and they also agreed to keep
a British Resident at Katmandu. It was also agreed that the kingdom of Nepal would
not employ any other foreigner in its services other than the English. The British had
also obtained the sites of hill stations like Simla, Mussoori, Nainital, Ranikhet and
developed them as tourist and health resorts. After this victory in the Gurkha War
Hastings was honoured with English peerage and he became Marquis of Hastings.

Suppression of the Pindaris

The origin of Pindaris is lost in obscurity. The first reference about them is during the
Mughal invasion of Maharashtra. They did not belong to any particular caste or
creed. They used to serve the army without any payment but instead were allowed
to plunder. During the time of Baji Rao I, they were irregular horsemen attached to
the Maratha army. It is worth mentioning here that they never helped the British.
They were mostly active in the areas of Rajputana and the Central Provinces and
subsisted on plunder. Their leaders belonged to both the Hindu as well as the
Muslim communities. Chief amongst them were Wasil Muhammad, Chitu and Karim
Khan. They had thousands of followers. In 1812, the Pindaris plundered the districts
of Mirzapur and Shahabad and in 1815 they raided the Nizams dominions. In 1816,
they plundered the Northern Circars. Lord Hastings determined to suppress the
Pindaris. For this he gathered a large army of 1,13,000 men and 300 guns and
attacked the Pindaris from four sides. He himself took command of the force from
the north while Sir Thomas Hislop commanded the force from the south. By 1818,
the Pindaris were completely suppressed and all their bands disintegrated. Karim
Khan was given a small estate in the Gorakhpur district of the United Provinces.
Wasil Muhammad took refuge in the Scindias camp but the latter handed him over
to the British. Wasil committed suicide in captivity and Chitu escaped to the forest,
where a tiger killed him. Thus, by 1824, the menace of the Pindaris came to an end.

Downfall of the Maratha Confederacy

The third major achievement of Lord Hastings was against the Marathas. In reality,
the Maratha power had weakened considerably after the Third Battle of Panipat
(1761) and the two subsequent wars against the British. But the Marathas had not
finally crushed out. The Maratha chiefs fought amongst themselves and their
successors were invariably weak and incapable. The relationships of powerful
Maratha chiefs like the Bhonsle, Gaekwar, Scindia, Holkar and the Peshwa were
ridden with mutual jealousies. Peshwa Baji Rao II wanted to become the head of the
Maratha Confederacy and at the same time wanted freedom from the British
control. His Chief Minister Tirimbakji encouraged him. On the advice of the
Company, the Gaekwar sent his Prime Minister Gangadhar Shastri to negotiate with
the Peshwa. On his way back, Gangadhar Shastri, was murdered at Nasik in July
1815, at the instance of Triambakji. This caused a lot of anger not only among the

Marathas but also among the British. The latter asked the Peshwa to handover
Triambakji to them. Peshwa handed over his Minister to the British, who lodged him
in Thana jail from where he escaped. Consequently, on 13 June 1817, the British
Resident Elphinstone forced the Peshwa to sign the Treaty of Poona. Baji Rao gave
up his desire to become the supreme head of the Marathas

Third Maratha War (1817-1819)

But soon the Peshwa undid this treaty with the British and on 5 November 1817
attacked the British Residency. He was defeated at a place called Kirkee. Similarly,
the Bhonsle chief, Appa Sahib also refused to abide by the Treaty of Nagpur, which
he had signed with the British on 17 May 1816. According to this treaty, Nagpur
came under the control of the Company. He fought with the British in the Battle of
Sitabaldi in November 1817, but was defeated. The Peshwa now turned to Holkar for
help, but Holkar too was defeated by the British on 21 December 1817 at Baroda.
Therefore, by December 1817 the dream of a Mighty Maratha Confederacy was
finally shattered.
In 1818, Scindia was also forced to sign a new treaty with the British on the basis of
which Ajmer was given to the Nawab of Bhopal, who also accepted the British
suzerainty. The Gaekwar of Baroda, while accepting the Subsidiary Alliance, agreed
to hand over certain areas of Ahmedabad to the British. The Rajput states which
were under the Pindaris were freed after the latters suppression. The year 1818
was a significant year on account of major political achievements for the British. The
Maratha dream of establishing themselves as the paramount power in India was
completely destroyed. Thus, the last hurdle in the way of British paramountcy was
removed.

