a short history of the mahrattas by u.n. ball
DESCRIPTION
India History of the Maharatha clan.TRANSCRIPT
A A
A
SHORT HISTORY3 3
OF
[TiEMAHRATTASUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. SAN DIEGO
3 1822
02399 6192
U. \. BA) L
ifornia Dnality
A
SHORT HISTORYOF
THE MARHATTAS.(From the early times to the deathof Shivaji).
BY
UPENDRA NATH BALL,Professor of Historynrt Shivnji's,
Escape Retreat
of the
Moghuls.
CHAPTERSurat
IX.
THE RESTORATIONof
119-136of
Reconquest
Sinhgad
The Second Sack
Further
Incursion into the Moghul Terof
ritorythe
Battleof
Salheir The
European
Factories Eosslinst
Danda Rajapuri Expedition...13
Bijapur The Coronation.
CHAPTER XThe Campaignin the
7-M4
South*Bi;
Konkan the
affairs in
Operations in the apur Alliance will!
CHAPTER
Golconda The Tanjore expedition. ...145 164 XI. The Last years of Shivaji Alliance with Bijapur The fall of Bhupalgadtroublesin
Furtheran
Bijapur Naval engage-
mentDeath of Shivaji Shivaji's system of Government The Chauth and Sardcshmurkhi estimate of his greatness.
SHORT HISTORYOF
THE MAHRATTAS.CHAPTERI.
INTRODUCTION.
Moghul Power in Indi& there arose a number of small states. The old officers emperors became practically indepencf the Delhi dent in Oudh, Hyderabad and Bengal paying nominal The Rajput princes ignored allegiance to the throne.
On
the
decline
of the
the suzerainty of Delhi. the Mahratta
confederacy, the foundationin
But in the Deccan flourished which ofof
wasmostto
laid
by Shivajistates
the reign
Aurangzeb, andBritish
which was ultimately broken up by theof
and
which
forming the confederacy were addedin the
the British
Empire
nineteenth century.
The
Mahrattas ceased to be a political power since the conquest of Deogir by Ala-ud-din in 1313 A. D. In the middle of the 17th century Shivaji made them a nation
and gave them an ideal to strive for and a history to make. The rise of the Mahrattas would not have beenpossibleif
Shivaji alone
was
the upheaval of the
had tried to effect it. "It whole population," saysRanade,
"strongly bound together by the
common
affinities
of
language,
race,
religion
and
literature,
and seeking
further solidarityexistence.
by a
commonfirst
independent politicalof the
This was the
experiment
kind
attempted in India after the disastrous period
of foreign
Mussalnian invasion."
The Mahrattas foundthe
in vShivaji a leader
fit
to fulfilin his
ambitions
of
the race.
They supported himthefortressesof
national
projects
and
started
foundation of thethe
structureGhats.
on the
strong
Westernof
Their power extended over the wholeof
the
Xteccan, and in the dark daysit
the
Delhi
Empire
reached the banks of the Sutlej on the
north and
of the chiefsItofis
Ganges on the east. At one time the Mahratta became the custodians of the Moghul prestige.therefore a most fascinating study forthe
studentof
Indian history to trace the rise and
fall
such a
power.
The word MahrattaSanskrit
or Maharattha
is
derived fromderived from
Maharashtra,
which again
is
Rashtra or
Katta by the addition of the prefix Maha.
Rastikas are mentioned in the Asoka inscriptions but it isdoubtful whether the
name Maharashtraoccur in
or Maharattha
bad come
The words some inscriptions Maharathi and Maharafthini 3n the cave temples at Bhaja, Bedsa and Karli, 'which are referred to the second century after Christ. (R. G.into
use in the time of Asoka.
Bhandarkar).
It is
therefore, asserted,
that theiu the
nameearly
Mahrattha or Maharashtra came into use
cen turies
of the Christian era.
A poemattributed
in the
Mahrathi dialect entitled Setubandha is
to
Kalidasafirst
who
lived either in the
fifth
cen-
By the time tury or in the of Kalidasa the dialect was sufficiently developed, and must have been cultivated two or three centuries earlier. Mahrathi is one of the old Prakrits, and one of thehalf of the sixth century.
principal provincialcient progress.
languages which has madeliteratureofitsis
suffi-
The Mahrathi
very rich,anti-
and veryquity.
important
on account
great
The Country
Theis
country of the
people
speaking
Mahrathi language
called Maharashtra.
People someits
times identify Maharashtra with Deccan, insense,thatis
narrowest
the
land
wateredthat
by
the
GodaveriKrishna.
and
lying
between
river
upper and the
In the Strictest
sense therefore Maharashtralies
includes the
Konkanthe seas.
which
between the Western
'Ghats
and
The Mahrattas have,
however*
extended beyond the original boundaries and Grant Duff in his " History of the Mahrattas " defines Maharashtraasthe
space which
is
Satpooraeast
mountains,
bounded on the north by the and extends from Naundole
on the west, along those mountains, to the Weinegunga, of Nagpur. The western bank of that river forms a part of the eastern boundary until'into the
it falls
Warda.
From
the junction of these ri-
vers
it
may
be traced up the east hank of the
Warda to
Manikdroog, and thence westwardthislast
to
Mahoor.he
Fromto-
place a
wavingcoversto
lineit is
mayarea
extendedthe
Goa, whilst
on the westtract
bounded byof
ocean.
The wholemiles.
an
102,000 square
According
the
lastisis
census the
Mahrathi
speaking population of Indiathe population of Maharashtra
about 20 millions andabout 30 millions.lying between-
The Konkau
is
a rugged country
the Ghats and the sea extending along the coast from Sewdasheogarh to the Tapti. The country is inters-
persed with mountains 3000 to 4000
feet
high.
Theof the
breadth
of the
country from the sea to the summitto 50 miles.
Sahyadri range varies from 25sive table-land on the topis
called the
The extenKonkan-GhatThul Konkan.miles broad.
Mahta and the lower regions are called The Konkan-Ghat Mahta is 20 to
the
25
The
table-land
is
divided into
three parts viz., the.
Mawals, the Khoras, and
the Mooras.
The
hills
have made the country very strong fromof
a military point
view.
The summits
are crowned
with strong basaltic rocks, and are, therefore,
capable
of being formed into fortresses without great difficulty.
The Ghat-Mahta hasThere are from westjrange from
sloped
down towardshills
the east-
four
important ranges ofthe Satpoora
runningis
to east viz.,
range which;
the northern boundary of
Maharashtrathe
the
Chandorehills
Rhoura
to Berar;
Ahmednagar
from JoonereofSatara.
to
Bheer and the Mahdeo to the northis
There
alsoof
a the
range
tois
the
south of
Poona.
The climateit is
country
healthy but
in fertility
inferior to
some parts
of India.
The
principal rivers of Maharashtra are thethe Godaveri,tributaries.its
Narmada,
the Tapti,
with their
Bhima, and the Krishna The banks of the Godaveri, thethe
Bhima and
tributaries the
Neera and the Maun are
celebrated for the breed of horses.
The rugged
surface
of the country influenced the character of the people to
a great extent.
Theviz.,
country
is
mainly divided into three partslandthethe
the
long strip ofasthe
behind
the
Sahyadrisregionthe
knownin
Konkau,
moitutainous
the
centre
knownthe theof
asof
Mawal,
and
wide plains to
east
the hills
called the
Desh.
Thewide
fertility
of
country
varies
according to thecircumstances.
varietyis
climate
and
other
There
plenty of rainfall in theeast
plains in the
Konkan, whereas the are almost dry, receiving not more
than 20 inches of rain (hiring the year.describing tin- character of the people a modern " The race that inhabits it varies, just writer saysIn:
as
Frenchmenraces.
of
different
provinces vary.differentiateit
But
it
has
distinct
characteristics,
whichof of
from otherTheir
Indianlack
The people
Maharashtra as a rule
the
regular features
Northern Indian.
tempers,
too,
are usually less under control than thosein
of the dwellers
the
Gangetichigh as
plain.
But
their
courageIndian
is
at
best
as
that
of
any other
nation,
while
their
exquisitely
keen sense of
humour,
the lofty intelligence of their educated classes,
their blunt speech
and frank bearing raTelythe Indiantraveller
fail to
win theit
love and admiration of those Englishmen whose lotto serve
is
among themdescription
Government."
(C.
A.
Kincaid).a vivid
The Chineseof
Hiuen Tsiang gave
years
thirteen hundred " Their manners Thus wrote he are simple and honest. They are tall, haughty and supercilious in character. Whoever does them a service
the
people:
back.
may count onthemwill
their
gratitude,
but he
thatIf
offends
not escape theirriskto
revenge.theirlives
any
one
insults
them, they willIf
to
wipe outtheyto flee
the affront.will
one applycare for
them
in
difficulty,
forget
to
'
themselves intheyto
order
to his
assistance.
