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Among the notable battles fought in India, the Battle of Palkhed, between Peswha Baji Rao I and the Nizam-ul-Mulk, would not readily spring to mind for many. Which is a pity, for several reasons. While the three battles of Panipat - in 1526, 1556, and 1761, the battles of Talikota in 1565, Plassey in 1757, and Buxar in 1764, are rightly remembered for their pivotal impact on India's history, the battle of Palkhed does not readily spring to mind. It should, for it is not only one of the notable battles in history, it also holds lessons that perhaps deserve a closer look. The battle of Palkhed was fought in 1728, between the armies of Baji Rao, the second Peshwa of Maharaj Shahu, and the Nizam. A brief look at the three principal players who were involved directly or indirectly reveals a fascinating if not turgid brew of politics and intrigue that had by then become the staple of the putrefying Mughal empire in Delhi. The Maratha empire, in disarray in the years following Shivaji's death - with the torture and murder of Sambhaji and the capture of Sambhaji's infant son, Shahu - had started to rebuild itself after Aurangzeb's death in 1707. Shahu's escape shortly after Aurangzeb's death - after eighteen years in custody - gave the people hope and provided a rallying point for Shivaji loyalists like Senapati Dhanaji Jadhav, Khando Ballal, Diwan Balaji Vishwanath (and later the first Peshwa under Raja Shahu) and others. While Shahu battled his aunt, Tara Bai - and her "specious arguments" - for the right to be considered as Shivaji's true successor, the Marathas had also demanded from the Mughal king the rights to levy Chauth (an annual tax amounting to 25 per cent of revenue or produce - hence the name "chauth") and Sardeshmukhi (a surcharge collected as tribute to the king) on the Deccan. In this endeavour they were hampered by some accidentally wise political manoeuvring by the Mughal sovereign. The Last Days of Aurangzeb Aurangzeb, in his last days, had come to the realization that a military victory over the Marathas was not possible, and had been exploring on what terms to "purchase peace." His successors, for various reasons, had been unable to close the matter either. Bahadur Shah had been clever - or indecisive - enough to throw the ball back into the Maratha court, when, in 1709, he asked Raja Shahu and Tara Bai to first resolve among themselves the issue as to who the Mughal sovereign would grant these demands. His refusal had the perhaps intended effect of reviving the civil war among the Marathas - especially between Shahu and Tara Bai, which had been slowly "flickering out." The Nizam would try identical tactics almost two decades later. The second main actor in this saga was the Nizam. The Nizam-ul-Mulk, or Mir Qamar-ud-din as he was originally known, was born in 1671. Iranis, Turanis, Afghans, Indian Muslims, and Hindus - primarily Rajputs for long - among others formed the nobility in the Mughal court, with the Iranis and Turanis