Clash in Vidarbha: The Battle of Argaon That Changed India's Centre

thenewsdirt
Oct 30
9 min read

The fields near Adgaon village in what is now Akola district witnessed one of the decisive military engagements of the Second Anglo-Maratha War on 29 November 1803.

The clash between British forces and the combined armies of the Maratha Confederacy marked a crucial moment in the struggle for control over central India.

The battle unfolded in the Telhara tehsil of the Vidarbha region, approximately 53 kilometres north of Akola, on terrain that would determine the fate of Maratha sovereignty in Berar.

The engagement took place between British forces commanded by Major-General Arthur Wellesley, who would later become the Duke of Wellington, and the armies of two powerful Maratha rulers.

The combined forces of Raghoji II Bhonsle of Berar and Daulat Rao Scindia of Gwalior had assembled to challenge British expansion into their territories.

The battlefield stretched between the villages of Adgaon and Sirsoli, where approximately 11,000 British and Company troops faced a Maratha force numbering around 40,000 warriors. The scale of the confrontation reflected the high stakes involved, as control over Berar and the surrounding territories hung in the balance.

The Road to Confrontation

The battle emerged from a complex web of political tensions that had been building across the Maratha Confederacy.

The Treaty of Bassein, signed on 31 December 1802 between the British East India Company and Peshwa Baji Rao II, had placed the nominal head of the Maratha Empire under British protection.

This arrangement required the Peshwa to maintain a subsidiary British force, cede territories yielding substantial revenue, and conduct foreign relations only with British consultation.

The treaty essentially transformed the Peshwa into a client of the Company, a development that outraged other Maratha chiefs who viewed it as an insult to Maratha sovereignty.

Raghoji II Bhonsle and Daulat Rao Scindia rejected the Treaty of Bassein and united their forces to resist British encroachment. Their decision to stand against the Company triggered the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 1803. The conflict opened on multiple fronts, with British forces under Wellesley operating in the Deccan while another force under General Gerard Lake campaigned in northern India.

The Marathas had already suffered a significant defeat at the Battle of Assaye on 23 September 1803, where Wellesley's forces routed the combined Maratha army despite being heavily outnumbered. That engagement, fought near Aurangabad, cost the British approximately 1,566 casualties but inflicted around 6,000 losses on the Maratha forces.

Following their defeat at Assaye, the Maratha commanders regrouped and moved their armies southward on 28 November 1803.

They were pursued by two separate British columns. Wellesley commanded one force while Colonel James Stevenson, his senior subordinate, led another division.

The British strategy involved coordinating these two columns to trap the Maratha armies and force a decisive engagement.

The Marathas, despite their earlier losses, still fielded a formidable force with substantial artillery and cavalry contingents. They positioned themselves on the plains near Adgaon in the Vidarbha region, preparing to make another stand against the advancing British forces.

The Battle Unfolds

The fighting commenced on 29 November 1803 when the two armies met on the open plains.

The Maratha forces had deployed a line stretching approximately five miles in length, anchored by 38 pieces of artillery.

Their battle formation consisted of massed ranks of infantry in the centre with cavalry units positioned on the flanks.

The artillery, drawn by large numbers of bullocks, represented a significant component of Maratha military power.

These guns, a mixture of locally cast pieces and weapons acquired from various sources, including European powers, could deliver devastating firepower when properly deployed.

The British forces advanced in two lines, with Wellesley coordinating the movements of his infantry, cavalry, and limited artillery.

The Company army included both European regiments and sepoy battalions from the Madras establishment. As the British moved forward to engage, the Maratha artillery opened a heavy bombardment.

The cannonade proved extremely effective, pouring shot into the advancing British ranks and causing mounting casualties. The weight of fire from the numerous Maratha guns created a deadly killing ground that the British troops had to cross.

Under this intense artillery barrage, a crisis developed in the British ranks. Three battalions that had previously fought well in earlier engagements suddenly broke and fled.

