January 6, 1818

Treaty of Mandsaur

Treaty of Mandsaur ends hostilities between the East India Company and Holkar

One document promised to protect Holkar's territories and, a few articles away, forbade him to communicate with any other state without British consent.

Mandsaur, 6 January 1818

At Mandsaur on 6 January 1818, Sir John Malcolm for the East India Company and Vitul Punt Tantea Jogh for Maharaja Malhar Rao Holkar concluded a 17-article peace treaty. The young ruler named in it did not sign; his minister did.

The Holkar army had been defeated by Company forces under Sir Thomas Hislop at Mahidpur on 21 December 1817, and Malcolm had pursued the retreating government to Mandsaur, where submission was offered.

The place appears in contemporary English sources as Mundisore, and in later forms as Mandsaur, Mandasor, Mandeswar or Mandeshwar.

What the seventeen articles required

Holkar surrendered tribute claims over named Rajput rulers and ceded territories north of the Bundi hills and within or south of the Satpura range, including possessions in Khandesh.

He had to obtain British consent for communications with other states, accept a resident British minister, reduce his forces, and keep not less than 3,000 horse available to cooperate with Company troops.

In return the Company promised to protect his remaining territories and to maintain a field force for their defence and internal tranquillity.

Not the end of the war

This settled the Holkar front only. Peshwa Baji Rao II went on fighting until his surrender on 3 June 1818, so the Third Anglo-Maratha War did not close on 6 January.

Nor was Holkar's state absorbed: recently conquered possessions not ceded by the agreement were restored, while what remained was subordinated through protection, a residency and control of its foreign relations.

Holkar had two days to return his ratified counterpart; the Governor-General, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, ratified the treaty on 16 January 1818.

Sources

Researched 24 Aug 2026 4 sources not yet audited

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What the sources leave uncertain

The place appears in contemporary English sources as Mundisore and in later forms as Mandsaur, Mandasor, Mandeswar or Mandeshwar.
The agreement was concluded on 6 January; the Governor-General ratified it on 16 January. These are distinct dates.