Whenfail
have
an
injuryto-
to
avenge, they
never
give warninghis cuirass
their
enemy,his
afterin
which each dons
and grasps
spear
fugitives, but
his hand. In battle they pursue the do not slay those who give themselves
up.
When
a general
has
lost
a
battle,
instead
of
punishing
himclothes,life."
corpora lly.
they
makehimof
himto
wear
women'shis
and byInthe
that force
sacrifice
own
later
history
the
people
most
of these
characteristics
were greatly
in evidence;
7
and their rise was due to this nobility of character and intolerance for wrong. The Mahrattas possess the constructive genius in a greater degree than any otherrace in India^ and their
modern
institutions
one believe that
such a race could not but
make have a
grand though
tragic history.
s
CHAPTER
II.
Early History of the Deccan.
no connected history of the Deccan until conquest by Ala-ud-din Khalji in 1313. The labours of Dr. R. G. Bhandarkar and a few other scholars have brought to light a few fragments fromis
There
we come
to its
ancient
inscriptionsis still
and
literature.
the main historyin his "Early
very obscure.
But as yet Dr. Bhandarkar
History of the Deccan" describes only the
landmarks in the history of the various dynasties which ruled over the country, and there is very little to form a correct idea of the evolution of thegrand nation whichin India. figured
so prominently in
the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries of the Christian era
Thebeenof
early
inhabitants of India
are said to havethe
the Dravidian stock.in
When
Aryans camesouth
and
settled
Northern
India
the
country
Vindhyas were inhabited by the Dravidians. The legendary march of Rishi Agastya is considered to be theof thefirst
attempt made by the Aryans to go intoforests
the south.
But the thick
between the Vindhyas and the seaa strong barrierthatinIt
and
the great central hills served asis
against such projects.
said
the
7th
century B.
C,
the
Aryans spread across
the
Vindhya
but
towards the further south the waveits
of
migration
gradually lost
strength.
The Epic Period.tion of theis is
The Ramayana gives a good descripof
forest
Dandaka but beyondus an ideatheof theof
that
there
very
little
to give
country.
So
it
believed that at
time
the
Ramayana
the
Aryans had not gone very far from the Vindhyas. In the Mahabharata we find Sahadeva, the youngestbrother of King Yudhisthira,Keralas, and Andhras.It
subduing the Pandyas,
therefore appears that at the
time
when
the
Mahabharata was written the
Aryans
had explored the southern peninsula. The Maharasthra was then known as Dandakaranya, by which namethe
Brahmanas
refer to theit
countrycloseto
in their
Mantrasit
even now.conquered
Althoughlast of all,
lies
Aryavarta
was
and itibecame the most Aryanisedold races were absorbed in the
part of the south.
The
race of the conquerors, and the language of the country
became richly blended with Sanskrit, the language of Aryans. Professor Rawlinson writes The inhabitants of the Dekhan appear to belong mainly tothe:'
a Scytho-Dravidian
stock,
with a considerable Aryan
elementis
in the
higher castes.descent,
They speak
a dialect
which
Aryan by
with an
intermixture of a few
aboriginal roots and forms."
10The Maurya Period Chandra Gupta Maurya (320 B. C.)
who had
his capital at Pataliputra, ruled
over Northern
India as far as Kathiwad.
His grandson, Asoka, whoB.to
reigned from 263
to
229east
C.
extendedin
his
swaywest.
from KalingaIn hisfifth
in
the
KathiwadPetinikas,
the
edict the Rastikas,
and Aparantasreligious
are mentioned as
provinces where he sentnot certain
preachers.these
It
is
whether
he
conqueredsemi-
provinces.
But most probably they were
independent, and owed allegiance to Asoka as suzerain.
Paithau or Pratisthana must have been the capital of the
KingsIs
of the
Rastikas at the time, as the information
gathered from the inscription at Pitalkhora.
The Aodhras The Maurya Dynasty lasted foryear?.Its last
137
King was murdered by Pushpami.tra whodynasty.
founded the Sunga
The Sungas were Kanvaslatter
in
power
for 112for
years and the45 years.
who
succeeded
them ruledby Simuka,bhrityas,
The
were
overthrown
the founder of the
dynasty
of the
Andhra-
who were oncelist
servants or dependants.of
The
Puranas give aof
of
names
these kings,the
and someand
these
names are
found
in
inscriptions
were discovered
in the
several parts of the Deccau.
The Andhras
dwelt between therivers,
mouthsof
of
the
Krishna and the Godaveri
on the Bay
Bengal.
11
They were
tributaries
of
Asoka, and
after
the death
of that king they
gradually
assumed independence,,
destroyed the Kanvas and overran Maharashtra. They
were alsoaboutthree
known
as Satabahanas.
They ruledC.
for
hundred
years from B.
73
to
about
213 A. D.tribe
Their long rule was interrupted by a foreign
called the Sakas for about 53 years.in
The dynastyPulamayi, thein
was founded by Simukasonof
B. C.
73.
Gotaraiputra, drovefather,
out the foreigners,
co-
operation with his
audof
the
fatherto the
and theGeograPaithan.
son ruled the country
jointly.
According
phy
of
Ptolemy the capital
Pulamayi
was
(130 A. D.).
The country under the Andhras was in a prosperous condition. The people were mostly Buddhist Brahmanism was in a flourishing state. althoughPrinces
and
chiefs,
merchants, goldsmiths, carpenters,,
orn -dealers and others excavated temples and monasteriesfor
the use
of
Bhikshus
out of solid rocks at
Karli aud other places at their
ownof
expense.
Monasteriesfor
were also dug outthetions
in
the
caves on the seashorethe historical
Buddhist priests.of in
Most
informa-
the
time are
derived
from
the
foundof the
these places.
We
gather from the
inscriptions " Periplus.
Krythrean Sea " that the countryprosperityin
was enjoyingvSopara,trade.for
materialPaithan.
these places.
Broach,
and
Tagara
werecall at
important
Foreign vessels used to
Broach, then
known as
12Barugaza,
and goods from the country were stockedPaithan
there for export.
the Dakshinapatha.
was the greatest city in The important articles of exportspices
were
rough stone,
coloured cottons,articles of imports
and
mallow and unguents, and the were wine, and glass and speciethe
ordinary cottons, muslin,
andfrom
beautiful girls forthis that
royal
harem.
It
is
evident
India
was
industrially ahead of the
Euro-
pean countries.
"There were"guildsof
in those
days"
writes Dr. Bhandarkar,
trades suchoil
as those of weavers, druggists,etc.
corn-dealers,zation seemssince,
-manufacturers,
Their
organieffective,
to
have been
complete
and
as
already mentioned,of
they received permanentinterestin
deposits
moneyguilds
and
paid
them fromhasthe
generation to generation.of
Self-government by meansvillage-communities
such
andan
alwayspolitical
formed
importantof
factor
of
administrationsab/iain
the
country.is
Amen-
uigamationed
orof
town
corporation
also
one
Ushavadata'slike
Nasik
inscriptions,
which shows that somethingexistedin
Municipal institution
thosefive
early
days."
Theof
rate
of
interest
was from
to
seven and half per cent per annum,evidencein
which is a government.testimonyto
sufficient
the
efficiency of
Inscriptionsthefact
different
placesof
bear
that
people
different
13provinces couldgreatdifficult}-.
move from long
distances
without
There must have therefore been good
inter-provincial roads.
The Dark Age -The
fall
ofof
the
Audhrashistoryof
wasthe
followed by a long periodthreerulers
darkness.clear
For about
centuriesof
there
is
no
the
country.
came fromin
the
The Sakas and the Huns west and there was great confusionItis
the country.
believed that a branch of thefor
Audhrasafter
ruled
some
time
and
the Kshatrapy dynasty
obtained a portion of the Deccan
the Satavahauas or Andhras.rise of the
The Vayu Furana
mentions thefor
sixty -seven years.
Andhras or a clan of cowherds They probably reigned in the
fourth century of the Christian era.
The
inscriptions
mention two indigenous
tribes of
Kshatriyas called Bhojas and Ratthis.the north calledtheir
The
Ratthis in
themselves
Maharatthis and one ofas
groups became
known
Rashtrakutas.
The
princes of this Rashtrakuta family were in power from
about the endcentury.
of the third to the
beginning of the sixth*
The Early Chalukyas.
In
the sixth century a the
dynasty spreadoriginal seat
its
supremacy overdynasty
Deccan.
new The
of
the
branch
of
it
migrated to the
was Ayodhya and a south and in course of timewere
became
supreme.
These
rulers
known
as
142
Buddhism wasprecepts of
the
prevalent religion.
Giaduallythe people,
the
Buddha were forgotten by
and
the cult of Mahabir appealed to the popu'ar view.
This
again was superseded by the monotheistic
religion,
preached
by Sankaracharya.
From
the seventh century
onwards
we
find
beautiful temples dedicated to
God
Shiva.
