The Great Road from Surat to Agra through Malwa Author(s): Ian Raeside Reviewed work(s): Source: Journal

of the Royal Asiatic Society, Third Series, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Nov., 1991), pp. 363381 Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25182386 . Accessed: 25/09/2012 01:24
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The Great Road from Surat toAgra

throughMalwa

IAN RAESIDE
in a series an overall

Jean

Deloche

of

valuable

publications1

has

given

view

of

the

Indian

road network
the collapse of

in the period up to about 1820 when

the Maratha of was India, nowhere kingdom first more with gave British military complete than

the general pacification

engineers roads and the chance with and to later

that followed
transform railways. particularly the This in

communications transformation

in Central

India

Malwa,
Burhanpur merchants armies way up

the Mughal
and and in the

subha through which

a road which between as they from 1980, first

led the great road from Delhi

was Surat raided to followed and Agra and then by and many in part of by

and Agra
the European the Maratha all and here.

to

the Deccan diplomats

travelling century other route (Deloche,

eighteenth The

conquered lay through not concern

territory Gujarat us

the the

to Delhi. of Raj

Surat pp.

the north and will

semi-deserts

as than

55-7)

Our

route follows the Tapti valley east to Burhanpur, through the gap guarded by Asirgarh and then, after the unavoidable difficulties of the Narmada crossing and the climb up the
Vindhya from escarpment, Sironj of to Narwar, the Chambal. Bombay?Agra and p. the railway is now road, forty constructed miles east. The total decay, narrow between city 1840 described accessible main and by i860, Finch runs " fifty a very takes an easy line the through grain of the the flat well-cultivated country between the Malwa plateau following

north-flowing

tributaries Today miles great only that west towne" from it once

the main of Sironj

as

(Finch,2 east or west,

143) the

in almost of road.

by modern street edge the only of Malwa entirely

transport reminder the fort

alignment north only

its single Beyond miles

lay upon has been except stages of

the bypassed to the

great

the northern but of central is now India. section with

of Narwar and unknown main by

a dozen

away Survey

almost

neglected

the Archaeological road pp. with 54-5; remain

The listed

its variable notes 23-6)

are well their

known major

and

are

Deloche numerous of the from late

(1980,

together of

sources. and even

Nevertheless more so

problems

in the detail Chahar

the European They total

itineraries arise from

eighteenth-century of name stages of and the

Gulshan3 the apparently punctuated

confused of pp. once

orthography, famous serais

changes the

from road were

disappearance 1968,

by which

(Deloche,

84-90).

1 at Deloche See Bibliography for the details. 2 I have followed To save complication the abbreviations of Deloche, 3 and partly identified in Sarkar, pp. xcvi?cxviii, Translated 167?78.

1968, pp.

127-8 wherever

possible.

JRAS Series3, 1, 3 (1991),pp. 363-381 14 TRA 1

4^ _

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^-^ /\

) *N& /^ &/ \ 1> ~"ana^ \ V?Kala Bag %\ V \\*"* /I V^ \ Miana/ Akhai /^ 0V ? I \

\/\ *-? V

/ Rajgarh? \

I/

I1-1 / Mukundwara* ^J /^f /\\ -1 Sarai Nai /

V.

V DHOLPUR^VT^, ,._ ^?

111111181 ^/* ^^--?sj Chaunda^>?7 ENLARGED \ )"" ^^ | #AGRA

Y \SIRONJ /\ \| ** J?J / A/ L/?V\ HOaaS \\? .Pipaldhar; DHAR /...... \/ [ J^"^ Chipaner /" ... ^f ^ 1 ^X ^ ia ^.. ** ^ Kankaria Hand \ / /V^V^^ ^ 51 V*Thikria ...^_ ... y \^_J/ \ -; /^ *** i^SBicchola '"*' Kankarwal//7 I/ / 7 AAshta Hatiakhera * 'cchawar /\ \*/ ^C \& *Barrai Piplod -Rivers\\Shajapur-/* #Bor* Khokara/ ; Kaneria? Nemawar?| ^r ^/S ..** IBarwaha ^^ ^ ^-XA^N^/^r^rwHarda \ \>^ 1 Sh,amkheray.Berasia // r\/; y% Rajgarh. \j/ |\/jUkaota BHILSA /^/ Dillaud |_| Sunera ' /Ss*^? Mandu# ?.*^<?v tr \Palduna\? /Kanasia I/Shaikhpur *,? .* / 0 50 \SarangPur? miles I/ Sf X ^ \f /aiauna^ / J?DEWAS BHOPAL//f \ ^|\\sujU-M ^ ujjain. J #Sehore y \ \ i&r\ . 5 I_I ,Samgi / Tarana\? I J/.. / .INDORE

. Railways

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.>* . Charwa k AJ \ y-T- -\I / ^~f Multhan \ Maheshwar^^--' I \ Depalpur \I /-l_ / ?

J / Ch'Pawar / /V./Sin'd^T-v^ /-^ Chainpur -JBhikangaon Khargon KHAND^rV7Hh (\*S ?\//V^ r(^^^V^\TorannriarfsindvanyGhogaon* Shahada/^^"^-' Kalibhita ^_^?/?7alkher/ C-A^.* BROACH / Sendhwa AlPiplod Mogargaon *aroda? \ /^ _ .*??-"-Anjad Br*hmangaon ABijagarh .f?'** 2 Ch^wa^X*"*1"3' / /-^ \ AAvasgarhK .Nagalvadi /^^AjLr. ^^ |

Fig. 5s Map the from show Surat of Agra. great to road route i.

y^
/?\

Taloda -/Borgatn; /SU',anPUr /\ \\^J^ / /f^-^ I

^^ /Barwani [tJharkal / \F/ g^^A V1"^ '

\ ^Dondaicha*.. \X 'BURHANPUR /^-?-^*? >^V .. rhonrfa ar _

>^ Kukarmunda#_l?.?^_ shahada a:Mandwa J Pandharl /^~-^ \Rander B -? (<-N?Thalner.Ravar^ / ^V^^-^-/-*-..* hadvad-^-^ Ch<>P<*a J \

^*y ^ V ^^ Nandurbari'..7Nimg
1Narayanpur? ?p^?/ Mota~V(adod D.haita -\T Sindkhed*..) ?Adavad N!?avl //Vyara*-' \/A^_ ^^>^-?^_ Bardoli* ^^^X K_ * ?*l^ .. Y^\_-^ ">*f^ ^ -\ I ... ?Kukara |\ I1 .. .). Valod* \^ Dungari 1 XSURAT'.9..*....Son9a.r>.'i?** i'W ?T*-Yawal* ..'/

366 Ian Raeside

There a number which are two is some of to be found in the Marathi as sequences of sources, letters can unused date by Deloche, and With those to its another serais and of place these, large and which of despatch however, armies indifferent contain from there sweeping to the

help itineraries

as well of

giving

the movements additional country from

the Maratha The source a main

armies routes of food

be deduced.4 are forage often

problems. one by

given and route

across protection

afforded

trade

with

well-marked

track.

