31-809: The Kirkee War Cemetery is a cemetery in Khadki (formerly named Kirkee), a cantonment in Pune (formerly Poona) in Maharashtra , India. The cemetery was created to provide graves for the fallen from central and western India in the Second World War, where there could not be certainty about their graves elsewhere being permanently maintained. The cemetery holds the graves of 1,668 Commonwealth service personnel from World War II, and 629 from World War I who were reburied here from Bombay's Sewri Christian Cemetery in 1962. The graves from Sewri are unmarked and their names are listed on
62-748: A part of it to the central authority). Mahadji Scindia did restore the Maratha authority in Northern India with the help of his cavalry and French trained gunners and artillery. Mahadji comprehensively defeated the British forces in the First Anglo-Maratha War . But after his death in 1794, the Maratha Sardars were not in a good position to fight with British forces, though leaders like Mudhoji II Bhonsle Sena Sahib Subha and Daulatrao Scindia did put up
93-955: A valiant effort. But after the death of Mahadji Scindia , the Maratha confederacy had fallen into a state of constant decline. The Maratha Army consisted of Huzurat or Sarkari Fauz and had the following Generals when the battle began: Bapu Gokhale , assisted by Anandrao Babar, Vithalrao Vinchurkar, assisted by Rajwade, Govindrao Ghorpade Mudholkar, Tryambakrao Rethrekar, Shaikh Miraj, Dafle, Bahirji Shitole-Deshmukh, Mor Dixit, assisted by Sardar Kokare, Sardar Appa Desai Nipankar, assisted by Sardar Pandhare, Sardar Naropant Apte, Sardar Yashwantrao Ghorpade Sondurkar, Sardar Wamanrao Raaste, Sardar Chintamanrao Patwardhan, assisted by Bapu Narayan Bhave Ramdurgkar, Sardar Mutalik on behalf of Pant Pratinidhi , Sardar Naik Anjurkar, Sardar Purandare, and Sardar Nagarkar, assisted by Moreshwar Kanitkar, Sardar Raghoji Salve . All these sardars (the equivalent of Earls or Dukes) had both cavalry and infantry. The army's Artillery
124-623: Is 85%, and female literacy is 74%. In Khadki, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. The town has Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (SIMS) , at nearby Range Hills , Khadki has the following schools Khadki is also known as a bastion of hockey. Local field hockey and association football matches are held on the CAFVD Sports Stadium in front of the Khadki Railway Station on Old Mumbai-Pune Road . Battle of Khadki The Battle of Khadki , also known as or
155-484: Is a cantonment in the city of Pune , Maharashtra , India . It has now flourished as a quasi-metropolis & centered in the northern region of the city. Khadki could be considered an Indian Army base, along with an ordnance factory consisting of two ammunition factories, a Military Vehicle Depot (Central Armed Forces Vehicle Depot, CAFVD) and the Military Dairy Farm. Referred to previously as Kirkee during
186-511: Is also based in Range Hills. Range Hills area in Khadki is mostly occupied by defense service personals since most of the quarters of defense establishments are located in Range Hills. As of 2001 India census , Khadki had a population of 76,608. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Khadki has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy
217-541: Is known to be as one of the richest cantonments in the country. When considered along with Pune Cantonment, it is the largest Cantonment in the world. These two areas are the green zones of Pune and contribute to keeping pollution levels down. This area is also known for the Kirkee War Cemetery . and two special memorials erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission . The war cemetery holds
248-586: The Battle of Ganeshkhind and Battle of Kirkee took place at modern day Khadki , India, on 5 November 1817 between the forces of the British East India Company and the Maratha Confederacy under the leadership of Appasaheb Bhonsle. Company forces achieved a decisive victory, with Khadki later becoming a military cantonment under British rule. The Second Anglo-Maratha War proved disastrous for
279-697: The Bhosale faction at Sitabuldi in Nagpur and against the Pindaris . The Peshwa, the chief executive of the Maratha Confederacy, was militarily defeated in the Battle near Asirgarh . The next skirmish occurred after 5 November at Yerwada where Sardar Yashwant Ghorpade's forces were lured away by the British by bribing. This paved the way for battalions coming from Ghodnadi and Jalna and gunners of Panshes artillery to join
310-774: The British Raj , its borders are flanked by two other large army establishments—the College of Military Engineering at Dapodi and the Bombay Engineering Group . It also has a war cemetery (Kirkee War Cemetery) and a war memorial. It has a large market—Khadki Bazaar—and a railway station which was connected to the Ammunition Factory, but which link was shut down in the 1960s. Khadki had a large number of open areas which were converted by CAFVD into playing fields for both field hockey and soccer (Football), with as many as four of