The
rationalism of the Vedantic religion, however, was notsufficient to
awaken
the devotional spirit of the Marathas.
The
reign of
Dnyandev of Pandharpura who lived in the Ramdev of Devagiri gave a new turn to the He was an outcaste Brahman. But by movement. his devotion he became a saint. He wrote a Marathi commentary on the Bhagavat Gita and also many other poems rousing the devotional spirit of the people. Onpoet
account
of his saintly life
Pandharpur
attracted a large
number of pious men. His followers came mostly from low classes. Chokhamela was a Mhar, Rohidas was a Chambar. JCabir who came from the north was a Mussalman. Namdev was a tailor. ",,They were all "writes Mr. Kincaid,
"men
of
holy and austere
lives.
Their worship
of
Krishna was eminently pure and sane.
Their preaching and their poems stimulated men's minds and led them to seek a refuge from their sorrows atKrishna's shrine.
Thewere
spot where
Dnyandev and
his
brothers and sister died became centres frcm which the
Pandharpur
tenets
promulgated from the Bhima
to the Tapti and from Alandi to Saswad.
Men whoto
made pilgrimagesoth?r by their
to these shrines
were drawn
each
common knowledge
of the
Maiathi speech
5i;
;and
of the
doctrines of the Pandharpur Saints.
In thisof
way
there
came
into
existence
the
beginnings
B
national feeling."
The love for God made them realise the brotherhood Through religion people were brought to of man. " Religious revival and puritan enthusiasm " unity.says Mr.it
Ranadeto
'
were
at
work
in the
laud,
and
was
clear
men's minds that the old bigotry must
cease.
This religious enlightenment was the principal
point of departure from the earlier traditions of submission to brute force andof a determination
that
not again spread in
more strongly thanpur.others
made itself manifest in the form Mahomedau intolerance should the land. None felt this influence he worshippers, who placed theiritI
faith in the shrines of
Bhawanithis fire
at
Tuljapur and Kolha-
They caught"
andthe
communicatedGondhlis
it
to
through their
bards,
and
the
Bhata
The
spirit of
Maharashtra was thus
fully
awakenedtheall
for a national
regeneration.
The
social conditions,
religious spirit
and
the politicalof
circumstanceslife
were
favourable for the growth
aud character. The rise of the Marathas was not thus an accident. While the Mnssalmans in the south were indulging innationalvice
and
riot
the
M.irathas
werethus
going
through
a
process of purification.
Their
clean and pure lives
-pared the:n
for the position
acquired
later
on.
64
The Turk
rulers brought ruin
upou themselves.
When
they degraded themselves in the eyes of the people they Government could lost their power to control them.
no longer be
their
work, becauseof
it
required superior
moral force on the part
rulers.
The Marathas wereralliedin his
inspired by a religious fervour
and they quickly
roundlife
the
banner
of
their
leader
who embodied
and
character the noblest ideals of the people.
55
CHAPTERThe Moghul advanceMalik
V.in
the Deccan.of
Amber : The
last
days
Akbarson.
weredied
darkened by the rebellion
of his
eldest
son Selim and
the death of Prince Daniyal, his
third
He
in broken health in 1605, and was succeeded by Selim under the title of Jehangir. The rebellion of Khusru, Jehangir's eldest son, in turn, kept the Delhi Govern-
ment too busytill
to
look after the affairsintervalofof
of
the
south
1606 A.
D.
In this
six years
Malik
Amber, the Abyssinian ministerIItried
Murtiza Nizam Shah
to
retrieveafter
the lost position offall of
Immediatelyfortified
the
Ahmadnagar. Ahmadnagar he stronglythe
Daulatabad,
and reformed
system
of
revenue collection.
He
abolished revenue farming andfor
appointed Brahman agentssupervision ofof village
collection,
under theold
Mahomedanat
officers.
Theof
system
administration was restored, and the revenuethe rateof
was assessedpaid annually.
two
fifths
the actualto be
produce, which in
turn was
commuted
in
money
People under these
reforms becametreasury alsofelt
prosperous and
happy,
and the
state
became
full*.
In 1610 A.
DHis
Malik Amberthe
himself
strong enough tothe
regain
provinces conquered by1610to
Moghul emperor.
operations from
1615
A. D. were uninterrupted success.
He had madeand employed
Khirki,all
modern Aurangabad,of
the capital,in
the resources
the
state
driving the Moghuls
05out
of the
recovering the city
wholericts
of
Nizam Shahi territory. He succeeded in of Ahmadnagar, and almost the the old kingdom excepting one or two distJehangir did not like to be deprivedof his
in
the north.
of the conquests
father,
and
s nt his*
son,
iam, to conduct the campaign against Malik
KhurAmber.
Khurram was an
able soldier,
and made Malik Amberto
leave his newly conquered territories point by point.
The Abyssinian leader was putHis revenuefelloff,
serious troubles.
andlost
the
soldiers
could not be
paid regularly.
He
Ahmadnagarleft
fort,
and some
of the veteran generalsto the
his
service
Moghuls
(1621).of
Lokhjee Jadava Raorenegades.
and went over of Sindof a battle
kheir
was one
these
Other Mahratta
Chiefs remained faithful.
In
the
accounts
fought in 1620 the names of Jadava Rao and Shahjee
Bhonsle are mentioned.father
Thedied in
latter
had succeeded
his
Maliojeeof
who
1619.
Since he joinedhimself
the service
Ahmadnagar he
distinguished
by
his bravery.
In 1621 circumstances
in
Delhi interrupted
the
campaignsgir
in
the south.
Nur Jehan persuaded Jehanv Shahriyar,the youngestto recall
to accept her son-in-la
son of the emperor, as his heir, and from the Deccan. Khurram rose indefeated by the Imperial troops.inlast
rebellion, but
Khurram was
He
then sought refuge
Guzerat,
he came
At Khandesh and Bengal successively. Amber, and was cordially to Malik
57received by him. against thethe
The two now led combined attack Moghul troops. The prince did not findand asked the forgiveMalikfather,
newof
policy very hopefulhis
nessfate.
leaving
Amber
to
his
Jehangir,
however, was
now
not the master of
himself.
general Mahabat
He was first a prisoner in the hands of Khan who had incurred the displeaNur Jehan succeededthein extricat-
sure of
Nur Jehan.but
ing
Jehangir,
intriguing
generala
joinedtoit
Khurram,Persia.
who wasKhurram
then contemplatingof
flight
The deathfor
the emperor
in
1627
made
easier
to
occupy the throne.1626 leavinghis
Maliktohis,
Amber
died in
charge
son Fateh Khan.
The new
peace with the Moghul general,tiza
made up a Khan Jehan L,odi. Murminister
Nizam Shah'II had byto curtailof
this time attained
majority
and wantedthe help
the powers of the regent.
an
officer
With named Tukurrib Khan he put
Fateh
Khan
into the
prison (1629 A. D.)
On
the fall
of Fateh Khan Lokhjee Jadava Rao came back to Ahmadnagar, but he was treacherously murdered by the Nizam. In utter dismay his widow went to the Moghuls, and was confirmed in the jaghir of Sindkheir. afterwards the Jadavas remained faithful aud ever
to the
Moghuls.
Fresh troubles came upon the Nizam from differentquarters.
The
Moghul
general
Khan Jehan
Lodi
58
was
a
personal enemy of the
emperor Shah Jehan.
He
Delhi.
was transferred to Malwa and then called to There he suspected treachery and fled to thereceived the support of Murtizarebellion.
Deccan, and
Nizamfield in
Shah
in
his
Shah Jehan took theto
person.retreat,
Khanandrebel
Jehan Lodi was pursuedin
his
last
slain
1630.
The
Nizam Shahis were
now hardof the
pressed by the Moghuls for taking up the cause
commander.hisin his
Finding his position insecureservicesto
Shahjee
tendered
the emperor,
and
was confirmeddistricts
old jaghirs,
and granted some
belonging to Fateh Khan.
The
difficulties of
Murtiza Nizam Shah were increased by a famine at thetime.
Almost in a desperate condition he released Fateh Khan, and put him into power. But the offendedminister
threw
infant son,self
Murtiza into prison and placed his Hussain on the throne, and appointed him-
his
regent.
To
strengthen his
position
against
the
rebelliousof the
supportthe
spirit of the people he bought the emperor by rich presents and got back
districts
granted tothis
Shahjee.
The
latter
was
aggrieved at
treatment and with the help of Murarof Bijapur,
Jagdev, entered the servicebijapurand
(1631 A.D.)
Ahmadnagar
:
Ibrahimdivide
Adil Shah
II,
king of
Bijapur,ally
wasof
jealous of Malik
Amber.
Heof
had been an
the
Moghuls, and entered intoto
an agreement with
them
the
kingdom
Ahmadnagar between themselves.
Ibrahim,
however,
59died in the same year as" Malik
and was succeeded by
his
Amber (1626 A. D.) son Mahomed Adil Shah.
