A Note on Raghunath Angria

Summary

In this short note Upendra Nath Sarkar examines scattered references to Raghunath Angria, purported son of the famous Maratha admiral Tulaji Angria, in colonial records. The immediate context is the succession dispute over the Kolaba gaddi after the death of the infant Kanhoji II in April 1840. Sambhaji Angria, nephew of Bābū Rao Angria, was a claimant, but British officials investigated the genealogy to determine legitimacy. Secretary J. P. Willoughby cited a memorandum by Mr. Courtney claiming that the senior branch of the Angria family had become extinct upon Tulaji’s death. However, a genealogical table prepared by W. H. Wathen, Secretary and Translator in the Bombay Country Correspondence Office, listed a son named Raghunath (Ragoonath) Angria who was said to have lived in Bombay in 1821. This discrepancy prompted further inquiry. Sarkar reproduces Wathen’s genealogical chart, which traces the Angria lineage from the founder Kanhoji Angria through his sons Manaji, Sukhoji, Sambhaji and Essaji to Tulaji. The chart notes that Raghunath was present in Bombay but offers little information about his career or descendants. Subsequent memoranda reveal that by the time Willoughby wrote his report, Raghunath had already died, casting doubt on his eligibility to succeed. The note suggests that colonial officials used genealogical reconstructions to justify their decisions about succession and that the existence or non‑existence of Raghunath had implications for the distribution of the Kolaba estate. Sarkar concludes that the evidence for Raghunath’s role is minimal and that the senior branch likely died out, leaving the gaddi to other relatives. By bringing attention to these administrative records, the note underscores how British political consultations shaped the fates of Indian ruling families. It also highlights the difficulties historians face when piecing together family histories from incomplete and sometimes contradictory sources.