341-421: The College of Agriculture, Pune . Another meaning of word "morass" is "a complicated or confused situation", so perhaps it does not refer to a physical feature. It may just describe the result of the charge. An account of the battle by James Grant Duff is well known to historians. Duff observed the battle from a position on the hills of Bhamburda . This location is likely to have been on the hill that faces behind
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#1733084557896372-514: The Maratha Army , already anxious from the ill-omened breaking of their standard, began to lose heart. Gokhale rode from rank to rank cheering and taunting, and opened the attack pushing forward his cavalry so as to nearly to surround the British. In their eagerness to attack a Portuguese battalion, which had come up under cover to enclosures, some of the English sepoys became separated from the rest of
403-630: The Mutha River at what is known as Sangamwadi. Two historic bridges add to its military background, the low-lying Holkar Bridge and the Sangam Double Bridges- one for rail and the other for road traffic. Two more bridges have been added since 2005, one replacing Holkar Bridge as it would invariably be submerged in the monsoons and the other to shorten the distance from Deccan College area to Poona Engineering College and Deccan Gymkhana. Khadki has as many as seven military officer's messes . Khadki
434-767: The 629 whose remains were reburied within this cemetery in 1962 from Sewri Christian Cemetery, and to about 193 soldiers of East and West African origin who died during the period of 1939-1945 in various non-operational zones around the country. There is also the Kirkee (1939-1945) Memorial to 197 Commonwealth service personnel (excepting East and West African) who died in World War II and whose graves in other parts of India and in Pakistan are unmaintainable. Khadki also has two major Ordnance Factories - Ammunition Factory Khadki and High Explosives Factory. Station Workshop EME of Indian Army
465-572: The British, resulting in the Peshwa fleeing Pune. The East India Company took over the Shaniwarwada , the seat of the Peshwa, on 17 November 1817. By 1818, the Peshwa had surrendered to the East India Company. After the battle, the East India Company troops crossed the river at a place called Yelloura ford whose precise location is still unidentified. It is speculated that the place was probably where
496-562: The Courthouse. Khadki railway station is on the Mumbai – Pune railway route owned by the Central Railway zone of Indian Railways. Sinhagad Express , Sahyadri Express, Deccan Express , Koyna Express and Mumbai – Chennai Express halt at this station. It has four platforms, six lines and one footbridge and is electrified. This is an important stop for Pune Suburban Service . This station is to
527-550: The Kirkee (1914–18) Memorial. The Kirkee (1914–1918) Memorial is dedicated to 735 Commonwealth service personnel who died in India in World War I and whose graves were in various locations where they could not be maintained, to the 629 whose remains were reburied within the cemetery in 1962 from Sewri Christian Cemetery, and to about 193 soldiers of East and West African origin who died from 1939 to 1945 in various non-operational areas around
558-466: The Maratha Confederacy. Due to a titular de jure Chhatrapati and Peshwas Maratha Sardars took advantage of the reduced strength and command of the Emperor over Maharashtra and the Maratha Confederacy started to decline. The Confederacy was in very high debts (taken for battles and governance) and was not receiving any income from taxes (all Sardars were keeping the all taxes to themselves instead of sending
589-530: The bayonets, the rest retreated or fled. The failure of their great cavalry charge disconcerted the Marathas. They began to drive off their guns, the infantry retired, and, on the advance of the British line, the field was cleared. Next morning the arrival of the light battalion and auxiliary horse from Sirur prevented Gokhale from renewing the attack. The European loss was sixty-eight and the Maratha loss 500 killed and wounded. A few battles were later fought against
620-675: The bund of Bund Garden exists today. "Yelloura" is perhaps a corruption of Yerwada of today. This corroborates well with the mention of a nearby hill in Valentine Blacker's account. Also, the morass which played a crucial role in the battle is unidentified as of today. It is expected to have existed in the Range Hills Colony, the Military Station Depot of Khadki or near the Symbiosis Institute of Management or towards