The new king wasgovernmentin his
not desirous of prepetuating Moghul
neighbourhood.
He
therefore entered
into a secret
negotiation with
Murtiza
Nizam. Shah,Moghuls, Randulla
and
sent Randulla
Khan apparentlyof
to help the
but really to promote the cause
Murtiza.
demanded
of the
promised in the old agreement.
Moghul general Azim Khan the districts Azim Khan did notrequest,inflicted a severe defeat
comply withRandulla
his
between the two kingdoms
and suspecting an intrigue upon
Khan. It was in these circumstances that Fateh Khan was released. We have already seen that Shahjee had left the Moghul service in disgust and
went over
to
Bijapur.
He persuaded Mahomed
Adil
make an attack upon Daulatabad. Fateh Khan applied to the Moghul general Mahabat Khan for help, and offerred the surrender of Daulatabad, and proposedShahto
Moghul Emperor. Mahabat Khan sent an army under his son Khan Jaman. But before Khan Jaman could reach Daulatabad Shahjee had come there, and by diplomatic overtures turned Fatehtothe
become
vassal of the
#
Khan from Moghul alliance. At this treachery of Fateh Khan Mahabat invested Daulatabad. The impregnable fort was stormed, Fateh Khan surrendered with thefort of
Daulatabed, and the infant king Hussain Nizam
vShah
was taken53
a
prisoner
to
Gwaliar.
The
siege
lasted for
days *and was marked by heroism
and
ravery on both sides.
60Shahjee tried oncestorm,
more
to
take the fortress by
but he was driven back byof
commandant
the
garrison.
Khan Dauran, the Mahabat Khan pursuedhe was superseded byin
the Bijapur troops.
At
this stage
prince Shuja, and he
was put second
command.
This
division of responsibility reduced the vigour of the operations.
The Moghuls were
defeated at Parenda, and were
compelled to retreat to Burhanpur. Meanwhile Shahjee
had put another infant named Ahmed Nizam Shah onthe throne ofregent.set
Ahmadnagar
and he himself acted as
He
regained his position greatly, and began toin the country.
up good governmentfelt
The Emperorto
Shah Jehan
that Bijapur
must be subdued
restore
settled conditions in the
newly acquired
territories.
He
sent an ambassador to
Mahomed
Adil Shah demandingthe
the restitution
of the forts
belonging
Nizam Shahiuponthe abanfive
kings, their guns and stores, and insisting
donment
of
Shahjee.
The
fort of
Sholapur with
and
half districts
was held out
as reward.
The
refusal
wasin-
threatened with annihilation.effective.
The overtures provedtill
So vigorous war continued
1636.
The
territory of the Bijapur king was overrun by the Moghuls. Ruin spread over the country and at last both sides,
wearywhole
of
war, cameof the
to
terms.
Bijapur got aincluding
large
portion
Ahmadnagar kingdom,the'condition of
the
of the territory lying
between the Bhima and the
Neera up
to
Chakan on
annual tribute of 20 lakhs'of pagodas.
payment of an Bv an article of
61the treaty Shahjee
was promised pardon providedin his possession.
he-
surrendered the forts
At
first
ShaVjeeof the
held out for some time. But without the support
king
of Bijapur
he could not
stand long against thehis forts
Moghul arms.he appliedperor.toldfor
When
most
of
were
reduced
pardon, and for service under the emthe prayer forin
Shah Jehan grantedin
pardon andSincethen.till
Shahjee to seek servicethe
Bijapur.
Shahjee remaineddeath.
service of the
Adil Shahs
of Ahmadnagar was now complete, and Bijapur and Golconda remained the only independent Afghan kingdoms in the South. The Maharashtra
The reduction
remained mainly under the king
of Bijapur.
(52
CHPTEREarly Whenonbehalf of
VI.
life of
Shivaji.against the11
Shahjee was busyMurtiza
fighting:
MoghulsShivner
Nizam ShahThis boy
his wife Jijabai
bore him a son on Aprilclosetoto
10, 1627, in the fort of
Junnar.theBritish
ThanksShivaji,
was named Shivaji. Government the birthplace of
who rose to be one of the greatest of Indian kings has now been marked out by a marble trablet. This was the second son of Jijabai, her first son, SamThe childhoodhardships.of
bhujee was born four years earlier.Shivajiafter his
passed
through
variousto
Shortly
birth Shahjee
had
go ever to the Moghuls.
But the disgrace which was meted out to him by depriving him of some districts granted by Shah Jehan made himforsake the
Moghul
service.
Since
1631 his entire
energy was devoted to crush the imperial power. He created a number of enemies in the Moghul Court He alienated the sympathy of his mother-in-law bycontracting a second marriagethe
with Tukabai, a girl ofthis
Mohite
family (1630).
After
Jijabai
went
to her relations.in
Whentoof
new marriage Daulatabad waswas takencon-
besieged bya
Mahabat KhanBut shethe
1633 Jijabai
prisoner.
managedoffices
keep Shivajiher relations
cealed.
With
good
who
Moghul Court she was released and brought to the fort of Kondane. In 1636 when Shfrhjee went with Morar Pant to Bijapur, Jijabai accompanied herwerein the
63
husband and remained therethe Carnatic by the
till
the
celebration
of
Shiva ji's marriage with Saibai. Shahjee was King of Bijapur shortly afterwards.Jijabai
sent to
So
and Shivajee were sent to Poona under the guardianship of Dadaji Kondadev.
At Poona Shiva ji received his training under Dadaji, future career was greatly influenced by the and environment in which he was brought up. Poona washis
then a small village near the confluence of the Muta .and the Mula. The country about was a barren wilderness.
The
late
wars had devastated the
entire Deccan.tolife
People were feeling insecure withproperty.carried
respect
and
Young children and women were often away by Mahomedans, and made converts.
The jaghirs of Shahjee were deliberately destroyed by the enemy and the inhabitants had either fled or perishDadaji was an able manager, and applied himself ed.to
improve the conditionrent freeto
of
Poona and Supa.cultivators
L,and
was given
the
and
the wild
beasts were hunted out of the fields by giving rewardsto huntsmen.off robbers.
BandsWithina
of
hillmen were armed to
ward
few years he succeded
in effect-
ing considerable progress.
Two more
talukas, Baramati
and Indapur, which were granted to Shahjee by the Bijapur Government, were also handed over to Dadajiior
management.
The
fertile soil of the tract
under his
able
management
shortly
began
to
reward
his labours.
Harvest was
abundant, and with the surplus revenue
64thus earnedvillage,
he
planted
mangoafter
trees,
and founded a
which he namedof
Shivaji, Shivapur.
The guardian
the
young Maratha was honest,a
pious and intelligent.
He broughtof
number
of
boys of
the age of Shivaji, to play withart.
The
best
known
him and. to learn military these companions were Tanajiof
Malusare,
a
petty
baron
Umrathe
village
in the
Konkan,Sahyadris.
Baji
Phasalkar, the deshmukh of the valley of
Mun, and Yesajithem lessonsinstructorsstories of hisin
Kank,
a
small 'landholder
in the
Paid instructors
were
appointed to giveof these
warlike exercises.
The teaching
was supplemented
by
Dadaji by relating
own
experience.
Besides these exercises the
young mengainedses
travelled through hills
and
forests
and thuspasthe
first
hand knowledgeof the
of the
Maval,
of the
to the
Konkan, and
obscure
regions on
Sahyadri.
coursefuture.life to
of
knowledge Shivaji acquired in the these wanderings was very useful to him in-
The
In addition to this training Dadaji pitched his
a high religious fervour
by giving sound religious
instructions.
saints ofstories
teachings of Dnyanadev and the Pandharpur were expounded to him, and the from Ramayana and Mahabharata were related
The
on winter evenings.
The heroism
of
the
Kshatriya
warriors, their skill and bravery in war, the statesmanship of Bhishma, and other elevating anecdotes
made a*
deep impression on the young Shivaji.
It is
no woudi
L
05therefore that cne of theof his liferr.cst
important characteristicsfervourin
wasas
the note of
deep religious
In
almosta
all
his activitiesif
he conducted himself
suchhe
manner
he received a call from within, andunless he
would not undertake anythingported
was sup-
by divine authority. Mr. Kincaid gives a fine which moulded his description of the surroundings character, and the passage is quoted below in full:' '
The scenery round Poona
kind.of the
To
the west are the
is of the most inspiring tremendous barrier ranges
Sahyadris.
Only twelve miles
to the south stands
out the colossal fortress of Sinhagad.
