Raigad Darbar - Courtyard Where Shivaji Used To Hold Meetings With His Ministers
King Shivaji's View Of Darbar
10th Jun 2010.
When Shivaji came to Madras
Did Chatrapati Shivaji slip into Madras incognito to offer prayers at a local temple in 1677? Historical records and local legend have different tales to tell…
Photos: V. Ganesan
The stuff of legends: The Kalikambal temple, Chennai (right) and the plaque commemorating Sivaji's visit.
The city of Madras was just 38 years old in 1677 when it faced one of the greatest challenges to its survival — an invasion by Chatrapati Shivaji no less. Details of the danger that loomed over the city are given in J. Talboys Wheeler's book, Madras in the Olden Time, published by Higginbothams in 1882 and it makes for an interesting tale.
The Great Maratha or the Mountain Rat, depending on whose point of view you took, his followers' or Aurangzeb's, was no stranger to the English, having twice attempted to lay waste the rich town of Surat where the East India Company had a factory. On both occasions, the first in 1664 and the second in 1670, Shivaji had plundered Surat but had not been able to penetrate the defences of the English in their factory. During the second attack a valiant resistance was put up in particular by Streynsham Master, a member of the Council at the factory. In 1665 Streynsham Master was asked to succeed Sir William Langhorne, Governor of Madras, as and when the latter's term ended. By 1667 Sir William had gone and Master had taken his place. Almost the first issue he had to deal with was Shivaji's visit.
Shivaji's progress through the neighbouring country — he was on his way to capture Vellore and Gingee — was followed by the English in Fort St. George and the natives in the small town of Madras with considerable nervousness. Their apprehension was not in any way lessened by the tales that Master could relate of Shivaji's prowess in battle. Consequently, on May 9, 1677, a resolution was passed by the Council to strengthen the defences of the city. As everyone waited with bated breath, Shivaji came close to the city and on May 14 sent a Brahmin and two others with a message asking the Council at Fort St. George for some “cordial stones and counter poisons”. He offered to pay for these. Deciding that it would be best not to press payment for “such trifles” the English sent what he wanted along with “such fruit as their gardens could afford” through a messenger. In addition, they also propitiated the Brahmin through gifts of three yards of broadcloth and some sandalwood. The thrifty English, however, noted mournfully in some detail that the total cost of the gifts came to 60 pagodas, for which, of course, no compensation could be asked.
A few days later the messenger was back, with a demand for more cordials and counter poisons and an offer to pay for the second consignment. The demands were complied with once more, the suggestion of payment being brushed aside again. A third demand soon came, this time for some English engineers. This was felt to be asking for too much and the Council politely declined to send any. Having done this, they braced themselves for an invasion but nothing happened. Shivaji had moved on. Having conquered Gingee and Vellore, he reappeared in the vicinity in 1678 and by August of that year his brother was camping near Kanchipuram with an army that was 1,500 strong. It was rumoured in Golconda and faithfully relayed to the English in Madras that Shivaji had given orders to his army to advance, conquer the fort at Poonamallee and then lay waste “Sadraspatam, Madraspatanam and Pulicat”. Once again there was an alert of an imminent attack but Madras was fortunate enough to escape. Shivaji abruptly decided to march on and after “some terrible engagements” with the Naik of Mysore went back to his own kingdom.
Shrouded in mystery
Wheeler's record has it that Shivaji never came to Madras proper and passed by its outskirts. Or did he? Local tradition has it that one night, unknown to anyone, the Great Maratha slipped into the city. It was entirely in keeping with his nature and his shrewd desire to assess enemy preparedness for war. It is said that he came and offered worship at the temple of Kalikambal on Thambu Chetty Street. It is a well-known fact that Shivaji was a worshipper of the Goddess Bhavani and perhaps he had a sudden urge to offer prayers at a shrine dedicated to the Goddess.
A portrait of Shivaji on horseback hangs at the temple even now and below it a board that commemorates the visit. It gives the date of the visit as October 16, 1677. Master was to remain Governor of Madras for four more years and fortunately did not have to face any further challenges of a similar nature. He is remembered more today for building the St. Mary's Church inside Fort St. George and the establishment of a High Court of Judicature. But if Shivaji had sacked Madras, would we not all be Marathi Manoos?
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Andhra Pradesh that spurred experts to inspect the ‘rajagopurams’
(towers) characteristic of Chennai’s temples. What they discovered
were not cracks or fissures but rare sculptures including one of the
Maratha king Shivaji, which embellish the intricate carvings on these
structures.
“While climbing up the tiers of different temple towers across the
city, we stumbled upon rare idols whose existence was unknown,” said
an expert.
After the Srikalahasti temple tower collapsed in late May, it was
reported that the 236-feet-tall ‘rajagopuram’ in Srirangam, Tiruchi
too had a crack. A team from Chennai, consisting of officers from the
Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department, IIT
professors, highway department officials and sthapathis (sculptors),
then rushed to Srirangam to conduct an inspection. Soon afterwards,
the team also visited other temples across Chennai and its suburbs to
check the strength of these towers, which usually grace the entrance
to the shrines.
“We noticed a sculpture of Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar sitting
cross-legged, with some palm leaves in his hand, at the Kalikambal
temple in Broadway. Another sculpture depicting the marriage of Shiva
and Parvathi was found at the Karneeswarar temple in Saidapet,” said
an official. “The Kalikambal temple also has a rare painting and a
sculpture showing Goddess Kali blessing Chhatrapati Shivaji.” It is
said that Shivaji visited the temple in the year 1677 and offered
prayers to the deity.
Historical records indicate that Shivaji’s army came down south up to
Kancheepuram, then under the sway of the Nawab of Arcot, who owed
allegiance to the British. Legend has it that he visited the temple
one night during a recce after he heard that the presiding deity was
Kali, his favourite goddess. A long line of Maratha kings, who were
descendants of Shivaji, later controlled the Thanjavur region for
nearly two centuries.
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My objection is not to the persons Gandhi or Nehru. However the attention they get and the exposure their political views and ideology gets is rather disproportionate.
And thus it comes no surprise to me that rarely we talk about an epic war that significantly altered the face of Indian subcontinent. The war that can be described the mother of all wars in India. Considering the average life expectancy that time was around 30 years, this war of 27 years lasted almost the lifespan of an entire generation. The total number of battles fought was in hundreds. It occurred over vast geographical expanse spanning four biggest states of modern India- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. For time, expanse and human and material cost, this war has no match in Indian history.
It started in 1681 with the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s invasion of Maratha empire. It ended in 1707 with Aurangzeb’s death. Aurangzeb threw everything he had in this war. He lost it all.
It’s tempting to jump into the stories of heroics, but what makes the study of war more interesting is the understanding of politics behind it. Every war is driven by politics. Rather war is just one of the means to do politics. This war was not an exception.
Shivaji’s tireless work for most of his life had shown fruits by the last quarter of seventeenth century. He had firmly established Marathas as power in Deccan. He built hundreds of forts in Konkan and Sahyadris and thus created a defense backbone. He also established strong naval presence and controlled most of the Western ports barring few on end of Indian peninsula. Thus tightening the grip on trade routes of Deccan sultanates, he strangled their weapons import from Europe and horses import from Arabian traders. These Sultanates launched several campaigns against Shivaji, but failed to stop him.
On the Northern front, several Rajput kings had accepted to be the vassals of Mughals. Aurangzeb had succeeded to the throne after brutal killing of his brothers and imprisonment of his father. With Rajput resistance mostly subsided and the southern sultanates weakened, it was only matter of time before Marathas were in his cross-hair.
At the time of Shivaji’s death in 1680, Maratha empire spanned an area far more than the current state of Maharashtra and had taken firm roots. But it was surrounded by enemies from all sides. Portuguese on northern Coast and Goa, British in Mumbai, Siddies in Konkan and remaining Deccan sultenates in Karnataka posed limited challenge each, but none of them was capable of taking down the Marathas alone. Mughal empire with Aurangzeb at its helm was the most formidable foe.
For the most part, Aurangzeb was a religious fanatic. He had distanced Sikhs and Rajputs because of his intolerant policies against Hindus. After his succession to the throne, he had made life living hell for Hindus in his kingdom. Taxes like Jizya tax were imposed on Hindus. No Hindu could ride in Palanquin. Hindu temples were destroyed and abundant forcible conversions took place. Auragzeb unsuccessfully tried to impose Sharia, the Islamic law. This disillusioned Rajputs and Sikhs resulting in their giving cold shoulder to Aurangzeb in his Deccan campaign.
Thus in September of 1681, after settling his dispute with the royal house of Mewar, Aurangzeb began his journey to Deccan to kill the Maratha confederacy that was not even 50 years old. On his side, the Mughal king had enormous army numbering half a million soldiers, a number more than three times that of the Maratha army. He had plentiful support of artillery, horses, elephants. He also brought huge wealth in royal treasuries. Teaming up with Portughese, British ,Siddis, Golkonda and Bijapur Sultanates he planned to encapsulate Marathas from all sides and to form a deadly death trap. To an outsider, it would seem no-brainer to predict the outcome of such vastly one sided war. It seemed like the perfect storm headed towards Maratha confederacy.
Enormous death and destruction followed in Deccan for what seemed like eternity. But what happened at the end would defy all imaginations and prove every logic wrong. Despite lagging in resources on all fronts, it would be the Marathas who triumphed. And at the expense of all his treasure, army, power and life, it would be the invading emperor who learned a very costly lesson, that the will of people to fight for their freedom should never be underestimated
Timeline – Marathas under King Sambhaji (1680 to 1689):
After the death of Shivaji in 1680, a brief power struggle ensued in the royal family. Finally Sambhaji became the king. By this time Aurangzeb had finished his North missions and was pondering a final push in Deccan to conquer all of the India.
In 1681 sambhaji attacked Janjira, but his first attempt failed. In the same time one of the Aurangzeb’s generals, Hussein Ali Khan , attacked Northern Konkan. Sambhaji left janjira and attacked Hussein Ali Khan and pushed him back to Ahmednagar. By this time mansoon of 1682 had started. Both sides halted their major military operations. But Aurangzeb was not sitting idle. He tried to sign a deal with Portughese to allow mughal ships to harbor in Goa. This would have allowed him to open another supply route to Deccan via sea. The news reached sambhaji. He attacked Portughese territories and pushed deep inside Goa. But Voiceroy Alvor was able to defend Portughese headquarters.
By this time massive Mughal army had started gathering on the borders of Deccan. It was clear that southern India was headed for one big conflict.
Sambhaji had to leave Portughese expedition and turn around. In late 1683, Aurangzeb moved to Ahmednagar. He divided his forces in two and put his two princes, Shah Alam and Azam Shah, in charge of each division. Shah alam was to attack South Konkan via Karnataka border while Azam Shah would attack Khandesh and northern Maratha territory. Using pincer strategy, these two divisions planned to circle Marathas from South and North and isolate them.
The beginning went quite well. Shah Alam crossed Krishna river and enterd Belgaum. From there he entered Goa and started marching north via Konkan. As he pushed further,he was continuously harassed by Marathas. They ransacked his supply chains and reduced his forces to starvation. Finally Aurangzeb sent Ruhulla Khan for his rescue and brought him back to Ahmednagar. The first pincer attempt failed.
After 1684 monsoon, Aurangzeb’s another general Sahabuddin Khan directly attacked the Maratha capital, fort Raygad. Maratha commanders successfully defended Raygad. Aurangzeb sent Khan Jehan for help, but Hambeerrao Mohite, Commander-in-Chief of Maratha army, defeated him in a fierce battle at Patadi. Second division of Maratha army attacked Sahabuddin Khan at Pachad, inflicting heavy losses on Mughal army.
In early 1685, Shah Alam attacked South again via Gokak- Dharwar route. But Sambhaji’s forces harassed him continuously on the way and finally he had to give up and thus failed to close the loop second time.
In april 1685 Aurangzeb rehashed his strategy. He planned to consolidate his power in the South by taking expediations to Goalkonda and Bijapur. Both were Shia muslim rulers and Aurangzeb was no fond of them. He broke his treaties with both empires and attacked them. Taking this opportunity Marathas launched offensive on North coast and attacked Bharuch. They were able to evade the mughal army sent their way and came back with minimum damage.
On Aurangzeb’s new Southern front, things were proceeding rather smoothly. Bijapur fell in September 1686. King Sikandar Shah was captured and imprisoned. Goalkonda agreed to pay huge ransom. But after receiving the money, Aurangzeb attacked them in blatant treachery. Soon Goalkonda fell as well. King Abu Hussein of Goalkonda was captured and met the same fate as Sikandar Shah.
Marathas had tried to win mysore through diplomacy. Kesopant Pingle, (Moropant Pingle’s brother) was running negotiations, but the fall of Bijapur to mughals turned the tides and Mysore was reluctant to join Marathas. Still Sambhaji successfully courted several Bijapur sardars to join Maratha army.
After fall of Bijapur and Goalkonda, Aurangzeb turned his attention again to his main target – Marathas. First few attempts proved unsuccessful to make a major dent. But in Dec 1688 he had his biggest jackpot. Sambhaji was captured at Sangmeshwar. It was in part his own carelessness and in part because of treachery. Aurangzeb gave him option of converting to Islam, which he refused. Upon refusal, Aurangzeb, blinded by his victories, gave Sambhaji the worst treatment he could ever give to anyone. Sambhaji was pareded on donkey. His tounge was cut, eyes were gorged out. His body was cut into pieces and fed to dogs.
There were many people who did not like Sambhaji and thus were sympathetic to Mughals. But this barbaric treatment made everyone angry. Maratha generals gathered on Raygad. The decision was unanimous. All peace offers were to be withdrawn. Mughals would be repelled at all costs. Rajaram succeeded as the next king. He began his reign by a valiant speech on Raygad. All Maratha generals and councilmen united under the flag of new king, and thus began the second phase of the epic war.
27 Years War TimeLine – Marathas under King Rajaram (1689 to 1700)
To Aurangzeb, the Marathas seemed all but dead by end of 1689. But this would prove to be almost a fatal blunder. In March 1990, the Maratha commanders, under the leadership of Santaji Ghorpade launched the single most daring attack on mughal army. They not only attacked the army, but sacked the tent where the Aurangzeb himself slept. Luckily Aurangzeb was elsewhere but his private force and many of his bodyguards were killed.
This positive development was followed by a negative one for Marathas. Raigad fell to treachery of Suryaji Pisal. Sambhaji’s queen, Yesubai and their son, Shahu, were captured.
Mughal forces, led by Zulfikar Khan, continued this offensive further South. They attacked fort Panhala. The Maratha killedar of Panhala gallantly defended the fort and inflicted heavy losses on Mughal army. Finally Aurangzeb himself had to come. Panhala surrendered.
Maratha ministers had foreseen the next Mughal move on Vishalgad. They made Rajaram leave Vishalgad for Jinji, which would be his home for next seven years. Rajaram travelled South under escort of Khando Ballal and his men. The queen of Bidnur, gave them supplies and free passage. Harji Mahadik’s division met them near Jinji and guarded them to the fort. Rajaram’s queen was escorted out of Maharashtra by Tungare brothers. She was taken to Jinji by different route. Ballal and Mahadik tirelessly worked to gather the scattered diplomats and soldiers. Jinji became new capital of Marathas. This breathed new life in Maratha army.
Aurangzeb was frustrated with Rajaram’s successful escape. His next move was to keep most of his force in Maharashtra and dispatch a small force to keep Rajaram in check. But the two Maratha generals, Santaji ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav would prove more than match to him.
They first attacked and destroyed the force sent by Aurangzeb to keep check on Rajaram, thus relieving the immediate danger. Then they joined Ramchandra Bavadekar in Deccan. Bavdekar, Vithoji Bhosale and Raghuji Chavan had reorganized most of the Maratha army after defeats at Panhala and Vishalgad.
In late 1691, Bavdekar, Pralhad Niraji , Santaji ,Dhanaji and several Maratha sardars met in Maval region and reformed the strategy. Aurangzeb had taken four major forts in Sahyadrais and was sending Zulfikar khan to subdue the fort Jinji. So according to new Maratha plan, Santaji and Dhanaji would launch offensives in the East to keep rest of the Mughal forces scattered. Others would focus in Maharashtra and would attack a series of forts around Southern Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka to divide Mughal won territories in two, thereby posing significant challenge to enemy supply chains. Thanks to Shivaji’s vision of building a navy, Marathas could now extend this divide into the sea, checking any supply routes from Surat to South.
