New Chapters and New Histories But no! The imperial theorist will live and die a martyr to his theory.  —Merivale on Aurelius The first shocks of foreign rule were felt through the entire administration of Mallaraj. His Bhayat, his army, his friends, the women’s quarters in his palace, his love—all seemed to dissipate. His friends and relatives turned strangers. Difference of opinion finally led to disaffection among the loved ones. The treaty with the British rendered his kshatriya brethren obsolete, and they felt wounded by it. The Bhayat were enraged by the punishment awarded to Samant. Mallaraj was isolated. His trusted minister was seen by everyone as an enemy. The roots of dissension and machinations went deep. Formerly there was mutual trust, but it proved as unsteady as a stream of water. Mallaraj reclining alone in his chamber could see all this clearly before him. Late into the night he fell asleep. Before yielding to sleep, his thoughts were: A lion does not worry that he is solitary, helpless and alone in the forest. The queen knew of his mental state. She peeped in from a window; for her this did not constitute a breach of the king’s command. Seeing him asleep at last, she, too, went to sleep on the hard floor of the courtyard. A year passed. The ruler of Virpur, a neighbouring state of Ratnanagari, died, and his young son Khachar ascended the throne.

Rana Khachar’s father was a friend of Mallaraj. Ratnanagari and Virpur had together fought against common enemies in the past. The rulers of Ratnanagari believed in keeping their own state united, strong and well-administered. They did not crave for territories of other states. But they helped their Bhayat and Garasia satisfy their desire for acquiring garas in distant lands. The rulers of Virpur allowed their state to be subject to the desires of their Bhayat, while they themselves craved for territories outside their boundaries. The British presence precluded the possibility of wars as a means of acquiring territories, and hence the thirst for land could not be satiated. The Bhayat could no longer fight other armies and consequently, they began to harass the ruler. Young Khachar, thirsting for more land, found a way of grabbing the lands of friendly neighbours without taking recourse to war. The Bhayat became his instruments; instead of harassing Khachar, they turned like a pack of hungry dogs on the neighbours. The Garasia of Virpur began to grab land in the name of their ruler. The neighbouring states took their grievances to the newly appointed political agent. Khachar wanted to establish that he was not the only cause of all troubles. He took advantage of both the foolishness and greed of the Political Agent and filed suits against the neighbouring states. This disease spread to other states as well. The Political Agent’s desire to become an arbitrator among native states was fulfilled. It was like the story of warring cats and a monkey. The scales of judgement went