To
the south-
west
may be dimly seen the peaks of Rajgad and Torna. which, when outlined against the setting sun, arouseto-day
even
emotion
in
theto
phlegmaticthe
Englishof
man.lies
But
thirteen
miles
Alandi,
the
spotto
Poona where Dnyanadev entered hisnorth
living
tomb and
which,
now
as,
in
Shivaji's
time, thousands of pilgrims bearing yellow flagstheir
make
way from Pandharpur.more powerful than
But there was yet anothereither Dadaji
influence
Kondadev'sJijabai,
teachings or the grandeurfatherless, deserted
of the
landscape.
by her husband, and her eldest sonhervSheall
found a solacepossessionleft
for
grief
in
Shivaji,
the
oneall
her.
lavished
on
her
son
and more
than
a
mother's
love.
At
the
same time she bade him naver forget that he was descended both from the Yadavas of Devagiri,
66
ami
the
Ranas
of
Udaipur.
She
reeitedof
to
him
the
Puranas with
their
marvellous feats
But she wished to see
war and daring. him pious as well as brave. Sheat
made him pray constantlywhichstill
the
little
village
shrinesite
may
be seen at Poona
not far from the
of Jijabai's
home.
There too she welcomed Kathekaristranslate
or religious
preachers to
and expoundthe
to
him,
better than
even Dadajiof
could do,
various
virtues
and merits
Krishna.at eighteen
Thus grew Etruriawas a man,tireless,
strong;fearless
and Shiva ji
and deeply devout.*'in
Thus
an inspiring atmosphere under the
influence-
of his guardian Dadaji,Jijabai, Shiva ji
and his high souled mother formed an ideal for himself. He underMaratha racefromfo-
took the task
of liberating the
reign j'oke, and of establishing a Swarojya for them. He did not want preferment for himself in court, which.
he could
easily get
through his father or
relatives.
He
did not desire to renounce the world-eligious
either, as
other
would do. But he chose a perilous ahead. course with full knowledge of the dangers Although young companions encouraged him, and his old tutor blessed him in his mission, he was not sure As a matter of the support of the great Maratha chiefs.peopleof fact he
had
to fight against
many
of
them.
Yet in-
spire of all these"he
difficulties, without fear or hesitation plunged himself into the noble task of nation-build-
?ng.
The
teachings of
the Bhagavatgita
must
have
67prepared his mind to undergothe the severeof
hardships of
great
work. Exhortations
Srikrishna to Arjuna
in the field of
Kmukshetra could not but have appealed
to Shivaji s mind,
08
CHAPTERTorn;i
VII.
Rebuilding a Mahratta State.and otherhill
-forts The
young Shiva ji waswhich were beforeInhis
quick
in
finding
the
opportunities
him
in
forming a strong Mahratta State.to his friends of
boy-
hood he talkeddent poiygar.
becoming an indepenencurageDadaji
But he did not receive anyDadaji inhis
ment from
designs.(
gave
management of the jaghir, statecraft. In the trained him up in thus and course of his business Shiva ji met a number of respectable Mahrattas, who were drawn towards him byShiv^ji a large share inthe
his conciliatory
deportment.
His intimate
adherents
at the
time were
Tanaji
Mulasare, Baji Phasalkar,
andhis
Yesaji Kouk.
Thein
hill
men
of
the
most
faithful adherents,
'ihe Mavalis
Maval were were clow-
nish and stupidactive
appearance, but they were very
and
intelligent
situations of trust.theirlife
and remarkably faithful in They were very poor and spentin the
in the
most abject conditiontheir
valleys
of Maval.
Dadaji improved
condition by
makvery
ing concessions in their favour,
and byShivaji
admitting a
number
of
them
into his service.
was
attentive to these people,
and theypaths
generally accom-
panied him on his
becamehilly
With their help he and defiles of the country round about Poona, and the survey thatfamiliar
excursions.
with the
69lie
made
of the situation in the
Mahratta country sug-
gested to him
the possibility of attaining independence.
He foundMostdarsor
the hill-forts
neglected,
and
unfortified.
were entrusted to Mahratta jaghirof them was Scarcely any deshmukhs. garrisoned by Mahomedans as they were considered unhealthy specially in the rains. Shivaji intended to occupy some of these forts, and thus to prepare himof these fortsself
for his further projects.in
The
forts
within his
jaghir were not
The fort of Koudane had a Mahomedan killidar and Puraudhar was under a Brahman named Nilkant Rao. Twenty mileschargeof Dadaji.
south west of Poona was the hill-fort of Torna.fort
Theit
was
situated at the source of
the
Neera, and
couldthein
not be easily
approached.
Shivaji
wonof the
overfort
killidar of
Torna, and gotIn order to stop
possession
1646 A. D.
opposition from Bijabeforethe Court
pur he sent his agentsthat
to represent
the transfer of the managment of the fort would be to the benefit of the king and would bring him more revenue than he could get from the Deshmukhs. Mean-
while
he
began
to
repair
the
fort
and
got a large
treasure in digging Up a part of the ruins.
Withbuilt
this
money he
got arms and ammunitions,
and
an-
other fort three miles south-east of Torna.
T
cthis fort
he gave the
name
of
Rajgad.if
The
activities o
hivajito
roused suspicion at courtforts.
and he was forbidden
build the
His
father,.
roShahjee was also warned and askedof his sonto
keep the activities
under cheek.
Shahjee represented to the king
that hisstate,its
son was not inimical to the interests of the and that what he was doing was to strengthen
position.
On
the othercontrol.
hand he asked DadajiDadaji was thento in
to
keep
Shivajibed.
under
his sickhisall
He
tried his best
dissuade Shivaji from
course and impressed upon him the danger of losinghis future prospects
by offending the Kingon deafears.
of Bijapur.
But his adviceji
fell
He found
that Shiva-
was
firm
and
resolute.
He had an inward symIt is
pathy with his ambitions.
said that before heof
died
he advised him to prosecute his plansto protect
independence,
Brahmans, kine and cultivators and preserve
the temples of the Hindus from violation. He exhorted him to follow his fortune and blessed him in the bold and noble undertaking of forming the Mahrattas into
a nation.
His
blessings
and exhortations
brought
upon Shivaji the support of the subordinate jaghirdars and gave as it were a divine sanction to his projects.After the death of Dadaji
Kondadev
Shivaji assumed
charge of the jaghir of Poona. He evaded all payments to his father, and at last he informed him that the heavy expenditure of the jaghir did not leave anysurplus of revenue to be sent to him.
HetheBaji
also
ma-
naged
to get the fort of
Chakan, and
adjoining
villages from Phirangojee Narsulla.
Mohite, the
nbrotheryielding.of
his
step -mother,
Tukahis
Bai,
proved una partyof-
Shiva ji
surrounded Sopa withparty
Mavalis, and and sent him awayofficers of
took Mohits and
prisoners,
to the Carnatic to join Shahjee.
The
Baramati and Indapur without dispute subShivaji.
mitted to
Inits
this
way he
consolidated his
power
in
Poona and
neighbourhood,
Killidar
a
Koudaue was in charge of a Mahomedan who handed it over to Shivaji on receiving handsome bribe. The Brahman Killidar of PuranThefort of
dhar
had died
by
this time,
and there wassons.
a quarrel
over succession
among
his
three
Shivajigarrison,
took
advantage
of this quarrel,
surprised theAll the
and
made
the
brothers
submit.
brotheis
were
persuaded to take service under him.
Kondane was changedtions of
into
The name of hinhagad. The acquisibecame master of the Neera without opposinot consider thesenoticeof the
these few years secured Shivaji a strong posithe
tiontracttion.
in
Ecccan.
Hethe
between Chakan and
Theof
King
of
Bijapur diddid not
places
important.
He
take any
activities
Sbivaji,
while he was busy in
adorning
his capital
with grand mausoleums and fine buildings.of
Thetion
stateof the
affairs
in the
Carnatic required the attenAllthe
engagedhilly
there,
Government. and the
able generals werejaghirsin
affairs
of the
the
tracts
went altogether neglected.
The Moghul
72governorsinto the
north
were busyof
in
restoring order
that tract.in
The systemIndia
revenue collection intro-
ducedadoptedKuliyears.tohis
northern
by
Todar Mall wasdistricts
also-
in
Ahmadnagar.
The
under Murshid20
Khan
thus enjoyed peaceful government for
The permanent settlement brought prosperitySoin
the people.
every
way
Shivaji carried
on
operations uninterrupted. The Moghul rulers had no occasion to interfere and the King of Bijapur was busy otherwise. The circumstances were therefore
favourable to
the
formationof
of
an
independent
governmentdom.
on the
outskirts
the
Bijapur
King-
Adventures
in
the
Konkan The
occupation
of
the
four fortresses at Toiua, Rajgad,
dhar made the southern frontier
Sinhagad and Purauof Foona safe. Shivaii
nowthe
cast his lcoks towards the Konkan. This part of country was made ever to the King of Bijapur by
Shah Jehan on the fall of the Kingdom of Ahmadnagar. vShahjee had overrun the tracts before he surrendered in1636.
There were a numberall
of hillforts in the country,
but they were not
well guarded.
