Yashwantrao Thorat or Yesaji (Marathi : यशवंतराव थोरात or येसाजी) was a military commander and the main supporter of

Sambhaji II Sambhaji II or Sambhaji I of Kolhapur (1698 – 18 December 1760) was a Raja of Kolhapur from Bhonsle dynasty. He was a grandson of Shivaji and the second son of Chhatrapati Rajaram with his second wife, Rajasbai. After defeat by Shahu, Samb ...

of Kolhapur from 1717 to 1719. Before 1717, he served Shahu for a brief period. After the battle of Vadgaon he changed the side and support the Sambhaji II. He had the title of '

Senakhaskhel Senakhaskhel is a title of nobility in the Maratha empire. This title was instated by Rajaram I, the Maratha emperor, at the end of the 17th century. It is placed after the Senapati title and is considered to a more important one. ''Senakhaskhel' ...

'. He had

jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...

in the territory of Warana. He successfully launched many campaign against Shahu with the help of

Udaji Chavan {{Infobox royalty , succession = ''Senapati'' to the Chhatrapati Sambhaji II of the Kolhapur , name = ''Udaji Chavan'' , image = Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg , reign = 1716 - 1742 , title = Himmat Bahadur , b ...

. Sambhaji II gave him the area of 9 lakh income as saranjam in Bijapur territory. In 1719, he died in the Battle of Panhala against

Balaji Vishwanath Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1 January 1662 – 12 April 1720) was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Confederacy and other Mughal vassals during the early 18th centur ...

. After his death his wife Godabai perform Sati.

Early life

Campaign against Mughal commander Padulla Khan

The territory of

Karad Karad is a city in Satara district of Indian States and territories of India, state of Maharashtra. It is located 302 km (180.19 miles) from Mumbai, 74 km from Sangli and 162 km from Pune. It lies at the confluence of Koyna R ...

and

Miraj Miraj (Pronunciation: iɾəd͡z ) is a city that is part of the Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad metropolitan region in Sangli district, Maharashtra. Founded in the early 10th century, Miraj was an important jagir of the Bijapur Sultanate. Chhatrapa ...

was under the Mughal commander Padulla Khan until 1717. In 1717, Yashwantrao joined Shahu because there were misunderstandings between Yashwantrao and

. At that time Shahu wanted to establish his control in Karad and Miraj territory. So Shahu decided to launch a campaign against Padullakhan in 1717. Yashwantrao joined this campaign with his troops. Shahu's forces attacked on military camp of Padulla Khan in Karad. The army of Padulla Khan was dispersed by the sudden attack. But after a while, he also counterattacked. At the end of the battle Padulla Khan was defeated and he fled to Islampur. This battle is known as 'Battle of Karad'. After the battle of Karad Shahu was successful to establish his rule in Karad and Miraj territory.

Sambhaji's Side

In 1717 Yashwantrao left Shahu and join

due to political reason. Sambhaji welcome him with the title of

and give him the area of 9 lakh income as

in the Bijapur territory.

Battle of Panhala

When Shahu ordered

to marched against

in 1719 due to Sambhaji's aggression in his territory. Balaji first marched towards

Ashta Ashta may refer to: * Ashta: Middle Eastern dairy product Geography * Ashta, Bangladesh * Ashta, Madhya Pradesh, a municipality in Sehore district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India ** Ashta (Vidhan Sabha constituency), Madhya Pradesh * As ...

and captured it. The Ashta was under Yashwantrao's control. At that time Yashwantrao was in Bijapur territory. When he know about Balaji he marched towards him. The army of Balaji and Yashwantrao came in front of each other near Apti. At last the battle of Panhala was fought between Balaji and Yashwantrao near fort of Panhala. In the battle Yashwantrao was injured by a spear and after a while he died in it. Balaji's troops retreat after a month. After the death of Yashwantrao in the battle, his wife Godabai perform 'Sati'. Sambhaji II made a samadhi mandir of Yashwantrao and his wife near the battle field of Panhala.

References

* * *{{cite book, title=Marathyanchya Itihasachi Sadhane Vol-3 (1700-1760) – V. K. Rajwade, ref. 3, url=http://samagrarajwade.com/index.php/marathyanchya-itihasachi-sadhane-khand-1/marathyanchya-itihasachi-sadhane-khand-3/item/932-khand3-21 * Chapter 3 — ''

–

Shahu I Shahu I (Shivaji Sambhaji Raje Bhonsale; ; 18 May 1682 – 15 December 1749) was the fifth Chhatrapati or head of state of the Maratha Empire founded by his grandfather, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shivaji I. He was born into the House of B ...

Relation up to 1730'', Pg 79, 82, 83, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95. * ''Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813'' — Jaswant Lal Mehta * ''

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Kolhapur is one of the most significant cities in South Maharashtra and has been a hub of historical, religious, and cultural a ...

Rayacha Itihas'' - Prof. B.P. Modak * ''The

Marathas The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

'' – Prof. A. R. Kulkarni 1719 deaths People from Kolhapur 18th-century military personnel