Says Naresh Khokhare, 36, a farmer, 'The only difference between this entrance gate and the gates of havelis in Maharashtra is that their version is made of black stone while we used wood and carved it.'Ī simple, though by no means less conclusive, proof of the Maratha heritage of the Rods is the practice of saying ' Chhatrapati ki Jai' (long live Chhatrapati Shivaji ) at the drop of a hat. It has a richly carved rectangular wooden door beneath an arched entrance.

One such old dilapidated haveli can be seen in Jhanjhari village. The village had, till recently, a number of Maratha-style havelis. Till recently, every Rod home had swords and spears and our love for horses was legendary.' Agrees Lakhpat Singh Thardak, 80, who sports a simple white safa and has gold rings in both ears in Maratha fashion, 'The Rods are the only ones in the area today to retain their love for horses like the Marathas.' Says Hari Singh Pawar, 63, a Rod farmer from Kemla village near Karnal in Haryana, 'We have no doubt that we are descendants of the Panipat survivors. Though the Rod women dress like other Haryanvis, their style of covering their heads before elders is also akin to women in rural Maharashtra. And, interestingly, the Rods assign a prominent role to the maternal uncle in any wedding, similar to the practice in Maharashtra. Lakhpat Singh ThardakLAKHPAT SINGH THARDAK, 80 FARMER FROM PANODI VILLAGE IN KARNAL DISTRICT OF HARYANA Photographs by VIKRAM SHARMA/'The only difference between this entrance gate and the gates of the havelis in Maharashtra is that their version is made of black stone while we used wood and carved it.'Īs many of the soldiers in the battle of Panipat were from the Konkan region of Maharashtra, that explains why Rod songs have mention of the sea, unheard of in Haryana.

The revelation has filled the entire community with nostalgia and pride.' Says Varma, who first started the investigation into the origin of the Rods a decade ago, 'Right from the Marathi words in our Hindi dialect, the style of our old havelis, our love of horses to our surnames and typical customs-they all prove that we are descendants of the lost Maratha soldiers of Panipat. The gallant Muslim commander of the Maratha artillery, Ibrahim Khan Gardi, came in for a particularly gory end at the hands of the invading Afghans for aligning with Hindus in battle. Amongst those killed were Sadashivrao Bhau and Vishwasrao, Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao's son, along with Maratha commanders Jankoji and Tukoji Scindia of the Gwalior royal family and Yashwantrao Pawar of the Dewas family. More than 50,000 Maratha soldiers were slain in the battle. Naresh NARESH KHOKHARE, 36 A FARMER AT JHANJHARI VILLAGE IN HARYANA'S KARNAL DISTRICT 'The Rods are the only ones in the area today to retain their love for horses like the Marathas.'

Panipat Pdf In Marathi