Khanderao Dabhade (Marathi: खंडेराव दाभाडे) is the founding patriarch of the ''Sarsenapati'' Dabhade family of

Talegaon Dabhade Talegaon is a town on the outskirts of the city of Pune, India. Demographics At the 2001 Census of India, Talegaon Dabhade had a population of 42,574. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. The average literacy rate was 79%, ...

. He was the eldest of the two sons of Yesaji Dabhade (Bodyguard of the Maratha King,

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adil ...

) and the grandson of Bajaji Dabhade. He was conferred the hereditary title of ''

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also be ...

Senapati Senapati (Sanskrit: सेनापति; ''sena-'' meaning "army", ''-pati'' meaning "lord") is a title in ancient India denoting the rank of military commander or general of the army. It was a hereditary title of nobility used in the Marath ...

'' (or ''Sarsenapati'', Commander-in-chief,

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

) by Shahuji, the grandson of Shivaji on 11 January 1717. ]

Life

Khanderao Dabhade was an accomplished ''Sardar'' of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

. Most notably, from 1705–1716, ''Sardar'' Khanderao Dabhade led the

forces in

Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...

. After his return to Satara, he was made ''

'' on 11 January 1717. Khanderao Dabhade died at Juna Rajwada in

near

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

on 27 September 1729. His widow, ''Sarsenapati''

Umabai Dabhade Umabai Dabhade (died 1753) was a prominent member of the Maratha confederacy, Maratha Dabhade clan. The members of her family held the hereditary title ''senapati'' (commander-in-chief), and controlled several territories in Gujarat. After the d ...

, was the first and only woman to become Commander-in-Chief of the Maratha forces in 1732. Khanderao Dabhade built the Induri Fort also famous as the 'Sarsenapati Dabhade Gadhi' at Induri in 1720–21. The Samadhi of ''Sarsenapati'' Khanderao Dabhade is situated at the Shrimant Sarsenapati Dabhade Baneshwar Mandir in Talegaon Dabhade. Induri Fort is also famous as the 'Sarsenapati Dabhade Gaadi' (seat of power) at Induri in 1720–21. The Samadhi of ''Sarsenapati'' Khanderao Dabhade is situated at the Shrimant Sarsenapati Dabhade Baneshwar Mandir in Talegaon Dabhade. The current Srimant is Abhishek Mande Bhot, who ascended upon the 'Gaadi' in 1990 upon turning 15. The photo of the original wall painting of Sarsenapati Khanderao Dabhade from the walls of the Old Rajwada at Talegaon Dabhade.

Legacy

The Deccan College in

, the third oldest educational institution in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, was founded by the Dakshina Fund bequeathed by ''Sarsenapati'' Khanderao Dabhade. In 1821, the Dakshina Fund was named the Hindoo College by Mountstuart Elephistone, the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

. In 1864, the College was renamed as Deccan College as it serves the whole

Deccan The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

region of

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dabhade, Khanderao Year of birth missing Indian nobility 1729 deaths People from Talegaon