01 Intro

Translation of the Book
“पोर्तुगीज-मराठे संबंध” By Dr. P. S. Pissurlencar

Translator Shri T. V. Parvate

MAHARASHTRA STATE BOARD FOR LITERATURE AND CULTURE, BOMBAY

First Edition : June, 1983

Publisher

Secretary Maharashtra State Board for Literature and Culture Mantralaya, Bombay 400 032

© Maharashtra State Board for Literature and Culture, Bombay

Printer

The Manager Government Central Press Charni Road, Bombay 400 004

FOREWORD

The State Board for Literature and Culture (Sahitya Sanskriti Mandal) has been set up by the Government of Maharashtra for the modernisation of the Marathi language and literature and for encouraging research and publication with a view to protecting the rich heritage Maharashtra has in the fields of literature, history, culture and fine arts. To attain this objective, the State Board has undertaken a manifold programme of literary activities, one of these being to initiate, assist or undertake schemes for editing, translating and publishing in Marathi, relevant important published or unpublished source material which will have a direct or indirect bearing on the history and culture of Maharashtra. The Board has also the scheme for the preparation and publication of the socio-political, cultural and literary history of Maharashtra.

The Board has made a valuable contribution in this direction by publishing a few important books, as its own publications. Professor N. R. Phatak’s translation of “Rise of the Maratha Power” by the late Justice M. G. Ranade, “Raigadachi Jeevankatha” by the late Professor S. V. Avalaskar, “Portuguese Source Papers” relating to Maratha History, Volume 3 translated by Shri S. S. Desai, from the original Portuguese collections, “A History of Maratha Navy and Merchantships” by Dr. B. K. Apte, and “History and Inscriptions of the Satavahanas and the Western Kshatrapas” by Dr. V. V. Mirashi are amongst such books. The Board has a plan of writing a comprehensive history of Maharashtra and also what may be called, the peoples’ history of Maharashtra. It has also undertaken the scheme for translation and publication of records relating to Mahratta History and available only in Portuguese, French, Urdu, Persian and the Rajasthani languages.

Since it is one of the objects of the Board to encourage writing history of Maharashtra and collect necessary material for the writing of such a history, it had requested Shri T. V. Parvate to translate Dr. P. S. Pisurlekar’s Marathi book “Portuguese-Mahratta Relations” (original by published by the University of Poona, in 1967). Shri Parvate is a journalist of eminence and an author of several important books in English and Marathi. This translation is of unique importance in the sense that it is based on original Portuguese and Mahratta sources and gives an entire picture of the relations between the Portuguese and the Mahrattas. We are sure that the book will be of great use to the scholars of history. The Board has great pleasure in releasing this volume.

42, Yashodhan, Bombay 400 020 20th July 1983
S. S. BARLINGAY
Chairman
State Board for Literature and Culture Bombay

TRANSLATOR’S THANKS-GIVING

It is one of the highly prized delights of my life that I was able to translate Dr. P. S. Pissurlencar’s Portuguese-Mahratta Relations from Marathi into English to the satisfaction of that eminent history research scholar. This translation has been awaiting publication by one publisher or other for the last over fifteen years. I am not unhappy that all these publishers were unable to bring it out for one reason or another, because I am firmly convinced that no worthier publisher that the Maharashtra State Board for Literature and Culture, could be found for a book of this kind. As the sub-title of Dr. Pissurlencar’s original Marathi book explains, it is the history of the Mahrattas as found recorded in the Portuguese archives covering 450 years.

Dr. Pissurlencar’s qualifications for this were unequalled. He was Director of the Goa Archives for over twelve years and Honorary Professor of History and Director of the Historical Research Centre of the University of Bombay. Besides, he was Honorary D.Litt. of Lisbon University; Fellow of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon and Portuguese Academy of History, Portugal; Sir Jadunath Sarkar Gold Medallist of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal and Campbell Memorial Gold Medallist of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bombay. When Dr. Pissurlencar asked me to do this translation he really did me a great honour and I must acknowledge this favour though it is inevitably posthumous.