Furthermore notoriously
find. The

in the modi script which is originally written difficult to decipher unless one has quite a high expectation of what one will
of the previous more adept generation at modT than which be placed who transcribed anyone the published alive thirty today, yet records into much almost they made and one

the Marathi

records were

scholars were mistakes imagine

devanagarT constant can well

in the names how much

of villages reliance can

lie within on

miles assumed

of Poona by some

the form

obscure

village
sources

in the heart of Malwa.

and some too from

Still there is information

the earliest British military

to be gleaned from the Marathi

expeditions which are still

unpublished
from Kalpi

or only published
to Burhanpur and

in part. The most

ultimately Poona in

important of these are Upton's

1775?6,5 Goddard's march

mission
India

across

to Surat in 1778-9,6 Camac's diversionary from Kalpi through Sironj and Burhanpur advance from Narwar to Sironj and back in 1780?17 and Malet's journey from Surat by
a deliberately selected new route to negotiate with Scindia in his camp at Mathura in 1785.8

there are the journals of the Dutch merchants Van Adrichem and Ketelaar, who travelled the Agra-Sironj road in 1662 and 1712 surprisingly ignored by Deloche, Lastly
respectively.9 This available, article seeks, up with some the of aid the of all these sources of and this of the better road. maps that are now

to clear

uncertainties

famous

I Surat
Father January Monserrate, 1580 or S.J., who thereabouts.10

to Sironj
recorded His party

via Barwani
the first Jesuit to have

and Ujjain
mission to Akbar, left Surat on 24 to

seems

immediately

crossed

the Tapti

4 See especially PD xiv, 7; xxii, 5?21; xxvii, 79; xxx, 319-20; Vad, pp. 219-59. 5 route is given in summary form inMacpherson, detailed journal pp. 230-49. For the meticulously Upton's in BL Add. MS. 29213 see Smith. The map prepared by the Rev. William and itinerary of the expedition Smith and is reproduced by Macpherson. after his return to England is IOLR Maps D.VII.5 6 and Duncan Stewart One copy of the map of Goddard's route, prepared by his surveyors Arthur Caldwell are maps, probably drawn in 53. BL Add. MS. i, pp. 38-9) is IOLR Maps A.C. 18109 A-B (see Phillimore, routes. that combine Goddard's and Upton's England, 7 under Lieut. Colonel Camac is BL Add. MS. 13907: "Route of a detachment The map of his movements to Seronge, from Narwar 1781". 8 in Forbes, Malet's him, was published itinerary, based on the journal of Cruso the surgeon who accompanied own official diary interspersed iv, pp. 5-42 (in the 1834 edition of Forbes it is abridged). Malet's iii, pp. 459-87, in his own hand and with letters is in Forrest, pp. 483-526, while a slightly more personal version of it, written a covering in 1787 is BL Add. MS. sent with letter to Warren 29216. Finally the diary of Charles Hastings as surveyor is IOLR MS. Eur. B.13. Reynolds who accompanied Malet 9 Van Adrichem, (Delhi to Sironj, Baroda and Broach). pp. 205-12 (Agra to Surat); Ketelaar, pp. 234-84 in Das Gupta, pp. 51-4. is summarised Another journey made in 1699 by a party including Ketelaar 10 in the dates probably due to the change from old to new style. See Hosten, There are discrepancies p. 551 n.3.

From Surat toAgra

Rander NE of and travelled for on the north mentions bank nothing

367
to the now these two ruined places,

eight

days

Sultanpur, in between

city his

Shahada.

Although

his narrative

map and the list of towns with

of which Kukarmunda presence of are included and the first in the Taloda, two

- neither their longitudes and latitudes as computed by him

translation amongst by Hoyland others that he may which not and Banerjee are after less ? name Vyara, identifiable; to the north Dhaita, the bank certainly stuck

suggesting

all have

throughout
in the next four days

this part of the journey,

section to cross and the used by all "Avazus" ? venerunt and chief which Just list) Sindwa Avazus State until city

but have crossed back to part of the route described

subsequent range after was an also to From travellers. " Cenduanum" on Avazus, crossed. Monserrate's Hosten presumably followed understands the Sultanpur Avazi of these the party iugum dense of they took transvecti jungles, reaching reached

Cenduanum clearly "Surana" Mandu

quatriduo the Bhils, not (Hosten, far pp. gam"

excursus called was

tribes Monserrate Two

whose from

talks later shows by

the Narmada west and

days map

552?3). in the

of "Surana" "confluxus". he

"bamanqga" has taken on the the

("Bamanque Cenduanum main original

Banerjee Sendhwa11

to represent road. of Barwani

by which clearly it was

Bombay?Agra capital

represents moved

Avasgarh, to Barwani

the hill-fort around 1650

that was (Gaz. Malwa,

PP- 557?8). Surana is a village ESE of Anjad

brahmans" the Narmada12 with its nearby and not sangam might be

close to the Narmada

any one of just the numerous south

while

the "village
spots

of

sacred

along

necessarily

the Brahmangaon

of Mandu.

Though
Sindvani on

Cenduanum
two of the

is doubtless
short rivers that

Sendhwa,
run north

it is odd

to find

two villages
the Satpuda

named
ridge

to the Narmada

from

on either side of the fort of Toranmal, the first in Akrani Mahal of Dhulia District on the left bank of the Titoli Nadi and the other just east of the Jharkal which now forms the
boundary from other of once roughly between parts Maharasthra of India regional of 74 and West indicates name13 the whole to 75 East. that and Nimar repetition one wonders area Sindvanis that District of a of Madhya place-name Pradesh. often or Evidence reveals something and itself the the

persistence like it was

an old

whether lies between and perhaps

sindavana the

the name from

settled The

Satpudas

Narmada

Sendhwa

could

- the well be adjectival residues of names such as [Borgaon] Sindvani Borgaon which
Sindvana The ? a type of village name that route can be found all over India. In his narrative he mentions remainder of Monserrate's is straightforward.

is in

Ujjain,
together, return between indicated

Sarangpur, Pipaldhar
while journey crossing here. his he list and mentions the Narmada

(Pimpaldarus)14 and Sironj, at which

name in addition Dikthan, (Monserrate, range again. Anjad Sunera p. only and "Angertum" the Avazus

point all routes come

and Berasia. 186) seems which to be On the comes clearly

his map

names 12

the spelling of the i: 250,000 series. For family I follow Variously throughout spelled Sindva or Sindwa. I keep to the form used by the family today. like Scindia (Sinde inMarathi) p. 555. Perhaps even the sacred confluence of Kapila Sangam. See Gaz. Malwa, 13 of Poona For example the two Kanand rivers SW of Poona. See Raeside, "A note on the 'Twelve Mavals'

11

District", Modern Asian Studies xii, 3, 1978, p. 408 n.78. 14 A village 17 miles NE of Berasia at 230 45' N, 770 39" E.