Causes of the Defeat of the Marathas

There were several reasons for the defeat of the Marathas in the Anglo-Maratha
Wars. The main reasons were:
1. Lack of capable leadership
2. Military weakness of the Marathas.
3. The major drawback of the Maratha power was mutual bitterness and lack of
cooperation amongst themselves.
4. The Marathas hardly left any positive impact on the conquered territories.
5. The Marathas did not have cordial relations with other princes and Nawabs of
India.
6. The Marathas failed to estimate correctly the political and diplomatic
strength of the British.
Reforms of Hastings

The Governor-Generalship of Lord Hastings witnessed not only territorial expansion

but also the progress of administration. He approved the Ryotwari system of land
revenue introduced in the Madras Presidency by Sir Thomas Munroe. In the sphere
of judiciary, the Cornwallis Code was improved. The Police system of Bengal was
extended to other regions. The importance of Indian Munsiffs had increased during
his administration. The separation of judicial and revenue departments was not
rigidly followed. Instead, the District Collector acted as Magistrate. Hastings had
also encouraged the foundation of vernacular schools by missionaries and others. In
1817, the Hindu College was established at Calcutta by the public for the teaching
of English and western science. Hastings was the Patron of this college. He
encouraged the freedom of the Press and abolished the censorship introduced in
1799. The Bengali Weekly, Samachar Darpan was started in 1818 by Marshman, a
Serampore missionary

Estimate
Lord Hastings was an able soldier and a brilliant administrator. His liberal views on
education and Press are commendable. He suppressed the Pindaris, defeated the
Marathas and curbed the power of the Gurkhas. His territorial gains strengthened
the British power in India. He was considered the maker of the Bombay Presidency.
In short, he completed and consolidated the work of Wellesley. Lord Hastings was
succeeded by Lord Amherst (1823-28) who fought the First Anglo-Mysore War
(1824-26).

Learning Outcome
After studying this lesson the student is able to explain
1. The chief tasks that Lord Hastings had to fulfil when he
came to India.
2. The Gurkhas were defeated in the war and surrendered to
the British.
3. The Pindaris remained a nuisance to the peace and
tranquillity of central India and the efforts taken by
Hastings to eliminate them.
4. The weaknesses of the Maratha confederacy and the
supremacy of the British, who overpowered them.
5. The Reforms of Lord Hastings.

MODEL QUESTIONS
I. Choose the correct answer.
1. Lord Hastings declared war on Nepal in the year
(a) 1814 (b) 1815
(c) 1816 (d) 1817
II. Fill in the blanks.
1. In 1768 . emerged as a powerful Gurkha state.
2. The third Battle of Panipat took place in the year ..
III. Match the following.
1. Amar Singh Thapa a. Pindaris
2. Karim Khan b. Bengali Weekly
3. Sir Thomas Munroe c. General of Nepal
4. Samachar Darpan d. Ryotwari System
IV. Find out the correct statement. One statement alone is
right.
a) Lord Hasings adopted the polify of non-intervention.
b) Treaty of Saugali was concluded in 1815,
c) The leaders of Pindrais belonged to Sikh community.
d) Lord Hastings was the patron of the Hindu College at Calcutta.
V. State whether the following statements are True or False.
1. After the Gurkha war, the Gurkhas had agreed to keep a British
Resident at Kathmandu.
2. Triambakji was the Chief Minister of Baji Rao II.
VI. Write short notes (Any three points).
1. Gurkha War.
2. Reforms of Lord Hastings.
VII. Answer briefly (100 words).
1. Discuss the efforts taken by Lord Hastings to eliminate the
Pindaris.
2. Mention the causes for the downfall of the Maratha

Confederacy.
VIII. Answer in detail (200 words).
1. Evaluate the administration of Lord Hastings.
2. Examine the causes and effects of the Third Maratha War