१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

THE CONFLAGRATION
to his palace and was looking after them well. But, at
the same time, he was as busy in trying to throw off the
British yoke already tottering through the shocks of the
Revolution as he was in saving the lives of these English-
men. From the very beginning, the symbols of slavery
in his kingdom had been smashed and he was ruling as
an independent prince. Seeing the English army coming
to deprive him of his liberty, the Nabob, urged and aided
by the whole populace, was ready for battle. Several
engagements took place between the two parties, but,
being defeated in them, the Nabob started for Kalpi with
his army, and Whitlock entered Banda in triumph on the
19th of April. The next march was to be on the Rao
of Kirwi.
Rao Madhav Rao of Kirwi was a child of ten and his
guardianship was in the hands of the English. The Rao
of Kirwi was a near relation of Baji Rao Peshwa. In
1827, Anant Rao, the then ruler of Kirwi, deposited two
lakhs of Rupees with the English Government for some
charities in connection with the temples of Benares. As
soon as he died, the English swallowed the whole amount.
More than that, they took unlawful possession of a fur-
ther sum of several lakhs of Rupees foolishly deposited
with them by Anant Rao's son, Vinayak Rao, in spite
of the lesson he had already received. This was soon
after Vinayak Rao's death. Rao Madhav, the adopted
son of Vinayak Rao, being a minor, as the supervision
of the whole state was in the hands of the English, and
Ramachandra Rao, the chief Karbhari, had been appoint-
ed by the English, there was every reason to suppose that
there would not be much fear of revolt in the Kirwi State.
But, in 1857, whatever the Raos and Maharaos did was
not quietly acquiesced in by the people. Sometimes
obscurely and sometimes clearly, the power of the people,
the strength of the real nation, was slowly struggling into
prominence. The Zemindars, the priests, the merchants
of Kirwi, nay, even the common people, inspired by the
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