651-516: The country. There is also the Kirkee (1939–1945) Memorial to 197 Commonwealth service personnel (excepting East and West African) who died in World War II and whose graves in other parts of India and in Pakistan are unmaintainable. The Cross of Sacrifice stands at the end of the cemetery. There are two special memorials erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission . 18°33′07″N 73°51′24″E / 18.5519°N 73.8567°E / 18.5519; 73.8567 Khadki Khadki
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#1733084557896682-517: The east of Khadki's auto rickshaw stand and is near Khadki Bazaar. This station was built for access to Khadki Cantonment (Kirkee Cantonment) and the CAFVD officers accommodation which is just 3 km away. Today this station is mostly used by and for the Indian Army . The nearest major airport is Pune International Airport at Lohegaon (Viman Nagar). The Khadki ( Kirkee ) Cantonment is housed here. It
713-491: The former and two of the latter, thereby becoming a bastion of hockey . All tournaments in Pune were played there, on dust grounds that were watered prior to a match. As it expanded, Pune built stadiums for both these sports. Local association football and field hockey matches are held on the CAFVD Sports Stadium in front of the Khadki Railway Station west exit towards old Mumbai Pune highway . Field hockey matches are also held on
744-461: The graves of 1,668 Commonwealth service personnel from World War II besides 629 from World War I who were reburied here from Bombay Sewri Christian Cemetery in 1962. The graves from Sewri are unmarked and their names listed on the Kirkee (1914–18) Memorial. The Kirkee (1914-1918) Memorial is dedicated 735 Commonwealth service personnel who died in India in World War I and whose graves were in various locations where they could not be maintained, to
775-425: The line. Gokhale seized the opportunity for a charge with 6000 chosen horsemen. Colonel Burr who saw the movement recalled his men and ordered them to stand firm and keep their fire. The cavalry charge proved ineffectual. The charge was broken by a deep morass in front of the English. As the horsemen floundered in disorder the British troops fired on them with deadly effect. Only a few of the Maratha horses pressed on to
806-568: The main road from Khadki to the Ordnance Factory, better known as Ammunition Factories. One pair of Football and Hockey fields has since been converted into residential areas, bordered by St Joseph's Convent Girls School on Burr Road, General Thorat Road and the old Pune-Mumbai Road. Khadki is surrounded on three sides by the Mula River , starting from Bopodi/Dapodi, past the War Cemetery, joining
837-455: The vicinity. The residency was left and was at once sacked and burned, and Mr. Elphinstone retired to join the troops at Khadki. A message to advance was sent to Colonel Burr who moved towards Dapodi to meet Captain Ford's corps; the corps united and together pushed on to the attack. Amazed by the advance of troops whom they believed had been bribed or panic-struck, the Maratha skirmishers fell back, and
868-684: Was born and brought up in Khadki. Joe Philips represented India at a number of international meets including the Summer Olympics of 1936 in Berlin, Germany at which the Indian Men's Hockey team won the Gold Medal. The well known Hindi film actor K K Menon is also known to have attended school here. Raj Kapoor owned 11 FM Cariappa Marg. The Cantonment Office and Small Cause Court are on 17, FM Cariappa Marg. St. Ignatius Church and St. Joseph Boys School are behind
899-663: Was led by Laxmanrao Panshe and his nephew. The East India Company 's force here was led by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Barton Burr , 7th Regiment Native Infantry, who marched to Khadki on 1 November, and Captain John Ford, Dapooree Battalion, who marched towards on 4 November. Bapu Gokhale commanded a total force of 28,000 men (20,000 horse and 8,000 infantry) with 20 guns. The British force numbered only 3,000, of whom 2,000 were cavalry and 1,000 infantry, with 8 guns. A detachment commanded by Burr advanced from Dapodi village near confluence of Pavana and Mula rivers. His detachment
930-470: Was placed in Pune for the protection of the Peshwa. Before the battle, the Peshwa's commander, Moropant Dixit, had tried to bring Captain Ford onto his side, but these overtures were refused. First, Vinchurkar's gun infantry targeted the British Resident Elphinstone's house by firing from the other side of the river. After he left, Kokare's cavalry burned all the bungalows of the British in
961-802: Was the site of the Battle of Khadki , fought between the British East India Company and the Marathas in 1817 in which Baji Rao II , the Peshwa ruler was defeated. Soon after the war, the British set up a cantonment here. It then became the base of the Royal Regiment of Artillery 's 79 (Khadki) Commando Battery. World War I Field Marshal William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood was born in Khadki. The well known Indian hockey player and former India captain, Dhanraj Pillay grew up here. An equally accomplished player of yester years, full back Joe Philips too