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Trimbak, Maharashtra

Valentine Blacker1818

Kalakriti Archives

Kalakriti Archives
Hyderabad, India

Trimbuk is located near Nashik and to the north of Pune, and is most famous for being home to the fabulous Trimbakeshwar Shiva temple. The old fortress protecting the town lay atop an exceptionally steep hill.

On April 22, 1818, a British force under Lt. Colonel McDowell invested the fortress and spent three days setting up positions upon the difficult terrain from which they could bombard the fort. They met with heavy resistance, causing much damage to their artillery. However, for reasons that are not entirely clear, on April 25 the fortress surrendered in return for favourable conditions. With this, the vital region north of Pune was securely in British hands.

Interestingly, as an aside, it appears that at some point during the siege, agents of the Peshwa had removed the legendary Neel Mani (‘Blue Diamond’, now named the ‘Nassak Diamond’) from it traditional place adorning the Trimbakeshwar Temple. The Peshwa subsequently handed the diamond over a British officer, Colonel Briggs, who in turn gave it the Earl of Moira, the Governor-General of India, who had it spirited to England, from where it has since been the centre of much controversy and attention.

Details

  • Title: Trimbak, Maharashtra
  • Creator: Valentine Blacker
  • Date Created: 1818
  • Date Published: 1821
  • Location Created: India
  • Physical Dimensions: 29 x 26.5 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 Attack of the Hill Fort of Trimbuck Which Surrendered on the 25th April 1818 To a Detachment from the Hyd. Suby. Force under the personal Command of Lieutt. Coll. A. McDowell.
  • 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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