The execution began. In early 1692 Shankar Narayan and Parshuram Trimbak recaptured Rajgad and Panhala. In early 1693 Shankar Narayan and Bhosale captured Rohida. Sidhoji Gujar took Vijaydurg. Soon Parshuram Trimbak took Vishalgad. Kanhoji Angre, a young Maratha Naval officer that time, took fort Kolaba.
While this was in work, Santaji and Dhanaji were launching swift raids on Mughal armies on East front. This came as a bit of surprise to Aurangzeb. In spite of losing one King and having second king driven away, Marathas were undaunted and actually were on offensive. From Khandesh, Ahmednagar to Bijapur to Konkan and Southern Karnataka, Santaji and Dhanaji wrecked havoc. Encouraged by the success, Santaji and Dhanaji hatched new action plan to attack Mughal forces near Jinji. Dhanaji Jadhav attacked Ismail Khan and defeated him near Kokar. Santaji Ghorpade attacked Ali Mardan Khan at the base of Jinji and captured him. With flanks cleared, both joined hands and laid a second siege around the Mughal siege at Jinji
Julfikar khan, who was orchestrating Jinji siege, left the siege on Aurangzeb’s orders and marched back. Santaji followed him to North, but was defeated by Julfikar Khan. Santaji then diverted his forces to Bijapur. Aurangzeb sent another general Kasim Khan to tackle Santaji. But Santaji attacked him with a brilliant military maneuver near Chitaldurg and forced him take refuge in Dunderi fort. The fort was quickly sieged by Santaji and the siege only ended when most of the Mughal soldiers starved and Kasim Khan committed suicide. Aurangzeb sent Himmat Khan to reinforce Kasim Khan. Himmat khan carried heavy artillery. So Santaji lured him in a trap in the forest near Dunderi. A sudden, ambush style attack on Mughals was followed by a fierce battle. The battle ended when when Himmat Khan was shot in head and died. All his forces routed and Santaji confiscated a big cache of weapons and ammunition.
By now, Aurangzeb had the grim realization that the war he began was much more serious than he thought. He consolidated his forces and rethought his strategy. He sent an ultimatum to Zulfikar khan to finish Jinji business or be stripped of the titles. Julfikar khan tightened the Siege. But Rajaram fled and was safely escorted to Deccan by Dhanaji Jadhav and Shirke brothers. Haraji Mahadik’s son took the charge of Jinji and bravely defended Jinji against Julfikar khan and Daud khan till January of 1698. This gave Rajaram ample of time to reach Vishalgad.
Jinji fell, but it did a big damage to the Mughal empire. The losses incurred in taking Jinji far outweighed the gains. The fort had done its work. For seven years the three hills of Jinji had kept a large contigent of mughal forces occupied. It had eaten a deep hole into Mughal resources. Not only at Jinji, but the royal treasury was bleeding everywhere and was already under strain.
Marathas would soon witness an unpleasant development, all of their own making. Dhanaji Jadhav and Santaji Ghorpade had a simmering rivalry, which was kept in check by the councilman Pralhad Niraji. But after Niraji’s death, Dhanaji grew bold and attacked Santaji. Nagoji Mane, one of Dhanaji’s men, killed Santaji. The news of Santaji’s death greatly encouraged Aurangzeb and Mughal army.
But by this time Mughals were no longer the army they were feared before. Aurangzeb, against advise of several of his experienced generals, kept the war on. It was much like Alexander on the borders of Taxila.
The Marathas again consolidated and the new Maratha counter offensive began. Rajaram made Dhanaji the next commander in chief. Maratha army was divided in three divisions. Dhanaji would himself lead the first division. Parshuram Timbak lead the second and Shankar Narayan lead the third. Dhanaji Jadhav defeated a large mughal force near Pandharpur. Shankar Narayan defeated Sarja Khan in Pune. Khanderao Dabhade, who lead a division under Dhanaji, took Baglan and Nashik. Nemaji Shinde, another commander with Shankar Narayan, scored a major victory at Nandurbar.
Enraged at this defeats, Aurangzeb himself took charge and launched another counter offensive. He laid siege to Panhala and attacked the fort of Satara. The seasoned commander, Prayagji Prabhu defended Satara for a good six months, but surrendered in April of 1700, just before onset of Monsoon. This foiled Aurangzeb’s strategy to clear as many forts before monsoon as possible.
In March of 1700, another bad news followed Marathas. Rajaram took his last breath. His queen Tarabai, who was also daughter of the gallant Maratha Commander-in-Chief Hambeerrao Mohite, took charge of Maratha army. Daughter of a braveheart, Tarabai proved her true mettle for the next seven years. She carried the struggle on with equal valor. Thus began the phase 3, the last phase of the prolonged war, with Marathas under the leadership of Tarabai.
The signs of strains were showing in Mughal camp in late 1701. Asad Khan, Julfikar Khan’s father, counselled Aurangzeb to end the war and turn around. This expedition had already taken a giant toll, much larger than originally planned, on Mughal empire. And serious signs were emerging that the 200 years old Mughal empire was crumbling and was in the middle of a war that was not winnable
Mughals were bleeding heavily from treasuries. But Aurangzeb kept pressing the war on. When Tarabai took charge, Aurangzeb had laid siege to the fort of Parli (Sajjangad). Parshuram Trimbak defended the fort until mansooon and retreated quietly at the break of monsoon.The mughal army was dealt heavy loss by flash floods in the rivers around. These same tactics were followed by Marathas at the next stop of Aurangzeb, Panhala. Similar tactic was followed even for Vishalgad.
By 1704, Aurangzeb had Torana and Rajgad. He had won only a handful forts in this offensive, but he had spent several precious years. It was slowly dawning to him that after 24 years of constant war, he was no closer to defeating Marathas than he was the day he began.
The final Maratha counter offensive gathered momentum in North. Tarabai proved to be a valiant leader once again. One after another Mughal provinces fell in north. They were not in position to defend as the royal treasuries had been sucked dry and no armies were left in town. In 1705, two Maratha army factions crossed Narmada. One under leadership of Nemaji Shinde hit as deep North as Bhopal. Second under the leadership of Dabhade struck Bharoch and West. Dabhade with his eight thousand men,attacked and defeated Mahomed khan’s forces numbering almost fourteen thousand. This left entire Gujarat coast wide open for Marathas. They immediately tightened their grip on Mughal supply chains.
In Maharashtra, Aurangzeb grew despondent. He started negotiations with Marathas, but cut abruptly and marched on a small kingdom called Wakinara. Naiks at Wakinara traced their lineage to royal family of Vijaynagar empire. They were never fond of Mughals and had sided with Marathas. Dhanaji marched into Sahyadris and won almost all the major forts back in short time. Satara and Parali forts were taken by Parshuram Timbak. Shankar Narayan took Sinhgad. Dhanaji then turned around and took his forces to Wakinara. He helped the Naiks at Wakinara sustain the fight. Naiks fought very bravely. Finally Wakinara fell, but the royal family of Naiks successfully escaped with least damage.
Aurangzeb had now given up all hopes and was now planning retreat to Burhanpur. Dhanaji Jadhav again fell on him and in swift and ferocious attack and dismantled the rear guard of his imperial army. Zulfikar Khan rescued the emperor and they successfully reached Burhanpur.
Aurangzeb witnessed bitter fights among his sons in his last days. Alone, lost, depressed, bankrupt, far away from home, he died sad death on 3rd March 1707. “I hope god will forgive me one day for my disastrous sins”, were his last words.
Thus ended a prolonged and grueling period in history of India. The Mughal kingdom fragmented and disintegrated soon after. And Deccan saw rise of a new sun, the Maratha empire.
Reflection: Strategical Analysis:
In this war, Aurangzeb’s army totaled more than 500,000 in number (compared to total Maratha army in the ballpark of 150,000). With him he carried huge artillery, cavalry, muskettes, ammunition and giant wealth from royal treasuries to support this quest. This war by no means a fair game when numbers are considered.
The main features of Aurangzeb’s strategy were :-
Use of overwhelming force to demoralize the enemy – This tactic had proved successful in Aurangzeb’s other missions. Thus he used this even in Maharashtra. On several occasions giant Mughal contigents were used to lay siege to a fort or capture a town.
Meticulously planned sieges to the forts – Aurangzeb knew that the forts in Sahyadri formed backbone of Maratha defense. His calculation was to simply lay tight siege to the fort, demoralizing and starving the people inside and finally making them surrender the fort.
Fork or pincer movements using large columns of infantry and cavalry – With large number of infantry and cavalry, pincer could have proved effective and almost fatal against Marathas
Marathas had one advantage on their side, geography. They milked this advantage to the last bit. Their military activities were planned considering the terrain and the weather.
The main features of Maratha strategy were :-
Combined offensive-defensive strategy – Throughout the war, Marathas never stopped their offensive. This served two purposes. The facts that Maratha army was carrying out offensive attacks in Mughal land suddenly made them psychologically equals to Mughals launching attack in Maratha land, even though Mughals were a much bigger force. This took negative toll on Mughal morale and boosted morale of their own men. Secondly, these offensive attacks in terms of quick raids often heavily damaged enemy supply chains taking toll on Mughal army.
The forts formed backbone of Maratha defense. Thanks to Shivaji, the every fort had provision of fresh water. The total forts numbered almost 300 and this large number proved major headache to Aurangzeb.
Defense of forts till onset of Monsoon – Forts are an asset in rest of the year, but are a liability in monsoon as it costs a lot to carry food and supplies up. Also the monsoon in coasts and ghats is severe in nature and no major military movement is possible. Thus Marathas often fought till Monsoon and surrendered the fort just before Monsoon. Before surrendering they burned all the food inside. Thus making it a proposition of loss in every way. Often times Marathas surrendered the fort empty, but later soon won it back filled with food and water. These events demoralized the enemy.
Offensive attacks in terms of evasive raids – Marathas mostly launched offensive attacks in the region when Mughal army was away. They rarely engaged Mughal army in open fields till later part of the war. If situation seemed dire, they would retreat and disperse and thus conserve most of their men and arms for another day.
The rivers Bhima, Krishna , Godavari and the mountains of Sahyadri, divide entire Maharashtra region is in several North- South corridors. When Mughal army traveled South through one corridor, Marathas would travel North through another and launch attacks there. This went on changing gradually and in the end, Maratha forces started engaging Mughals head on.
A noted historian Jadunath Sarkar makes an interesting observation. In his own words, “Aurangzeb won battle after battles, but in the end he lost the war. As the war prolonged, it transformed from war of weapons to war of spirits, and Aurangzeb was never able to break Maratha spirit.”
What Marathas did was an classic example of assymetric defensive warfare. The statement above by Mr. Sarkar hides one interesting fact about this assymetric defense. Is it really possible to lose most of the battles and still win the war?
The answer is yes, and explanation is a statistical phenomena called “Simpson’s paradox.”. According to Simpsons paradox, several micro-trends can lead to one conclusion, however a mega-trend combining all the micro-trends can lead to an exact opposite conclusion. Explanation is as follows.
Say two forces go on war, force A with 100 soldiers and force B with 40 soldiers. Now say in every battle between A and B, the following happens.
If A loses, they lose 80% of the soldiers fighting.
If B loses, they only lose 10% of the soldiers fighting.
If A wins, they lose 50% of the solders fighting.
If B wins, they lose only 10% of the soldiers fighting.
In the case above, the ratio of (resource drain of A / resource drain of B ) is higher than (initial number of A soldiers / initial number of B soldiers). So even if A wins battle more than 50% of the time, they will lose their resources faster and, in the end, will lose the war. All B has to do is keep the morale and keep the consistency.
One of the most famous warrior in ancient Indian history seems to agree with the conclusion above. In “Bhishma- perva” of Mahabharata, pitamah Bhishma begins the war-advice to king Yudhisthira with a famous quote -
“The strength of an army is not in its numbers”
It was not Shivaji’s personality but his vision and his values was what Deccan fought for. They imbibed that vision and made it their own. After that, they were not fighting for their hero, they were fighting for themselves. The secret of why people simply refused to surrender to Mughal power can be found not in Shivaji’s heroics, but somewhere else. The secret lies in the reforms he brought.
During the short span of his governance, Shivaji brought a manifold of reforms. For the purpose of discussion, I will divide them into four categories. Governance reforms, political reforms, defense reforms and social reforms.
Governance reforms deserve first attention. After the coronation, Shivaji put in place fully functioning governance consisting of Ashta-Pradhan (eight ministers). These eight men were noted statesmen in their era. They laid foundation of formal economic policy, foreign policy and other functions of government.
One key aspect differentiated Shivaji’s governance through ministers from the prevailing “watan and jahagir” type of governance – division of work based on function rather than geography. To put in management terms, this was “horizontal decentralization” where each minister was responsible for only one function, say judiciary branch, but was responsible for the entire empire. This was much better than vertical decentralization of “watan” system, where one person would be named in charge of all affairs of a small region. Horizontal decentralization helped keep uniformity across the whole empire and made it easy for people to migrate, do business, and remain one political entity. Also when divided this way, different branches of government keep check on each other and stop each other from running amok. These ministers kept military focused on the military objectives. They checked personal rivalries between individual commanders. In addition these ministers provided a crucial diplomatic support complementing the military ventures.
Second, Defense strategy reforms. The combined choice of Guerrilla warfare as tactics, the reliance on light infantry and and a solid line of more than 300 strengthened forts represents Shivaji’s coherent defense strategy. Unlike Rajputs, who stuck to their code of warriors even as Mughal and Persian invaders broke every possible rule of ethics, Marathas retaliated in tit-for-tat way. They preferred guerrilla warfare for defense and engaged in open field battles only when necessary. They never disrespected the women like Khilji and Ghori did, so they were certainly ethical minded. But they never shied from attacking their enemies at night if required. They were more committed to the political objective than the personal objective of bravery.
Additionally Shivaji launched Navy. Though the Maratha ships were smaller and the weapons inferior in technology, they gave Marathas capabilities to open a sea front. This sea front played a big role in the 27 year war by blocking Aurangzeb’s supply chains from Surat.
Several social reforms were introduced as well. It is largely this statesmanship of Shivaji that laid the foundation of indefatigable Maratha resistance. Common people fought because ,for them, going back to the horrors of previous governance was simply not an option.
On the economic front, there was a taxation reform. The previous empires had followed a system of taxation that was predatory or at times outright cruel. They had appointed Jameen-dars that collected tax on their behalf. The amount that was to be deposited in the royal treasury was fixed, but the amount that was to be collected from the peasants was left to Jameen-dars. These jameen-dars exploited this opportunity to fill their treasures, driving the farmers to bankruptcy. Over the years these Jameen-dars had built big castles, had their own armies, their own courts and they enjoyed being mini-kings.
Shivaji scrapped this system of taxation and introduced taxes where the amount that was to be collected from the peasants was fixed. The appointed officers were given only limited mandate and authority to carry out their duty – to collect taxes. They were often transferred, preventing them from developing too strong local ties. If in any year it did not rain and the farmers lost their crops, the taxes were waived.
Shivaji’s fiscal policies were conservative. Thus no magnificent monuments like Taj Mahal or Royal Mughal gardens were built by Shivaji. But it was him for whom his nation was ready to die. This fiscal conservative bend shows a striking resemblance to another visionary leader. After the American revolutionary war, Thomas Jefferson refused to pay for the extravagant ballroom maintained by British Viceroy in Virginia colonies noting that ” such mansions represent colossal waste of taxpayer money”.
By contrast, Deccan Sultanates and Mughals had shown little interest in welfare of people. During the 22 years that took to build Taj Mahal, three times there was severe draught and hundreds of thousands of people died. But Shahjahan focused all the money and efforts on building a tomb for his wife.
It’s indeed an irony that that Taj Mahal has become symbol of India while the forts that cradled the first “swaraj”, first rule of people, languish in desolation.
Epilogue:
For centuries , the mountains and valleys, towns and villages of Deccan had gotten used to being a pawn in the game of power. They changed hands as kingdoms warred with each other. They paid taxes whoever was in a position to extract them. For the most part they remained in a sleepy slumber, just turning and twisting in their bed.
Once in a while they sent their sons to fight in battles without ever asking why exactly the war is being launched. Other times they fought amongst themselves. They were divided, confused and did not have high hopes about their future.
This was the condition of Deccan when Shivaji launched his first expedition of fort Torana in 1645. By the time of his death mere 35 years later, he had transformed Deccan from a sleepy terrain to a thundering volcano.
