Decline of Maratha Rule and British Supervision

Prerequisites

• The Suba System (1787–1818): the weak, absentee rule that the British stepped into
• Administration and Revenue under the Marathas: the parganas and kamavisdars that the British reorganised
• Advent of Europeans and British Expansion: subsidiary alliance, the Anglo-Maratha wars and the Doctrine of Lapse at the all-India level

The Hook: Why Raipur, Not Ratanpur?

Why it matters: Prelims loves the superintendents and their events (Edmund, Agnew, Sandys, Crawford) and the dates 1817, 1818, 1830, 1854. Mains GS-I asks why Maratha rule declined and how it gave way to British rule.

Big Picture: The Last Phase of Maratha Rule

graph TD
    A["1803: Defeat in Second Anglo-Maratha War
Treaty of Deogaon"] --> B["1817: Battle of Sitabuldi
Appa Saheb defeated"]
    B --> C["1818-1830: British superintendency
in the name of minor Raghuji III"]
    C --> D["1830-1854: Bhonsle rule restored"]
    D --> E["11 Dec 1853: Raghuji III dies without a natural heir"]
    E --> F["1854: Nagpur annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse"]
    F --> G["1 Feb 1855: Charles Elliot takes charge
as first Deputy Commissioner, Raipur"]

Step 1: The Bhonsles Weaken (1803)

• In the Second Anglo-Maratha War, Raghuji II Bhonsle of Nagpur was defeated by the British at Assaye and Argaon (1803).
• By the Treaty of Deogaon (17 December 1803) he lost territory, including Cuttack (coastal Odisha) and Berar west of the Wardha river, and had to accept a British Resident at Nagpur.
• For Chhattisgarh this meant a poorer, weaker Nagpur state that leaned harder on its remaining provinces for revenue, which fed the extractive Suba system.

Step 2: Sitabuldi and the British Takeover (1817–1818)

Step 3: British Superintendency (1818–1830)

This is the period of British supervision (ब्रिटिश अधीक्षण). Chhattisgarh still formally belonged to the Bhonsle Raja, but it was run by British officers called superintendents (अधीक्षक).

Step 4: Bhonsle Rule Restored, Then Lapse (1830–1854)

• In 1830, when Raghuji III came of age, the administration of his territories, including Chhattisgarh, was handed back to the Bhonsles.
• From 1830 to 1854 the Bhonsles again governed Chhattisgarh through their own officers. The officer in charge at the end of this phase is described as the ziledar (ज़िलेदार).
• Raghuji III died on 11 December 1853 without a natural male heir.
• Governor-General Lord Dalhousie refused to recognise an adopted heir and annexed the Nagpur state in 1854 (13 March 1854) under the Doctrine of Lapse (व्यपगत का सिद्धांत).
• Chhattisgarh became a district (deputy commissionership) with headquarters at Raipur. On 1 February 1855 the last Maratha ziledar handed over charge to Charles C. Elliot, the first Deputy Commissioner of Chhattisgarh.

Why Maratha Rule Declined (Mains material)

1. Absentee and extractive rule: after Bimbaji (1787), the Suba system’s contract-based subedars alienated zamindars and peasants.
2. Weakness at Nagpur: succession quarrels, an incapable ruler after Raghuji II (1816) and the ambitions of Appa Saheb.
3. Military defeat: losses in 1803 (Assaye, Argaon) and 1817 (Sitabuldi) to a superior British army.
4. Loss of revenue and territory: the Treaty of Deogaon shrank Nagpur’s resources, increasing pressure on Chhattisgarh.
5. British diplomacy: a Resident at Nagpur, then direct supervision during Raghuji III’s minority, left the Bhonsles dependent.
6. Doctrine of Lapse: the final legal instrument that ended the Nagpur state in 1854.

Memory Tricks

Don’t Confuse

Common Mistakes

Practice

These are original practice questions written in CGPSC style. They are not previous-year questions.

Level 1: Foundation

1. The first British superintendent of Chhattisgarh was ________, and the last was ________.
2. The headquarters of Chhattisgarh was moved from ________ to ________ by superintendent Agnew.
3. Nagpur state, including Chhattisgarh, was annexed in ________ under the ________.

Level 2: Prelims MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements:

1. British superintendence of Chhattisgarh began after the Bhonsle defeat at Sitabuldi.
2. During the superintendency, Chhattisgarh was formally annexed to British India.
3. The administration was returned to the Bhonsles in 1830.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 3 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Match List-I (Superintendent) with List-II (Event of his time):

(a) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1 (b) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1 (c) A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1 (d) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2

Q3. Who was the first Deputy Commissioner of Chhattisgarh after the annexation of Nagpur state?

(a) Richard Jenkins (b) Colonel Agnew (c) Charles Elliot (d) Crawford

Q4. Arrange in chronological order:

1. Treaty of Deogaon
2. Death of Raghuji III
3. Battle of Sitabuldi
4. Return of Chhattisgarh to the Bhonsles

(a) 1-3-4-2 (b) 3-1-4-2 (c) 1-4-3-2 (d) 1-3-2-4

Q5. The Nagpur state was annexed by the British in 1854 under:

(a) the Subsidiary Alliance (b) the Doctrine of Lapse (c) the Treaty of Deogaon (d) the Charter Act of 1853

Level 3: Mains Answer Writing

Q1. Explain the causes of the decline of Maratha rule in Chhattisgarh. (150–200 words)

Q2. What was the significance of the British superintendency (1818–1830) for Chhattisgarh? (100 words)

Quick Revision Table

Key Takeaways

What’s Next

• British Rule, Princely States and Zamindaris: the Chhattisgarh division, feudatory states and zamindaris
• 1857 and the Freedom Movement in Chhattisgarh: Veer Narayan Singh and resistance to the new rulers
• Maratha Rule: Quick Revision: the whole chapter on one page