Dhondia Wagh
| Dhondia Wagh | |
|---|---|
| Died | 10 September 1800 Konagal (in present-day Raichur district, India) |
| Nationality | Kingdom of Mysore |
| Other names | Dhondji Wagh, Dhondi Vagh, Dhundia, Dhoondia Waugh, Dhoondaji Waug, Dhoondiah Waugh, Dhundhia Wagh, Dundia Wagh, Dhondia Wagh, Dhoondia Wao, Doondia Wao, Shaikh Ahmad, Malik Jahan Khan |
| Occupation | Soldier, Freebooter |
| Years active | 18th century |
| Known for | anti-British insurgency in northern Mysore |
Dhondia Wagh (died 10 September 1800) was a military adventurer and plunderer in 18th century India. He started his career in the service of Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore. During the Third Anglo-Mysore War, he deserted Ali's successor Tipu Sultan, and subsequently raided territories on the Maratha-Mysore border. After the Marathas forced him to retreat, he sought refuge from Tipu and converted to Islam, changing his name to Malik Jahan Khan. After Tipu's death in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, he raised a force comprising soldiers from the former Mysore Army, and took control of northern part of the Mysore Kingdom. He styled himself as Ubhaya-Lokadheeshwara ("King of two Worlds"). The British East India Company as well as the Maratha Peshwa sent armies to check his rising power. He was ultimately defeated and killed by a British force led by Arthur Wellesley.
Dhondia Wagh was born at Channagiri in the Kingdom of Mysore (present-day Karnataka). He belonged to a Maratha family of the Pawar clan. During the reign of Hyder Ali, he joined Mysore's army as a trooper under the command of Bishnu Pandit. Gradually, he rose to the position of a shiledar (cavalry officer) during the reign of Tipu Sultan.
During the Third Anglo-Mysore War, Wagh left Tipu's service, taking along several soldiers as well as considerable wealth. He took shelter under the desai (Maratha revenue collector) of Lakshmeshwara. After the war ended in 1792, he proclaimed himself as the ruler of the areas on the Maratha-Mysore border. He started plundering villages and levied taxes in areas around Dharwad. In January 1793, he captured Haveri, and occupied Savanur. He also started raiding other territories ceded by Mysore to the Marathas as per the Treaty of Seringapatam.
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