Baiza Bai
| Baiza Bai | |
|---|---|
| Maharani of Gwalior | |
 Maratha ruler of Gwalior
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| Tenure | 12 February 1798 — 1833 |
| Born | 1784 Kagal, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra |
| Died | 1863 Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh |
| Spouse | Daulat Rao Scindia |
| Father | Sakharam Ghatge, Deshmukh of Kagal |
| Mother | Sunderabai |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Baiza Bai (also known as Baza Bai, Baijabai, Baeza Byee; born 1784 in Kolhapur; died 1863 in Gwalior) was a Scindia maharani and banker. The third wife of Daulat Rao Scindia, she acceded to the regency of the Scindia kingdom following his death. As a prominent opponent of the East India Company, she was eventually ousted from power and replaced on the throne by her adopted son Jankoji Rao Scindia II.
Baiza Bai was born in Kagal, Kolhapur in 1784. Her parents were Sunderabai and Sakharam Ghatge (1750 – 1809), Deshmukh of Kagal, a member of the nobility under the Bhonsle rulers of Kolhapur. In February 1798 in Poona, at the age of 14, she was married to Daulat Rao Scindia, the ruler of Gwalior, and became his favourite wife. Baiza Bai and Daulat Rao had several children, including a son who predeceased them.
She was known as a superb horsewoman, and had been trained to fight with a sword and spear. She accompanied her husband during the Maratha wars with the British, and she fought against Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, at the Battle of Assaye.
Scindia looked to Baiza Bai for help in administrative and state matters. There is an account of her opposition to the Scindia annexation of Udaipur on the grounds that the chief Rajput state should not be destroyed.
She obtained high positions for her relatives in the Scindia court. Sakharam was made Dewan of Gwalior. He was reported to have held anti-British sentiments, which led to trouble between him and his king. Following the Scindia defeat in the Second Anglo-Maratha War, a treaty signed with the East India Company explicitly excluded him from any governing role in Gwalior. Under the terms of the same treaty, Baiza Bai was granted a jagir of 200,000 rupees annually. However, it is reported that her husband appropriated these funds. In 1813, her brother Hindu Rao was made Dewan of Gwalior, and in 1816, her uncle Babaji Patankar was offered the post.
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