Finally, here was a man whose vision of future was shared by a large general audience. An unmistakable characteristic of a modern concept of “nation-state”. Perhaps the most important factor that distinguishes Shivaji’s vision is that it was “unifying”. His vision went beyond building an army of proud warriors from warrior castes. It included people from all rungs of society sharing a common political idea and ready to defend it at any cost. His vision went far beyond creating an empire for himself in Maharashtra. It included a building confederacy of states against what he thought were foreign invaders. He was trying to build an Alliance of Hindu kingdoms. He went out of his way to convince Mirza-Raje Jaisingh to leave Aurangzeb. He established relations with the dethroned royal family of Vijaynagar for whom he had tremendous respect. He attempted to unify the sparring Hindu power centers.
And they responded. Sikhs in Punjab, Rajputs in Rajasthan, Nayaks in Karnataka, rulers of Mysore, the royal family of Vijaynagar were of valuable help to Shivaji and later to Marathas. It was certainly a step towards a nation getting its soul back.
While he was creating a political voice for Hindus, Muslims never faced persecution in his rule. Several Muslims served at high posts in his court and army. His personal body guard on his Agra visit was Muslim. His Naval officer, Siddi Hilal was Muslim. Thus Shivaji’s rule was not meant to challenge Islam as a personal religion, but it was a response to Political Islam.
Last but not the least, we must give due respect to one more thing. The seeds of every political revolution can be traced back to a spiritual one and this was no exception. The “Bhakti” movement in Maharashtra that began with 12th Century saint Dnyaneshwar and spearheaded by saint Tukaram (who was contemporary of Shivaji), played a role of social catalyst of immense effect. It created a forum, a pool in society where everyone was welcome. The shackles of cast system were not broken, but were certainly loosened. Once people were on the same page spiritually, it was easier for Shivaji to get them on the same page politically.
It’s tempting for a Maharashtrian to claim the root of success of Marathas solely be in Maharashtra. But at the height of it’s peak, only 20% of Shivaji’s kingdom was part of Maharashtra. When Marathas launched northern campaigns in 18th century, it was even more less. Soldiers in Maratha army came from diverse social and geographical backgrounds including from areas as far away as Kandahar to West and Bengal to East. Shivaji received a lot of support from various rulers and common people from all over India.
Thus limiting Marathas to Maharashtra is mostly a conclusion of a politician. It must be noted that the roots of Maharashtra culture can be traced to both ancient Karnataka and Northern India. Shivaji himself traced his lineage to Shisodia family of Rajputs. Maharashtrians should not be ashamed to admit that their roots lie elsewhere. In fact they should feel proud that land of Maharashtra is truly a melting pot where Southern and Northern Indian cultures melted to give birth to a new vision of a nation. Shivaji was far more an Indian king than a Maratha king.
Dear readers, here ends the story of an epic war. I hope this saga gives you a sense of realistic hope and a sense of humble pride. All you might be doing today is sitting in a cubicle for the day ,typing on keyboard. But remember that the same blood runs in our fingers that long long time ago displayed unparalleled courage and bravery, the same spirit resides within us that can once soured sky high upon the call of freedom.
Jai Hind !!
When Shivaji came to Madras
Did Chatrapati Shivaji slip into Madras incognito to offer prayers at a local temple in 1677? Historical records and local legend have different tales to tell…
Photos: V. Ganesan
The stuff of legends: The Kalikambal temple, Chennai (right) and the plaque commemorating Sivaji's visit.
The city of Madras was just 38 years old in 1677 when it faced one of the greatest challenges to its survival — an invasion by Chatrapati Shivaji no less. Details of the danger that loomed over the city are given in J. Talboys Wheeler's book, Madras in the Olden Time, published by Higginbothams in 1882 and it makes for an interesting tale.
The Great Maratha or the Mountain Rat, depending on whose point of view you took, his followers' or Aurangzeb's, was no stranger to the English, having twice attempted to lay waste the rich town of Surat where the East India Company had a factory. On both occasions, the first in 1664 and the second in 1670, Shivaji had plundered Surat but had not been able to penetrate the defences of the English in their factory. During the second attack a valiant resistance was put up in particular by Streynsham Master, a member of the Council at the factory. In 1665 Streynsham Master was asked to succeed Sir William Langhorne, Governor of Madras, as and when the latter's term ended. By 1667 Sir William had gone and Master had taken his place. Almost the first issue he had to deal with was Shivaji's visit.
Shivaji's progress through the neighbouring country — he was on his way to capture Vellore and Gingee — was followed by the English in Fort St. George and the natives in the small town of Madras with considerable nervousness. Their apprehension was not in any way lessened by the tales that Master could relate of Shivaji's prowess in battle. Consequently, on May 9, 1677, a resolution was passed by the Council to strengthen the defences of the city. As everyone waited with bated breath, Shivaji came close to the city and on May 14 sent a Brahmin and two others with a message asking the Council at Fort St. George for some “cordial stones and counter poisons”. He offered to pay for these. Deciding that it would be best not to press payment for “such trifles” the English sent what he wanted along with “such fruit as their gardens could afford” through a messenger. In addition, they also propitiated the Brahmin through gifts of three yards of broadcloth and some sandalwood. The thrifty English, however, noted mournfully in some detail that the total cost of the gifts came to 60 pagodas, for which, of course, no compensation could be asked.
A few days later the messenger was back, with a demand for more cordials and counter poisons and an offer to pay for the second consignment. The demands were complied with once more, the suggestion of payment being brushed aside again. A third demand soon came, this time for some English engineers. This was felt to be asking for too much and the Council politely declined to send any. Having done this, they braced themselves for an invasion but nothing happened. Shivaji had moved on. Having conquered Gingee and Vellore, he reappeared in the vicinity in 1678 and by August of that year his brother was camping near Kanchipuram with an army that was 1,500 strong. It was rumoured in Golconda and faithfully relayed to the English in Madras that Shivaji had given orders to his army to advance, conquer the fort at Poonamallee and then lay waste “Sadraspatam, Madraspatanam and Pulicat”. Once again there was an alert of an imminent attack but Madras was fortunate enough to escape. Shivaji abruptly decided to march on and after “some terrible engagements” with the Naik of Mysore went back to his own kingdom.
Shrouded in mystery
Wheeler's record has it that Shivaji never came to Madras proper and passed by its outskirts. Or did he? Local tradition has it that one night, unknown to anyone, the Great Maratha slipped into the city. It was entirely in keeping with his nature and his shrewd desire to assess enemy preparedness for war. It is said that he came and offered worship at the temple of Kalikambal on Thambu Chetty Street. It is a well-known fact that Shivaji was a worshipper of the Goddess Bhavani and perhaps he had a sudden urge to offer prayers at a shrine dedicated to the Goddess.
A portrait of Shivaji on horseback hangs at the temple even now and below it a board that commemorates the visit. It gives the date of the visit as October 16, 1677. Master was to remain Governor of Madras for four more years and fortunately did not have to face any further challenges of a similar nature. He is remembered more today for building the St. Mary's Church inside Fort St. George and the establishment of a High Court of Judicature. But if Shivaji had sacked Madras, would we not all be Marathi Manoos?
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Maratha links to Chennai temple
It was the collapse of the temple tower at Srikalahasti inAndhra Pradesh that spurred experts to inspect the ‘rajagopurams’
(towers) characteristic of Chennai’s temples. What they discovered
were not cracks or fissures but rare sculptures including one of the
Maratha king Shivaji, which embellish the intricate carvings on these
structures.
“While climbing up the tiers of different temple towers across the
city, we stumbled upon rare idols whose existence was unknown,” said
an expert.
After the Srikalahasti temple tower collapsed in late May, it was
reported that the 236-feet-tall ‘rajagopuram’ in Srirangam, Tiruchi
too had a crack. A team from Chennai, consisting of officers from the
Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department, IIT
professors, highway department officials and sthapathis (sculptors),
then rushed to Srirangam to conduct an inspection. Soon afterwards,
the team also visited other temples across Chennai and its suburbs to
check the strength of these towers, which usually grace the entrance
to the shrines.
“We noticed a sculpture of Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar sitting
cross-legged, with some palm leaves in his hand, at the Kalikambal
temple in Broadway. Another sculpture depicting the marriage of Shiva
and Parvathi was found at the Karneeswarar temple in Saidapet,” said
an official. “The Kalikambal temple also has a rare painting and a
sculpture showing Goddess Kali blessing Chhatrapati Shivaji.” It is
said that Shivaji visited the temple in the year 1677 and offered
prayers to the deity.
Historical records indicate that Shivaji’s army came down south up to
Kancheepuram, then under the sway of the Nawab of Arcot, who owed
allegiance to the British. Legend has it that he visited the temple
one night during a recce after he heard that the presiding deity was
Kali, his favourite goddess. A long line of Maratha kings, who were
descendants of Shivaji, later controlled the Thanjavur region for
nearly two centuries.
==================
27 Maratha Year War That Changed Course Of Indian History
Schoolchildren in India learn a very specific blend of Indian history. This school version of history is stripped of all the vigor and pride. The story of Indian civilization spans thousands of years. However for the most part the schoolbook version dwells on the freedom struggle against British and important role played in there by the Indian National Congress. We learn each and every movement of Gandhi and Nehru, but not even a passing reference is made to hundreds of other important people and events.My objection is not to the persons Gandhi or Nehru. However the attention they get and the exposure their political views and ideology gets is rather disproportionate.
And thus it comes no surprise to me that rarely we talk about an epic war that significantly altered the face of Indian subcontinent. The war that can be described the mother of all wars in India. Considering the average life expectancy that time was around 30 years, this war of 27 years lasted almost the lifespan of an entire generation. The total number of battles fought was in hundreds. It occurred over vast geographical expanse spanning four biggest states of modern India- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. For time, expanse and human and material cost, this war has no match in Indian history.
It started in 1681 with the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s invasion of Maratha empire. It ended in 1707 with Aurangzeb’s death. Aurangzeb threw everything he had in this war. He lost it all.
It’s tempting to jump into the stories of heroics, but what makes the study of war more interesting is the understanding of politics behind it. Every war is driven by politics. Rather war is just one of the means to do politics. This war was not an exception.
Shivaji’s tireless work for most of his life had shown fruits by the last quarter of seventeenth century. He had firmly established Marathas as power in Deccan. He built hundreds of forts in Konkan and Sahyadris and thus created a defense backbone. He also established strong naval presence and controlled most of the Western ports barring few on end of Indian peninsula. Thus tightening the grip on trade routes of Deccan sultanates, he strangled their weapons import from Europe and horses import from Arabian traders. These Sultanates launched several campaigns against Shivaji, but failed to stop him.
On the Northern front, several Rajput kings had accepted to be the vassals of Mughals. Aurangzeb had succeeded to the throne after brutal killing of his brothers and imprisonment of his father. With Rajput resistance mostly subsided and the southern sultanates weakened, it was only matter of time before Marathas were in his cross-hair.
At the time of Shivaji’s death in 1680, Maratha empire spanned an area far more than the current state of Maharashtra and had taken firm roots. But it was surrounded by enemies from all sides. Portuguese on northern Coast and Goa, British in Mumbai, Siddies in Konkan and remaining Deccan sultenates in Karnataka posed limited challenge each, but none of them was capable of taking down the Marathas alone. Mughal empire with Aurangzeb at its helm was the most formidable foe.
For the most part, Aurangzeb was a religious fanatic. He had distanced Sikhs and Rajputs because of his intolerant policies against Hindus. After his succession to the throne, he had made life living hell for Hindus in his kingdom. Taxes like Jizya tax were imposed on Hindus. No Hindu could ride in Palanquin. Hindu temples were destroyed and abundant forcible conversions took place. Auragzeb unsuccessfully tried to impose Sharia, the Islamic law. This disillusioned Rajputs and Sikhs resulting in their giving cold shoulder to Aurangzeb in his Deccan campaign.
Thus in September of 1681, after settling his dispute with the royal house of Mewar, Aurangzeb began his journey to Deccan to kill the Maratha confederacy that was not even 50 years old. On his side, the Mughal king had enormous army numbering half a million soldiers, a number more than three times that of the Maratha army. He had plentiful support of artillery, horses, elephants. He also brought huge wealth in royal treasuries. Teaming up with Portughese, British ,Siddis, Golkonda and Bijapur Sultanates he planned to encapsulate Marathas from all sides and to form a deadly death trap. To an outsider, it would seem no-brainer to predict the outcome of such vastly one sided war. It seemed like the perfect storm headed towards Maratha confederacy.
Enormous death and destruction followed in Deccan for what seemed like eternity. But what happened at the end would defy all imaginations and prove every logic wrong. Despite lagging in resources on all fronts, it would be the Marathas who triumphed. And at the expense of all his treasure, army, power and life, it would be the invading emperor who learned a very costly lesson, that the will of people to fight for their freedom should never be underestimated
Timeline – Marathas under King Sambhaji (1680 to 1689):
After the death of Shivaji in 1680, a brief power struggle ensued in the royal family. Finally Sambhaji became the king. By this time Aurangzeb had finished his North missions and was pondering a final push in Deccan to conquer all of the India.
In 1681 sambhaji attacked Janjira, but his first attempt failed. In the same time one of the Aurangzeb’s generals, Hussein Ali Khan , attacked Northern Konkan. Sambhaji left janjira and attacked Hussein Ali Khan and pushed him back to Ahmednagar. By this time mansoon of 1682 had started. Both sides halted their major military operations. But Aurangzeb was not sitting idle. He tried to sign a deal with Portughese to allow mughal ships to harbor in Goa. This would have allowed him to open another supply route to Deccan via sea. The news reached sambhaji. He attacked Portughese territories and pushed deep inside Goa. But Voiceroy Alvor was able to defend Portughese headquarters.
By this time massive Mughal army had started gathering on the borders of Deccan. It was clear that southern India was headed for one big conflict.
Sambhaji had to leave Portughese expedition and turn around. In late 1683, Aurangzeb moved to Ahmednagar. He divided his forces in two and put his two princes, Shah Alam and Azam Shah, in charge of each division. Shah alam was to attack South Konkan via Karnataka border while Azam Shah would attack Khandesh and northern Maratha territory. Using pincer strategy, these two divisions planned to circle Marathas from South and North and isolate them.
The beginning went quite well. Shah Alam crossed Krishna river and enterd Belgaum. From there he entered Goa and started marching north via Konkan. As he pushed further,he was continuously harassed by Marathas. They ransacked his supply chains and reduced his forces to starvation. Finally Aurangzeb sent Ruhulla Khan for his rescue and brought him back to Ahmednagar. The first pincer attempt failed.
After 1684 monsoon, Aurangzeb’s another general Sahabuddin Khan directly attacked the Maratha capital, fort Raygad. Maratha commanders successfully defended Raygad. Aurangzeb sent Khan Jehan for help, but Hambeerrao Mohite, Commander-in-Chief of Maratha army, defeated him in a fierce battle at Patadi. Second division of Maratha army attacked Sahabuddin Khan at Pachad, inflicting heavy losses on Mughal army.
In early 1685, Shah Alam attacked South again via Gokak- Dharwar route. But Sambhaji’s forces harassed him continuously on the way and finally he had to give up and thus failed to close the loop second time.
In april 1685 Aurangzeb rehashed his strategy. He planned to consolidate his power in the South by taking expediations to Goalkonda and Bijapur. Both were Shia muslim rulers and Aurangzeb was no fond of them. He broke his treaties with both empires and attacked them. Taking this opportunity Marathas launched offensive on North coast and attacked Bharuch. They were able to evade the mughal army sent their way and came back with minimum damage.
On Aurangzeb’s new Southern front, things were proceeding rather smoothly. Bijapur fell in September 1686. King Sikandar Shah was captured and imprisoned. Goalkonda agreed to pay huge ransom. But after receiving the money, Aurangzeb attacked them in blatant treachery. Soon Goalkonda fell as well. King Abu Hussein of Goalkonda was captured and met the same fate as Sikandar Shah.
Marathas had tried to win mysore through diplomacy. Kesopant Pingle, (Moropant Pingle’s brother) was running negotiations, but the fall of Bijapur to mughals turned the tides and Mysore was reluctant to join Marathas. Still Sambhaji successfully courted several Bijapur sardars to join Maratha army.
