How were secret messages sent during Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's time? And how was Shivaji Maharaj's spy account?
The use of espionage in the Maratha Empire was fully accomplished by only two persons. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the other Nana Fadnavis.
In modern history, using espionage to destroy enemies, 1) Israel - Mossad 2) Russia - KGB ... President Putin of Russia was the head of their spy agency (KGB).
The main branch of any state's army is its intelligence agency. Half of the success of a king's campaign depends on spies. Shivaji Maharaj's espionage was also very skillful and excellent. It was really so secret that exactly how many people were working in Shivaji Maharaj's spy agency and how their daily work was going on is still an unsolved mystery! . Some names like Bahirji Naik Jadhav, Vishwasrao Nanaji Dighe Deshpande-Musekhorekar, Vallabhadas Gujarati, Sundardas Prabhuji Gujarati, Mahadev Mali are found in it. The head of Swarajya's spy agency, Mose Khoryasatal Deshpande, was a formidable man named Vishwasrao Nanaji Dighe. In the Maharaja's war with Afzal Khan, further after Afzalvada, the conquest of the Pratapgad to Kolhapur belt and the invasion of the Mongols even when the Maharaja was trapped in Panhala. Maybe because of Vishwasrao's age, But he was given a break and replaced by a man as bold and as heavy-chested as the spy chief, Bhairji Naik Jadhav! After this, Bahirji Naik Jadhav remained the head of the spy agency throughout Shivaji Maharaj's lifetime. There are evidences that these outsiders have also performed very well. The most important of them was the looting of Surat (first and second) and it was done very secretly when Maharaj was trapped in Agra!
The Intelligence Department also had two divisions. That is, spies in the official intelligence agency and lawyers going to foreign countries!
The identity of the people who were in the secret service itself was unknown. These people were working in such an unknown manner that even their family members could not recognize that the person in front of them was one of them. Now, what will the enemy know about this state of the family? These spies, in various guises, used to convey the news of the enemy to the Maharaja or, in the absence of the Maharaja, to the Prime Minister, the Commander-in-Chief or an equivalent officer of the Swarajya. Then on occasion these spies were ready to do any work like Saints, Gosavi-Bairagis, Pirs, Garudis, Kudmude astrologers, Panakyas, Fitoors, sharpening weapons, hoofing horses, vethbigari. In any case, taking care that no one would find out, these spies of Swarajya used to perform their work very well, keeping a fierce and sharp eye everywhere. Every time a spy of the enemy's company leaves his work, or himself Hoon could not bring the news to Maharaj. Because of this, at a distance of a few kilometers, the men of the Swarajya spy agency were deployed for various tasks. These spies used to work in a chain manner and reach the news at very timely, very fast speed wherever Maharaj was.
The second line of spies is Maharaja's lawyers! Lawyers who went to foreign countries to negotiate also used to bring good and accurate news. Originally, Maharaj used to send a sharp-eyed and very careful, and very intelligent person as his lawyer. Sonopant Vishwanath Dabir Pantsumant, his son-in-law Trimbak Sondev Dabir, Sonopant's son-in-law Raghunath Ballal Korde, Raghunath Ballal Atre Pantasbanis, Sakhopant Krishna Lohokare, Mulla Haider alias Kazi Haider, Pantaji Gopinath Bokil, etc. Check out the performance of these Bilandar lawyers of Maharaja-
At the beginning of the establishment of Swarajya, the Maharaja quickly captured each and every region under the control of Adil Shah. But the Maharaja played another trick, he sent his lawyer, Sonopant Dabir, a highly diplomatic and experienced Brahmin trusted by Shahajiraj, to Aurangzeb to get the recognition of the conquered territory of Adilshahi. Aurangzeb was also surprised, because Maharaj had won Mulukh from Adil Shah, and he was asking permission from Aurangzeb! Poor Aurangzeb felt that Shivaji was keeping him away from fighting him, he sent a letter to Maharaj along with Sonapanta, "... the forts of the Samprat Bijapurs, the land you have, we have our approval. We are totally greedy for you…”. This letter was dated of 23 April 1657.. But Aurangzeb did not know