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     Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1627-1680)



India is famous for its brave Emperors and Kings. Out of all of them Chatrapati Shivaji Maharj is the most famous and his bravery is commendable. Here is a short version of his life’s history.

The land of Maharashtra, in central-west India, was ruled for a long time by the Satavahana dynasty (300 BCE-230 CE) and later by the Rashtrakuta Dynasty (735-982), after which it constantly morphed and divided into many different kingdoms, including those of the Maratha Chieftains. In 1292, Ala-ud-din Khilji, the ruler of Delhi Sultanate, defeated the Yadavas of Devagiri. Although the Maratha capitals fell to the Khiljis, the regional lords retained their power-base and influence. A branch of the Yadavas continued to rule parts of the Konkan and Khandesh regions of Maharashtra for a century more, untill 1310. In 1453, a Bahamani invasion of theVishaalgarh region resulted in a major defeat of the Yadavas. Over time, an understanding evolved between the Sultanate and the local regional lords, and their erstwhile master the Yadavas. The Yadavas became vassals of the Bahamani rulers. In 1492, the Bahamani Sultanate broke into five kingdoms, each called a Shahi.

In 1565, the allied Deccan Sultanates vanquished the Vijayanagara Empire at Talikota. Most of the Marathas continued as soldiers and noblemen of the Sultanates as the Sultanates engaged in a continuous game of mutual alliances and aggressions. Like his ancestors, Shahaji (Shivaji\'s father) was a major player in the Deccan Wars. At that time, Shahaji was a regent for the young Nizam of Ahmednagar. Together with the prime minister of Nizamshah, Malik Amber, he put up a stiff resistance to the advancing forces of the Mughal emperor, and thereafter defeated them. However, tired of the unsettled conditions, Shahaji Raje left Nizamshah\'s service and joined Adilshah of Bijapur, who gave him the higher title of \'Sar Lashkar\'. The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan again attacked the Ahmednagar Kingdom of Nizamshah. At this critical hour, Shahaji Raje returned to the military service of Nizamshah to help strenghten the defences. Meanwhile, a prominent Maratha Sardar, Lakhuji Jadavrao was murdered by order of the Nizamshah. This was not acceptable to Shahaji, and it prompted him to raise the banner of independence and establish an independent kingdom. About the time Shivaji began his military career, power in the region of Deccan was shared by three Sultanates - Bijapur, Ahmednagar, and Golconda.

It was during this unsettled period that Shivaji was born. His birth was in an autonomous Kingdom, as proclaimed by his father, Shahaji. Perhaps, this was the main reason for his life long desire for independence.

The actual date of Shivaji\'s birth was under controversy but the now settled upon date is 19 February 1627. Shivaji was born in Shivneri Fort, Junnar, 60 kilometres north of Pune and about 100 kilometres east of Mumbai. He was named Shiva, after the local Goddess Shivai, to whom his mother Jijabai had prayed for a son. Jijabai had several other sons who did not survive, before having Shivaji.. Shahaji, Shivaji\'s father, attempted to build on the ruins of the Nizamshahi kingdom of Ahmednagar, but was defeated by the much larger combined forces of the Mughals and the Adilshah in 1636. He was forced to leave the region around Pune. He was inducted by Adilshah of Bijapur and was offered a distant jagir - land holdings, in present-day Bangalore, but he was allowed to keep his old land tenures and holdings in Pune. Shivaji started his rise to power in what is now the state of Maharashtra, in the coastal Deccan, or central western regions, close to the power centres of South-Central India.

Foundation of empire


Given these circumstances, Shahaji appointed the young Shivaji, under the care of his mother Jijabai, to manage the Pune holdings. A small council of ministers was appointed to assist and train Shivaji in the administration which included Shamrao Nilkanth as Peshwa (Prime Minister), Balkrishna Pant as Muzumdar, Raghunath Ballal as Sabnis, Sonopant as Dabir, and Dadoji Konddeo as teacher. Apart from these ministers, the military commanders Kanhoji Jedhe and Baji Pasalkar were appointed to train Shivaji in martial arts. In 1644, Shahaji had Lal Mahal built in Pune for his wife and his son Shivaji.