Shivaji had
be-
orehar.d sent agents to
make
a survey of theto
region,
and
the accounts he received
emboldened him
under-
take fresh adventures. He had received news of the despatch from Kalyan of a large amount of money collected by Maulana Ahmad, the Mussalman Governorof the place to Bijapur. Shivaji
with
a
body
of
3Co
73
horse
overtook
the
party on thether
way
carrying the
treasure near
Wai down
Bhor Pass
The money1
thus
obtained was conve3 ed to Ragjad.expedition
he successa seriesof
of this
was followed
up
by
attacks
upon
the neighbouring forts. Within a short time
the whole
of the
Konkan upwas
to the borders of
Savant in
wadi
fell
into his hands.
The most important event
these campaigns
the capture of
Kalyan by AbajiDadaji.
Sonde v, onegovernorof
of the
officers
trained by
Theasres-
Kalyan, Maulana
Ahmad, was brought
a prisoner before Shivaji who received him withShivaji pect and allowed him to go to Bijapur. showed his respect for women by not taking
also
the
family of the late governor
prisoners.of Shivaji's
Of
the forts
which
fell
into the
handsthe
corps the most
important were Rairi, Lohgad, and
Rajmachi.
Rainthe
became afterwards
capital
of Shivaji,
under
name
of
Raigad.
Lohgad stands above
the
Bhor Passis
on the way from Bombay to Poona.
Rajmachi
at the
foot of the pass. The conquest of Kalyan and the other forts in the Konkan did not go unnoticed by the
Bijapur
Government.
Tbey however hadby the
not
the
boldness to take any measures
openly against Shivaji.
The people were
tired of the misrule
Muhammadansthe conquests
and gladly welcomedd the old
a change.
As soon asof
were made the revenue systeminstitutions
Dadaji was introduced,All
revived.
endowmentsrestore)
to
temples or
in
the
interest of
Brahmans were
7i
The conqueror had thussympathy on hisCaptivityof
the greatest
asset
of
popular
side.:
Shahjee
Theof
King
of Bijapur, feeling
his position insecure thought
bringing Shivaji under
conrol through his father. Shahjee
was
in the Cainatics,
and was
engaged in the operations against
the polygarsa jaghir,
of that part.
He
received the grant of
andfaith-
made Bangalore
his headquarters.
Heson.
rendered
ful service to the state
and could not possibly be madeBut the King
responsible for the activities of his
suspected that he hadsent orders to Baji
complicityof
with Shivaji,to bring
Ghorpade
Mudholeof
and him
a prisoner.after inviting
Ghorpade
was
a relative
Shahjee and
him
to a dinner seized histo
peison treacheinsistedof
rously,
and sent him
Bijapur.
The Kingfrom
upon Shabjee
to dissuade Shivaji
his policy
aggression but Shahjee pleaded in vain that he had nothing to do with his son, and that he could
not
in
any
way
be
made answerabletheto
for
his sou'sspirit
deeds.
He
was asked to control The King had writtenBut he agreedto
rebellious
of his son.
Shivaji
to
come
to Bijapur.
come providedfief.
all his
conquests werehis
conferred upon him inoffer,
The King had declined
and
tried to bring
on
his father.
him round by putting pressure The Mussalman officers of Muhammadof
Adil vShah were jealous
Sbahjee's powers, and gave
he King such
advice
as
would bring
this
faithful
5
servant into disgrace.
and was
threatened to
Shahjee was put into a dungeon be walled up unless he hadpleaded his innocence tochin,to
confessed his guilt.the last.
He however
The wall was built up to his was to be closed up if Shiva ji did not comewithin asituationcertainto
andthe
Bijapur
period.
Shahjee wrote
about
his
son.
Shivaji
was
thus
inovlved in
great difficulty.
His surrender
into the
handsif
of the
King would bring death upon himself, arid In this father would be killed. dilemma at the advice of his wife, Saibai, he appealednot surrender histo
he did
the
Moghulto
Emperor.Emperor,
Shivaji
offered
hisfor
services
the
and
prayed
intercession
anxious to
Shah Jehan was in favour of his father. find an opportunity to pick up a quarrelof
with the King
Bijapur
in
order that he
might get
the territories of the old
Ahmadnagar Kingdom, which
were given away
to Bijapur in 1636.
He
therefore readilyfor his pre-
granted Shivaji's prayer,
excused Shahjee
vious conduct, and conferred upon Shivaji a5,000 horse.
Munsub
of
The Kingof the
of
Bijapur could not put Shahjeeat the request of
to death for fear
Emperor, and
Moral Punt relieved him from the dungeon, but did not allow him to leave Bijapur for four years. During these years the King could not do any harm to Shivajias he dreaded the Emperor,in
and Shivaji did not carrysakeof
his
depredationsin
for
the
his
father.
At
last the affairs
the
Caruatic required the services of
70Shahjee.Killidarofficer
His son Shambhujee had been killed by theof
Kanikgiri,
anddied.to
also
his
chief
Naroto
Pantproced
had
Before
hehe
allowed
the
Carnatic
was was
made to promise that he would not molest Ghorpade.Although Shahjee kepttothis
promise he wrote to ShivajiShivaji
avenge the
treachery.
remembered
the
wishes
of his father,
portunity came.
The
and carried them out when opletter which Shahjee wrote to" Be careful to
Shivaji ran as follows.
complete the
work which you have undertaken. By the grace of the most High may the wives of your enemies ever breathe in their own warm tears. May God crown your hopes with success and insure your prosperity.
You
will
notfor
fail
to
be courteousthe
always
to
Eaji
Ghorpade,
you know'
great obligations underletter
which he has placed me.
The
not only enjoined
upon Shivajialso approved
the
punishmentgreat
ofof
Ghorpade
but
it
of the
work
nation-building he
had undertaken.Jaoli
Invested
(1655 A.
D.) AfterShivaji
the
return
of
Shahjee tooperations.Jaoli.
the
Carnatics
resumed
hisof
First of all
he dealt with Balaji More
Balaji
was
a faithful vassal of the
King
of Bija-
pur. His ancestor, Parsoji Bajirao, received Mahablesh-
war
as a jaghir
from Yusuf
Adil Shah for
his
ser-
vices in connection with the suppression of the Shirkes.
He
was
also
conferred
the
title
of
Chandra Rao
77
which
his
descendants
enjo}r ed
afterwards
aiono-
with the jaghir.hereditaryoftitle of
His son, Yeshwant
Rao earned
the
Raja by capturing the green standardchief
Ahmadnagar. Thevalley of the
town
of the
Mores was JoaliMahableshwar.
in the
Koyna
river near
days
The plateau down Mahableshwar was known in the The place is conof Shiva ji as the Nahar forest.it is
sidered sacred asthe five
believedthe
that
it
is
the source of
important
rivers,
Krishna,
the
Yenna,Gaj-atrisea.
andand
th^
Koyna, which flow eastward, and thewestwardinto thebuilt a
the Savitri flowing
Arabian
The Yadava king SinghauaShiva at the sourceplace has since thenthe presidingdeity.
temple to the
god
of these five rivers in 1215,
and theafter
been
called
Mahableshwar
The
place
was consideredvisit the
holy
and
a large
Jijabai
number once wentofof
of pilgrims
used to
temple.
there with
Shivaji,
and attractedof Balaji
by the beautyaskedofferfor
the three
daughters
one
them
to be
marriedas the
to
Shivaji.
More The
howeverof
was declined
Mores
consideredShivaji
themselves
superior social position.in his
Whenthe
was engaged
work
of
uniting
Mahratta
State he invited the co-operation of Balaji More.
Once
again
Shivaji
was disappointed.Baji Shainraj
It
is
also
believed
that Balaji allowed the baseof
to
use his estate as
operations against Shivaji,
when he waskill
appointed bysecretly.
Muhammad
Adil Shah to
Shivajiof
The Mahratta
leader got the information
78this
conspiracy
before
and overpowered Sliamraj near
Mahad, and
drove his party into Jaoli.
The
fiist
busi-
ness therefore of Shivaji after the
release
of
Shahjee
was
to secure himself against this danger from Jaoli.
Shivaji had no intention of entering into hostility
against Balaji
More.
He
therefore triedJaoli
all
means
to
win himRaja.
over.
He
visited
personally
and apthe
pealed to the religious and patriotic sentiment of
But Balaji remained stubborn, and
it is
believed
he
tried to
hand over
Shivaji to the
King
of
Bijapur,
When however but the latter managed to escape. he found all friendlv offers were refused he sent twoenvoys, Ragho Ballal Atre and Sambhaji Kavaji with an
ultimatum asking himing the handsrefusetheof his
to join Shivaji at
once and demand-
daughter.
This time Balaji Aid not
offer,
but evaded a definite answer.
Mean-
while Shivaji had occupied Mahableshwar.
This afford-
ed the occasion of an altercation Balaji and the envoys of Shivaji.altercationBalaji
of
high words betweenIn the courseof this
More and
his
brother were killed,Shivaji through
and
the
envoys managed
to escape to
the jungles.