368 Ian Raeside

Note that as Deloche out 1968, this is the only acount of

finally

points

(Deloche,

p.

51)

this short-cut from the middle Tapti valley

in 1580 it was relatively less hazardous than

toMandu
it later

and Ujjain. We
became.

can only guess that

II Surat
This Mundy, road was travelled and its stages

to Burhanpur
by Finch, Jourdain, and, Roe with later, Ravesteyn,15 by Goddard

noted Van

Thevenot

(in part),

Tavernier,

Adrichem

a century

in his dash to Surat. Itsmain

quite century as clear as he makes Finch, out. Jourdain travellers

stages are listed by Deloche

Everyone and Roe, went through the all within

(1980, p. 54 n. 23), but are not

Vyara same but five the years early seventeenth got there 1610?15,

via Mota
Tavernier,

and Kadod keeping north closer to the Tapti, while

Thevenot, Van Adrichem) the route went

later in the century

through Bardoli and

(Mundy,
Valod.

Presumably
intervening

political
years.

or geographical

factors had brought

about

the change

in the

The next
as "a great towne" (p.

stage is invariably "Curka"

village 142), with a river on for the van south

about five kos from Vyara,

side" (p. 136), (Roe, by Jourdain p. 66), "Kirka"

described by Finch
as "Corka a ragged "a for Mundy,

"Carckga"

Ravesteyn

poore Towne, half burnt upp and almost voyd of Inhabitants, the most part fledd, the rest in dead, lyeing in the Streets and on the Tombes" (Mundy, p. 40). It is "Charca"
" " " Thevenot caravansarai" that there is no (p. 102) and finally Kerkoa The for Tavernier, only on reason any modern as it does from small fort Ball's town of for or as they into and now call it the Begam's is, of course, (Tavernier, sign of p. 41). such a entering map to "the 1989 can this detail note

place

Crooke's

(Tavernier, Behana"

p. 41 n. where of Vyara. centre of

1) is incomprehensible is a misprint this large lay

referring repeated or the

modern

Kirka...near an old

Behana In fact

edition be exactly

for Behara, an earlier the name right

spelling

village beneath

only

for whatever distance east of

habitation

Songarh,

Vyara. Songarh (sonagada) is a typical Marathi name and the fort only emerges into history with its capture, traditionally from a Bhil chieftain, by the founder of the Gaikwad family
around the Marathi miles Five stage south kos also 1720.16 The period but the is ill-documented existence a relic and there is no trace of any earlier name about in five sources, is almost further presents p. 41 n. on two of Kukada-dongri of the name. (Roe, not p. 66 n. 3) remains in the a mystery Crooke's of the and this note same (Kukara-on-the-hill)

certainly Ravesteyn's alternative

"Criali" routes

recognised or

editions.

(Tavernier, name, earlier ranporte

3) suggests is seven further

that

"Navapoura NW

Narayanpura" and once

are variants again

but Narayanpur travellers kept

miles

of Navapur Narayanpur the later

Narampora -Jourdain, Mundy, Naoupoura (Nouapore ? went via Dhaita "a great towne" 15

north through while Roe), Thevenot, (Finch, p.

(Narampore ones passed Tavernier). now forgotten

it seems that the Nar Finch, through Navapur

Navapoura 136) though

then Everyone ? and Bhadvad

Pieter Gillis van Ravesteyn was a Dutch merchant who fell in with Roe's ambassadorial party as far as to Roe. information from his narrative is given by Foster in the footnotes Burhanpur. Supplementary 16 Gaz. Baroda, p. 169; V. G. Dighe 1977), p. 280. (ed.), The Maratha Supremacy (Bombay,

From Surat toAgra

to Nandurbar, intermediate what he calls with places and the of impossibly Nandurbar Tavernier short who

369
seems ? nine route to have from Nimgul, these to

exception an From

forgotten Navapur

gives

distance

kos was

"Nasarbar".17

the normal

Sindkhed,

Thalner,
Sindkhed to

but Mundy
while I would ground",

crossed the Tapti earlier at Tekvada

names take except this that "Dol-Medan" to Van be a two common thirds noun names

(Mundy, p. 46) and missed

of the way from Nandurbar maidana tala

out
?

Tavernier

Sindkhed.

representing "Dauwelmedaan"

"camping

Adrichem

halfway

between

Nandurbar
une

Pondicherry
"Daoulmedan, town, The

in his journey from (p. 211) and Francois Martin to Surat also joined the Tapti valley route east of Nandurbar at a place he calls and Thalner
grande place the peuplade" but route one can (Martin, scarcely Chopda ii, p. derive and 263). one Yaval Dondaicha, name needs from no a the fairly other. for the modern

is in the remainder

right of

through

comment,

names mentioned
the eighteenth-century names, seems for current 1758

by all European
maps instance been ville and

travellers are readily identifiable.

itineraries are of and little help in this "Doondatch" who noticed

Itmight
section.

be added that
They Du use Perron place: d'un the in

"Sonegurr" the first au European

in Goddard. Songarh

to have grande

as a fortified et precedee

"Songuer, Fauxbourg".18

situee

pied

des montagnes,

entouree

de murs

Ill Burhanpur This

way

to Sironj

via Mandu and Fitch too went

as far as Mandu

section was
but gives north no to

travelled in its entirety by Finch and Jourdain,

details join of the route camp himself (Fitch, p. 17). Roe He after Borgaon, was his went no illness Bhikangaon, only at Ajmer. too weak Rahipur,

this
van

before by

heading Ravesteyn more

Jahangir's

longer in

accompanied

and was than record

obviously rough

Burhanpur Akbarpur

to do much where he

distances:

crossed the Narmada of the mainly

route: Akbarpur Mogargaon is no The Finch's identified 760 09' E doubt distances "Barre" with rather

at the usual ford andMandu

incomprehensible
"Ghoragaon" pp. 168-9).19

(Roe, pp. 80-1). A fairly lucid sequence Chahar Gulshan gives what appears to be a section of this
(perhaps Finch Ghogaon at 210 however, 140; so "Becull", 55' N, went 750 45' E), Multhan, west p. through 147) which to Mandu. far too small. be and Jourdain, (Finch, and conflicting between that four p. further Jourdain, and Tarapur case,

