The last days of the Scindias’ rule of Aligarh

An important city in north India, both historically and strategically, Aligarh is located in present-day Uttar Pradesh. For several years, it was ruled by the powerful Scindia Marathas, who had established their supremacy in northern India.

According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India, published in 1908, Aligarh was originally known as Koil or Kol. Various traditions trace the origin of the city’s name to Koshārab, a kshatriya, or to a demon, Kol, who was slain by Balarama, brother of Krishna. In the 16th century, it was called Muhammadgarh, after Muhammad, the ruler of Koil under the Lodis. In 1717, it was renamed Sabitgarh after Sabit Khan, another governor. By 1757, the Jats changed the name to Ramgarh. Najaf Khan, a Shia Muslim of Safavid lineage, renamed the city Aligarh after he conquered Ramgarh and repaired the fort in 1776 (not the Marathas as asserted by some).

By the 18th century, Maharaja Mahadji Scindia had established his power across the greater part of India, including Aligarh and Delhi, and Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II ruled under his protection. Govindrao Kale, a Maratha ambassador at the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad, wrote, “The whole country from the Attock River to the Indian Ocean is Hindustan, not Turkistan, the land of the Turks. All that was now lost has returned to us by the invincible sword of our Patel, our Mahadji Scindia.”

It was in 1785 that Mahadji Scindia defeated the commander of Aligarh Fort, Jehangir Khan, brother of Nawab Afrasiyab Khan. Mahadji Scindia sent an army of 5,000 warriors under the leadership of Raiji Patil to Aligarh. Terrified, Jehangir Khan sent letters to Sir John Cummings, the English army chief at Anupshahar, and the Nawab of Awadh.

He wrote, “Help me retain this fort and the lands held by me. If you do so, I will part with half the wealth that Najaf, Shafi, Afrasiyab, and others have stored in this fort and give it to you. In the same way, I will repay the expenses borne by you for this campaign. If you so desire, I will hand over this fort also to the English. I will live as a simple landlord of this province and pay you regular tribute.”

It is evident that Jahangir Khan was ready to be an English vassal rather than a feudatory of Mahadji Scindia. Cummings stationed his forces at Atroli, 15 miles to the north-east of Aligarh, and promised Jahangir Khan all help. But Mahadji Scindia’s influence was stronger, and he told the English not to stand in his way.

As historian David Veevers observes in The Great Defiance (2023): “The Maratha Confederacy, thanks to the military strength of Mahadji Scindia, brought the English East India Company to its knees and reasserted its hegemony over much of the subcontinent.”

The English rescinded their support to Jahangir Khan. On 20 November 1785, Raiji Patil conquered the Fort of Aligarh and planted the flag of Scindia.

Despite his successes, Mahadji Scindia realized that his army needed European-style discipline and modern weaponry to retain its supremacy and appointed a Frenchman, Benoît de Boigne, to train his army. Thanks to this training, Scindia ruled Rajputana after defeating rivals in the battles of Patan and Merta (in present-day Rajasthan).

According to historian Herbert Crompton, the immediate result of the victories in Patan and Merta was the formation of a second brigade in 1791 and a third in 1793. Establishing his headquarters at Aligarh, de Boigne threw himself into the work Mahadji Scindia had entrusted to him. Revenues from Firozabad, Hathras, Khurja, Aligarh (all in present-day Uttar Pradesh), Palwal, Hodel and Gurugram (all in present-day Haryana) were allotted to him to meet army expenses.

Aligarh Fort was significantly strengthened, and beneath its ramparts was established a vast cantonment that could accommodate a big force. Mahadji Scindia’s efficient rule transformed the town into a commercial and economic hub, with jobs and opportunities. Thanks to the administration of the Scindias’ French officers, residents got relief from frequent raids by Rohillas, Iranis, Turanis and others.

Mahadji Scindia died in 1794, and his grand-nephew, Daulatrao Scindia, became the Maharaja on 12 February 1794. After Mahadji’s death, de Boigne left the Scindias’ service, and the commander of the second brigade, Francois Culliar alias Pierre Perron, took over in September 1796. He made fellow Frenchman Captain Drugeon commander of the first brigade.

One of Perron’s initial actions was to seize control of Saharanpur fiefdom in the Doab. He significantly expanded the cantonment and further fortified the already strong defences of Aligarh Fort. The strength of the place even impressed English general Lord Gerald Lake four years later. Its position was admirably chosen, for from his headquarters, Perron held both Delhi and Agra in check for his boss, Daulatrao Scindia.

In 1799, Perron marched against Agra with six battalions and took over the Agra fort. Happy with his service, Daulatrao Scindia made him the Subedar of Delhi on 8 May 1800. On 15 April 1800, Perron sent an army under Hanoverian Anthony Pohlman to defeat the Raja of Jaipur in the battle of Manpura. When one of Daulatrao Scindia’s officers, Lakhwa Dada, took up arms against the maharaja, Perron crushed him in the Battle of Seondha on 3 May 1801. He gained Ajmer from Lakhwa's partisans through fellow Frenchman Louis Bourquin.

Perron built himself a palatial residence in Aligarh, which stands today as one of the largest and oldest buildings of the Aligarh Muslim University. Known as Sir Shah Sulaiman Hall, it accommodates 635 students. Perron also built another palatial residence in Chinsurah, West Bengal, which was converted into Hooghly Mohsin College, where Vande Mataram composer Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay studied.

While in the service of Daulatrao Scindia, Perron increased the army’s strength to five brigades with 45,000 regular troops, equipped with powerful artillery cast in the foundries of Delhi, Aligarh, Agra, Mathura, Gwalior, Kalpi and Gohad. He appointed several European officers as commanders of important forts. John Hessing, a Dutchman, commanded the fort of Agra, Drugeon oversaw Delhi, and Colonel Pedron, a Frenchman, had charge of Aligarh.

Daulatrao Scindia pursued a hawkish policy of war against the English, ably assisted by Perron. At Aligarh, where Pedron was in command, the most elaborate preparations were made for hostilities. On 3 August 1803, the English declared war. England’s Gerald Lake asked Pedron to surrender. Finding his summons disregarded and his terms refused, Lake assaulted the stronghold on 4 September with 500 Europeans and three battalions of sepoys.

Lieutenant Lucan, an Irishman who had been in Daulatrao Scindia’s service and had joined up with Lake, led the storming party. The Scindia army fought bravely and the English loss was no less than 223 officers and men killed and wounded. Yet, the English prevailed and thus came to an end the benign rule of the Scindia dynasty in Aligarh that had brought development and prosperity to its residents.

The author is head of the Scindia Research Centre.