It would have been better for all of us, had Dr. Pissurlencar been granted a few more years of life on this earth, so that he could see in print the English translation of his work brought out by the Sahitya Sanskriti Mandal of the Maharashtra State, but the Fates willed otherwise!

T. V. PARVATE

NOTE OF THE PUBLISHER IN ORIGINAL MARATHI EDITION

The University of Poona accepted the donation of Rs. 25,000 made by the Narasinha Chintaman Kelkar Smarak Nidhi and the Kelkar Smarak Vyakhyanmala was begun from 1954 and has been continued every year about the time of his death anniversary the expenses being covered by the interest accruing to the original donation. Till now Prof. T. S. Shejwalker, Shri Balacharya Madhavacharya Khuperkar, Shri S. N. Joshi, Prof. S. N. Banahatti, Prof. R. S. Joag, Prof. H. R. Divekar, Prof. B. G. Khaparde, Prof. Aravind Mangauoolkar, Prof. D. B. Diskalkar, Prof. P. S. Pissurlencar, Prof. A. K. Priolkar, Prof. R. B. Athavale and Prof. R. S. Valimbe have delivered these Kelkar lectures.

Prof. Pissurlencar’s seven lectures on Portuguese-Mahratta relations were delivered as the tenth of the series of Kelkar lectures in 1964 and they are now being published as a book. The University of Poona regrets that for one reason or another the publication of this book has been inordinately delayed and hopes that students of history will welcome this publication.

May 1967
University of Poona Ganeshkhind, Poona 7
V. H. GOLE Registrar

FOREWORD

My friend Dr. Pandurang Sakharam Pissurlencar agreed to deliver a series of lectures delivered every year under the auspices of the University of Poona in memory of the late Mr. N. C. Kelkar. Dr. Pissurlencar and myself have known each other for the last forty years. Dr. Pissurlencar took up service in the Goa Archives under Portuguese rule, when he was quite young. I was his guest once in those days when he arranged to let me have a good look at the huge records of the Portuguese Government, carefully preserved and protected behind the palace of the Governor-General of Portuguese India. I noticed a number of scientific methods that Dr. Pissurlencar had adopted for the safe and secure preservation of important documents in the records. I saw fifty bound volumes of papers treated by chemical paste in order to strengthen them and prolong their life. Dr. Pissurlencar was buried day and night in the study and meditation of those papers. After a mature study of the original sources obtaining in those uncommon records, Dr. Pissurlencar produced his voluminous work in Portuguese. He dedicated himself entirely to this work. Occasionally he has published stray articles and original papers in Marathi and read papers in English at learned historical gatherings. The Panaji records are predominantly full of sources in Portuguese. Records from the days the Portuguese set their foot on Indian shores are to be found in the Goa Archives. Europeans such as the English, French, Dutch and Portuguese have carefully put the dates on their papers and that greatly helps research workers. On the other hand, in our historical records in Marathi, except on the sanads, the dates often are set but not necessarily the year.

This makes the task of determination of dates for the historical research worker, extremely arduous and not less tortuous and even careful workers land into inexcusable errors. The superiority of western sources from the view point of determining accuracy of dates is quite remarkable.

Dr. Pissurlencar has immortalised himself by the invaluable addition he has made to historical source material by his indefatigable industry and by his irredeemable obligations on students of history. The Portuguese Government conferred highest honours on him for his extraordinary achievements. Dr. Pissurlencar had the rare opportunity of studying original sources in Portugal, France, Italy and England. At the moment he has a rare collection of unpublished source material. He is quite adept in deciphering old Marathi documents in the Modi script also of which there are not a few in the Goa Archives. Dr. Pissurlencar has spent the whole of his life in the pursuit of the study of historical source material but his writings have been mostly in Portuguese. Most of our Mahratta research students, not being acquainted with that language, were denied the benefit of Dr. Pissurlencar’s vast fund of knowledge. The Portuguese rule has vanished now, but before that happened, the Portuguese rulers, in appreciation and recognition of Dr. Pissurlencar’s great services had prepared his bust for being kept in the Directorate of Archives (It has now been kept there). I keenly felt that after Dr. Pissurlencar had retired from service, he should oblige Mahratta research workers by imparting his knowledge to fellow research scholars and research students. In order at least partially to achieve that objective, I requested him to deliver a series of lectures on Portuguese-Mahratta relations, when I was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Poona. Although he was suffering from high blood pressure, he altered his first refusal and agreed to come when he was well enough to undertake the journey to Poona and stand the strain of delivering seven lectures and thus did me a great favour. He came to Poona with prepared lectures, under much physical and mental strain, because the rules of the University make it obligatory on every lecturer to do so.

