ordered in writing that Raghunathrao was to continue his confinement so as to prevent him from engaging in mischief. Raghunathrao attempted an escape shortly before the Peshwa's death but was immediately caught and put back into confinement. Madhavrao finally died on 18 November 1772. His funeral rites were conducted at Theur and the court returned to Pune on 2 December. Narayanrao prepared to set off for Satara in order to receive his robes from Rajaram II. Before he could leave, his uncle Raghunathrao demanded to accompany him to Satara unless he was granted an independent fief of 25 lakhs annually for him and his family. But Raghunathrao was persuaded to give up his demands. And so Narayanrao went to Satara and received his robes from Rajaram II on 13 December. At the same time, Sakharam Bapu took his role as Karbhari ("Chief Administrator") and other officials confirmed their respective posts. Reign Alienation of various groups Gardis The Peshwas employed Gardi soldiers for police duty around the palace and the city of Pune. The Gardis were less than 5000 strong and were mostly composed of North Indians, Pathans, Ethiopians, Arabs, Rajputs and Purbiyas. Their monthly salary ranged somewhere between Rs. 8 and Rs. 15. According to French military leader and administrator Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau, the Gardis saw their role in purely commercial terms and had no personal attachment to their employer. The new Narayanrao inherited an empty treasury from his brother. Madhavrao had lost all the wealth he had accumulated over the years in paying off the empire's debts and had failed to bring funds in the last few years of life due to his illness. On top of that, with Ibrahim Khan Gardi and Marquis de Bussy gone, the Gardis no longer had an overarching leader to keep them disciplined. The unpaid and disorganised Gardis had now become a liability for the Marathas but neither Peshwa nor his advisors paid much attention to the pressing issue. Prabhus The Prabhus were an influential community in the Maratha empire. They claimed to be belonging to the Kshatriya ("warrior") caste which gave them the right to perform religious functions through the use of Vedic chants. A dispute over their caste status had occurred in the late 17th century but it was virtually resolved after the founder of the Maratha empire Shivaji and his confidential secretary Balaji Avji Chitnis, a Prabhus by caste, performed