Bhikangaon, (Sarkar,

and Khargon correctly given and any than

to "Berkul" identified as Balkher, section which except are

by Akbarpur and,

for

this

in Jourdain's

"Camla" certainty Borgaon,

come to say

Asirgarh Barre

and Mogargaon Baroda by at

cannot 210

is perhaps Mogargaon

38' N, way"

and Camla,

kos

before

a "bad

(Finch, p. 140) probably lies in the group 210 44' N, 75?56' E is just possible.

of villages

in the next valley

east. Jamli at

17 in the Mirat-i-Ahmadi Tavernier, p. 41. It is also "Nazarbar" pp. 49-50). (Lokhandwala, 18 en Francais... par M. Anquetil du Perron. Tome Premier, premiere Zend-Avesta, ouvrage de Zoroastre...traduit partie, qui comprend Yintroduction au Zend-Avesta, formee principalement de la relation du voyage du traducteur aux Indes Orientates (Paris, 1771), p. cclxi. " 19 over this stretch, came through Multhan, The Comte de Modave, Kineca" travelling south to Burhanpur (Modave, pp. 507?8). (Bhikangaon highly garbled?), Gaula and Dhulkot

370 Ian Raeside

The first after Mandu ? four kos ? is " " Luneheira in Finch " (p. 142), Connyhier "

stage

in Jourdain
given but "at side" (Finch, by then

(p. 149), clearly Kaneria

The following set stages: in. Finch

18 miles W
Depalpur, ten kos a great

by S of Mhow.
Ujjain, from towne Kanasia, Sunera with 4 c. throughout to

There
Sunera

is no Lunera as
are no trouble, adding south west aldea" the only

Foster.

complications of "7 143). c. this way

gives

"Pimpelgom" on the

4 c. end then p.

lyeth

Sarampore, countrey are very

a castle lyeth

to Cuckra, Finch's

a great

towne...at consistent

Berroul this stretch

a great and

distances

feasible

interpretation

describing
the nearest

of this is that his party turned due east from Sunera, that he is as being four kos off the route (itwould be about six miles north at Sarangpur
point), that "Pimpelgom" is Piplod and "Cuckra" and "Berroul" are

respectively Khokara Kalan at 230 25' N,

of it. Foster's suggestions of Kakarwar,

760 57' E and Behrawal

Kankarwal,

five and a half miles west

and Bora are too far north.

presumably

"Coucra" 350).
Jourdain ten coses,

with
too but

a brick fort five kos SW of Duraha

at ragged and that his

is also described by Tieffenthaler

he went four seven and way coses kos it was to on to more Sunera "to a

(p.

is confusing being great a

this

point. place castle".

After I went From up out

"Sunearra" further there notes their

Pimplgang, cittye to called

Serampore,...a (Jourdain, ragged for p.

cittye

"Cuckra" too

150).

It seems so that

he mixed party went

his of

that was

comfort

Sarangpur.

Ketelaar
of the

travelled part of this way

between Ujjain and Patterki" It is of has first "Sooerkotha pp. 270-2).

in the reverse direction

Sarangpur which some now stage under "which where remains interest come after that up Ujjain he

in 1713 but only gives details

names Sumrakhera, Shajapur, apparently In the " Palduna, Sunera unknown same way town " Shah Jehanpore consequence, and of great when that and to

section Samgi, (Ketelaar,

Kanasia, Ukaota the Malet

unidentified, Shajapur,

seventeenth-century went this way newly ". This in risen

travellers, 1785 to his

in the world. was Tarana, then a place

a Holkar

had clearly " Sarungpore

prominence he says,

the Marathas, was formerly

last place,

is much freedom"
Malet,

broke
intent

and the inhabitants

on hitherto

speak their ill-will

unknown country, went

to the Mahrattas
NNE from

with

much
via

(Malet, fol 5v).

seeing Sarangpur

Rajgarh

and Raghugarh
route

to rejoin the traditional route at Badarwas

Khokara was the main one and

(see below),
came

but the
into the

Finch/Jourdain

through

presumably

Handia-Sironj
(Delout plausible for the Finch,

road at Duraha
p. 143 Delute ;

although
-Jourdain, which he one

the next
p. spells to 150).

stage that they both mention

It is Tieffenthaler as "two and one who roads", to gives being

isDillaud
us a very

etymology two roads

of Duraha, to the

"Dorah", Ujjain

the fork via the

" Toumbriachandia
From Dillaud

Deccan,

Burhanpur

Gath"
it is seven kos

(Tieffenthaler,
to Burrow/Burrou

p. 350).
and a further seven to Sukesera/Suckerra

and nine more

are in perfect of

to Syrange/Sarrange
accord. The first Nadi where the

(Finch, p. 143, Jourdain, p. 151). Finch and Jourdain

Barrai,20 of Sukha as Foster appears says, close and to the a serai second and at ford the at village

is probably

crossing

Sagar

20

"Sarel Barel"

(TiefFenthaler,

p. 350), otherwise

obscure,

is very

likely a misreading

of Sarai Barai.

From

Surat

to Agra

371

23? the

52' N, Sagar

770 Nadi

44'

E. Monserrate's Sironj

Pipaldhar is about

is midway -

between for

these 9 kos.

two

stages.

From

crossing

18 miles

reasonable

IV Burhanpur
It is possible to identify almost every

to Sironj
town

via the Handia

and village named

Ghat
on the western route to

Sironj, but the eastern route travelled by Mundy

Adrichem in 1662 and Tavernier several times

in 1630, Manucci
between 1641 and

in 1656, Dircq
1666 presents

van
more

problems. The
been completely

communications
altered by the

of the gap in the Satpura range north of Asirgarh

road and railway through Khandwa and the modern

have
maps

are thinly sprinkled with

enough the names of Tavernier's to trace the routes on Malcolm's place-names,

village names, half of them marked

of Goddard of often 1820 and Upton cannot of be through found, must this map

"deserted".
region and surprising

It is difficult
even some that many This applies of

so it is hardly remain

those

serais,

conjectural.

with even greater force to the garbled lists of the Chahar Gulshan (Sarkar, cxiv, pp. 168-9). is fairly clear is that, led astray by the modern lines of communication, the editors What of these texts have placed their guesses too far west. Temple (Mundy, p. 52) followed by
Crooke (Tavernier, p. 45 n. 3) have come up with the ubiquitous Borgaon for

"Burghkheesara"/"Balki-sera"
for "Naysara"/"Nevelki-sera", the nineteenth especially century. as van before plausible

and Sehara (presumably Sihada 4 miles NE of Khandwa)

but Sarkar's there Mandwa clearly is no evidence that this was "Pander" and the normal is slightly "Neuwe way more as for Tavernier's " names Manduwa"