Our mental experience in the matter of these lectures was very happy indeed. The curious Poona audience would not be content with his lectures in a closed hall of the University and so they were arranged on the extensive lawn of the S. P. College and what was very delightfully welcome was that Dr. Pissurlencar too lost all sense of his physical weakness and enjoyed being emotionally one with the daily growing audience. He took a promise from me that I must contribute a foreword when the lectures would be published as a book. I am happy that I am able to keep the promise and in a way, to redeem the debt of his obligation of having acceded to my earnest appeal to deliver these lectures.

The book will show that Dr. Pissurlencar has not made a single statement that is no supported by documentary evidence. This is wholly in consonance with the creed of a genuine research scholar. Every page in the book, replete with foot-notes, is an evidence of this. Portuguese names occur with frequency and the book is interspersed with Portuguese quotations. In order that their accuracy should be assured, Dr. Pissurlencar himself checked all the proofs. Naturally this took much longer time than expected. I was also responsible for some delay. Dr. Pissurlencar occasionally feared that he would not see his lectures in print but we are all blessed with the publication in an agreeable way and I wish Dr. Pissurlencar success in all his plans and schemes.

Dr. Pissurlencar discussed his subject in seven lectures, which are studded with new information that was almost unknown to scolars on this side. Besides, its importance is limitless. Since this information represents the view point of the Portuguese Government, a very large portion of it could not conceivably be known on this side. In what respects the Western powers were superior to indigenous powers has been faithfully depicted in this book. Dr. Pissurlencar has shown that the Portuguse were not only superior to us in armaments but even in medicine. Even in purely political contests, we have been weaker, disorganised and divided as can be concluded on the basis of Dr. Pissurlencar’s well-grounded information. These lectures will show that quite notable Mahratta celebrities did not hesitate to return Bassein to Portugal which was conquered by Chimaji Appa at enormous cost in men and material and perhaps greater valour. Our hearts would be overwhelmed to see that highly placed princes and potentates and their consorts from Maharashtra conspired with the Portuguese against their Kith and kin. This book will often open our eyes wide and more often make us close them with shame. It will provide us with many new details, make us acquainted with several new names and shed a flood of light on various complicated affairs. In a word, we will have to modify what we consider standard history and accepted estimates of men and events. This book has the potentiality to make us write our history anew. It is impossible to forget the deep debt of obligation under which Dr. Pissurlencar has placed us by throwing altogether new light on Portuguese-Mahratta relations. That the University of Poona has had the good fortune and distinctive honour of publishing such a precious volume and while publishing it, the University did not show any niggardliness in embellishing it with necessary pictures and maps is certainly creditable to the University. My pleasure for having been the original cause of this effect is altogether indescribable, because no such well-documented and full monograph has appeared in any language so far and Dr. Pissurlencar did Marathi language the honour of writing the same in it. I have not the slightest hesitation in saying that every lover of Mahratta history and every close student of it must have this volume of Dr. Pissurlencar in his possession.

May 19, 1967, DATTO VAMAN POTDAR

PREFACE BY THE AUTHOR

These lectures were given from March 23, 1964. Of the seven lectures six are published exactly as they were delivered. Part of the first lecture was delivered when the second lecture was delivered. At all these lectures, Mahamahopadhyaya Datto Vaman Potdar, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Poona, was in the chair. I have attempted to deal with all important events in connection with the Portuguese and the Mahrattas from the days of Shahaji to Bajirao Ⅱ.

I have dealt with the subject extensively about 25 years ago in my books in Portuguese such as Portuguese e Maratas, Antigualhas, Assentos etc. and they have been used by such history research scholars as Sir Jadunath Sarkar, Dr. Surendra Nath Sen, Dr. Balkrishna, Dr. G. S. Sardesai, Shri D. V. Apte, Prof. Sharma, Dr. Boxer, Dr. Moraes, Shri Y. N. Kelkar and others. After these books were published the author had access to several manuscripts and rare books containing new information in Portugal and Paris in particular. These have been used for the purpose of these lectures.