After fall of Bijapur and Goalkonda, Aurangzeb turned his attention again to his main target – Marathas. First few attempts proved unsuccessful to make a major dent. But in Dec 1688 he had his biggest jackpot. Sambhaji was captured at Sangmeshwar. It was in part his own carelessness and in part because of treachery. Aurangzeb gave him option of converting to Islam, which he refused. Upon refusal, Aurangzeb, blinded by his victories, gave Sambhaji the worst treatment he could ever give to anyone. Sambhaji was pareded on donkey. His tounge was cut, eyes were gorged out. His body was cut into pieces and fed to dogs.
There were many people who did not like Sambhaji and thus were sympathetic to Mughals. But this barbaric treatment made everyone angry. Maratha generals gathered on Raygad. The decision was unanimous. All peace offers were to be withdrawn. Mughals would be repelled at all costs. Rajaram succeeded as the next king. He began his reign by a valiant speech on Raygad. All Maratha generals and councilmen united under the flag of new king, and thus began the second phase of the epic war.
27 Years War TimeLine – Marathas under King Rajaram (1689 to 1700)
To Aurangzeb, the Marathas seemed all but dead by end of 1689. But this would prove to be almost a fatal blunder. In March 1990, the Maratha commanders, under the leadership of Santaji Ghorpade launched the single most daring attack on mughal army. They not only attacked the army, but sacked the tent where the Aurangzeb himself slept. Luckily Aurangzeb was elsewhere but his private force and many of his bodyguards were killed.
This positive development was followed by a negative one for Marathas. Raigad fell to treachery of Suryaji Pisal. Sambhaji’s queen, Yesubai and their son, Shahu, were captured.
Mughal forces, led by Zulfikar Khan, continued this offensive further South. They attacked fort Panhala. The Maratha killedar of Panhala gallantly defended the fort and inflicted heavy losses on Mughal army. Finally Aurangzeb himself had to come. Panhala surrendered.
Maratha ministers had foreseen the next Mughal move on Vishalgad. They made Rajaram leave Vishalgad for Jinji, which would be his home for next seven years. Rajaram travelled South under escort of Khando Ballal and his men. The queen of Bidnur, gave them supplies and free passage. Harji Mahadik’s division met them near Jinji and guarded them to the fort. Rajaram’s queen was escorted out of Maharashtra by Tungare brothers. She was taken to Jinji by different route. Ballal and Mahadik tirelessly worked to gather the scattered diplomats and soldiers. Jinji became new capital of Marathas. This breathed new life in Maratha army.
Aurangzeb was frustrated with Rajaram’s successful escape. His next move was to keep most of his force in Maharashtra and dispatch a small force to keep Rajaram in check. But the two Maratha generals, Santaji ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav would prove more than match to him.
They first attacked and destroyed the force sent by Aurangzeb to keep check on Rajaram, thus relieving the immediate danger. Then they joined Ramchandra Bavadekar in Deccan. Bavdekar, Vithoji Bhosale and Raghuji Chavan had reorganized most of the Maratha army after defeats at Panhala and Vishalgad.
In late 1691, Bavdekar, Pralhad Niraji , Santaji ,Dhanaji and several Maratha sardars met in Maval region and reformed the strategy. Aurangzeb had taken four major forts in Sahyadrais and was sending Zulfikar khan to subdue the fort Jinji. So according to new Maratha plan, Santaji and Dhanaji would launch offensives in the East to keep rest of the Mughal forces scattered. Others would focus in Maharashtra and would attack a series of forts around Southern Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka to divide Mughal won territories in two, thereby posing significant challenge to enemy supply chains. Thanks to Shivaji’s vision of building a navy, Marathas could now extend this divide into the sea, checking any supply routes from Surat to South.
The execution began. In early 1692 Shankar Narayan and Parshuram Trimbak recaptured Rajgad and Panhala. In early 1693 Shankar Narayan and Bhosale captured Rohida. Sidhoji Gujar took Vijaydurg. Soon Parshuram Trimbak took Vishalgad. Kanhoji Angre, a young Maratha Naval officer that time, took fort Kolaba.
While this was in work, Santaji and Dhanaji were launching swift raids on Mughal armies on East front. This came as a bit of surprise to Aurangzeb. In spite of losing one King and having second king driven away, Marathas were undaunted and actually were on offensive. From Khandesh, Ahmednagar to Bijapur to Konkan and Southern Karnataka, Santaji and Dhanaji wrecked havoc. Encouraged by the success, Santaji and Dhanaji hatched new action plan to attack Mughal forces near Jinji. Dhanaji Jadhav attacked Ismail Khan and defeated him near Kokar. Santaji Ghorpade attacked Ali Mardan Khan at the base of Jinji and captured him. With flanks cleared, both joined hands and laid a second siege around the Mughal siege at Jinji
Julfikar khan, who was orchestrating Jinji siege, left the siege on Aurangzeb’s orders and marched back. Santaji followed him to North, but was defeated by Julfikar Khan. Santaji then diverted his forces to Bijapur. Aurangzeb sent another general Kasim Khan to tackle Santaji. But Santaji attacked him with a brilliant military maneuver near Chitaldurg and forced him take refuge in Dunderi fort. The fort was quickly sieged by Santaji and the siege only ended when most of the Mughal soldiers starved and Kasim Khan committed suicide. Aurangzeb sent Himmat Khan to reinforce Kasim Khan. Himmat khan carried heavy artillery. So Santaji lured him in a trap in the forest near Dunderi. A sudden, ambush style attack on Mughals was followed by a fierce battle. The battle ended when when Himmat Khan was shot in head and died. All his forces routed and Santaji confiscated a big cache of weapons and ammunition.
By now, Aurangzeb had the grim realization that the war he began was much more serious than he thought. He consolidated his forces and rethought his strategy. He sent an ultimatum to Zulfikar khan to finish Jinji business or be stripped of the titles. Julfikar khan tightened the Siege. But Rajaram fled and was safely escorted to Deccan by Dhanaji Jadhav and Shirke brothers. Haraji Mahadik’s son took the charge of Jinji and bravely defended Jinji against Julfikar khan and Daud khan till January of 1698. This gave Rajaram ample of time to reach Vishalgad.
Jinji fell, but it did a big damage to the Mughal empire. The losses incurred in taking Jinji far outweighed the gains. The fort had done its work. For seven years the three hills of Jinji had kept a large contigent of mughal forces occupied. It had eaten a deep hole into Mughal resources. Not only at Jinji, but the royal treasury was bleeding everywhere and was already under strain.
Marathas would soon witness an unpleasant development, all of their own making. Dhanaji Jadhav and Santaji Ghorpade had a simmering rivalry, which was kept in check by the councilman Pralhad Niraji. But after Niraji’s death, Dhanaji grew bold and attacked Santaji. Nagoji Mane, one of Dhanaji’s men, killed Santaji. The news of Santaji’s death greatly encouraged Aurangzeb and Mughal army.
But by this time Mughals were no longer the army they were feared before. Aurangzeb, against advise of several of his experienced generals, kept the war on. It was much like Alexander on the borders of Taxila.
The Marathas again consolidated and the new Maratha counter offensive began. Rajaram made Dhanaji the next commander in chief. Maratha army was divided in three divisions. Dhanaji would himself lead the first division. Parshuram Timbak lead the second and Shankar Narayan lead the third. Dhanaji Jadhav defeated a large mughal force near Pandharpur. Shankar Narayan defeated Sarja Khan in Pune. Khanderao Dabhade, who lead a division under Dhanaji, took Baglan and Nashik. Nemaji Shinde, another commander with Shankar Narayan, scored a major victory at Nandurbar.
Enraged at this defeats, Aurangzeb himself took charge and launched another counter offensive. He laid siege to Panhala and attacked the fort of Satara. The seasoned commander, Prayagji Prabhu defended Satara for a good six months, but surrendered in April of 1700, just before onset of Monsoon. This foiled Aurangzeb’s strategy to clear as many forts before monsoon as possible.
In March of 1700, another bad news followed Marathas. Rajaram took his last breath. His queen Tarabai, who was also daughter of the gallant Maratha Commander-in-Chief Hambeerrao Mohite, took charge of Maratha army. Daughter of a braveheart, Tarabai proved her true mettle for the next seven years. She carried the struggle on with equal valor. Thus began the phase 3, the last phase of the prolonged war, with Marathas under the leadership of Tarabai.
The signs of strains were showing in Mughal camp in late 1701. Asad Khan, Julfikar Khan’s father, counselled Aurangzeb to end the war and turn around. This expedition had already taken a giant toll, much larger than originally planned, on Mughal empire. And serious signs were emerging that the 200 years old Mughal empire was crumbling and was in the middle of a war that was not winnable
Mughals were bleeding heavily from treasuries. But Aurangzeb kept pressing the war on. When Tarabai took charge, Aurangzeb had laid siege to the fort of Parli (Sajjangad). Parshuram Trimbak defended the fort until mansooon and retreated quietly at the break of monsoon.The mughal army was dealt heavy loss by flash floods in the rivers around. These same tactics were followed by Marathas at the next stop of Aurangzeb, Panhala. Similar tactic was followed even for Vishalgad.
By 1704, Aurangzeb had Torana and Rajgad. He had won only a handful forts in this offensive, but he had spent several precious years. It was slowly dawning to him that after 24 years of constant war, he was no closer to defeating Marathas than he was the day he began.
The final Maratha counter offensive gathered momentum in North. Tarabai proved to be a valiant leader once again. One after another Mughal provinces fell in north. They were not in position to defend as the royal treasuries had been sucked dry and no armies were left in town. In 1705, two Maratha army factions crossed Narmada. One under leadership of Nemaji Shinde hit as deep North as Bhopal. Second under the leadership of Dabhade struck Bharoch and West. Dabhade with his eight thousand men,attacked and defeated Mahomed khan’s forces numbering almost fourteen thousand. This left entire Gujarat coast wide open for Marathas. They immediately tightened their grip on Mughal supply chains.
In Maharashtra, Aurangzeb grew despondent. He started negotiations with Marathas, but cut abruptly and marched on a small kingdom called Wakinara. Naiks at Wakinara traced their lineage to royal family of Vijaynagar empire. They were never fond of Mughals and had sided with Marathas. Dhanaji marched into Sahyadris and won almost all the major forts back in short time. Satara and Parali forts were taken by Parshuram Timbak. Shankar Narayan took Sinhgad. Dhanaji then turned around and took his forces to Wakinara. He helped the Naiks at Wakinara sustain the fight. Naiks fought very bravely. Finally Wakinara fell, but the royal family of Naiks successfully escaped with least damage.
Aurangzeb had now given up all hopes and was now planning retreat to Burhanpur. Dhanaji Jadhav again fell on him and in swift and ferocious attack and dismantled the rear guard of his imperial army. Zulfikar Khan rescued the emperor and they successfully reached Burhanpur.
Aurangzeb witnessed bitter fights among his sons in his last days. Alone, lost, depressed, bankrupt, far away from home, he died sad death on 3rd March 1707. “I hope god will forgive me one day for my disastrous sins”, were his last words.
Thus ended a prolonged and grueling period in history of India. The Mughal kingdom fragmented and disintegrated soon after. And Deccan saw rise of a new sun, the Maratha empire.
Reflection: Strategical Analysis:
In this war, Aurangzeb’s army totaled more than 500,000 in number (compared to total Maratha army in the ballpark of 150,000). With him he carried huge artillery, cavalry, muskettes, ammunition and giant wealth from royal treasuries to support this quest. This war by no means a fair game when numbers are considered.
The main features of Aurangzeb’s strategy were :-
Use of overwhelming force to demoralize the enemy – This tactic had proved successful in Aurangzeb’s other missions. Thus he used this even in Maharashtra. On several occasions giant Mughal contigents were used to lay siege to a fort or capture a town.
Meticulously planned sieges to the forts – Aurangzeb knew that the forts in Sahyadri formed backbone of Maratha defense. His calculation was to simply lay tight siege to the fort, demoralizing and starving the people inside and finally making them surrender the fort.
Fork or pincer movements using large columns of infantry and cavalry – With large number of infantry and cavalry, pincer could have proved effective and almost fatal against Marathas
Marathas had one advantage on their side, geography. They milked this advantage to the last bit. Their military activities were planned considering the terrain and the weather.
The main features of Maratha strategy were :-
Combined offensive-defensive strategy – Throughout the war, Marathas never stopped their offensive. This served two purposes. The facts that Maratha army was carrying out offensive attacks in Mughal land suddenly made them psychologically equals to Mughals launching attack in Maratha land, even though Mughals were a much bigger force. This took negative toll on Mughal morale and boosted morale of their own men. Secondly, these offensive attacks in terms of quick raids often heavily damaged enemy supply chains taking toll on Mughal army.
The forts formed backbone of Maratha defense. Thanks to Shivaji, the every fort had provision of fresh water. The total forts numbered almost 300 and this large number proved major headache to Aurangzeb.
Defense of forts till onset of Monsoon – Forts are an asset in rest of the year, but are a liability in monsoon as it costs a lot to carry food and supplies up. Also the monsoon in coasts and ghats is severe in nature and no major military movement is possible. Thus Marathas often fought till Monsoon and surrendered the fort just before Monsoon. Before surrendering they burned all the food inside. Thus making it a proposition of loss in every way. Often times Marathas surrendered the fort empty, but later soon won it back filled with food and water. These events demoralized the enemy.
Offensive attacks in terms of evasive raids – Marathas mostly launched offensive attacks in the region when Mughal army was away. They rarely engaged Mughal army in open fields till later part of the war. If situation seemed dire, they would retreat and disperse and thus conserve most of their men and arms for another day.
The rivers Bhima, Krishna , Godavari and the mountains of Sahyadri, divide entire Maharashtra region is in several North- South corridors. When Mughal army traveled South through one corridor, Marathas would travel North through another and launch attacks there. This went on changing gradually and in the end, Maratha forces started engaging Mughals head on.
A noted historian Jadunath Sarkar makes an interesting observation. In his own words, “Aurangzeb won battle after battles, but in the end he lost the war. As the war prolonged, it transformed from war of weapons to war of spirits, and Aurangzeb was never able to break Maratha spirit.”
What Marathas did was an classic example of assymetric defensive warfare. The statement above by Mr. Sarkar hides one interesting fact about this assymetric defense. Is it really possible to lose most of the battles and still win the war?
The answer is yes, and explanation is a statistical phenomena called “Simpson’s paradox.”. According to Simpsons paradox, several micro-trends can lead to one conclusion, however a mega-trend combining all the micro-trends can lead to an exact opposite conclusion. Explanation is as follows.
Say two forces go on war, force A with 100 soldiers and force B with 40 soldiers. Now say in every battle between A and B, the following happens.
If A loses, they lose 80% of the soldiers fighting.
If B loses, they only lose 10% of the soldiers fighting.
If A wins, they lose 50% of the solders fighting.
If B wins, they lose only 10% of the soldiers fighting.
In the case above, the ratio of (resource drain of A / resource drain of B ) is higher than (initial number of A soldiers / initial number of B soldiers). So even if A wins battle more than 50% of the time, they will lose their resources faster and, in the end, will lose the war. All B has to do is keep the morale and keep the consistency.
One of the most famous warrior in ancient Indian history seems to agree with the conclusion above. In “Bhishma- perva” of Mahabharata, pitamah Bhishma begins the war-advice to king Yudhisthira with a famous quote -
“The strength of an army is not in its numbers”
It was not Shivaji’s personality but his vision and his values was what Deccan fought for. They imbibed that vision and made it their own. After that, they were not fighting for their hero, they were fighting for themselves. The secret of why people simply refused to surrender to Mughal power can be found not in Shivaji’s heroics, but somewhere else. The secret lies in the reforms he brought.
During the short span of his governance, Shivaji brought a manifold of reforms. For the purpose of discussion, I will divide them into four categories. Governance reforms, political reforms, defense reforms and social reforms.
Governance reforms deserve first attention. After the coronation, Shivaji put in place fully functioning governance consisting of Ashta-Pradhan (eight ministers). These eight men were noted statesmen in their era. They laid foundation of formal economic policy, foreign policy and other functions of government.
One key aspect differentiated Shivaji’s governance through ministers from the prevailing “watan and jahagir” type of governance – division of work based on function rather than geography. To put in management terms, this was “horizontal decentralization” where each minister was responsible for only one function, say judiciary branch, but was responsible for the entire empire. This was much better than vertical decentralization of “watan” system, where one person would be named in charge of all affairs of a small region. Horizontal decentralization helped keep uniformity across the whole empire and made it easy for people to migrate, do business, and remain one political entity. Also when divided this way, different branches of government keep check on each other and stop each other from running amok. These ministers kept military focused on the military objectives. They checked personal rivalries between individual commanders. In addition these ministers provided a crucial diplomatic support complementing the military ventures.