Although Shivaji had not authorised thethis
envoys to take them over. Hejoined by
now
extreme step he could not give turned upon Jaoli. He was
Balaji's brothers
who wereThe sonsstout
deprivedof
of their
villages by the late
Raja.
Balaji
and hisBut
minister
Hanmantrao
offered
resistance.
7J
l
they could not stand against the disciplined ariny ofShivaji.
The
minister
was
killed
in
action,
andwithin
the
sons were taken prisoners.admitted into the serviceshort t:me theentire
Theof
troops
of Jaoli
werea
Shivaji
and
jahgir
with
the
strong fort ofShivaji
Wasota was brought underin Jaoli a
his control.
found
large treasure,
with which he improved thefort of
temple at Mahableshwar, and built thegad.
Pratap-
Thereat
is
a
stor}'
thatat
he built theexpress
temple ofof
Bhawani
Pratapgadlive
the
desire
the
goddess to
near Mahableshwar, and the fortress
was built round the temple under the supervision of Moro Pingle. Tne fort was built at the height of 1000 It occupies a very importfeet from the Koyna vallej'. ant position as it conmands the Mahad Ghat which is the Konkan and the Koyna the only pass between valley, and the occupation of this place connectedShiva ji's old possessions with the territory newly conquered.Relationswiththe
Mogbuls:
Theof the
Moghulsdistricts
were
carrying on the administration
in their
possession in the Deccan peacefully.interfered with them,
Shivaji had never
sought the help
of
the
and we have already seen that he Moghul Emperor against the
King
of
Bijapur.of the
Prince
Aurangzeb was
appointedopportunity
Viceroythe
Deccan
in 1G50.
He found anin 1655.
of declaring
war against Golcondaministerof
Mir Jurnlah,
prime
Abdulla
Kulb Shah
had a
SOdifference
with his master
on account
of his dissolute
son,help,zeb.
Muhammad Amin.andthis
He
application
applied to the Emperor for was supported by Aurang-
Sultan
Muhammad,
the eldest son of
Aurangzeb,
was sent against Abdulla. andthe city plundered.to
Hyderabad was attacked,to release
The King was forcedrestore
Muhammad Aminandto
Mir
Jumlah's property,
to give his daughter in marriage to Sultan
Muhammad,of
pay up the arrears
of tribute at the rate
one
crort a year,the
Emperor.
which was reduced by twenty lakhs by Mir Jumlah went to Delhi and wasof Vizier.
appointed to the rank
This crafty Persian
urged the Emperor
to
invade
Bijapur and Golcondah,
in order that these provinces
might be annexed
to the
empire.
They were not longdeclare hostilities against
in finding
out a
pretext to
Bijapur.
Muhammadhis father at the
Adil
Shah Shahof
died on the 4th November, 1656. His son,II succeeded to the th]
Ali Adil
one
of
age
nineteen.
The
late
king had friendly relations with
Dara Sukoh, which Aurangzeb did not like and was On his death therefore anxious to put him into trovole. Ali Adil Shah did not pay any homage to the Moghulspite the
Emperor, or did not pay any compliments. Out of Moghuls circulated a rumour that Ali Adil was not the son of the late king, and that the Shah
Emperor
should
nominate
a successor.
War was
81therefore declared against Ali Adil
on the parttois
Shah. This War, Moguls." says Grant Duff " appears have been made completely destitute of apology than commonly found, even in the unprincipled tran'
of the
sactions
of Asiatic
Governments.*
appointed at the head of the
second
in
command.
Jumlah was army and Aurangzeb was put The Moghtil army marched uponMirKalyani, Bidar and Guiburga
1
Bijapur in March. 1657.fell
The
Bijapur was besieged. was pressed with great vigour when Aurangzed received news of the serious illness of his hither in September. Shiva ji became an ally of Aurangzeb iusiege
in
quick succession, and
Aurangzeb had recognized his claims to his new conquests and sought bis co-operation in the war against Bijapur. But Shiva jialthough anxious to see the powers of Bijapur crusheddid not
the expedition against Bijapur.
look within thein
favour
upon
the
advanceother
of
the
Moghulsactive
P4)
: Jaswant Singh made
an ineffective attempt
to invest
main armywhilelichest
retiredto
to
Sinhgad and then the Aurangabad. Shivaji was meanSurat,
planning
attack
cuestands
ol
the
Moghul
tnvns.
This
town
on the
101rirerfocal
Taptitradition
in
South
Grtzerat.
According
to*.
the
town was established by one Gopiwifeits
and
called
after
hisof
Suraj.
It
rose into promiposition.
nence on accountfmift a
geographicalin 1512.it
The
Portugese sacked the placefort in [546 to
The King
of Gu/.eiat.
protect
against foreign attacks.
Akbar conquered Surat in 1573, and made a treaty with the Portugese. wtlO became the chief merchants of thepfaee.Fn
Hut withthe
the
fall
of
the
powerin
of
Portugal.
Ettrope
Portugese possessions
India
wereper-
couffttered by the Hutch.
The Moghul Emperor gaveSuratpermission to build
mission
to the
Dutch
to huild a factory in
in 16J.8.a fac-
The Englishtory \u L612,in164.?.
also obtained
and the French got the same privilegesforeignin
These
merchants madethe
Surat
the
lichest
emporiumto
Moghul
Empire.
Shivajh
planned
help himself
with
the riches of
Surat.
He
assembled his army betweenthe apparent objectliut
Uasseiu and Choul with
of
reducing the
Portugese there.Surat..all
his
real
intention
was
to
march
Meanwhileol
his
spy.
P.ahirji
Xaik,
upon brought himalsoin
the
informations about the city,a
Shivajithe
disguise
mendicant
explored
roadsa
to
South-
Guzerat.
Thus
fully
prepared he made
rapid
marcho';
withvnirat,
4i)oii
horse,
and appeared on
the
outskirts
on January 5,1664.
The Moghul Governor asked the help, of the Dutch and the English merchants to defend the town.
105 But they
could
not
renderfactories.
any
assistance
except
defending their
own
The governor
made
nointo
efforts
to
protect
the
inhabitantsin
whoriver
fled in fear
the
country or took shelter
boats.
Onand
thehis_i.it
other
hand he wentFor six days
inside
the
castle
walls withcity,
men.
Shivaji
sacked the
immense wealth.01
He
could not plunder the fac-
European merchants on account of their On receivin.; news of the approach of strong defence. a Moghul army the Marhatta chief retired on Jamrarytories
the
10.
The
treasure
he brought
to
Raigad
as
safely
as he
ha~d started
on:of
his expedition.
IX-iitli
of Shiihjcc
On
his return
from Surat ShivajiShahjee wassuppresslong thestout
receivedil
the
news
his father's death.
by theof
Bijapur
Governmentin the
to
the
rfeoellion
some noblesof
Doab
a
Tungresist-
bhadra.ance.
The ChiefShahjee
Bednore offeredin
succeeded
crushing the rebellion.at
While he
washis
encampedbuck
Basavapatan
he
went out on
black
hunting.inits
A
buckthe
wasen-
wounded bythe
arrow andfell
followingforelegtell
victim
horse of Shahjeein
by
being
tangled
someneck,his
creeper.
Shahjeethe
headlong andhis
broke
his d
ami bylife
time
attendants1664).
him
had
expired
(January,
Venkeji wes informedt'
of the accident,
ami he hastened
tin-
place to perform the funeral rites.
The Bijaput
vernmeitt
in
recognition
of
the
services
of
the
dead general confirmed the fief of Bmgalore and Tanjore on his son Venkoji, Shivaji on receivingthe
news
of
his
father's
death,
was
thrownto
into
deep
affliction,
and some time afterwards went
avenge
his death by attacking thelost
Doabin
nobles, because Shahjeethe
his
life
while
engaged
Doab expedition.Government,
He
received the village, where his father met with thisa
accident, as
grant froma
the
Bijapur
and erected there
memorial temple.in
Shahje; died while
servicein
under the Bijapur
Government.
But his shareis
the
making
of
thethat
Mahratta history
not
to
be
overlooked
on
account. His ability as a soldier and as an administrator
wasbay
of afcr
high order.
He
kept
the
Moghul armyaffairs
at
sometime and
managed
the
of
the
Ahmadnagar Kingdom as a regent. His services to the Bijapur Government were iny a luable. He broughtorderin
the
affairsin
of
the southern
provinces,
and
when advancedto
age his services were requisitionedin
suppress
the
rising
the
Doab.
The
later
relations between
the Bijapur
were thediplomacy.
direct
result
of
his
Government and Shivaji statesmanship andthe Mahratta troops
could
He had shown that successfully sUnd againstto
trained
Mussalman
armies by rapid movements and with local knowledge.
His attempt
maintain the integrity of the
Ahmadnnger
107
Kingdomarmies
failed
as
he
was
opposed
by
the
of the
Moghuls, and the Bijapur Governmentattitudeof
assumednecessity
an
hostility.