that, The man who has come to us as a lawyer is so arrogant. ... and exactly one week later, d. On 30th April 1657, the Maharaja took with him five to six hundred Mawlas and virtually plundered Peth Junnar, a very important Thane of the Mongols. Junnar's coffers filled with lakhs of rupees are empty! After hearing this news, Aurangzeb was furious. Of course, Aurangzeb was sure that Aurangzeb would understand this news at some point! That is why he sent Sonopant's son-in-law Raghunath Ballal Korde again to Aurangzeb as a lawyer. Raghunathpant was also a bilander like his father-in-law. He sweetly spoke, in every way appeased Aurangzeb's anger and also conveyed the repentant farewell of Shivaji Maharaj. Finally, Aurangzeb also forgave Maharaj with a 'generous heart'! Because he too was in a hurry to seize the throne of Delhi before everyone else. On 30th April 1657, the Maharaja took with him five to six hundred Mawlas and virtually plundered Peth Junnar, a very important Thane of the Mongols. Junnar's coffers filled with lakhs of rupees are empty! After hearing this news, Aurangzeb was furious. Of course, Aurangzeb was sure that Aurangzeb would understand this news at some point! That is why he sent Sonopant's son-in-law Raghunath Ballal Korde again to Aurangzeb as a lawyer. Raghunathpant was also a bilander like his father-in-law. He sweetly spoke, in every way appeased Aurangzeb's anger and also conveyed the repentant farewell of Shivaji Maharaj. Finally, Aurangzeb also forgave Maharaj with a 'generous heart'! Because he too was in a hurry to seize the throne of Delhi before everyone else. On 30th April 1657, the Maharaja took with him five to six hundred Mawlas and virtually plundered Peth Junnar, a very important Thane of the Mongols. Junnar's coffers filled with lakhs of rupees are empty! After hearing this news, Aurangzeb was furious. Of course, Aurangzeb was sure that Aurangzeb would understand this news at some point! That is why he sent Sonopant's son-in-law Raghunath Ballal Korde again to Aurangzeb as a lawyer. Raghunathpant was also a bilander like his father-in-law. He sweetly spoke, in every way appeased Aurangzeb's anger and also conveyed the repentant farewell of Shivaji Maharaj. Finally, Aurangzeb also forgave Maharaj with a 'generous heart'! Because he too was in a hurry to seize the throne of Delhi before everyone else. Junnar's coffers filled with lakhs of rupees are empty! After hearing this news, Aurangzeb was furious. Of course, Aurangzeb was sure that Aurangzeb would understand this news at some point! That is why he sent Sonopant's son-in-law Raghunath Ballal Korde again to Aurangzeb as a lawyer. Raghunathpant was also a bilander like his father-in-law. He sweetly spoke, in every way appeased Aurangzeb's anger and also conveyed the repentant farewell of Shivaji Maharaj. Finally, Aurangzeb also forgave Maharaj with a 'generous heart'! Because he too was in a hurry to seize the throne of Delhi before everyone else. Junnar's coffers filled with lakhs of rupees are empty! After hearing this news, Aurangzeb was furious. Of course, Aurangzeb was sure that Aurangzeb would understand this news at some point! That is why he sent Sonopant's son-in-law Raghunath Ballal Korde again to Aurangzeb as a lawyer. Raghunathpant was also a bilander like his father-in-law. He sweetly spoke, in every way appeased Aurangzeb's anger and also conveyed the repentant farewell of Shivaji Maharaj. Finally, Aurangzeb also forgave Maharaj with a 'generous heart'! Because he too was in a hurry to seize the throne of Delhi before everyone else. That is why he sent Sonopant's son-in-law Raghunath Ballal Korde again to Aurangzeb as a lawyer. Raghunathpant was also a bilander like his father-in-law. He sweetly spoke, in every way appeased Aurangzeb's anger and also conveyed the repentant farewell of Shivaji Maharaj. Finally, Aurangzeb also forgave Maharaj with a 'generous heart'! Because he too was in a hurry to seize the throne of Delhi before everyone else. That is why he sent Sonopant's son-in-law Raghunath Ballal Korde again to Aurangzeb as a lawyer. Raghunathpant was also a bilander like his father-in-law. He sweetly spoke, in every way appeased Aurangzeb's anger and also conveyed the repentant farewell of Shivaji Maharaj. Finally, Aurangzeb also forgave Maharaj with a 'generous heart'! Because he too was in a hurry to seize the throne of Delhi before everyone else.