Second, Defense strategy reforms. The combined choice of Guerrilla warfare as tactics, the reliance on light infantry and and a solid line of more than 300 strengthened forts represents Shivaji’s coherent defense strategy. Unlike Rajputs, who stuck to their code of warriors even as Mughal and Persian invaders broke every possible rule of ethics, Marathas retaliated in tit-for-tat way. They preferred guerrilla warfare for defense and engaged in open field battles only when necessary. They never disrespected the women like Khilji and Ghori did, so they were certainly ethical minded. But they never shied from attacking their enemies at night if required. They were more committed to the political objective than the personal objective of bravery.
Additionally Shivaji launched Navy. Though the Maratha ships were smaller and the weapons inferior in technology, they gave Marathas capabilities to open a sea front. This sea front played a big role in the 27 year war by blocking Aurangzeb’s supply chains from Surat.
Several social reforms were introduced as well. It is largely this statesmanship of Shivaji that laid the foundation of indefatigable Maratha resistance. Common people fought because ,for them, going back to the horrors of previous governance was simply not an option.
On the economic front, there was a taxation reform. The previous empires had followed a system of taxation that was predatory or at times outright cruel. They had appointed Jameen-dars that collected tax on their behalf. The amount that was to be deposited in the royal treasury was fixed, but the amount that was to be collected from the peasants was left to Jameen-dars. These jameen-dars exploited this opportunity to fill their treasures, driving the farmers to bankruptcy. Over the years these Jameen-dars had built big castles, had their own armies, their own courts and they enjoyed being mini-kings.
Shivaji scrapped this system of taxation and introduced taxes where the amount that was to be collected from the peasants was fixed. The appointed officers were given only limited mandate and authority to carry out their duty – to collect taxes. They were often transferred, preventing them from developing too strong local ties. If in any year it did not rain and the farmers lost their crops, the taxes were waived.
Shivaji’s fiscal policies were conservative. Thus no magnificent monuments like Taj Mahal or Royal Mughal gardens were built by Shivaji. But it was him for whom his nation was ready to die. This fiscal conservative bend shows a striking resemblance to another visionary leader. After the American revolutionary war, Thomas Jefferson refused to pay for the extravagant ballroom maintained by British Viceroy in Virginia colonies noting that ” such mansions represent colossal waste of taxpayer money”.
By contrast, Deccan Sultanates and Mughals had shown little interest in welfare of people. During the 22 years that took to build Taj Mahal, three times there was severe draught and hundreds of thousands of people died. But Shahjahan focused all the money and efforts on building a tomb for his wife.
It’s indeed an irony that that Taj Mahal has become symbol of India while the forts that cradled the first “swaraj”, first rule of people, languish in desolation.
Epilogue:
For centuries , the mountains and valleys, towns and villages of Deccan had gotten used to being a pawn in the game of power. They changed hands as kingdoms warred with each other. They paid taxes whoever was in a position to extract them. For the most part they remained in a sleepy slumber, just turning and twisting in their bed.
Once in a while they sent their sons to fight in battles without ever asking why exactly the war is being launched. Other times they fought amongst themselves. They were divided, confused and did not have high hopes about their future.
This was the condition of Deccan when Shivaji launched his first expedition of fort Torana in 1645. By the time of his death mere 35 years later, he had transformed Deccan from a sleepy terrain to a thundering volcano.
Finally, here was a man whose vision of future was shared by a large general audience. An unmistakable characteristic of a modern concept of “nation-state”. Perhaps the most important factor that distinguishes Shivaji’s vision is that it was “unifying”. His vision went beyond building an army of proud warriors from warrior castes. It included people from all rungs of society sharing a common political idea and ready to defend it at any cost. His vision went far beyond creating an empire for himself in Maharashtra. It included a building confederacy of states against what he thought were foreign invaders. He was trying to build an Alliance of Hindu kingdoms. He went out of his way to convince Mirza-Raje Jaisingh to leave Aurangzeb. He established relations with the dethroned royal family of Vijaynagar for whom he had tremendous respect. He attempted to unify the sparring Hindu power centers.
And they responded. Sikhs in Punjab, Rajputs in Rajasthan, Nayaks in Karnataka, rulers of Mysore, the royal family of Vijaynagar were of valuable help to Shivaji and later to Marathas. It was certainly a step towards a nation getting its soul back.
While he was creating a political voice for Hindus, Muslims never faced persecution in his rule. Several Muslims served at high posts in his court and army. His personal body guard on his Agra visit was Muslim. His Naval officer, Siddi Hilal was Muslim. Thus Shivaji’s rule was not meant to challenge Islam as a personal religion, but it was a response to Political Islam.
Last but not the least, we must give due respect to one more thing. The seeds of every political revolution can be traced back to a spiritual one and this was no exception. The “Bhakti” movement in Maharashtra that began with 12th Century saint Dnyaneshwar and spearheaded by saint Tukaram (who was contemporary of Shivaji), played a role of social catalyst of immense effect. It created a forum, a pool in society where everyone was welcome. The shackles of cast system were not broken, but were certainly loosened. Once people were on the same page spiritually, it was easier for Shivaji to get them on the same page politically.
It’s tempting for a Maharashtrian to claim the root of success of Marathas solely be in Maharashtra. But at the height of it’s peak, only 20% of Shivaji’s kingdom was part of Maharashtra. When Marathas launched northern campaigns in 18th century, it was even more less. Soldiers in Maratha army came from diverse social and geographical backgrounds including from areas as far away as Kandahar to West and Bengal to East. Shivaji received a lot of support from various rulers and common people from all over India.
Thus limiting Marathas to Maharashtra is mostly a conclusion of a politician. It must be noted that the roots of Maharashtra culture can be traced to both ancient Karnataka and Northern India. Shivaji himself traced his lineage to Shisodia family of Rajputs. Maharashtrians should not be ashamed to admit that their roots lie elsewhere. In fact they should feel proud that land of Maharashtra is truly a melting pot where Southern and Northern Indian cultures melted to give birth to a new vision of a nation. Shivaji was far more an Indian king than a Maratha king.
Dear readers, here ends the story of an epic war. I hope this saga gives you a sense of realistic hope and a sense of humble pride. All you might be doing today is sitting in a cubicle for the day ,typing on keyboard. But remember that the same blood runs in our fingers that long long time ago displayed unparalleled courage and bravery, the same spirit resides within us that can once soured sky high upon the call of freedom.
Jai Hind !!
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - Source of Inspiration
Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.He founded the Hindu kingdom in the Deccan against all odds , fighting against the mighty Mughals.He inspired and united the common man to fight against the tyranny of Mughal ruler Aurangjeb, by inculcating a sense of pride and nationality in them.
At the age of 16, he took a pledge to establish a sovereign Hindu state.He clearly outstands all the rulers and generals of India by the exemplary life he lived and is thus respected by the entire cross section of Indians. Shivaji's military skills could be compared to those of Napolean.
He raised a strong army and navy, constructed and repaired forts, used gureilla warfare tactics,developed a strong intelligence network,gave equal treatment to the people from all religions and castes based on merit, and functioned like a seasoned Statesman and General. He appointed ministers with specific functions such as Internal security,Foreign affairs,Finance,Law and Justice,Religious matters,Defence etc.
He introduced systems in revenue collection and warned the officials against harassment of subjects.He thought ahead of times and was a true visionary.In his private life, his moral virtues were exceptionally high.His thoughts and deeds were inspired by the teachings of his mother Jijabai,teacher Dadaji Konddev,great saints like Dnyaneshwar & Tukaram and the valiancy and ideals of the Lords Rama and Krishna.
The tiny kingdom established by Chhatrapati Shivaji known as "Hindavi Swaraja" (Sovereign Hindu state) grew and spread beyond Attock in Northwest India (now in Pakistan)and beyond Cuttack in East India in course of time, to become the strongest power in India. After the death of Chhatrapati Shivaji & his son Sambhaji, their prime ministers or ‘the Peshwas' became the defacto rulers. The Peshwas and the Maratha Sardars (Chieftans) like Shindes of Gwalior, Gaekwads of Baroda & Holkars of Indore contributed to the growth of the Maratha Confederacy.
The history of India is incomplete without the history of Marathas and Shivaji is the nucleus of Maratha history. Shivaji has been a source of inspiration and pride to the past generations and will continue to inspire generations in future. We salute this legend and humbly dedicate this website to him.
Marathas are a blend of the Warrior and Agrarian classes, speaking Marathi and generally having their roots in Maharashtra. They are also found in large Nos in Karnataka, Goa, and Madhya Pradesh & Gujarat. There are contradictory theories about the Historic origins of Marathas and hence are not discussed here.
A few Maratha clans claim themselves to be Kshatriyas (Warriors). Some such families were the Bhosales, Ghorpades, Jadhavs, Nimbalkars, Mores, Manes, Ghatges, Dafleys, Sawants, Shirkes, Mahadiks and the Mohites. The prominent Maratha families mentioned above were serving under the Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar and Adil Shah of Bijapur. These families are generally referred as the 96 clans or kulis which comprise of 96 different main clans with their different sub clans. Marathas are descendents of Rashtrakuts, Mauryas, Pariharas/Parmar (Pawar), Pratiharas, Shilahars, Kadambas, Yadavas, Chalukyas and many other royal clans in India.
Maloji Bhosale (c.1552-1606) then the patil of verul joined Nizam Shah with a small band of cavalry. His son, Shahaji (1599-1664) served under Nizam Shah and Adil Shah, and came to prominence as a leading General. His son Shivaji (1627-1680) established the Hindavi Swarajya (Sovereign Hindu state), which happened to be the nucleus of the Maratha power that came into being later on. The Marathas, who had been till then serving as Deshmukhs (Jagirdars) to the Muslim rules, now had their own king and kingdom.
The majority of Marathas, however belong to the peasantry class. The dividing line between the Kshatriya classes and the peasantry classes has become thin with the passage of time.A lot of matrimonial alliances are also taking place amongst them, unlike those in North or South India. The Maratha army and the administration also had people from all castes taking pride in it.
The fanatic Brahmins of those times had refused to coronate Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and subsequently Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur since they didn't consider Marathas, as 'Kshatriyas'. The Brahmins declared that 'Only Kshatriyas are entitled to be crowned as the Kings' and Marathas being 'Shudras' were not entitled to be crowned. Chhatrapati Shivaji brought Gagabhat of Varanasi to establish his lineage with the Sisodias (Rajputs) of Rajasthan & testify his being Kshatriya, whereas the great social reformer Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj extended the vedic rights to non brahmins and empowered them do the jobs of the brahmins.
Rajarshi Shahu realised the falacy in the caste system and corrected it by bringing all the sections of the society on one platform to fight this brahmin fanatism. Throughout his life, he struggled for the upliftment and education of the downtrodden. . It is a worthwhile to see the majority lot of Maharashtrians identifying themselves as Marathas. It is a case of inculcation of pride in masses, a case study for sociologists.
Marathas consider themselves to be the saviours of Hinduism who fought the onslaught of fanatic Mughal Emperor Aurangjeb. It is generally agreed by Historians that had the Maratha power not been there after the Mughals, the whole of India would have become Pakistan after Independence.
The death of Chhatrapti Shivaji in 1680 and his son Sambhaji in 1687 pushed the Maratha kingdom in the period of instability upto 1707. The tiny Maratha kingdom , established by Chattrapati Shivaji was expanded by the Peshwas, who were the Brahmin Prime Ministers. The real credit for expanding the Maratha kingdom goes to Bajirao Peshwa I(1721-1740) . The Peshwas subsequently ruled the Maratha Kingdom as defacto rulers. The Maratha Sardars or chieftanslike Gaekwads of Baroda, Shindes of Gwalior, Holkars of Indore expanded the power in North India and became powerful after the Peshwas.They then established their own kingdoms.
At one time, the Marathas rule spread from Attock in Paktoonistan to Bengal (beyond Cuttack) in East India to become a Maratha confederacy. The Great Maratha, 'Mahadji Shinde' was the kingmaker at Delhi who played a dominant role in deciding the fate of Delhi rulers but never thought of occupying the throne for himself.
In the battle that took place near Delhi ,after the Mughal power declined, the Marathas conclusively defeated Afgan-Rohila forces led by Shah Abdali & Najib Khan in 1756. Najib Khan surrendered to the Marathas and became their prisoner. This battle liberated Punjab from the Muslim dominion after 800 years. The Marathas chased and drove the Afghans back to Afghanistan. Thereafter Najib Khan woed Malharrao Holkar to his side and in return secured his release. Thus Marathas released Najib Khan. He again invited Shah Abdali for his second invasion in 1759. Marathas formed alliance with the Jat King Suraj Mal of Bharatpur This alliance led by Shrimant Sadshiv Rao Bhau and Shrimant Vishwas Rao (the Peshwa Shrimant Balaji Baji Rao's son) won spectacular victories and captured Delhi and Kunjapura. This was the time when the entire North & Central India was in the Maratha Command.
Here the alliance developed cracks about handling of Delhi matters and ultimately split. Suraj Mal withdrew from the alliance. The Marathas then marched upto Panipat and blockedg the way of the Afghans back to Afghanistan, instead of continuing their attacks to completely defeat the partly defeated Abdali and Najib Khan. Seeing their way back to their homeland blocked, the Afghans in turn, blocked the way of the Marathas back into the Deccan. This standoff continued for a few months, while the Afghans cut-off all supplies to the huge Maratha army. The Afghans with Najib Khan meanwhile recaptured Delhi and Kunjpura.
On the decisive day of 14th January 1761, the Marathas decided to break-through the Afghan blockade and re-enter Deccan. The disastrous battle saw about one hundred thousand Maratha troops killed in a matter of eight hours. Nanasaheb Peshwe (Balaji Bajirao) lost his brother, Sadashivrao, and also his first son, Vishwasrao, in this battle. Nanashaeb , unable to bear the shock also died shortly. It was one of the worst defeats for Marathas, Hinduism & the Indian Nationalist Forces. The dream of bringing India under one unified Hindu rule was thus shattered. The Afghans too suffered heavy losses and decided enough was enough and went back to Afghanistan. Abdali never returned to India after this stormy campaign. The Peshwas also lost control on the Maratha empire thereafter and the Maratha Generals like Shindes (Gwalior) and Holkars (Indore) consolidated themselves after this, in the North & Central India.
For Marathas 'Panipat is a synonym for Disaster' and it haunts even the present generation of Marathas.
The Marathas were at the forefront in the 1857 mutiny against the British and gave wholehearted support for the same. Though they could muster support from a few Hindu Kingdoms in the North, most of them refused to oblige them. The lack of planning, proper co-ordination within Hindu rulers, lack of diplomatic efforts, firearms & communication facilities led to the failure of this mutiny. The Marathas have also whole-heartedly supported the Independence movement especially the ‘Quit India’ movement of 1942 in large Numbers. Thus Marathas have carved out a place of pride for themselves in the History of India. It is a community of Natural Nationalists.
The Marathas hold 'Chhatrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj' ,who brought pride to this community at a very high esteem. This community became dominant in the politics of Maharshtra State after the formation of a Marathi speaking Maharashtra state in 1960.The community has prospered through the effective use of co-operative movement and brought employment in rural areas by establishing Sugar Factories,Spinning Mills,Banks,Milk Dairies and other institutions in co-operative sector. The co-operative sector holds complete control over this community in the countryside.
Socially, the present day Marathas find themselves sandwiched between the Brahmins and Backward classes (including the Scheduled castes and tribes). The Brahmins acquired a higher social status thru the advancement made by them in Education, thereby acquiring good jobs in the private sector as well as the Government jobs and generally residing in towns & cities. The Backward classes got the Government jobs by virtue of their castes whereas the Brahmins overpowered them there in open competition. The only saving grace for this community is the small pieces of Ancestral lands they own and a few jobs created by them in the co-operative sector. The lands have also got reduced to a few thousand sq.ft (gunthas) over a period of time, due to family partitions. Though the present generation Maratha youth is taking education they find it difficult to get jobs competing with the Brahmins and other urban classes.
