Ramdurg

It is assumed that Ramdurg was built by Shivaji around 1676 and was assigned to Ramchandra Suru along with Nargund. The forts fell to Mughals under Aurangzeb in 1692 but were taken back in 1705. They were then, taken over by Kolhapur who placed Ramchandra Suru as incharge but in time, as he grew old, he gave power to his deputy Ramarao Dadaji Bhave. After Ramchandra Suru’s death, his adopted son Balwant Rao received the estate but was silently sidelined by Ramarao. Later, during the reign of Peshwa Madhava Rao, the estate would be formally handed to Dadaji’s line and Balwant Rao would receive an allowance. The estate was tasked with collecting taxes between Ghataprabha and Tungabhadra. Post him, the estate split into Ramdurg and Naragund, with Dadaji’s nephew Dadaji receiving Nargund and Yogirao receiving Ramdurg with the estates merging again in 1742 when Yogirao got Dadaji assassinated after returning from Kashi. In 1760, Nargund and Ramdurg were combined together and granted to Yogirao and Bhaskarrao, his grand nephew combinedly. In 1778, the two estates were taken by Mysore and the 1785 Mysore invasion was intended to be a permanent conquest. Vyankatrao of Nargund and his Diwan Kalopanth Pethe were captured and taken away to Srirangapatna after a seven month hard siege while Ramrao of Ramdurg fled to the Patwardhans. Venkat Rao’s daughter was forcibly added to Tipu Sultan’s Zenana. The prisoners were released as a part of the Treaty of Gajendragad but the estates stayed with Mysore till the fall of Mysore in 1799 though the estates were granted jointly to Ramrao and Vyankatrao by Peshwa Sawai Madhava Rao. In 1800, the estates were partitioned between both the lines with Narayanrao receiving Ramdurg and Vyankatrao receiving Nargund. A reshuffling of villages was done in 1810. In 1817, Ramdurg initially joined the Peshwa but switched to the British soon after. On Narayanrao's death in 1827, the British refused to accept the adoption from Nargund stating all those eligible are married and decided to annex the estate. The chief of Nargund, on the other hand, asked the lapse of estate into Nargund. Narayanarao’s widow Radhabai petitioned and was allowed to adopt Harihar Rao, the youngest son of the chief of Nargund under the name Ramrao in 1829 and ruled as a regent till her death in 1857 when her adopted son Ramrao took power. Because of her dominating attitude, Ramrao left to Nargund and returned back only because of the intervention of the British. He too died childless and regency was held by a governing council. In 1857, Bhaskarrao of Nargund rebelled and was executed at Belgaum after he was captured at Torgal. Nargund estate was annexed as a consequence. 1938 saw a protest to reject payment of taxes which descended into a violent insurrection which was brutally crushed.

References

1. Census of India, 1941. Vol. III: Bombay Tables

2. Memoranda On The Indian States 1939

3. Belgaum District Gazetteer

4. Aitchison Treaties Vol 8

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