Shivaji
gained
by the failureof
of his father's enterprise
standing behind the figure of ahis
and he had no puppetShahjeehis
king
to
exercise
power and
authority.
had shown whatoutdid himofin
a
Mahratta could do
and
sou
freeing his nation from
the
oppressionera for
foreign
governments.
Hethe
heralded a
newof
the
Mahrattas.
The honourbyhisin
of liberating the
Mahrattas
belongs to Shivaji but
foundation
Mahrattaheldthe
power wascharacterletter
laid
father.
Shivaji
of
his father
very high
esteem.
In
a
to
his
brother, Yenkoji,
some years afterwards,' :
he referred to his father in the following termsdid
Howper-
he encounter and surmount
all
difficulties,
form great actions, escape all dangers by his spirit and resolutiou and acquire a renown which hemaintained to theof his fatherlast.''
The brave souexample always
was proudbefore his
and kept
his
tyes.
Convention of Piirandhnr 1665fathervShivaji
assumed theasa
title
conferredof
on his
grand -father
: On the death of his of Raja which was Mallojee by the kingof
Ahmadnagar, andwhichhe had
mark
his
independent
authority he also struck coins in hisfleet
own name.in
His
built
became very busy
plunder-
ing the ships from the M>jfiul ports, and the pilgrims
1(8to
Mfecca
were forcedwiththe
to'pay ransom when captured.pilgrims
Interferencethe
drew
the
attention
of
Delhi
and the
Bijapur
Governments.
Attraugze*b
recalled Jaswant Singh and Prince Muazzim,
and appoint-
ed
in their
place
Mir/i
Raja Jay Singh
of
Dilereot
Khan.
Meanwhile Shivaji plunderedthe coast.
Amber and a numberan attack
ports on
Heas
also
repulsed
upon
his territory
by
the Bijapur
He wenttime.
as
far
south
army near Panhala. Goknrna in his plunderfull
ing expedition,
-and
returned to his capital after somepreparationsfor
The Mbghuls had madein
an offensiveJay SinghSUbdtlCBijapur.
ids
absence.
Aurangzebwitharrears
had
sentto
and
Dilere
Khanexact
instructionsof
.Shivaji
and
to
tribute
from
The two generals arrived in the Deccan 1665. They began their operations in Pmandhar. The fort was invested by Dilere Khan and Jay Singh blockaded Sinhgad. I'urandhar wasin
April,
defended by
Murar
Baji.
a
Prabhu1,000
by
caste.
The
garrison consisted ofkaris.
about
Mavalis and Het-
Murar
Baji
maintained his position with great
bravery.killed
Ahis
large
number
of
Moghul troopsfort
wereby
by
men.
The lower
was
carried
Moghuls by mining one of the bastions. Ihit tin advance of the troops was held by the stout resistance of the Hetkaris ami tin- Mavalis. At la'slthe
Murar
Baji
was shot and
killed
hv Dilere Khan.into
Thefort
Mahtatta
soldiers
now
letreated
the
upper
of
Rudra Mai,
situated on the north-east of Purandhar.his
Dilere
Khan He
pressed onwithhis
attack.
Shivaji held
a
nsultationtion.
principalthetold
people on the situaadviceoflit-
also
sought
the
goddess
Jihawani.
The goddessNetoji Palkar,
hiin
that
would notof
succeed against Jaycavalry,
Singh.alsoat
Thea
commander
his
could not render himgreater distance.
any assistance as he wibthe
At
same time he was threatenedIn
with
attacks from
Bijapur.tionsAt
such circumstances he carried on negotiafor
with
Raja Jay Singhto
an
armistice.
He
Raghunath Pant
Jay Singh
with
a
view to
The Mirza Raja assured the agent of Shivaji that he would procure pardon from the emperor and would grant him favours when he sui rendered. On receiving this assurance Shivajipresented himselfreceived by thebefore
bring about a settlement.
Jay Singh
in July,
ami was
general
with due honour.
went
to Dilere
furious but Shivajithe
keys of
Khan in Purandhar. won his sympathies by presenting the gate with his own hand. Thepeace
He next The Khan was
terms ofwards.Shivajilie
the
were
settled
shortly
after-
wasin
forced lo give
up
the forts and territory
had conquered from the Moghuls.theforts
He
surrendered
all
his possession including Sinbgad and12 forts
Pur&ndhax except
and adjoining lands
yielding;
110flnI*
incomebe
of
5
lakhs
f
rupees.
He
promised'
tin-
Moghul emperor and not to plunder His son. Shambhujee was [tnperial made a mnnsuMar of 5, COO, and he and Nelojifaithful to the
dominions.
Palkat were
to
attend
Shivaji pledged himself
on the Siibedat of the Deccan. to render any service in theof
Deccan,
which
might be asked*
him.of
Shivaji
wasin
also promised lands yieldingol
lakhs3
tons (20 lakhsof
rupees) in
Thal-Konkan and
lakhs
/inns
Kalaghat Bijapuri
when
these
lands would be
con-
quered from the State of Bijapur. In return Shivaji to pay 40 lakhs of linns to the Emperor promise1
in
yearly instalments of 3 lakhs.of the
Some
writers
state
on the authority
Mahratta accounts that Shivaji
obtained the right to levy Chant h and Sardcshmnkhi
vn Bijapur. Prof Jadunath Sarkar denies this claim on the authority of the Persian documents. {Modern Revinc.July1916.
Aurangzeb's
letter
to
Shivaji confirmingto the
the terms
of
settlement containsletter of
no reference
Chauth. Thealsosetis
Raja Jay Singh to the Kmperorpoint.of
very clear on thein
The
claims were
forth
the petition
Shivaji,
and most prob-
ably neither the Emperor nor Raja Jay Singh attached
any importanceSardcshmnkhi.
to
the
claims relating to
Chaiith
and
The
Emperor did not either understand
Ihe significance of such a levy or
knowing
its
meaning,
did not commit himself
to
such an arrangement.
Ill
Therankof
treatya
of
Purandhar reduced Shivajifelt
to
the
vassal chief of the
Moghul Empire.greatly
The
Mahratta leader must havethe humiliatingof
mortified at
terms
of
the treat}'.of
The
ambitionState
maintaining the integrityfrustratedfor
the
Mahratta
was
the
time being.
His main business
now wasBijapur.spirit of
to follow
the
Although suchShivaji
Moghul generals in reducing a position was galling to thein all sincerity.
he accepted the terms
80 long he hadwasin
fought against the Delhi and the Bijapur
armies separately.
In fighting against the Moghuls heBijapur,
alliance with
and
in
his
campaigns
against Bijapur he
was on
friendly
terms with the
Moghnls.the fronts.
Now
he had
to deal with the
enemy from bothview
The
friendship of the Moghuls with a
to share in the spoils of Bijapur might have influencedhis policy at the time.Shivaji at the Imperial Court
: Raja Jay Singh was
nowthe
free
to
attack
Bijapur.
The Deccan was neverof
completely subjugated by the emperors
Delhi since
withdrawaltxptoof
of
Muhammad
Tughlak.
Akbar
conqueredthein
Khandesh, and Shah
Jehan reduced
Kingdomthe
Ahmadnagar.
Aurangzeb had beenhe-
Deccan
before he occupied the throne, and
had a strong desire to reduce the Kingdoms i Bijapur and (b)loonda in order to extend the imperial swa\ Into Southern India and to become the supreme master
of India, of
Jay Singh receivedin
tin-
help and co-operfetionBijapur.
Shivaji
his
operations
Against
The
latter
joined
the
8000 infantry.
Moghul army with _'000 horse and He reduced l'lialtan the fief of thethefort
Nimbalkars, and escaladedmilesto to
of
Thatwadnsent
Kt
the
sojth-east.
He
was thenin
south-
wardsattack
engage the Bijapuris
the
Konkan, andthefirst,
Panhala.
The successesrecognitiona
of
Shivaji in
operations received
A handsomementfell
dress anda
Kmperor. jewelled sword were sent totheletter.
from
him along withof
congratulatory
The
invest-
Panhala however proved afort of
failure,
and ShivajiNetoji
back upon his ownthe
Yeshalg;ad.
Palkar,
commanderand
of
the
Mahra.ta cavalry, was
corrupted by the Bijapuris, and went over to the enemy.
Raja Jay Singh
Dilere
Khan hadreachedAfter
already pro-
ceeded towards Bijapur.
Their march didnot meet with
any
resistance
till
they
had
Mangalveda,a week's siege
60 miles to the north of Bijapur.the placefightingfell,
and two Moghul armies5 A'os
after
two months'
reached
distance from the capital of the
Adtl Shahis.atthis
AHto
Adil Shahrepel
made
strenv.ous exertions-
stage
the
received substantial help in
Moghul attack. He also men from Kutb-ii