The leading lights of this community are Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur, Late Sayajirao Gaekwad of Baroda ,Late Yashwantrao Chavan (Ex-Deputy PM),Late Vasantraodada Patil(Ex CM Maharshtra),Late Balasaheb Desai (Ex Home Min. Maharashtra ,Shri. Yeshwantrao Mohite (Ex-Fin Min of Maharashtra),Prof. Shivajirao Bhosale,Late Vithalrao Vikhe Patil,Late Shivajirao Patil (Mathadi workers Leader).In the present generation Sharad Pawar (Leader of NCP) occupies the prime position.
Attempts made by Late Shivajirao patil and now Mr Shasikant pawar to unite this commninity under the banner of ‘Akhil Bhartiya Maratha Mahasangh’ have met with little success. The idea of Maratha Mahasangh was to put forth the views of this community to the Government on a common platform.
Another organization ‘Maratha Sewa Sangh’ headed by Mr Purushottam Khedekar have formed a new Religion called ‘Shiv Dharma’on January 12, 2005. This was basically to oppose to the Brahmin oriented Hindu religion which is full of blind beliefs and superstitions, inculcated in the minds over generations. This religion has found very little or negligible support from the maratha community since it stands on Brahmin hatred rather than sound fundamental ideology. This religion seeems to be a confused lot with social demands than religious or spiritual requirement.
On 14th Feb 2003 Smt. Shalinitai Patil a senior MLA of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)addressesed the convention of Maratha Mahasangh at Kolhapur. Amongst other things She demanded "Reservation of seats in Government jobs & Educational institutions based on Economic considerations rather than Caste basis". A point the 'meritorious'amongst the forward castes have been making for so long.
Maratha Mahasangh general secretary Rajendra Khondre had resented two decisions taken on May 25, 2004, by the Sushilkumar Shinde government and said that they had triggered a wave of resentment in the Maratha community. The first pertained to reservations for backward castes in the cooperative sector. Until recently, Maratha youths could get jobs in sugar factories, spinning mills, dairies and banks in the cooperative sector. "But now, the job opportunities for them in this sector, which controls the rural economy of Maharashtra, have shrunk considerably," Khondre said. The second decision relates to the reservation of jobs in the Class I and super Class I categories in the government for backward castes. The Maratha Mahasangh, an influential body representing the community, has opposed this.
The Marathas have by and large peacefully accepted the social changes due to the Shahu-Ambedkar -Phule legacy and their own 'Bahujan Samaj' concept(i.e taking all sections of the society together). A word very often referred by politicians and used by Sh.Kanshiram for his political party. This gentleman incidently was influenced with 'Bahujan samaj' concept in Maharshtra while working at Ordnance Factory Khadki, Pune.
Present day Marathas find it difficult to accept the reservations extended to the creamy layers amongst the backward classes and the second generation of those who have availed the benefit once, whereas a maratha student coming from a lower middle class/poor family is denied the seat due to his caste. Some sections of Marathas had in the past demanded reservation for them in the backward classes. The going goes tough for Marathas as jobs in pulic as well as private sector are shrinking and they are getting hit where it matters the most; in employment. Still the community continues to live with pride inheriting the rich legacy and history.
This was a small effort to tell you about the Maratha community in an impartial way.
How Shivaji Maharaj Killed Afzalkhan!!
Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.Shivaji Maharaj, armed himself with a weapon called wagh nakh (tiger claw), and chilkhat (armour) prior to the meeting.Afzal Khan attempted to stab Shivaji in the back with a dagger as they embraced at the onset of their meeting. Shivaji was unharmed due to the armour he wore under his clothes, and he counter attacked Afzal Khan with a wagh nakh and bich'hwa, spilling his blood and entrails on the ground. Thereupon Afzal Khan's deputy, Krishnaji Bhaskar Kulkarni and his bodyguard Sayyed Banda attacked Shivaji with swords but Jiva Mahala, Shivaji's personal bodyguard fatally struck them down with a 'dandpatta' (medieval weapon). Afzal Khan managed to stumble out of the tent to get help but was immediately slain by Shivaji's associate Sambhaji Kavji, before he could alert his commanders or raise an alarm.
Eighteenth century painting of a Maratha Soldier ( by Franois Balthazar Solvyns)
Bhosale
family ancestry Chhatrapati Shivaji (1630-1680) Chhatrapati Sambhaji
(1657-1689) Chhatrapati Rajaram (1670-1700) Queen Tarabai Chhatrapati
Shahu (alias Shivaji II, son of Chhatrapati Sambhaji) Chhatrapati
Ramaraja (nominally, grandson of Chha
Shivaji Maharaj in photoes
Duplicate same to same Aurangjeb's darbar at dresden
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis
Click edit above to add content to this empty capsule.Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 1
Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj
An Analysis
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 2
A Note of Acknowledgement. . .
I would wish to thank Shri. Ambareesh Phadnavis, who
painstakingly translated and compiled this article, originally
written by Shri. Narahar Kurundkar, as a preface for Shriman Yogi.
- Manish Zanpure
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 3
Index
Introduction . . . ............................................. 4
Sambhaji, his son... ........................................... 5
Shahaji, his father . . . ...................................... 7
Jaavli - A turning point... .................................... 9
Afzal Khan . . . .............................................. 10
The escape from Panhala . . . ................................. 12
Shaistekhan . . . ............................................. 13
Shaistekhan and Surat . . . ................................... 14
Mirza Raja Jaisingh . . . .................................... 15
The Revival . . . ............................................. 16
Coronation . . . .............................................. 17
The Conquest of South . . . ................................... 18
Death . . . ................................................... 19
Shivaji and Navy . . . ........................................ 20
Attempt of an analysis . . . .................................. 21
Personal traits . . . ......................................... 22
How Small Shivaji Was... ...................................... 23
Conclusion . . . .............................................. 27
Epilogue on Coronation Controversy . . . ...................... 28
References .................................................... 31
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 4
Introduction . . .
The Character of Shivaji is one of the most enigmatic
characters in the history of India. There are people who deify him
and put him on the pedestal of god. Few of them are on the way of
declaring him as an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Many myths are now
associated with him. Many others view that he was a mere local
Maratha chieftain who was rebelling against the Mughal Empire and
completely overlook the role he played in Hindu revival in India.
Many others, who cannot comprehend the pragmatic approach of Shivaji,
which was most practical given his humble beginnings, brand him as a
mere plunderer and looter and equate him with ordinary dacoits.
Between these two poles of emotions, Shivaji, the man, is on the
verge of extinction. This is an attempt to resurrect him.
In the process of understanding Shivaji, few events need to be
understood. In the long list of those events, first one is about his
grandfather, Maloji Bhonsale and his great grandfather Babaji
Bhonsale. Documents suggest that Maloji was a Jagirdar of Pande-
Pedgaon. He inherited substantial part of his jahagir. Shahaji was
born in 1602, Maloji died in 1607 in the battle of Indapur. Shahaji
was 5 years old when this tragedy struck. Maloji, at the time, was a
Bargir serving Lakhuji Jadhav of Sindkhed Raja, a place in central
Maharashtra.
Jijabai gave birth to six children. First four did not survive.
Fifth and sixth were Sambhaji and Shivaji respectively. Shivaji’s own
marital life was not very different from his father. He never gave
importance to any of his queens and rarely entertained their
interference in politics. He performed all the duties as a husband
and kept his wives in as much comfort as possible, but no importance.
To study Shivaji, we need to view him as a part of a chain of
three men constituting his father Shahaji, he himself, and his son,
Sambhaji. Without understanding the other two, one cannot hope to
comprehend Shivaji.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 5
Sambhaji, his son...
Whether Sambhaji consumed alcohol? Was he charged for rape of a
woman? Was he involved in orgies with women? Can his behavior with
Soyarabai, Moropanta, Annaji Datto, be justified? All these questions
are difficult to answer and are muddled in mutually contradictory
dubious claims. The personal qualities are anyways not of any use
while determining the greatness of an individual in politics.
Shivaji arrived at the conclusion that Maratha state will have
to fight a decisive war with Mughals, somewhere in 1660-1664. He knew
that the Shaistekhan campaign was just a beginning. Mughals had
started deploying their armies on the frontiers of Maratha Kingdom in
Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya-Pradesh since 1679. The news that
Aurangzeb himself is coming to invade Deccan reached Maharashtra in
January 1680, just 2-3 months before death of Shivaji. By that time,
Mughals had already deployed 150,000 to 200,000 men. The clashes
began in the very week Shivaji died. Moropant Pingle (the Peshwa),
Hambirrao Mohite (chief of armed forces), Annaji Datto (head of
finance department) were preparing to face this impending invasion.
Since 1678, Shivaji was continuously purchasing weapons, firearms,
and was upgrading his armies, his forts and his navy in anticipation
of this final showdown.
This much-anticipated invasion started in 1681 with 250,000 men,
new king, and opponent Aurangzeb himself with all the might of Mughal
Empire behind him. In spite of this, the continuous warfare from 1681
to 1685 resulted in retreat of Mughals from Maratha territory and
redeployment of troops against Adilshah and Kutubshah. All
capabilities of Sambhaji in his territorial administration, his
strategic understanding, his ability to boost the morale of troops,
his ability to make right moves were at stake and were thoroughly
tested and sharpened. Shivaji never had to face such an enemy in his
entire lifetime like Sambhaji. This feat demands immense patience and
will power. Therefore, given the fight that Sambhaji put forth,
should we give weight age to adjectives like frivolous, incapable,
impatient, and all other jargons used by Marathi chroniclers OR the
adjectives used by Dutch and English as patient, and stubborn warrior
is an individual choice.
The personal character of Sambhaji was not that bad either, as
against that portrayed by some Bakhars. Many a Maratha Sardars were
mildly addicted to alcohol, hemp, opium etc. Rajaram, second son of
Shivaji, was highly addicted to opium.
Aurangzeb himself was addicted to alcohol until his death.
However, that never interfered with politics. Aurangzeb captured and
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 6
brutally murdered Sambhaji in 1689. By that time, the result of
warfare was as follows- Sambhaji had conquered three fourth of
Portuguese Empire in Goa and assimilated it into Maratha state. The
region in Karnataka under Maratha rule doubled. The Maratha army
doubled itself in numbers and became better equipped. Five-six forts
in Maharashtra were lost. Gained three-four new ones; Aurangabad,
Burhanpur, Goa, plundered. Dhanaji Jadhav illusively kept the Mughal
army, 75,000 strong, away from Maharashtra in Gujarat. Thus, we can
see Shivaji’s understanding of politics inherited in Sambhaji.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 7
Shahaji, his father . . .
Shahaji was a Sardar in Nizamshah’s court at Ahmednagar.
Nizamshah willingly sacrificed Lakhuji Jadhav for Shahaji. Yet,
Shahaji went to Adilshah in 1624. Despite of valiantly fighting for
Adilshah for two years, he returned to Nizamshah in 1626. He again
changed his loyalties and became Mughal Sardar in 1630. Yet again,
after valiantly fighting for Mughals, he returned to Nizamshah in
1632. In all these transitions, he maintained his Jagir in Pune at
his discretion. He maintained an army that was loyal to him and him
alone, irrespective of the power he was serving. He initiated the
policy of uniting Deccan against North Indian Mughals. Many notable
people like Khavaskhan, Kutubshah, Madanna and Akanna of Golconda,
Murar Jagdev supported this united Deccan policy that Shahaji
initiated. Shivaji repeatedly pronounced this policy. Sambhaji
considered himself as a patron of Adilshah and Kutubshah.
Shahaji appointed Dadoji Kondadev, as his chief administrator of
Pune Jagir. He himself was administrating his Jagir in Bangalore,
Karnataka. It was his vision that he distributed his property between
two sons in 1636. The Karnataka Jagir was for elder son Sambhaji and
Pune Jagir for younger son Shivaji. He made Adilshah to appoint
Dadoji Kondadev as Subhedar of Pune and gave him control of some army
(about 5000 strong) 15-20 forts, and entire administrative personnel
in the form of a Peshwa, an accountant and others. Shivaji took his
oath on Rohireshwar of establishing a Hindavi Swarajya in presence of
Dadoji. The first letter bearing the official seal of Shivaji is
dated 28th January 1646. It is difficult to comprehend that young
Shivaji who was a teenager of 15 years, had all this blueprint of
establishing a Hindu Swaraj along with seals and official letterheads
in his mind. One has to accept the vision and power of Shahaji that
was guiding him, correcting him and shaping him.
Shahaji was carving a kingdom of his own in Karnataka. He was
doing exactly the same thing through Shivaji in Maharashtra as well.
At both places, the administrators, Shahaji in Bangalore and Shivaji
in Pune were calling themselves as Raja, were holding courts, and
issuing letters bearing official seals in Sanskrit. Adilshah was
weary of this and in 1648; two independent projects were undertaken
by Adilshah to eliminate these two growing kingdoms in its territory.
Shivaji defeated Adilshah’s general Fateh Khan in Pune, Maharashtra.
At the same time, his elder brother Sambhaji defeated Adilshah’s
other general Farhad Khan in Bangalore. The modus operandi of Maratha
troops on both the frontiers is similar, again reinstating the
guiding vision of Shahaji. The subsequent treaty that was signed
between two Bhonsale brothers and Adilshah to rescue Shahaji, who was
held captive by Adilshah, marks the first Mughal-Maratha contact. In
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 8
1648-49, Adilshah captured Shahaji in order to blackmail his two sons
to cede the territory conquered by them and accept Adilshah’s
supremacy. Shivaji wrote a series of letters to Dara Shikoh (Subhedar
of Deccan), pledging to be subservient to Mughals. Mughals recognized
Shivaji as a Mughal Sardar and pressurized Adilshah to release
Shahaji. In return, Shivaji ceded Simhagad, and Sambhaji ceded
Bangalore city and Kandarpi fort in Karnataka.
We can see the coherency in actions of Shivaji and Sambhaji. The
men assisting both the brothers were loyal to Shahaji and were
trained under him. Even though Shivaji was administrative head of
Pune Jagir, many people appealed to Shahaji against Shivaji’s
decisions up to 1655. Up to this point, Shahaji’s word was considered
final in all of the important matters. Until this point, Shivaji was
not at all free to take all the decisions on his will. There was a
higher power that was controlling his activities. Gradually after
1655, this interference went on diminishing, and Shivaji started
emerging more and more independent.
Thus, if we see these three men in a link, Shahaji, Shivaji and
his son Sambhaji, all the actions of Shivaji start making sense. In
this way, we are better able to grasp the greatness of the man,
Shivaji.
Shivaji had himself coronated as a Kshatriya King in 1674.
Shahaji initiated this policy. The Ghorpade clan of Marathas
considered themselves as descendents of Sisodiya Rajputs. Shahaji
attested his claim on the share in Ghorpade’s property from Adilshah
long before 1640. In reality, there is no connection whatsoever
between Sisodiya Rajputs and Bhonsale clan. Nevertheless, Maloji
started calling himself as Srimant Maloji Raje after becoming a
bargir. Shahaji legalized this claim of being a Rajput from Adilshah.
This was of great help to Shivaji at the time of his coronation in
1674. It is interesting to see that even after coronating himself as
a Hindu Emperor, Shivaji continued writing letters to Aurangzeb,
referring him as Emperor of India, and stating that he was a mere
servant of Great Aurangzeb. We can see the basic pragmatic mindset of
Shivaji which was fueled by great dream of establishing Hindu Self
ruling state.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 9
Jaavli - A turning point...
Jaavli’s conquest is of prime importance, to grasp the vision of
Shivaji. This region was so difficult to conquer that Malik Kafur,
who defeated the Seuna Yadav Dynasty of Devgiri in the 13th century,
lost 3000 men in the attempt. Mahmud Gavan too was defeated while
conquering this region. It was one of the most isolated regions in
entire India, and remained aloof from Muslim dominance throughout
history. Shivaji maintained an amicable relationship with Chandrarao
More of Jaavli. Chandra Rao was a title given to the Ruler of Jaavli.
The real name was Daulat Rao More. After death of Daulat Rao, Shivaji
made Yashwantrao as ruler of Jaavli. These events are of 1647, when
Shivaji was 17. Here again we see the vision of his father working.
Later, in 1649, Afzal Khan was appointed Subhedar of Vai region, to
mitigate the growing influence of Shivaji in Jaavli. Mohammad
Adilshah was ill; Afzal Khan was busy in Karnataka expedition. Taking
advantage of this situation, Shivaji attacked Jaavli in 1656 and
conquered it in one stroke. Yashwantrao fled to Raigadh, which
Shivaji subsequently captured after three months. Yashwantrao was
captured and sentenced to death for his activities against Maratha
State and Shivaji proclaimed assimilation of Jaavli in his Kingdom.