Adrichem

Sarra"

the stages north of Burhanpur,

is too far north. One would

but Balwara
expect the

(13 miles

SE of Khandwa)
travellers

for "Balki-sera"
to have taken

seventeenth-century

roughly the same route as that along which both Upton reverse direction to that described here: that is following

then via Siwal and Piplod to Chainpur on the Agni and Tavernier come together and begin to agree remarkably well Mundy
Bicchola, paragana Handia. (PD, xiv, Charwa was an in important 1779 place under village the Marathas on the road... 7). Described as "a pretty

guided in the the Tapti NE for about 15miles, river at 210 53' N, 76' 44' E. Here on Charwa,
head a new of its fort and also

and Goddard were

almost finished of brick"

new. Bicchola is on the

(Goddard, Journal, p. 16), it is unlikely

banks of the Ajnal, a tributary of

that the fort was

nine miles

totally
SW

the Narmada,

of the Handia
Reverting to

ford. The village just west

the "empty quarter",

of it is still called Kali Sarai.

view Tavernier's "Pander" is not Mandwa

in my

- most but some lost village on the Pandhar Nadi which joins the Tapti near Ratagarh rivers in the area are named after the principal village through which they flow.
Tavernier's at 210 37' N, on "Balki-sera" 760 26' E, and Mundy's and "Burghkeesara" is most probably Sarra" Bhilkheri to be Sarai sought

"Naysara"/"Nevelki-sera"/"Neuwe north of Piplod.

somewhere

the Bham

river

This William
of long

area was

still "very wild and jungly" in 1870 (Forsyth, p. 343) and the Rev. Smith in his journal of Upton's march records day after day "totally awild jungle
small the whole wood day's and trees... an ...the entire country jungle of grass, one underwood wild dreary and trees journey continued

grass,

throughout

jungle,

372 Ian Raeside

a spot cultivated" fol account of his to

having

scarcely

(Smith,

19).

Forsyth's

attempts

draw up a list of villages when making

of identifying were under old place-names pergunnah the usual had in lists, this called area:

the settlement

sheds more

light on the difficulties

were

There entered

Dehjaras, of

in which mere

the names names,

of mouzahs and could when time for the not

(villages) be

heads... changed back

but many their names to their on

these were

in the field. Others drawn There up, and had

gone

original the

the Mahomedan during period, ones again in the Mahratta road north from Handia,

recognised were the Dehjaras (Forsyth, p. 149). again

are further

uncertainties

route

once

passes through
modern major further main crossing on

a string of villages
roads. of Tavernier's tracks ten miles is almost

in rough forested
4 of coss" due north

country
is perhaps

long abandoned
Kankaria, ford a village at Handia. just under

by
Five the

the
at kos scarp a

"Onquenas

the Narmada a deserted

"Tiquery"

certainly

Thikria,

village

of the Vindhyas at 220 50' N, 760 57' E. Mundy (p. 54) has "Tombree" at 12 kos (p. 209), and although Handia and van Adrichem "Tommery"
of any such name on

nine kos from there is no sign

reference to

the
have

" Toumbriachandia
been the name tola maidana of

any map,

new

or

old,

that

I have

seen,

Tieffenthaler's

Gath",
the pass

already quoted,
up a the escarpment.

suggests that something

Tavernier's where the "Toolmeden" caravans

like Tumri may

looks at the like foot halted

another

(see

above),

camping

ground

of the hills,
Adrichem, The Hatiakhera, of Berasia rest p.

and it is followed
208; of PD, xxx, " Dillaud and of followed "Barowe", 319;

by yet another
Vad, are the On p. 259). clear:

"New

Serai"

(Tavernier,

p. 45; Van
Duraha, miles west names and

Tavernier's

stages San-kaira", six tracks. by

Icchawar,

Sehore, Barha after

Shaikhpura, four

last probably this section which time at we

Shamkhera "Tombree" be Duraha,

at and

junction

Mundy then Dillaud route from at

Icchawar seven Finally 770 43' kos

Sehore on

a "Towne" by which

must have

further kos

joined that

the

Mandu. 230 49'N, (just (Van map,

nine

later Mundy Sehore and although van

stopped Adrichem

"Pomareea",

is Pamaria

E. After

has Hatiakhera Sara" for which of from "Andia" (Manucci, such a

("Hatykeserra"), Kempers village to Sironj, 65-70). on Sironj but suggests the map. just gives

"Beloor" Khumbaria Malcolm's of other Seu. details

conceivably Adrichem, however, Manucci this or any

Barrai) p. 208) has

"Couwaria there on road of his

is no the

sign

a "Kooareah" took the

road

Bhilsa to

north no

also other

through route

of

section

i, pp.

V
Sironj was a major halting-place. "A

Sironj
very

to Narwar
great towne" for Finch, a "Cittie" for Mundy,

apart from Burhanpur

a name, armies 1742.21 it was through Tavernier still a big

the only place between

place a settled its in 1778, having

Surat and Agra

escaped possession of the worst of chintz

to be dignified with
ravages the Peshwa (Tavernier, of at least p. 46)

such

the Maratha from and

being

revenue-paying trade

describes

and manufacture

Smith's brief description

21 Gordon,

of the town is as follows:

over to the Holkars in 1754 and

acquired

p. 25. Itwas under the control of the Peshwa from 1736, handed by Amir Khan in 1798 to become part of the State of Tonk.

From Surat toAgra

Encamped and about on half regular a large pleasant a mile distant. and best built a small flight tope; the town Seronge bears

373
from N. to S., is nearly semi-circular and three them one of

It is a very towns of well

extensive

the most high,

in India. The built stone

and populous round, place, walled are built with houses stone, two and stairs up to the first floor; many bazar of

stories have neat

and with

balconies, long range

balustraded

and ornamented the floor (Smith, the town

something

in the European and ascended

taste. The by four

is a clean,

of buildings; in the form of a piazza The outside

is raised with fol 16). site of

stone,

or five

steps and covered

tope

is the

the present

Dak

bungalow.

