Thalner, Maharashtra
Valentine Blacker1818
Kalakriti Archives
Hyderabad, India
In the summer of 1818, Sir Thomas Hislop’s army concentrated its efforts on subduing the Khandesh region. They encountered the fortress of Thalner, strategically located along the Tapi River, which appeared to be in a relatively poor state of repair. Thalner was once quite important, as for a time from 1382, it served as the first capital of the powerful regional dynasty, the Faruqi Kings.
On July 27, 1818, Hislop’s men over-confidently stormed the fort, but found themselves in a trap, resulting in the death of several men, including senior officers. The British eventually took the fortress and proceeded to murder the entire garrison of 300 men, hanging its killedar from a tree. This act of barbarity was against all the rules of war. Governor-General Lord Moira was disgusted by this crime, in addition, to rumors that Hislop had personally looted massive quantities of treasure from the region known as the “Deccan Prize”. At his instigation, Hislop was eventually removed from his command, although he faced no further penalty.
- Title: Thalner, Maharashtra
- Creator: Valentine Blacker
- Date Created: 1818
- Date Published: 1821
- Location Created: India
- Physical Dimensions: 29 x 27 cm
- Type: Map
- Publisher: The Book titled on " Memoirs of the operations of the British Army in India during The Mahratta War of 1817, 1818, and 1819", Valentine Blacker, Londan, 1821.
- Medium: Manuscript, in pen and ink, with watercolour on paper
- Title (Original): “Plan of the Assault of the Fort of Taulneir By the Division of the Army of the Deckan – under personal Command of His Excellency Lieutt. Genl. Sir Thos. Hislop, Bart. On the 27th of July 1818.”
- Creator's Lifetime: 1778/1826
- Creator's Bio: Valentine Blacker was a lieutenant colonel who served in the British East India Company during the first half of the 19th century. Blacker was born in 1778 in Armagh, Ireland, and came to India and joined in the Madras army in 1798, then started his career with the Mysore campaign. Later, he was employed in Wayanad district under Col. Stevenson in 1800 and given charge of cavalry troops; he was then under Col. Agnew, and in 1802 acted as the secretary to the Col. Pater, who was then commanding the southern divisions. In the subsequent years, due to his sheer merit, he commanded and participated in many campaigns. Finally, he was appointed as the Surveyor General of India. Valentine Blacker died in 1826 and was buried in the city of Calcutta.
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