Strategically, this valley is of immense importance as it oversees
the routes into Konkan and Goa.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 10
Afzal Khan . . .
This is one of the most dramatic moments in Shivaji’s life that
gave him pan-Indian fame. Shivaji began his work in 1645. He defeated
Adilshah in 1648 and after the treaty, Afzal Khan was appointed as
Subhedar of Vai in 1649. Shivaji conquered Jaavli in 1656
nevertheless. Given this background, Afzal was marching to destroy
Shivaji. There is an added perspective to this relation as well.
Shivaji’s elder brother, Sambhaji, was killed in battle due to
treachery of Afzal Khan in early 1650’s. Shivaji had pledged to kill
Afzal Khan as a vengeance. Therefore, there was a personal touch to
this struggle as well.
Afzal Khan was aware of Shivaji’s valor and courage; his record
of deceit, his pledge to kill him for settling the score. Afzal
himself was valiant and master of all deceitful tactics. He had a
record of being ever alert. Yet, it is an enigmatic choice to make on
his part to leave his army behind and meet Shivaji alone. Certain
Persian documents suggest an explanation stating that it was Jijabai,
Shivaji’s mother, who guaranteed safety of Afzal Khan. It was a
notion that his mother heavily influenced Shivaji. No one knows
exactly what happened in that meeting. Shivaji had planned this
strike for almost 4-5 months. Afzal was just an opening move in his
campaign. It was a plan of Shivaji to kill Afzal and establish terror
in the mind of Adilshah. Many Marathi records state that it was Afzal
who struck first. However, this is not definitive, looking at the
depth of planning by Shivaji that preceded it. It was in plans of
Shivaji to finish Afzal Khan. Therefore, who struck first is a matter
of speculation, given Afzal’s infamous and felonious record of
deceit. Shivaji had planned his entire expedition taking death of
Afzal for granted.
Afzal wanted to avoid Jaavli, but Shivaji’s moves forced him to
enter the difficult terrain. In May-June 1659, Adilshah issued orders
to all the local zamindars to help Afzal. However, most of the
deshmukhs in the region backed Shivaji. The main collaborator of this
alliance was Kanhoji Jedhe, a special man of Shahaji. Thus, here
again we see the influence of Shahaji working in favor of Shivaji.
The local Zamindars preferred to fight for Shivaji and refused to
cooperate with Adilshah is itself testimony to this fact. Shivaji’s
stature had not grown so much yet to influence the decision of
masses. The basic outline of Shivaji’s strategy was -
To Kill Afzal Khan at Pratapgarh in the meeting OR in the
battle that would follow.
Destruction of his army stationed at the base of Pratapgarh by
Armies of Silibkar and Bandal.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 11
Destruction of Afzal’s troops on Jaavli-Vai road by Netaji
Palkar.
Destruction of Afzal’s armies in the Ghats by Moropanta
Pingle.
Subsequent hot pursuit of fleeing Adilshahi forces.
To capture Panhalgadh and Kolhapur and Konkan, and invade the
territory in Karnataka up to Bijapur as soon as possible.
This entire strategy was planned for 3-4 months. This was a huge
campaign. Shivaji was not a fool to waste all this planning. Shivaji
had planned the killing of Afzal. Who struck first in that meeting is
speculative. Nevertheless, looking at this holistic planning, I think
it did not matter to Shivaji whether Afzal struck first OR not. Afzal
was infamous for many such deceitful killings in his life. Therefore,
given his past record, it is not garrulous to assume that Afzal
struck first. However, nothing definitive is known about it. The
weapon used by Shivaji, according to Marathi resources, was Tiger-
Claw and a curved Dagger, Bichwa. It is possible that even a Sword
was used.
Dutch reports state that while Shivaji was advancing towards
Bijapur after Afzal’s defeat, even his father Shahaji was approaching
Bijapur with huge army simultaneously. Thus, we can see the plan on a
grand scale. However, somewhere, something went wrong. Shivaji’s
forces came as close as 16 miles from Bijapur and waited for three
days. Shahaji’s forces from Karnataka reached 5 days late and
returned from 20 miles. (It is said that) Certain Persian documents
buttress this Dutch claim. Thus, one of the delicately planned
campaigns was not completed to its fullest. This is last reference of
Shahaji in Shivaji’s political life. Hereafter, Shivaji grew without
support OR shadow of his father. Adilshah sent Rustum-e-jaman to
destroy Shivaji. However, for the first time, Shivaji entered into a
classical head-on cavalry charge, and completely out maneuvered and
defeated Adilshahi forces 10,000 strong. Shivaji had 5000 horses at
his command.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 12
The escape from Panhala . . .
Shivaji is one of the most enigmatic person and King in Hindu
history. His friends could not understand him. His enemies could not
understand him too. The only person in those times, who could
understand Shivaji, was Aurangzeb. It was the vision of Aurangzeb
when he predicted the danger that Shivaji can be as early as 1646,
when he was governor of Deccan in his first term. During his second
term as governor of Deccan, Shivaji plundered Mughal territory of
Junnar and Bhivandi in early 1650’s. These forays of Shivaji
coincided with Shahjahan’s ill- health. Hence, Aurangzeb had to
return to North to participate in the battle of succession with his
brother Dara. Nevertheless, he warned Adilshah and Kutubshah about
this upcoming danger of Shivaji. Shivaji again entered a treaty with
Mughals in June 1659, to deal with impending Afzal Invasion. At the
same time, Shaista Khan, maternal uncle of Aurangzeb, was appointed
as governor of Deccan. By that time, in late 1659, Siddhi Jauhar,
Adilshah’s last attempt to control Shivaji, had cornered Shivaji in
Panhalgadh. Taking advantage of this, Shaista Khan invaded the
Maratha state, occupied Pune, and besieged the ground fort of Chakan.
However, Shivaji escaped from Panhalgadh to Vishalgadh in July
1660, due to valiant effort of his 600 men, most of which died in
order to keep Shivaji safe. The hero of the battle was Bajiprabhu
Deshpande, who is immortalized for his sacrifice in the pass of Pavan
Khind. Figuratively, the battle of Pavan Khind can be compared with
the Battle of Thermopylae fought in 480 BC. 300 Greeks and 900 others
under the Spartan King Leonidas defended the pass for 3 days against
large Persian army under Xerxes. Coincidently, even Bajiprabhu had
300 men to defend the pass against 10,000 Adilshahi forces. The
battle of Pavan Khind is excellent example of superior use of terrain
to the benefit of a small but disciplined army. They held on until
the signal of Shivaji’s safety arrived. All of them were slain
thereafter.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 13
Shaistekhan . . .
This is yet another example of Shivaji’s cunningness. Shivaji
had defeated a few of Shaistekhan’s generals, namely, Kartalab Khan,
and Namdar Khan. However, the pinnacle was the surprise attack on
Shaistekhan in Mughal stronghold, in his bedroom! Shivaji chose the
month of Ramadan to attack Shaistekhan. Shaistekhan was staying at
Lal Mahal, which was childhood home of Shivaji. Therefore, he knew
everything there was to know about the place. Less than 100 men, led
by Shivaji, attacked this palace, which was surrounded by Mughal army
as strong as 150,000 in pitch darkness of 7th night of Ramadan. It
was a total frenzy. In the darkness, Shivaji and his men were killing
anybody who came in their way. About 50 Mughal soldiers, 6 elite
women, 6 common women, many eunuchs, Shaistekhan’s son, his son in
law, some of his wives, and daughter in laws were killed in this
attack. Shaistekhan was attacked in his bedroom and lost his three
fingers. He escaped, however. Shaistekhan was attacked in April 1663.
He stayed in Pune for 6 months and tried to whitewash his failure.
But, to no avail. In December, Aurangzeb transferred Shaistekhan to
Dhaka as governor of Bengal.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 14
Shaistekhan and Surat . . .
It is possible to stun the world around you by doing something
extraordinary. All the magicians do that. However, that was not the
business of Shivaji. The period, for which the world has been
stunned, Shivaji retained his poise and did something extraordinary
which used to, gave him a lasting success. After the defeat of Afzal
Khan, he went on to conquer Konkan, South Maharashtra and forayed up
to the region as deep as Bijapur. After attacking Shaistekhan, he
retook the lost Konkan. It was his political understanding that he
used to attain lasting success by a swift campaign followed by a
stunner. Shaistekhan tried to contain Shivaji for 6 months, but to no
avail. Aurangzeb had no issues with surprises, but what next? This
was his realistic question. Shaistekhan left for Bengal in December
1663, and in January 1664, Shivaji plundered Surat. If Afzal episode
gave Shivaji a pan-Indian popularity, this task of looting Surat made
him an international celebrity where he was discussed in all the
Muslim and a substantial part of the Christian world. With this act
he formally declared war on Aurangzeb.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 15
Mirza Raja Jaisingh . . .
Most of the contemporary chroniclers have taken for granted the
soft corner for Shivaji in Mirza Jaisingh’s heart. There are about 26
letters available, which suggest that Jaisingh was one of the most
trusted generals of Aurangzeb. After defeating Shivaji, it was
Jaisingh’s suggestion that Shivaji be called to Delhi. Aurangzeb
accepted it. It was Jaisingh’s suggestion that Shivaji be kept in
house arrest. Aurangzeb accepted it. It was Jaisingh’s suggestion
again that he must not be harmed, for any injury to his health may
culminate into a rebellion amongst recently subdued Marathas. It was
Jaisingh’s reasoning that Shivaji be kept as captive in Delhi to
blackmail Marathas, but must not be harmed. Aurangzeb accepted this
suggestion too. Later, he has publicly admitted the folly of his of
accepting this particular suggestion of Jaisingh. Aurangzeb was in
favor of killing off Shivaji. Jaisingh shows a complex mixture of
emotions when it comes to Shivaji and Sambhaji. He was seeing a Hindu
state coming into existence in spite of all odds. Nevertheless, he
was a faithful servant of Aurangzeb.
It was not very sensitive of Jaisingh to keep nine-year-old
Sambhaji as captive in his camp until all the terms of the Maratha -
Mughal treaty were implemented. As a politician, Jaisingh was brutal
and ruthless. However, he had an emotional side as well. It is
documented that both Shivaji and Mirza Jaisingh had deployed
mercenary assassins to finish each other. However, both failed.
The clauses of the treaty were also quite harsh on the part of
Marathas. Shivaji had to cede 23 forts and region giving revenue of
400,000 rupees to Mughals. Shivaji was left with 12 forts and region
of 100,000 rupees. Shivaji had to accept supremacy of Aurangzeb and
forced to serve Aurangzeb as an ordinary Jagirdar. Shivaji and
Marathas were practically finished, thanks to the shrewd politics of
Jaisingh and Aurangzeb.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 16
The Revival . . .
Shivaji laid low for 3 years after his escape from Agra.
Meanwhile, he implemented various land reforms in his lands. Shivaji
and his minister Annaji Datto were the main pioneers of the land
reforms introduced. He started the practice of giving regular wages
to soldiers. From 1669 onwards, he unleashed himself on Mughal and
Adilshahi territory in Maharashtra. His revival was further
instigated by growing fanaticism of Aurangzeb shown by his
destruction of Hindu temples like Kashi Vishweshwar and Mathura and
countless others along with imposition of Jiziya Tax on Non-Muslims.
He not only regained the lost territory but also conquered new one.
The expansion of Maratha state was alike in land and sea. Entire
western Maharashtra, parts of Southern Gujarat and Northern Karnataka
were brought under Maratha dominion. Land reforms were introduced
which increased his popularity amongst the masses immensely. At the
time of his coronation in 1674, his influence was substantial enough
for others in India to recognize him as a formidable power.
Especially, his rebellion against Aurangzeb made him a hero amongst
the new generation of Hindus.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 17
Coronation . . .
In 1674, Shivaji successfully proved his Kshatriya descent using
the documents that his father had already attested through Adilshahi
government. He performed all sorts of rituals, thread ceremony,
marrying his own wives again. That was the time when religion was
very much influential.
According to Hindu theology, Coronation OR Rajya-Abhishek is a
holy ceremony of immense socio-political importance. King being
incarnation of Vishnu, his land was his wife, and all his subjects
were his children. An authorized OR Coronated King was an incarnation
of Vishnu himself.
By that time, the mentality of a common Hindu in India was that
ruler is always a Muslim. In addition, ruler of Delhi was considered
as Emperor of India. The Bahamani Kingdom, at its zenith, considered
themselves as Vazirs of Delhi Sultanate, who in turn considered
himself as subordinate of Caliph. Since the rulers were Muslims,
Indian Muslim Emperors usually portrayed India as a part of Islamic
Caliphate. Allah-ud-din Khilji had his rule attested from the ruler
of Iran. Aurangzeb had his rule on India attested from the Caliph of
Ottoman Empire in Turkey. Even Adilshahi, Kutubshahi considered ruler
of Delhi as Emperor of India. There were many Rajput Hindu Kings
before Shivaji. However, no one had himself Coronated according to
Vedic tradition. Even the mighty Hindu Vijaynagar Empire did not have
a King that was Coronated according to Vedic Tradition. This very
ancient ritual of Rajya-Abhishek had disappeared from India after
1000 AD. People knew of this ritual only from stories in the Ramayana
and Mahabharata.
Gagabhat resurrected this ritual again after studying Vedic
literature and Coronated Shivaji. This was a revolutionary event,
considering the rigid religious society existing at the time. On one
had, Shivaji was relating himself with Rama, Yudhishthira and
Vikramaditya. On other hand, he was appealing to emotions of all
Hindus in India, stating that they have a Formal Hindu Empire in
India, which was fighting for the cause of Hindus. According to Hindu
Puranas, the lineage of Kshatriya Kings was lost in Kaliyuga. By
performing this ritual, Shivaji was symbolically stating that
Kaliyuga was over and Satya Yuga had begun. He was making a statement
that a new age had begun.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 18
The Conquest of South . . .
He undertook the conquest of south in 1677 and carved a Maratha
empire in Southern Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This was the pinnacle of
his tactical, strategic, diplomatic and military achievements. In
doing so, he entered into a strategic alliance with Kutubshah. He
also persuaded Adilshah the importance of a United Deccan Front
against impending Mughal invasion, a vision that was long propounded
by his father, Shahaji.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 19
Death . . .
Shivaji’s last days were marred with few internal conflicts
between his council of ministers and his son. The Chief of Army
HambirRao Mohite backed Sambhaji, while the other ministers backed
his wife Soyarabai’s claim that Rajaram be named as successor of
Shivaji. Moreover, at this very time, Shivaji was a patient suffering
from Bloody flukes, and Mughal armies were gathering on the
Frontiers. His cremation was not carried out on all its decorum,
because, the Maratha-Mughal clashes began in that very week. Later,
Sambhaji performed all the rituals with funeral games lasting for 12
days. He died on 3rd April 1680.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 20
Shivaji and Navy . . .
Shivaji started building his own naval forces since 1656, well
before he killed Afzal Khan. This explains the canvass of his vision.
Maratha-Portuguese relations were always strained. The decision of
Shivaji to build a navy was essentially to contain European forces.
Portuguese authorities issued orders to be wary of the Maratha Navy
from 1659. After the great Ramraja Chola of 11th century, no Indian
dynasty gave importance to the Navy. Vijaynagar, Adilshah, Kutubshah,
Nizamshah, Mughals were seeing the increasing Portuguese influence.
However, no one treated Navy as essential component of their armed
forces. The Construction of Naval forts like Sindhu-durga in 1664,
Vijay-durag, and Khanderi-Underi, his naval conquest of Basnoor and
Gokarna in 1665 are of immense importance while trying to grasp the
personality of this man. Portuguese had issued Inquisition in Goa and
were forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity, well before
Shivaji’s birth. He defeated Portuguese for the first time in 1667,
and Sambhaji and later the Peshwas continuously perpetuated his anti-
Portugal policy. The reasons of this policy were not only political,
but theological too. English were not a considerable force at the
time.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 21
Attempt of an analysis . . .
It is observed that among his contemporaries, hardly anyone
could grasp his vision. Shivaji always tried to befriend the Hindu
Sardars. However, he could not garner support from the people of his
contemporary generation. All his Contemporary Hindu big shots were
serving Islamic empires and fighting against his Kingdom. They were
seeing a Hindu Kingdom coming into existence. However, they had
nothing to offer except jealousy. The New generation, however, was
heavily influenced by his work and his ideology. The proof for this
statement is that Aurangzeb could not defeat the Marathas in spite of
27-year long warfare.