Mundy

mentions

a "goodly
it (Mundy, From by the

Tanck"
p. Sironj

outside

the south gate, which

p. 268). stages of have the road

still exists, and Ketelaar

have been Tavernier,

camped beside
identified and van

56; Ketelaar, north of

the various

mostly

correctly Mundy

editors

the various

texts. We

Finch,

Jourdain,

Adrichem;
with Smith's

Ketelaar
journal

in the early eighteenth

and also the map

century and at the end of itUpton's

operations between Narwar and

itinerary
Sironj,

of Camac's

beautifully drawn but not in fact much help. The following places are still dubious. " Paulki-sera" Sarai and three (Tavernier, p. 47) given as two kos beyond Mughal
before Kachnar (" Kasariki-sera ") must be a serai close to Chipon which is

by Ketelaar
this position. "Puttatalaw, in his passage

"Dsjpaun"
a Towne from Agra

(Ketelaar, p. 267). The Chahar Gulshan has a

by which to Brampore... is a great doth lake or Tancke, pitch patthara-talava where his Tent

"

actually

named

"

Serai-Afghan
saye take his the kinge, pleasure

in

they to

usuallie

of fowlinge
pp. 56-7).

and fishinge,
Temple's

there beinge great store of both

of this as

in the said Tancke"

"the stone tank"

(Mundy,
one

explanation

is a good

but his identification

Pathari, a village west of the road, ismost dubious. The at Bamori, described by Smith as "a small lake of water with many wild ducks and lake teal" (Smith, fol 16) is another candidate. of this with "Abdul Hasenca Sara" (Mundy, p. 57) is unlikely
the crossing over of this the Sind river. and section, is

to be Hasanpur, well
corresponds supported by better one

east of the usual

with of the Mundy's hitherto

road,

but

a serai very

at

This

distances,

accurate

unidentified
immediately

names of the Chahar Gulshan:

after "Kalabagh" (Sarkar, p.

"Serai Abul Hassan Aknapi

170). The inference is strong

(?)" which
that this was

comes
a serai

close to the Akhai

and leaping.22

crossing and itwas is first mentioned

in the Sind thatMundy by Ketelaar

watched

the fishes playing

Burha Dongar
fortified village

(p. 266) which

century.

rather suggests that this

Tieffenthaler mentions

came

to

importance

only

in the eighteenth

it also (p. 179) and the Chahar Gulshan perhaps in the garbled form of
(Sarkar, Boura of good hence, pp. cxv-vi). Malet gives it a few on which villagers lines: a

" Tumadu-nagar

"

Doongre strength is the North

is a small

eminence The

stands here I had

for defence... Boundary

a square stone Caravansary, being building me inform that Calorees (Kolaras), five Coss from it to be Seronge (Malet, fol 6v).

of Malwar.

understood

22

Akhai,

Tavernier's

" Akmate"

(p. 48), was

the usual crossing

of the Sind between

Kala Bag

and Badarwas.

374 Ian Reside

The comment is interesting as the very ideas about Central India still held

revealing

hazy

by the British in 1785. Rijoda, sixmiles south of Kolaras,

p. the 170). site Close of by, Camac's in a triangle night formed attack

is possibly
by on the Scindia's

the Rajhula of the Chahar Gulshan

road and camp two on converging 25 March nullas, 1781,23 an

(Sarkar,
event

is Deharda,

commented upon party. by all of Malet's " Sansele" be Sipri, p. 49) must (Tavernier, ? six kos from Kolaras and four from Dongri name with that of Sesai, a walled village

modern ? but and

Shivpuri,24 there

from

the distances that the he confused

given the of the

is a chance attracted (p. 261). to the Sind

serai which stayed descent

attention

eighteenth-century "Gate" (Tavernier,

travellers pp.

and where 49-50) is the

Ketelaar steep

west

of

the

bridge

(Ketelaar, PL XVII) apparently built just after his time (Deloche, 1973, pp. 35-6). Smith calls it "Lellymudge Nukau Gotty (?)" whose situation "is such, between high rocks and hills, that it is impassible on all sides, but through the stone walled (Smith, fol 15). In 1775 the bridge itself was already in the condition described gateway" by Cunningham (pp. 325?7) with its south end washed away by floods and standing detached from the bank. Tieffenthaler (p. 178) mentions this as well.

which was

VI

Narwar

All roads led to Narwar, passing through the" thriving town at the foot of the great fort. The only exception was Malet's party which, doubtless in pursuit of his deliberate policy
of seeking Upton out new came was off routes, to went due the north east, from from as and account Sipri close to the line of the modern to visit of and Upton's course a map party main the lived of were fort in it road. which the it from Datia, in us and was 1611. a brief journal

privileged

fort

Jourdain on and

already for 175?8)).

describing 18 years The

decayed left

Tieffenthaler description of what

has

(Tieffenthaler,

pp.

in Smith's

allowed
are rare

to see isworth
enough. Sing,

reproducing

in full. Detailed

descriptions

of the decor of the time

Rajah comes through their about the

Ram down,

an of the country, resides Rajah independent but on very extraordinary occasions. The ascent up large strong gates, well or ten barred inches

so close the hill

in the fort, to the fort

that he never long,

is steep and great

three

points 18 feet

projecting

eight

and plated with iron, and on the outside. The Rajah had a very neat them side, and elegant

spiked with received appearance, or us

nails having room

in a small

square, which, were small, only door

side walls but

though unfinished, ten feet about high, of

notwithstanding Fronting forward, the is

and upon

a low Dome about twelve

cupola. feet right

public,

in the middle

the western

23 The site, quite clear from Camac's map and Reynolds'Journal (Reynolds, p. ioo), is named on the i"map. the 250,000 map shows only some other Deharda, five miles east across the Sind. For a sparse account Confusingly to the treaty of Salbye seeMemoirs of this forgotten battle which led ultimately of theWar inAsia... by an Officer 2nd ed. (London, 1789), pp. 344-6. of Col. Baillie's Detachment. 24 sources and Seepree of the name which is siparT in theMarathi Shivpuri is a relatively recent Sanskritisation or some similar spelling in English right up to the end of the nineteenth century. Only Tieffenthaler spells it " since he was almost a local, may indicate that the more learned form was beginning Scheupori" (p. 178) which, to emerge around 1770.

From Surat toAgra

erected a small eminence back; of it was the stone, something with

375
English wooden an ascent of one small doors, with arm step silk was

in the taste of an old-fashioned chunam, and to painted white, two and has other

chair, with up

a low

plastered On

to the seat; let down with

this was before

throne.

the north seem side walls glasses, these,

south were lead into

pardas covered of four with over grope heavily,

them, figured

and which carpet; the

private

appartments; from the floor and very with

the floor

a pretty

were taken

set all round out of

to the height neatly joined

feet, with

strong this, was

plates and large looking cement. side walls above The raised an embossed figures,

their frames, were covered

and

the dome,

lattice work, and a circular

[sic] of

embossed

over except, painted white one in the middle of the and contrast the

and ising-glass, a square the doors, were cupola, executed rather

and with were

as little judgement to be gilt with much

in the disposition gold. Directly same manner,

embossments another room,

behind

of the figures. The whole of these is a wide throne into arched entrance

adorned

embossments small below From veranda

are to be gilt with from whence

is a small

deer

this place we as well persuasion, to be

park, were conducted as arminians, notice of

with and the plates of looking-glass, is a little door, silver. Opposite this arched entrance into a leading view there is a very extensive and pleasing towards the east; directly an contrast with of vistas, tanks, and the town on the left... agreeable except into gentoos (Smith, fol an etc. elegant reside Roman here. Catholic No other Chappel; particulars for people of of this

in the

the fort were

permitted

taken

14).