Pantaji Gopinath Bokil, another lawyer of Maharaja, was very responsible. The Maharaja had sent Pantajipant as a lawyer to Afzal Khan. Afzal Khan was also aware that Maharaj used to call Pant as uncle. Uncle did the important feat of bringing a mighty enemy like Afjalkhana from Vai to Pratapgad by constantly licking his honey stick saying 'Shivaji Maharaj is afraid of you'. Apart from this, the evil intentions in the Khan's mind and the situation in the Khan's army were conveyed to the Maharaja from time to time and alerted the Maharaja. Once the Khan was embarrassed, he said to his uncle, 'If you take responsibility that Shivaji will not betray Shivaji when I come under Pratapgarh, I will come. Because you are Junardar (junar means Janam) that is Brahmin! A Brahmin's word is very sacred, then you give me the certificate!' Pant knew the heart of the Maharaja.
In this and many other performances, in almost every one of them, the intelligence service performed very well. During raids on Maharaja's Shaistekhan, a gardener from Lal Mahal used to provide news to Maharaja. Maharaja used to understand the small events happening in the palace in great detail. See, where the Maharaj's spies had reached!
The spy is like the third eye of the king! From the point of view of Hera, it is as if the king is looking into the territory of the enemy. Because of that, the intelligence had to be very careful. Not a single spy walked around in a frenzy. If this happened, the success of the campaign would have been lost! Spies were very clever, intelligent and versatile. Shivaji Maharaj's military system and espionage were so precise that the Mongli chieftains and even the emperor himself sometimes thought, 'This Shivaji must know sorcery, otherwise he would not have made such 'sudden and precise' attacks'... As they did not know about 'magic', they believed in these silly superstitions. But this alone shows the importance of Swarajya spies. What to write? Salute to these sleepy chested spies who risked their lives for Swarajya!!
Performance of espionage
After killing Afzal Khan, the kings invaded Adil Shah's kingdom. Seeing the increasing strength and courage of the kings, the enraged Adil Shah sent Siddi Jauhar against the kings. This Siddi Jauhar was not completely loyal to Adilshahi. He had rebelled against Adil Shah a few times before. But when Adil Shah was in trouble, Jauhar himself wrote a letter apologizing for his bad deeds, asking Adil Shah to send him on a mission, and as Adil Shah had no other great chief at present, he sent Jauhar against the king. Siddi Johar besieged Panhala with thirty to thirty five thousand troops. Even though the siege of Panhala had been going on for four months, there was no sign of lifting the siege. The kings began to play their game.
News that strengthened Adil Shah's initial suspicions about Jauhar began to spread through the king's spies. The king escaped from the siege of Panhala because Jauhar was fitur to the king, a rumor spread everywhere at that time.
According to his Tarikh-i-Ali, the king repeated the same game played with Afzal Khan. 'I am very scared, have committed many crimes. The king started singing the song "I will fill my mind with the preaching of your grace" etc. Jauhar was happy with this letter from the king. But he was fooled by Shivaji's acceptance letter.
The news of Raje and Siddi was, of course, conveyed through spies as and where they wanted. In this, the kings achieved two things. Leaving Jauhar unharmed, he paved the way for his escape and at the same time Adil Shaha and Jauhar split. The result of all this politics was that later Adil Shah killed Johar by using poison.
2) After conquering Pirda, Shahistekhan sent Kartalab to invade the Konkan. Khana kept his riding route very secret. Khan suggested that he would descend via Borghat route. But Khana was yet to experience how capable the king's spy agency was.
