D.B. Parasnis rendered an invaluable service to future scholars by saving and printing rare primary sources of Maratha history that might otherwise have been lost forever.
THE FIRST and most indispensable condition of historical research is access to original documents. He who collects old state papers and other sources of history, therefore, makes research possible, and he benefits unborn generations of students by saving these unique records from destruction and dispersion.
If, in addition to this, he prints the records, he confers a still greater benefit and extends that benefit to a wider circle of scholars, which may embrace the whole world.
Such a benefactor of all earnest students of Maratha history has been recently lost to us by the death of D. B. Parasnis of Satara on 31st March [1926]. His life was simple, uneventful, and silent. But all his thoughts, passions and energies were devoted from his boyhood to the pursuit of a single aim, which he lived to carry to fruition before his death at the age of fifty-five.
Dattatreya, the son of Balawant Parasnis, was born to an ancient Maratha Brahman family on 27th November, 1870. He read up to the Matriculation standard in the Satara High School. Even in his school days he gave a foretaste of his future pursuits by not confining his studies to his text books, but reading extensively the lives of historical personages, especially those of his native land. His strong literary bent showed itself quite early, and this school boy founded and edited a monthly magazine which called forth appreciation from some elderly men of light and learning.
After leaving school, he founded and edited for some years another vernacular magazine, called the Maharashtra Kokil. But it was with the publication of his third monthly, the Bharatvarsha, in 1898 that, his life’s work really began.
Though this periodical had a brief life of two years only, yet its 24 numbers contained priceless original records and learned reconstructions of Maratha history. An interval of nine years followed its death, and then he founded (in 1908) another and still more valuable historical magazine of the same type under the name of Itihas Sangraha, which ran for seven years, but was at last abruptly discontinued through getting into very long arrears of publication.
Young Parasnis worked for a long time, under the veteran M. G. Ranade’s general guidance, among the Peshwas’ Daftar (preserved in the Land Alienation Office at Poona) and prepared the materials published, in some cases, under other and better-known peoples' names. Later he published in his own name selections from these and other records as independent volumes. For example:
Selections from the Peshwas' Diaries: Shahu, Balaji Baji Rao (2 Volumes),
Decisions from Shahu’s and Peshwas' Daftars.
Sanads and Letters.
Kaifiyats, Yadis, etc.
Treaties, Agreements, and Sanads
Life and Letters of Brahmendra Swami
The Royal House of Tanjore
Historical Papers relating to the Gwalior State (3 volumes, for private use only)
It was rather unfortunate that Parasnis rushed to journalism too early, instead of completing his education. For, if he had gone through a full college course, he would have gained greater confidence in his own power as a writer and boldly challenged criticism by producing mature works of his own. As it was, he lived and died a collector and editor, and not a historian, though the texts he published will be invaluable to other men who will attempt history after him.
Parasnis’s English works may be quickly passed over, as they were of a slight, topical character. His Mahableshwar (1916), Sangli State (1917), Poona in Bygone Days (1921), and Panhala (1923) were merely presentation books and fell still-born from the press. The History of the Maratha People (3 volumes), which bears his name along with Mr. C. V. Kincaid’s on the title-page, is admittedly the composition of the latter gentleman and expresses his opinions only while Parasnis merely supplied the materials to the actual writer.
It is only by his publications in the Marathi language that Parasnis will live as an author. These form his enduring contribution to Indian history. His first work in his mother-tongue was the Life of the Rani of Jhansi (1894), followed a couple of years later by The Marathas in Bundelkhand.
Later came Brahmendra Swami’s life and letters (the second portion of it being a source of first rate importance for the reign of Baji Rao I.), the Life of Baija Bai (of Gwalior), etc.
Parasnis published by instalments in his magazines several collections of state-papers of the highest value to the student of Maratha history and even of North Indian history.
First came the bulky Letters, Memorials etc. (Patren Yadi bagaire) contributed to the Bharatrarsha by Kashinath N. Sane. Then appeared in the Itihas-Sangraha under Parasnis's own editing, two thick volumes of despatches sent to Poona by the Peshwa’s agent at the Court of Ahalya Bai Holkar, and two other thick volumes containing the letters of the Maratha envoys (vakil) at the court of Delhi, followed by smaller collections of letters written by the Peshwa’s agents at Calcutta, Seringapatam., Jaipur, Jodhpur, etc.
It may not be well-known that Nana Fadnavis, who was the de facto ruler of the Maratha State for several years, had a favourite country seat at the quiet romantic village of Menauli. Most of the despatches and other State papers which reached Poona in his time were taken away by him to this village, and therefore, the State Record Office of the Peshwas (at least the "Foreign” section of it) was not in Poona.
After Nana’s downfall and death, his family was ruined, and these priceless records began to perish from neglect or to be dispersed. In the course of two generations much was gone beyond hope of recovery. [Khan Bahadur Israel told me that nearly half a century ago he helped to recover from Menauli a portrait of Mastani ascribed to a French artist.]
But when, near the close of the 19th century, Parasnis came on the scene he did everything possible to save and print what still remained.
Similarly, the decay of the Rajahs of Satara (who had been reduced by Dalhousie to the status of landholders or rather pensioners) opened a wide door to the sale, dispersion and destruction of the valuable historical papers, old pictures, art objects and relics accumulated by the house of Shivaji during nearly 200 years.
In the middle of the 18th century, when the Marathas dominated North Indian politics, the Mughal Emperor and nobles and Hindu Rajahs alike sought to please the Chhatrapati by presenting him or his Peshwa with valuable pictures of the Indo-Saracen and Rajput schools, finely illuminated Sanskrit manuscripts, decorated swords and other curios.
These found a refuge in Satara palace, but began to be dispersed in the last two decades of the 19th century.
To be continued