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PINDARIS

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Originally appearing in Volume V21, Page 621 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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PINDARIS , a word of uncertain origin, applied to the irregular horsemen who accompanied the Mahratta armies in See also:

India (luring the 18th See also:century when the Mughal See also:Empire was breaking up; loosely organized under self-chosen leaders, each See also:band was usually attached to one or other of the See also:great Mahratta chieftains. Their See also:special characteristic was that they received no pay, but rather See also:purchased the See also:privilege of plundering on their own See also:account. The See also:majority of them seem to have been Mahommedans: when the See also:regular forces of the See also:Mahrattas had been broken up in the See also:campaigns conducted by See also:Sir See also:Arthur See also:Wellesley and See also:Lord See also:Lake in 1802-04, the Pindaris made their headquarters in See also:Malwa, under the tacit See also:protection of Sindhia and See also:Holkar. They were accustomed to assemble every See also:year at the beginning of See also:November, and sally forth into See also:British territory in See also:search of See also:plunder. In one such See also:raid upon the See also:Masulipatam See also:coast they plundered 339 villages, killing or wounding 682 persons, torturing 3600 and carrying off See also:property See also:worth a See also:quarter of a million. In 1808-09 they plundered See also:Gujarat, and in 1812 See also:Mirzapur. In 1814 they were reckoned at 25,000 to 30,000 horsemen, See also:half of them well armed. At last the evil became intolerable, and in1817 the See also:marquess of See also:Hastings obtained the consent of the See also:East India See also:Company to the organized See also:campaign, known as the Pindari See also:War. The Pindaris were surrounded on all sides by a great See also:army, consisting of 120,000 men and 300 guns, which converged upon them from See also:Bengal, the See also:Deccan and Gujarat under the supreme command of Lord Hastings in See also:person. Sindhia was overawed and forced to sign the treaty of See also:Gwalior, consenting to aid in the extirpation of the Pindaris, whom he had hitherto protected. The See also:Peshwa at See also:Poona, the Bhonsla See also:raja at See also:Nagpur and the army of the See also:infant Holkar each took up arms, but were separately defeated. The Pindaris themselves offered little opposition.

See also:

Amir See also:Khan, by far their most powerful See also:leader, accepted the conditions offered to him; and his descendant is now See also:Nawab of the See also:state of See also:Tonk in See also:Rajputana. The See also:rest surrendered or were hunted down, the See also:fate of Chitu, one of the most notorious, being to perish in a See also:tiger's den. These military operations were followed by the pacification of Central India under the See also:administration of Sir See also:John See also:Malcolm. See J. See also:Grant See also:Duff, See also:History of the Mahrattas (1826) ; and See also:Major See also:Ross of Bladensburg, Marquess of Hastings (Rulers of India See also:Series) (1893).

End of Article: PINDARIS

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