In 1803, the territory of the Maratha Confederacy fell into the lap of the East India Company through the perfidy of its prime minister. At once Holkar, Maharajah of Indore, gathered allies and fought to regain his independence, but contemporary observer Harsukh Rai recorded that he was unable to do any more than win the respect of his powerful enemy.

Harsukh Rai looked back over the catalogue of British victories in India, and consoled himself with the thought that even India’s legendary heroes would have failed against this newcomer. Holkar had been courageous, but Ranjit Singh had been wise: for he was the first to make peace with the English, and it harmed neither his wealth nor his reputation.

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