Repeatedly he entered into treaty with Mughals, Adilshah,
Kutubshah, and Portuguese. However, he was never the first to breach
the treaty with Adilshah OR Kutubshah. His policy towards Mughals and
Portuguese was always that of adversary. He did not harm English and
French and was neutral towards them. His policy towards Adilshah and
Kutubshah was that of potential strategic partners. Adilshah never
accepted alliance of Marathas completely and chose suicidal path.
Kutubshah did and put up a united front against the Mughal onslaught.
Chhatrasaal Bundela was one of the many young men who were inspired
from Shivaji. He went on to liberate his own homeland, Bundel Khand
from Mughals. Sikhs were influenced by Maratha upheaval. Guru
Gobindsinghji came to Deccan for establishing contact with Marathas
but Aurangzeb gruesomely killed him in Nanded. It is unfortunate that
Maratha-Sikh relation could not develop.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 22
Personal traits . . .
He was known to be very vigilant about honor of women; even
Persian documents praise him for this quality. His personal character
was very clean, quite anomalous with respect to his contemporaries.
It is a well-documented fact that he was tolerant towards masses of
all religions and never indulged himself in any of the heinous deeds
that the marauding Muslim and Christian forces had inflicted upon
India. It is proven by Shejvalkar, that although Shivaji was
courageous, he did not use horse as his frequent mode of
transportation. Usually, he used a Palaquin. Seven-Eighth of his
life, he spent on forts. The modus operandi of Shivaji and subsequent
Marathas involved thorough initial planning of the campaign,
accepting no more risks than are necessary, and as far as possible,
rarely indulging in personal adventures.
It is important to understand limitations of Shivaji and to
certain extent, subsequent Marathas. In 17th century, European rulers
had renaissance as their ideological backbone. Shivaji did not have
such ideological pool to derive inspiration. The Bhakti Movement was
one of the probable sources that might have influenced Shivaji in his
formative years. This differentiates Shivaji from Cromwell and
Napoleon. He was not a hedonist, nor a socialist. He never thought of
educating the downtrodden castes and reforming the Hindu society,
eliminating caste system. He never indulged in literacy campaign OR
establish printing press. He always purchased firearms from English
OR Dutch. It does not seem that Shivaji cared for the whereabouts of
white Europeans. Before his birth, Galileo had invented the
telescope, Columbus had discovered America, Magellan had
circumnavigated the globe, Issac Newton was his contemporary. Like
all great men, Shivaji was a product of his own time. His greatness
lies in his understanding of his contemporary time with all its
subtle undercurrents.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 23
How Small Shivaji Was...
The first fact to strike is that he created a kingdom. There
must have been over 500 Dynasties in India. Each had a founder. One
among them was Shivaji. The rest had an opportunity to do so because
of the reigning confusion. Vassals of a weak King would declare
independence with the central power helpless to prevent it. A
powerful general used to dethrone a weak King and raise his own
Kingdom. This had been the usual way of establishing a new dynasty.
The new King inherited the existing Army and the bureaucratic
structure automatically. In Shivaji’s case however, we find out that
he had to raise everything from nothing, who did not have the benefit
of a ready strong army; who, on trying to establish himself, had to
face the might of Great Powers; with neighboring Bijapur and Golconda
powers still on the rise and the Moghul Empire at its zenith. Shivaji
was carving away a niche out of the Bijapur Empire that had
assimilated more than half of Nijamshahi and was on its way to
conquer entire Karnataka. Here is somebody who, from the start, never
had the might to defeat his rivals in a face-to-face battle, who saw
the efforts of 20 years go down the drain in a matter of 4 months;
but still fought on to create an Empire with 29 years of constant
struggle and enterprise. It would be easy to see how small he was
once we find which founder to compare him to in the annals of Indian
history, on this issue. A typical Hindu power had certain
distinguishing traits. It is not that they did not emerge victorious
in a war. Victories - there have been many. However, their victory
did not defeat the adversary completely. The latter’s territory did
not diminish, nor his might attrite. The victory rarely resulted in
expansion of Hindu territory. Even though victorious, Hindus used to
become weaker and stayed so. In short, it is plain that they faced
total destruction in case of defeat and high attrition in case of
Pyrrhic victory.
A new chapter in Hindu history begins with Shivaji wherein
battles are won to expand the borders while strength and will power
is preserved in a defeat. Secondly, the Hindu Rulers used to be
astonishingly ignorant of the happenings in neighboring Kingdoms.
Their enemy would catch them unaware, often intruding considerably
into their territory and only then would they wake up to face the
situation. Whatever be the outcome of the battle, it was their land
which was defiled. The arrival of Shivaji radically changes this
scenario and heralds the beginning of an era of staying alert before
a war and unexpected raids on the enemy. Thirdly, the Hindu Kings
habitually placed blind faith in their adversaries. This saga
terminates with Shivaji performing the treacherous tricks. It was the
turn of the opponents to get stunned. In the ranks of Hindu Kings,
the search is still going on for somebody to compare with Shivaji on
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 24
this point. . His lifestyle was not simple. Having adopted a choice,
rich lifestyle, he was not lavish. He was gracious to other
religions. On that account, he may be compared with Ashoka, Harsha,
Vikramaditya, and Akbar. However, all of these possessed great
harems. Akbar had the Meenabazaar, Ashoka had the Tishyarakshita.
Shivaji had not given free reign to his lust. Kings, both Hindu and
Muslim, had an overflowing, ever youthful desire for women. That was
lacking in Shivaji. He had neither the money to spend on sculptures,
paintings, music, poetry or monuments nor the inclination. He did not
possess the classical appreciation needed to spend over 20 crores to
build a Taj Mahal as famine was claiming over hundreds of thousands
of lives; nor was he pious enough to erect temple after temple while
the British were systematically consuming India.
He was a sinner; he was a practical man like the rest of us.
Khafi Khan says he went to Hell. He would not have enjoyed the
company of the brave warriors who preferred gallant death to
preservation of their land. It would have ill suited him to live with
the noble Kings who would rather indulge in rituals such as Yadnya
than expand the army. For the Heaven is full of such personalities.
Akbar adopted a generous attitude towards Hindus and has been
praised for that. However, it is an elementary rule that a stable
government is impossible without having a contented majority. Akbar
was courteous to them who, as a community, were raising his kingdom
and stabilizing it for him. The Hindus he treated well were a
majority in his empire and were enriching his treasury through their
taxes. The Hindus had no history of invasions. They had not destroyed
Mosques. They were never indulged in genocides against Muslims. They
had not defiled Muslim women nor were they proselytes, as compared to
Abrahmic fanatics found in Muslims and Christians. These were the
people Akbar was generous to. On the contrary; Muslims were a
minority community in Shivaji’s Empire. They were not the mainstay of
his taxes. They were not chalking out a Kingdom for him. Besides,
there was a danger of an invasion and Aurangzeb was imposing Jiziya
Tax on Hindus. Yet, he treated Muslims well. That was not out of fear
but because of his inborn generosity.
Shivaji's expertise as a General is, of course, undisputed.
However, besides that, he was also an excellent Governor. He believed
that the welfare of the subjects was a responsibility of the ruler.
Even though he fought so many battles, he never laid extra taxes on
his subjects. Even the expenditure for his Coronation was covered by
the taxes on the collectors. In a letter he challenges, "It is true
that I've deceived many of my enemies. Can you show an instance where
I deceived a friend?" This challenge remains unanswered.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 25
He funded establishment of new villages, set up tax systems on
the farms, used the forts to store the farm produce, gave loans to
farmers for the purchase of seeds, oxen etc, built new forts, had the
language standardized to facilitate the intra-government
communication, had the astrology revived and revised, encouraged
conversion of people from Islam to Hinduism. He was not a mere
warrior. Moreover, he believed that charity begins at home. His
brother in law, Bajaji Nimbalkar, was forcibly converted to Islam. He
called for a religious council and had him reconverted to Hinduism.
He reconverted many people who were forcibly converted to Abrahmic
faiths, Islam OR Christianity. Even after conversion, when nobody was
ready to make a marital alliance with Bajaji’s son, Mahadaji, Shivaji
gave his own daughter to Bajaji’s Son in marriage, and set an example
in society.
Secondly, and most important of all, to protect his Kingdom, his
subjects fought for over 27 years. After Shivaji's demise, they
fought under Sambhaji. After Aurangzeb killed Sambhaji, they still
fought for over 19 years. In this continued struggle, a minimum of
500,000 Moguls died (Jadunath Sarkar's estimate). Over 200,000
Marathas died. Still in 1707, over 100,000 Marathas were fighting.
They did not have a distinguished leader to look for inspiration.
There was no guarantee of a regular payment. Still, they kept on
fighting. In these 27 years, Aurangzeb did not suffer a defeat. That
was because Marathas simply lacked the force necessary to defeat so
vast an army. Jadunath says, "Alamgir won battle after battle.
Nevertheless, after spending crores of rupees, he accomplished
nothing, apart from weakening his All India Empire and his own death.
He could not defeat Marathas". When the Peshawai ended
(A.D.1818), there was an air of satisfaction that a government of law
would replace a disorderly government. Sweets were distributed when
the British won Bengal in Plassey (A.D.1757). Where ordinary man
fights, armies can do nothing. In long history of India, Kalinga
fought against Ashoka. After Kalinga, Maharashtra fought with Mughals
from grass-root level. The greatness of Shivaji lies here in his
ability to influence generations to fight for a cause.
Why was Shivaji successful in making common man identify with
his kingdom? The first reason is his invention of new hit and run
tactic. He showed people that they can fight Mughals and win. The
insistence was always on survival and maximum attrition of enemy in
his territory and successful retreat. He gave his men the confidence
that if they fight this way, they will not only outlast the Mughals,
but also defeat them. He gave way to traditional notions of chivalry
and valor on battlefield, for which Rajputs were famous. Instead, he
focused on perseverance, attrition, survival at all costs, series of
tactical retreats and then finishing off the foe. His land reforms
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 26
were revolutionary which further brought his subjects emotionally
closer to him. He took care of their material needs, which is of
utmost importance. He started the system of wages in his army. And
third reason is Hindu Ethos and hatred towards Muslim supremacy
prevalent in masses. In this light, the above facts demonstrate the
excellence of Shivaji as founder of a dynasty, which ended political
supremacy of Islam in India.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 27
Conclusion . . .
Shivaji fits in all the criteria of Chanakya’s ideal King.
Considering the prevalent socio-political scenario, it is fallacious
to try and fit Shivaji in classical Kshatriya values of chivalry and
nobility. Shivaji was religious; but he was not a fanatic. Although
ruthless and stubborn, he was not cruel and sadist. He was
courageous, yet not impulsive. He was practical; but was not without
ambition. He was a dreamer who dreamt lofty aims and had the firm
capacity to convert them into reality.
Shri. Narahar Kurundkar
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 28
Epilogue on Coronation Controversy . . .
There have been few controversies existing regarding the
Coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
This controversy has been fueled and used to create the famous
Brahmin-Maratha dispute in Maharashtra. I strongly oppose such
mischief mongers and believe that both these communities are pillars
of Maharashtrian society and need to move ahead hand in hand.
While criticizing any historical personality, I think, we must
think from the reference frame existing during that time. Trying to
apply present values and understanding of ethics to the people of
past is a big fallacy and nothing is more misleading and specious
than this.
The controversy arose due to following reasons.
Firstly, according to Hindu theology, in kali-yuga, there are
only 2 varnas; Brahmins and Shudras. There are no Kshtriyas and
Vaishyas. The opposition of Brahmins to recognize Shivaji as a
Kshatriya has the roots in this deep rooted belief. Shivaji proved
his descent by tracing his lineage to Sisodiya Rajputs of Rajasthan.
In fact, this was done by Shahaji itself in 1630's.
The Second issue was- Many Brahmins in past, like Krishnaji
Bhaskar emissary of Afzal Khan, were killed by Shivaji himself. It is
a well known fact that Brahma-Hatya (Murder of Brahmin) is one of the
biggest sins that are described in Hindu theology. No one was
supposed to kill a Brahmin. Since Shivaji had killed Brahmins,
according to theology, it was a crime with no Prayashchitta
(repentance ritual). But, Gaga Bhat being an authority on Vedic
literature argued that there were some repentance rituals which were
described in scriptures which could wash the sin of a man who had to
kill a Brahmin in extreme situations. Also, he reasoned that since
Brahmins that were killed by Shivaji were not practicing Brahmins,
but were just by birth, it is possible to have a repentance ritual
for the killings of Brahmins in such cases.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 29
Thirdly, for being a Kshatriya OR Brahmin OR Vaishya, one has to
be a Dwija (twice born). According to Hindu theology, man comes to
birth on second instance when he has performed the thread ceremony OR
Upanayan Sanskar. After that ceremony, man enters Brahmacharya-
Ashram. After this stage, he can marry and enter Grihastha-Ashram.
Shivaji was already married to 8 ladies. So he entered Grihastha-
Ashram without going through Brahmacharya-Ashram and was an immoral
act according to scriptures. This was a technical fault. So thread
ceremony was performed on Shivaji and he formally became a
Brahmachāri. Then he remarried to his wives again and formally became
a Grihastha. Now he was eligible to be Coronated as a King.
After he became a Coronated King, he was conferred the authority
OR the Raja-Danda to punish Brahmin culprits to death as well. No sin
whatsoever, as a Coronated King is considered an incarnation of Lord
Vishnu himself.
Shivaji performed all these ceremonies and rituals of repentance
and others elaborately. There were too many rituals to perform.
Hence, it was a bit costly affair. He recovered the money by looting
Mughal treasury soon after the Coronation. He also levied a surcharge
over the Feudal Lords. He did not levy a single penny extra tax on
the common man.
Today, we may laugh on this ritualistic society. But at that
time, it was the norm of society. Shivaji himself abided to it. Hindu
society had become too rigid and ritualistic. And don't forget, this
was a revolutionary thing happening. It was something that was
unheard of in real life. It was heard only in myths and tales. It
takes time for a Rigid Society to accept this change. But the work of
Shivaji and authority of Gaga Bhat were in favor of this very
aberrant ceremony. Hence it was materialized.
We should not forget the ritualistic society that existed then,
and was at its lowest ebb due to Islamic supremacy.
Maratha movement was a part of overall Hindu revival. Everybody
in this world is motivated by selfish reasons. But, along with the
ambition to establish an Empire, their ambition also was to end the
socio-political Islamic Supremacy in India. Although they lasted for
170 years, from 1645-1818, they succeeded in loosening and throwing
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 30
the shackles of Islamic supremacy to a very large extent. Sikhs,
Ahoms, Jats, later Rajputs, Bundelas and many others were also an
important part of this overall Hindu Revival.
People from different states refuse to acknowledge this fact. It
is pity that many people from other states feel Mughals were much
closer to them than Marathas. This is partly because of certain illdeeds
of Marathas themselves.
The contribution of Marathas towards nationalistic Hindu Revival
was rarely understood in medieval days. And it is misunderstood in
this era by many people of other states.
I think, we need to polish and present our image in history with
vehemence so that we can give our ancestors due credit...
- Ambareesh Phadnavis.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – An Analysis Page 31
References
* Raja Shiva Chhatrapati – B M Purandare
* Selected works of V K Rajwade
* Narahar Kurundkar
* Shejvalkar
* Shivaji and his Times - Jadunath Sarkar
* Riyasat -- Sardesai
* Six glorious epochs of Indian History -- V D Savarkar
* Hindu Pad Paatshahi -- V D Savarkar
* Sabhasad Bakhar
* History of India - Grant Duff
* Works of Vincent Smith
* Shriman Yogi - Ranjit Desai
* The article is crudely based on Preface of the novel Shriman Yogi by Shri. Ranjit
Desai. This Preface is written by Shri. Narahar Kurundkar.
Shivaji Maharaj
Shivaji Maharaj
Chh. Shivaji Maharaj on Postal Stamps
Chh. Shivaji Maharaj Stamp First Day Cover
Chh. Shivaji Maharaj Stamp
Chh. Shivaji Maharaj Stamp
Chh. Shivaji Maharaj Stamp
Chh. Shivaji Maharaj and Jijabai Stamp
Rare photo of Shivaji Maharaj
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| Rare photo of Shivaji Maharaj |
Original Photo Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - Great Maratha King Shiwaji weapons
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