VII Narwar
The route ran gives gives themselves east of the of chain the of hills

to Gwalior
iron ore was mined. 26-9). Cruso, Malet's (pp. which PI.

in which employed section that

surgeon, 256-7) limit

an account a number

techniques over this Sarai

(Forbes, are not Ketelaar

iv, pp.

Ketelaar

of names

in the other adds Magroni

itineraries

to Palaichha,

Barki

and Antri.

(Ketelaar,

XVb, is a photograph of the extant serai), "Degonry" roughly in the right place), Shiampur, Garajar, Nonki
"Serai Nun" in Chahar Gulshan) and Gharsondi.

(unidentified unless it isDigwas, Sarai (cf. Tieffenthaler, p. 180; some Shahjahanpur)

Morar "Candhaura" Gulshan's they have after

North
"Marhi" interval he stayed

of Antri Ketelaar
one and and "Mohel" in Gwalior. Vogel been a half kos to the This failed to up

names
beyond, east of

"Sjajaenpoer"
a the village road be any growth of "Cotha" just the these south

(obviously
on of as the the the

and

the River serai

a similar in which "Serai almost

last might identify in the

same on

Chahar and and

Jandwaran". certainly

ground

swallowed

of modern

Gwalior

Lashkar.

VIII
Once of the again many of texts, the villages especially and Vogel's

Gwalior
stages have

to Agra
been satisfactorily who identified is very by detailed the editors on this

various

edition

of Ketelaar

section. The following corrections three Patter kos or from supplementations Gwalior (p. 254). are offered: pp. 52-3). that over Ketelaar's it lay near "een Bamaur. which groote The was

"Paterki-sera", steenen bridge serra that

(Tavernier, Vogel here

gen[aem]t" describes

suggests was not

Tavernier

erroneously

the Kunwari

376 Ian Raeside

never Crooke, but referred was all the over travellers the and Sank still

bridged,

pace

clearly to by

bridge

(Tavernier's in existence

"Lanike")25

at Nurabad,

subsequent

(Ketelaar, p. 253, PL XHIb; Pl.IV).

"Mendaker" or "Madakarre (Ketelaar, is no Chaunda "Quary" takes its name trace p. 9 kos sarraye" 251). on after It was from

Tieffenthaler,

p. 187; Malet,
is obviously Sara" of

fol 8r; Deloche,

the same

1973, p. 36,

Gwalior p. at

(Finch, 153), the

p.

145)

(Jourdain, probably of the p.

"Mende crossing

(Mundy, river Temple.

" as "Mandabarr " " Men p. 63) and thy as Vogel Malet says. There at

the Asan by "

the maps crossing

the Mundiakhera river (Malet, same fol 8r).

proposed

camped

(Ketelaar, from

248)

is the

as Tavernier's

Quariqui-sera"

(pp.

52-3)

and

the Kunwari

river.

"

Serra Tsjola
crossed. It

"

Sarai, three miles

also

(Ketelaar, p. 248), unknown to Vogel, is named on themaps as Chholaki east of the Chambal ford at Kethari (Ketelaar's "Hindri") where Malet
also appears in garbled form in the Chahar Gulshan's "Serai

perhaps

Rajhula" (Sarkar, p. 170). The route then followed the left bank of the Chambal for some miles before reaching the fort and suburbs of Dholpur (Mundy, pp. 63-4). Jourdain's
reference minor to river "a within faire bridge Dholpur of or stone" due (p. 153) here with must the either bridge be at a bridge over some to confusion Jajau.

"Fatihabad"
now presumably a village

(Sarkar, p. 170) is confirmed

absorbed two kos by Dholpur. further on The and

by Ketelaar's
name does not "onbekend"

"

Fettiaibaat"
on

(p. 247) and is

Ketelaar's named.

appear by Vogel,

any map. is however,

"Sanda",

river just south of Jajau. The bridge of twenty arches over the Gambhir or Utangan (pp. 64-5), then Tavernier (p. 53) but surprisingly not Jajau is first mentioned by Mundy Ketelaar who only refers to the serai which still stands (Ketelaar, Pl.XIV). Possibly in by
1712 Malet About Water. it had 73 already later: from Munea of twenty crossed Arches the Bed marks of the River course Gumbur. which Broad is now Serai. (Malet, "serra Seven and totally miles but no and hence been abandoned by its river, leaving it in the condition described by years

seven miles A fine Bridge

sandy

its former

diverted from

the Bridge passed This apparently

is useless... River

another

at which there is a very beautiful (To) Jajow a Bridge in ruins. This River is brackish with was in 1822 noticed (Lloyd, Ketelaar, 16?17). close The to

fol 9r). and

second last

bridge seen

by

Ossera" probably not

(p.

246)

i, pp.

serai was

at Bisehra,

asVogel
Nadi.

suggests, but Usara

two miles further downstream

on the right bank of the Khari

There railway
construction Railway. "Serra

seems to be no trace of either bridge today. Since they both lay on the line of the to Agra its line from Dholpur swept away during they were probably
just as the old fort at Handia mostly went to make ballast for the Central

Malaekstjeen"

(Ketelaar,

p.

246),

"sarra

Moloecksient"

in Van

Adrichem

(p.

205) 4 kos from Agra,

25

the last problem

before Agra,

looks as though itmight

be the same

Or

"Lantke"

which

is the reading

of at least one French

edition,

that of 1682.

From

Surat

to

Agra

377

as the Chahar Gulshan of identifying

it was pp. The probably 19?20) whole had too by

" s Serai Mulukchand"

even already is open, with in

anything on the ground

late then which 1785. brought flat

(Sarkar, p. 170). There is of course little hope in the area now invaded by the modern city. Indeed
Famine, about war the and scene Soil, the ravages of the Jats (Wendel, described is scattered by Malet: with Villages, most of

Country, Mud Walls,

and

a neat white

them with prevails of the

others

through late terrible

the whole; Famine... of

scarce On

to conceive but it is impossible the Desolation that Gurries, ten Families in the largest Villages, the Consequence remaining approaching the City presented mingled [from themselves in one general Kothawali, on Ruin" all his Sides; (Malet, last halt] Mosques, fol 9r). the most Palaces,

melancholy Gardens,

Objects Mausoleums

former

Grandeur

and Caravanserais

IX The Maratha
We have seen how the line of the preferred in response Monserrate's within was 1). These small for route to both route a few

roads
to the north political and varied over certain factors. between century route sections No Surat and the

at certain one

periods,

presumably repeated

geographical the route

is known

to have seems

past Avasgarh; in the by

and Vyara Narmada time that

to have at 1968,

changed

decades replaced

seventeenth

crossing (Deloche,

Akbarpur p. 56 n. too

apparently are merely

the Handia and on

by Mundy's of testimony

indications to be dogmatic

the amount the subject.