News reached the Khana that the Raja had started massing his forces around Pen. Khana's journey started via Borghat itself, but suddenly instead of going to Lonavala, he turned a little south. A changed way of eating reached the kings. This whole region is densely forested. Khan reached Kurwanda Ghat on February 1. In fact the king's army also entered the forest of Kurwanda Ghat on one date. Khana's patrol team assured that the route was safe. Before the king came to know about Khana's changed course, Khana planned to attack the king's army by descending from the Kurwanda Ghat. The fact that Khan would descend from the Kurwanda Ghat was very important for the attack. About two miles from Kurwanda Ghat is a village called Chavani. The road ahead from here is very steep and very bumpy. That is the way one person at a time has to go in a 'single line' like this. 'Ekayne or Shailasthambawatkhanjantarudke or Swabhumibalenabhihanyu: .' According to Arthashastra, when the enemy is on a path passable by one man, on a mountain, behind a fence, in a swamp or in water, he should occupy himself on favorable ground and attack him. The kings took advantage of this natural situation. After coming to Chavani, there is Umbere village, half a mile uphill by the bend of the river. The mile-long valley between Chavani and Umbere village is like a pass, so it is called Umberkhind. The soldiers who are hiding in the forest are supposed to force the advance of the enemy's army on the border or to destroy the enemy's logistics, kumak and foraging units on a single man-passable route. On February 1, the Raja planted his army in a strategic position in Umbarkhindi till evening. The army had swords, bows and arrows, guns and plenty of stones. Stay on favorable ground and attack him. The kings took advantage of this natural situation. After coming to Chavani, there is Umbere village, half a mile uphill by the bend of the river. The mile-long valley between Chavani and Umbere village is like a pass, so it is called Umberkhind. The soldiers who are hiding in the forest are supposed to force the advance of the enemy's army on the border or to destroy the enemy's logistics, kumak and foraging units on a single man-passable route. On February 1, the Raja planted his army in a strategic position in Umbarkhindi till evening. The army had swords, bows and arrows, guns and plenty of stones. Stay on favorable ground and attack him. The kings took advantage of this natural situation. After coming to Chavani, there is Umbere village, half a mile uphill by the bend of the river. The mile-long valley between Chavani and Umbere village is like a pass, so it is called Umberkhind. The soldiers who are hiding in the forest are supposed to force the advance of the enemy's army on the border or to destroy the enemy's logistics, kumak and foraging units on a single man-passable route. On February 1, the Raja planted his army in a strategic position in Umbarkhindi till evening. The army had swords, bows and arrows, guns and plenty of stones. The mile-long valley between Chavani and Umbere village is like a pass, so it is called Umberkhind. The soldiers who are hiding in the forest are supposed to force the advance of the enemy's army on the border or to destroy the enemy's logistics, kumak and foraging units on a single man-passable route. On February 1, the Raja planted his army in a strategic position in Umbarkhindi till evening. The army had swords, bows and arrows, guns and plenty of stones. The mile-long valley between Chavani and Umbere village is like a pass, so it is called Umberkhind. The soldiers who are hiding in the forest are supposed to force the advance of the enemy's army on the border or to destroy the enemy's logistics, kumak and foraging units on a single man-passable route. On February 1, the Raja planted his army in a strategic position in Umbarkhindi till evening. The army had swords, bows and arrows, guns and plenty of stones.
The kings themselves got ready on the hill at the mouth of the pass. Khan's army left Ghatmatha. The plan was that if the Khan moved forward, he would come from behind without his knowledge and confuse him. According to Mowgli tradition, the Khan's army was very large. He was getting tired while going through this narrow path. By about eleven o'clock the army reached Chavani. After some rest the next journey started. Now the sun was shining. Along the way there was a famine of water and a sudden sound of trumpets. Khan's army and horses were stunned. Before realizing what had happened, the roar of 'Har Har Mahadev' rang out in the pass and the attack took place. They did not know where the Marathas were attacking from. Khan's army tried to run back, but it was now realized that the way back was also blocked. The armor of the Marathas was terrible. Seeing the whole situation, Raibagan, a brave lady chieftain who was with Kartalbakhana, advised the Khan to surrender. At last Kartalab sent his messenger to the kings. '
The kings stopped the war. Abhay was given to Kartalab. You should leave all your means and wealth where you are. Conditions were put before the Khan that the natives in his army should show favor to the kings if they wanted to come to them. Khana had no choice but to accept all the conditions.
This entire battle has once again demonstrated how capable the king's intelligence is. With swift and well-planned movements, the Raja completely defeated an army of 20,000 with only a thousand troops, even with a very small force. Also acquired huge wealth and manpower. Once again this Vijigishu king achieved complete victory.[ 1 ]
3)Attack on Shahiste Khan, Escape from Agra...Loot of Surat is another example of spies running rampant...History does not know whether Shivaji Maharaj passed through Petarya or became Bhoi. No one knows for sure by which route Shivaji Maharaj came to Rajgad. Escape from Agra is a feat of espionage at its best.