This occurred near Sirsoli, approximately three miles south of Adgaon village. The battalions, subjected to the relentless pounding from Maratha guns firing canister, grape shot, and round shot, lost their cohesion and retreated in disorder.

For a period, the situation appeared extremely serious for the British forces. Their line had been broken, creating gaps that the Maratha cavalry and infantry could exploit. The loss of these battalions threatened to unravel Wellesley's entire battle plan and potentially turn the engagement into a catastrophic defeat.

Wellesley responded to this crisis through decisive personal leadership. He moved quickly to rally the fleeing troops, personally encouraging them to reform their ranks and return to the battle.

His ability to restore order among soldiers who had panicked under fire demonstrated the tactical skill and force of personality that would later make him famous in European campaigns. Once the battalions had been rallied and brought back into formation, Wellesley ordered a general advance across the entire front.

The British and Company forces pressed forward, maintaining their formation despite continued artillery fire. The infantry advanced with fixed bayonets, closing the distance to the Maratha gun line.

As they reached the artillery positions, fierce hand-to-hand fighting erupted. The Maratha gunners stood by their pieces, defending them with determination, but they proved no match for the disciplined bayonet charges of the British infantry and Madras sepoys.

Once the gun line had been overrun, the British forces turned their attention to the Maratha infantry formations behind the artillery.

The Maratha infantry, despite fighting with considerable bravery, began to give way under the sustained British assault. The combination of musket volleys and bayonet charges broke their resistance.

The Maratha cavalry, which had remained largely on the flanks during the artillery duel, failed to mount effective counterattacks against the advancing British formations.

As their infantry began to retreat, the cohesion of the entire Maratha line dissolved. What had begun as an orderly defensive position transformed into a general withdrawal.

Casualties and Consequences

The battle ended in a clear British victory, though one purchased at significant cost. British casualties amounted to 345 killed and wounded, a substantial number given the size of Wellesley's force.

The Marathas suffered far heavier losses, with estimates placing their casualties at over 5,000 men. Beyond the human toll, the Maratha forces lost all their artillery pieces and baggage train. The 38 guns captured by the British represented a significant material loss, depriving the Marathas of weapons that were expensive and difficult to replace.

The defeat at Argaon, coming on the heels of the earlier disaster at Assaye, shattered the military power of Raghoji II Bhonsle and Daulat Rao Scindia. The two Maratha rulers could no longer field armies capable of challenging British forces in open battle.

Recognising their weakened position, they sought terms with the British. On 17 December 1803, Raghoji II Bhonsle signed the Treaty of Deogaon with representatives of the British East India Company. Under this agreement, negotiated by Arthur Wellesley, the Raja of Berar ceded substantial territories to the British and their allies.

The Treaty of Deogaon required Raghoji II to surrender the province of Cuttack and Balasore in Orissa to the Company, creating a continuous British territory between Calcutta and Madras.

He also ceded all territories west of the Wardha River in Berar to Nizam Ali Khan of Hyderabad, the British ally who had signed a subsidiary alliance treaty.

Additionally, Raghoji II agreed to accept a British resident at his capital and maintain a subsidiary British force. These terms effectively made the Bhonsle dynasty dependent on the British East India Company, ending their independence in foreign and military affairs.

Daulat Rao Scindia signed a separate treaty with the British on 30 December 1803. The Treaty of Surji-Anjangaon required him to cede extensive territories, including lands between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, parts of Rajputana, the fort at Ahmadnagar, Broach, and several districts in Gujarat.

These territorial losses substantially reduced Scindia's domains and removed his presence from northern India. The combined effect of these treaties was to eliminate the Maratha Confederacy as a significant military threat to British expansion.

Following the Battle of Argaon, British forces moved to complete the subjugation of Berar by capturing Gawilghur Fort.

This formidable mountain stronghold in the Amravati district of Vidarbha was considered nearly impregnable due to its natural defences and strong fortifications. British forces under Wellesley laid siege to Gawilghur on 10 December 1803.