has

survived

is far

anyone

The
and

same may be said for a further hypothesis

by Deloche, chaque route, though with the qu'il caveat pour les sources

advanced by Raghubir
that "l'auteur (Deloche, cependant 1980,

Sinh (pp. 328?9)

a neglige This de is that p. 62).

repeated

signaler,

a utilisees"

once

the Marathas
century,

were

established
used

in SW Malwa
the western

at Ujjain
of

and Indore by the mid

the Narmada at Akbarpur

eighteenth

they mainly

crossings

and Barwaha
territory This to such

and practically
as Bhopal. oversimplification. through and

abandoned

the Handia

ford because

it led into hostile

routes to Kota; taken

is a distinct

Traditionally Ujjain due from north

the Marathas over

used

three main pass and

the north:

the western through Sironj,

the Mukundwara through through Bhilsa

the central in 1738,

the eastern The the routes they

Khandesh scattered

Sagar,

direct

to Bundelkhand. only largely that

evidence that they

the numerous fords in PD,

published where xiii, they 9) and It is the their Thalner We find

documents crossed where true western lands over and the

suggests depended they thought

chose from

and (for their

the Narmada instance loot or Berar revenue and Dewas they moved the

on where

started to

it most and

advantageous Pawars the most of government and Maheshwar were

begin

collecting. and Dhar between from

that

once fords

the Holkars were obviously centre Sendhwa

established for

at Indore them At of this as

convenient in Poona.

the nominal pass to

time

route

became

major

importance.

Raghobadada
army 70-1). It should in which

using itwhen
Holkars and

he took thewestern way

Scindias and Pawars

to Delhi

in 1753 with
their part (PD,

the confederate
xxvii, 79, pp.

all played

not with

be the

forgotten, blocks of

however, territory

that that Holkar

although and

the Scindia

Peshwa's had

own acquired

lands in Malwa

in

comparison

378 Ian Raeside

were i, p. were all out

perhaps

"very

trifling"

(Dairymple,

259),

they

strung

strategically

along Kalibhita, originally to him (Gaz. Hoshangabad,

18-19). From 1745 at

the Handia

road or close beside

of Burhanpur he held Charwa and extracted from the hill state of Makrai which itself remained tributary p. 326). He had garrisons at Harda
he was drawing revenues from

it. North

and Chipaner
Ashta, Ichhawar,

(Smith, fols
Sehore,

least

Duraha
and Kala

and Bhilsa, and north of Sironj from Mughal

Bag, and off to the west Miana (Gordon, pp.

Sarai, Kachnar,
19-25; PD, xxi,

Shahdara, Nai
10; Malet, fol

Sarai
6v).

North
owed

of the Sind the Jadhavs who

allegiance directly to

held Kolaras

and Sipri before

that the

losing them to Scindia

communications and

the Peshwa.

It is inconceivable

revenue collection

for all these lands should not have been effected via the Handia but instead have been allowed
great barons in SW Malwa.

ford or territory
evidence

those further east like Chipaner,

controlled by Holkar and the

to pass through
However, any

other

that may
that has administration itineraries

exist is still buried

been published of that are the

in the unpublished mass of the Peshwa Daftar. The portion

mainly territory, the to and source of campaigns it is here some of rather that the can lines than be to found drawn the subsequent a number boldly of across

relates acquired

undoubtedly

country on Sinh's map

roads opened by

(reproduced
The

in Deloche,
route

1980, Fig. IX) and captioned

near Sindkhed and

"Additional
through

the Marathas".

starting

running

and Indore to Ujjain is that of Raghoba's march already Sendhwa, Khargon, Maheshwar but it is at least a plausible enough road apart from being drawn through mentioned, instead of Nagalvadi. The line running north from Asirgarh to Ashta through Bijagarh
almost of trackless country loosely west-east cutting have and without based route across been that a on the shown the grain to a single named of Kota the country and yet qui p. 62). has return PD, to place xiv, upon 7. On it I suspect the (Sipri) series on northern is of to be a piece of itinerary from of border the utmost rivers. has crochet, ever led

guesswork the

Malwa

Shivpuri and a whole

implausibility, It could Deloche vers l'Est never

of difficult maps un

a route "les

the north marathes... 1980, the line

its presence allaient It would a Dehli be

Sinh's faisaient

to propose de Kota, and

armees (Deloche, again

SivpurT" once evidence

very

strange

if this

happened on

I suspect

that

been

sketched when

in somewhat he siege but cut

cavalierly across from which route east?west

the misinterpreted visited of for

of Raghoba's purposes, 79, pp.

itinerary the not

Pushkar, lies west of a large

devotional (PD, xxvii, across

to undertake 76-7). no This doubt was with

abortive a road

of Pohari

Shivpuri army

the once-only The only

cutting

country,

local

guides.

road mentioned
p. 181). In short said, are not Sinh's

by Tieffenthaler
map should

is from Shivpuri
with the caution. roads used

to Karahal

and Sheopur
armies,

(Tieffenthaler,
as has great been road

be used to

Even by

though common

large

necessarily

confined

travellers,

the

to Agra was
come "by

still the best way

the middle

to reconquer Delhi he wrote

way"

troops in 1760.When Bhausaheb marched from just south of Burhanpur on 2 April to say that he would for the Peshwa's
(MIS, i, p. 171). He came by Handia, Sironj and Narwar to

the fords of the Chambal

This then is probably

at Dholpur.
as much as one may hope to discover about the middle way from

the maps

and published documents.

It is unlikely

too that there ismuch more

to be found

From Surat toAgra

on the ground, there are still traces on

379
the less frequented sections of the

although

perhaps

road. All

the same it would

be nice

to be certain. Given

substantial ruins can disappear

still recordable indulged of new had ? been about names recorded. the I have appearance

in India it would
On fleeting the other

the speed with which quite be reassuring to know that everything

some of of the speculations route, serve in which about the how

hand

popularity and Burha

like Tarana

Monserrate's ? Dongar only

to underline

little we
Gordon from

really know
provided

about the political history and economic

introductory it is still study on the basis and but far from clear when

links of the region. Stewart

of a selection stages of documents the Maratha by what

a valuable Daftar,

the Peshwa

barons established
the Narmada. published than the The

their fiefs at Dhar

underused from road Maratha the Peshwa from Surat

and Dewas
records, Daftar, to Agra.

and all their other strongholds north of

even the small proportion rewarding that terra were a more

in Selections abandoned

constitute

incognita

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