People of Dadra and Nagar Haveli -
In order to keep the English at bay and to enlist their support against the Moghals, the Marathas made friends with the Portuguese and signed with them a treaty in 1779. According to this historic treaty of friendship, the Maratha-Peshwa agreed that the Portuguese will be allowed to collect revenues from Dadra and Nagar Haveli which consisted of 72 villages, then known as parganas. These territories were earlier ruled by the Koli chiefs who were defeated by the Hindu kings of Jawhar and Ramnagar. The Marathas conquered and annexed these territories to their kingdom.
By and large, this treaty was signed only to the extent that the Portuguese will only collect the revenue in compensation for their loss of a warship called ‘Santana’ which had earlier been captured by the Marathas but not surrendered to the Portuguese inspite of their many entreaties.
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