After two unsuccessful frontal assaults at the main gate, Captain Campbell led a flanking force of the 94th Highlanders up a steep ravine between the outer and inner forts on the night of 14-15 December.

This daring escalade succeeded in breaching the inner fort's northern gate. The British forces poured through the breach and, after fierce fighting, captured the fortress on 15 December 1803. The fall of Gawilghur removed the last major Maratha stronghold in Berar and secured British control over the region.

Impact on the Vidarbha Region

The Battle of Argaon and its aftermath fundamentally altered the political landscape of the Vidarbha region.

The area, which comprised the districts of Akola, Amravati, Buldana, and surrounding territories, had been part of the domain controlled by the Bhonsle rulers of Nagpur. The military defeats of 1803 and the subsequent Treaty of Deogaon stripped Raghoji II Bhonsle of significant portions of Berar. The territories west of the Wardha River passed to the Nizam of Hyderabad, while other areas came under British supervision.

The transfer of control over Berar initiated a complex administrative arrangement that would persist for decades.

Although the Nizam of Hyderabad nominally held sovereignty over the region, British officials increasingly managed its administration. The Company appointed residents and administrators who collected revenues and maintained order on behalf of the Nizam.

This hybrid arrangement reflected the indirect methods of control that the British often employed in expanding their Indian empire. Rather than immediately annexing territories, they created systems of subsidiary alliances and administrative oversight that gave them effective control while maintaining the fiction of native sovereignty.

The Battle of Argaon took place on terrain that remains largely unchanged in its essential features. The villages of Adgaon and Sirsoli still exist in the Telhara tehsil of Akola district. Adgaon BK, as the village is now officially designated, lies 53 kilometres north of Akola city and 17 kilometres from Telhara.

The village belongs to the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra and falls within the Amravati division. For over two centuries, the battlefield site has attracted visitors interested in military history. British citizens have made annual pilgrimages to Sirsoli village each November to pay homage to soldiers who died in the battle.

The strategic significance of the Battle of Argaon extended beyond its immediate military results. The engagement demonstrated the effectiveness of British military organisation and tactics against numerically superior forces. The ability of Wellesley to rally broken battalions and turn potential defeat into victory showcased the quality of Company leadership. The battle also highlighted the limitations of Maratha military power in 1803.

Despite possessing substantial artillery and large numbers of cavalry and infantry, the Maratha forces could not withstand the disciplined firepower and bayonet charges of British and sepoy troops once the latter closed to short range.

The defeat at Argaon represented more than a tactical setback for the Maratha Confederacy. It marked the beginning of the end for Maratha independence in central India. The territories ceded under the Treaty of Deogaon included some of the most productive agricultural lands in the region.

The loss of revenue from these areas weakened the Nagpur kingdom financially, making it more dependent on British support. This dependence would only increase in subsequent years, culminating in the Third Anglo-Maratha War of 1817-1818 and the eventual annexation of Nagpur by the British in 1853.

The battle's location in the heart of the Vidarbha region gave it particular significance for the future development of that area. The British victory at Argaon opened the way for Company control over Berar, which became the western portion of what would later be called Vidarbha.

The region's administrative history from 1803 onwards reflects the growing British presence. Initially managed under various arrangements involving the Nizam of Hyderabad, Berar came increasingly under direct British administration. In 1903, exactly a century after the battle, Berar was formally merged with the Central Provinces to create a new administrative unit.

The Second Anglo-Maratha War, of which the Battle of Argaon was a crucial component, reshaped the political map of central India. The war established British supremacy across a vast swath of territory stretching from the Ganges basin to the Deccan Plateau.

The Maratha Confederacy, which had been the dominant power in India for much of the 18th century, never recovered from the defeats of 1803.

While the confederacy would make one more attempt to challenge British power in the Third Anglo-Maratha War of 1817-1818, the outcome of that conflict was never seriously in doubt. The foundations for British paramountcy had been laid on battlefields like Argaon and Assaye.