1. What Was the Bhima Koregaon Battle?
The Battle of Koregaon took place on 1 January 1818 in the village of Koregaon, Maharashtra, between troops of Maratha ruler Baji Rao Peshwa II and 800 troops of the British East India Company.
Baji Rao II, Peshwa Ruler, Maratha Empire (Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons) The soldiers of the East India Company successfully fought the Peshwa troops, preventing them from advancing into Pune. After a 12-hour-long battle, the loss of 600 men, and fearing reinforcements from Pune, Baji Rao II withdrew his troops from Koregaon and gave up his efforts to attack Pune.
The battle is considered by many prominent Dalit thinkers, activists, and writers to be a significant point in Dalit history as a triumph for the community which had faced oppression under Peshwa rule, says Professor Shraddha Kumbhojkar, faculty at Pune's Savitribai Phule University.
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