Before I retired from the service of the Government of Goa, Daman and Diu as Director of Archives, I had classified the Persian, Marathi and Kannada documents and arranged them separately. I have in my possession microfilms and copies of the specially important of these documents. I could see some Marathi papers relating to the 17th and 18th Centuries in Arquivo Historico Ultramarino, Lisbon, Biblioteca Nacional de Lisboa and Biblioteca da Ajuda. I have with me microfilms of those documents also. I look forward to publish these documents with annotations in two or three parts. Preparations are also afoot to publish a revised edition of Portuguese e Maratas in which use will be made of the notes on the basis of unpublished material that I made during my stay in Lisbon. I am happy to see the turn that my study of nearly 50 years of Mahratta history is taking.

The new Gregorian Calendar came into vogue in Bassein Goa and other territories under Portuguese domination since October, 1583. But in the territories under the British, the old Julian Calendar held the field till 1752. That leads to difference of ten days before February 1700 and eleven days thereafter. In order to avoid confusion I have given both Portuguese and English dates according to the new Gregorian Calendar.

I am sincerely obliged to the University of Poona for having asked me to deliver these lectures. I am also obliged to Shri Potdar for having spared time to contribute a foreword to this volume. Shri Lakshmanrao Sardesai read the manuscript of the book and made some alterations regarding syntax. Shri Keshav V. P. Bhembre prepared the press copy and Shri T. V. Parvate went through the final proofs and made some suggestions for improvement of Marathi diction. I am beholden to all these friends. This book has been printed at the press of the University and the managers thereof have done a neat job of it.

Lastly I cannot help recalling at this hour that my departed wife often used to feel hurt that I did most of my writing in Portuguese and did not do any sizable writing in Marathi. She would have been happy to see a book of this size in Marathi but that was not to be.

Panaji-Goa
February 5, 1967
P. S. PISSURLENCAR

Contents

  • FOREWORD … 5
  • TRANSLATOR’S THANKS-GIVING … 6
  • NOTE OF THE PUBLISHER IN ORIGINAL MARATHI EDITION … 7
  • FOREWORD … 8
  • PREFACE BY THE AUTHOR … 11
  • ILLUSTRATⅠONS ⅠN THE BOOK … 14
  • ABBREVIATIONS OF REFERENCE SOURCES … 15
  • CHAPTER Ⅰ SCOPE AND EXTENT OF SOURCE MATERIAL … 18
  • CHAPTER Ⅱ DURING SHIVAJI’S TIME … 46
  • CHAPTER Ⅲ DURING SAMBHAJI’S REIGN AND AFTER … 81
  • CHAPTER Ⅳ DURING PESHWA ADMINISTRATION Ⅰ … 118
  • CHAPTER Ⅴ DURING NANASAHEB’S REGIME … 163
  • CHAPTER Ⅵ DURING DECLINE OF PESHWAS … 196
  • CHAPTER Ⅶ SUMMING UP … 230

ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE BOOK

  • (1) Frontispiece of a biography of Shivaji in Portuguese.
  • (2) Muzaffar Jung’s letter to a Portuguese Viceroy on behalf of Tarabai.
  • (3) Portuguese assault on the Fort of Ponda (1555) (Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna).
  • (4) A page from the daily journal of Vice-Rei Conde de Linhares containing important information of Shahaji Raje, father of Shivaji.
  • (5) Portuguese-Moghul Treaty in 1666 (Arquivo Historico Ultramarino, Lisbon).
  • (6) Treaty between Shivaji and Conde de Vicente in 1667 (Arquivo Historico Ultramarino, Lisbon).
  • (7) Portuguese Musketeers (1555) (Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna).
  • (8) Chhatrapati Sambhaji’s Vatan document to Durgah of Pir Abdullah Khan at Ponda Fort. (Pissurlencar collection).
  • (9) The Portuguese Viceroy who fought Sambhaji, Conde do Alvora. (10) Letter to Portuguese Viceroy from Shaikh Mohamed, Envoy of Moghuls (Biblioteca da Ajuda, Lisbon).
  • (11) Portuguese Fortress in Juvem (St. Stephens) taken by Sambhaji Chhatrapati on November 24, 1683.
  • (12) Fort of Bassein (1646) (Bibliotheque National de Paris, Paris).
  • (13) Sardar Dadajirao Bhave’s letter to the Portuguese Viceroy (Goa Archives).
  • (14) Map of Moghul-Mahratta War (Goa Archives).
  • (15) Portuguese Assault on Mardangad (1763) (Biblioteca Publica de Evora).
  • (16) Portuguese Assault on Sadashivgad (1768) (Biblioteca Publica de Evora).
  • (17) Portuguese invasion on Bicholim Fort (1779) (Arquivo Historico Ultramarino, Lisbon).
  • (18) The statement of information regarding Chhatrapati Sambhaji of Kolhapur’s forts in South Konkan presented to the Viceroy by Keshaw Prabhu, Desai of Pernem (1683).

ABBREVIATIONS OF REFERENCE SOURCES

  • GA. Goa Archieves, Panaji, Goa.
  • AHU. Arquio Historico Ultramarino, Lisbon.
  • TT. Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo, Lisbon.
  • BNL. Biblioteca Nacional de Lisboa, Lisbon.
  • BA. Biblioteca da Ajuda, Lisbon.
  • BACL. Biblioteca da Academica das Ciências de Lisboa, Lisbon. BPE. Biblioteca Publica de Evora, Evora, Portugal.
  • BUC. Biblioteca da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. BPP. Biblioteca Publica do Porto, Oporto, Portugal.
  • BNP. Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris, Paris.
  • BV. Biblioteca Vaticana, Rome.
  • ASJ. Archivum S. J. Rome, Italy.
  • BM. British Museum, London.
  • IO. Library of India Office, London.
  • BNM. Biblioteca Nacional de Madrid, Madrid.
  • CC. Corpo Cronologico (Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo). FG. Fundo Geral (Biblioteca Nacional de Lisbon).
  • Ms. Manuscript.
  • Archivo Archivo Portuguez Oriental (Cunha Rivara)
  • APO. Arquivo Portugues Oriental (Bragança Pereira).
  • Documentacao. Documentacao para a Historia das Missoes do Padroado Portûgues no oriente (Padre Dr. Silva Rego).
  • Documenta. Documenta Indica (Father J. Wicki, S. J.).
  • Assentos. Assentos do Conselho do Estado (Pissurlencar). ADP. Agentes da Diplomacia Portuguesa na India (Pissurlencar). PM. Portugueses e Maratas (Pissurlencar).
  • Roteiro. Roteiro dos Arquivos da India Portuguesa (Pissurlencar). EFI The English Factories in India (Foster).
  • Tratados. Colleççao de Tratados e Concertos de Pazes (J. Biker). MR. Monçoes do reino.
  • CPA. Cartas Patentes e Alvarás.
  • RV. Livro dos reis vizinhos.
  • CO. Cartas e Ordens.
  • RI. Regimentos e Instrucoes.
  • Epanaphora. Epanaphora Indica.
  • PD. Peshwa Daftar (Sardesai).
  • CONTENTS
  • MS. Marathyanchya Itihasachin Sadhane (Rajwade).
  • SPSS. Shivakaleena Patra Sara Sangraha.
  • SCS. Shivacharitra Sahitya.
  • PRD. Purandare Daftar.
  • ALS. Aitihasik Lekha Sangraha (V. V. Khare).
  • BISM. Bharata Itihasa Samshodhaka Mandala.
  • APY. Aitihasik Patren Yadi etc., Second Edition (Sardesai, Kale, Vakaskar). APV. Aitihasik Patravyavahara (Sardesai, Kulkarni and Kale). MP. Marathi Letters (Goa Archives).
  • MLPT. Old Portuguese Translations of Marathi letters (Goa Archives). UK. Uttar Konkanantil Pracheen Gangateerastha Shukla Yajurvediya Brahman (Puntambekar).