A royal seal, which was in Sanskrit, was handed to Shivaji. It read as follows:
\"This is the royal seal of Shivaji, son of Shahaji. This royal seal is for the welfare of the people. This seal (the rule of the seal) will grow like the new moon grows.\"
Thus Shivaji started his career as an independent young prince of a small kingdom on a mission. Shivaji used the title of Raja (king) only after Shahaji\'s death.

His mother made an indelible impression on him with her teachings, and her love for the homeland and its people. Shivaji learned much from his father\'s failed attempts at political independence: his exceptional military capabilities and achievements, his knowledge of Sanskrit, his Hindu ethos, his patronage of the arts, his war strategies and his peacetime diplomacy. He was inspired and informed by his family\'s vision of independence and freedom.

Furthermore, his mother, having lost her father and three brothers to a treacherous plot hatched by the regional king Nizamshah, was opposed to those whom she considered alien rulers, due to their derision and callousness toward the local population. Jijabai thus instilled in Shivaji a natural love for self-determination and an aversion to external political domination.

Her piety and commitment to indigenous culture, and her recounting of tales from the great Indian epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana, moulded Shivaji\'s character, and helped him to be peerless, (as confirmed by even an otherwise inimical chronicler, Khafi Khan,) especially in his tolerant attitude towards other religions, as well as in his fair and kind treatment of women and non-combatants.

Shahaji\'s vision, Jijabai\'s and Dadoji Konddeo\'s teachings and motivation, and the able training by military commanders such as Gomaji Naik Pansambal and Baji Pasalkar, were the main influences which groomed Shivaji into a brave and fearless military leader, as well as a responsible administrator. Shivaji along with his Mavla friends took a blood oath to fight against the Mughal empire at Rohideshwara temple. And young Shivaji, energetic and enthusiastic as he was, wasted no time in setting off on a path of freedom and glory.

Confrontation with the Regional Sultanates



At the age of 17, Shivaji carried out his first military action by attacking and capturing Torna Fort, in 1645 from the Bijapur kingdom. By 1647 he had captured Kondana and Rajgad forts and had complete control of the Pune region.

By 1654 Shivaji had captured forts in the Western Ghats and along the Konkan Coast. In a bid to sabotage this move of the Marathas under Shivaji\'s able leadership, Adilshah had his father - Shahaji arrested by deceitful means, and he sent one army against Sambhaji, Shivaji\'s elder brother at Bangalore, (lead by Farradkhan,) and another against Shivaji at Purandhar, (lead by Fattekhan.) However both Bhonsle brothers defeated the invading armies securing the release of their father. Thereafter,Afzal Khan, a seasoned commander and an accomplished warrior, was then sent to destroy Shivaji, in an effort to put down what was seen by Bijapur as a regional revolt. He lead many wars. The most important wars were the Battle of Pratapgarh / Pratapgad, the Battle of Kolhapur, the Battle of Pavan Khind, the Battle of Sinhagad, and a lot of the small fights with the Moghal Kings and Emperors.

The first Great Victory



Afzal Khan, after leaving Bijapur to confront Shivaji, first desecrated the temples of goddess Bhavani in Tuljapur and Pandharpur. The intent was to get a roiled, disturbed, and shaken Shivaji out in the open, and face him in a pitched battle. Instead, Shivaji sent a letter saying that he was not eager to face Afzal Khan and sought some type of understanding. Shivaji, upon carefully weighing his options, strategically decided to confront and surprise Afzal Khan under the guise of diplomatic negotiations. A meeting was arranged between Afzal Khan and Shivaji in the foothills of Fort Pratapgad. Shivaji got word that Afzal Khan planned to slay him during the meeting.

Shivaji, armed himself with a weapon called a 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 unscath due to the armour he wore under his clothes, and he counter attacked Afzal Khan with his 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.

In the ensuing battle of Pratapgarh, in the dense forests, which was fought on November 30, 1659, Shivaji\'s armies attacked Afzal Khan\'s Bijapur forces and engaged them in swift flanking maneuvers. Immediately after slaying Afzal Khan, Shivaji galloped up the slope towards the fortress with his lieutenants and ordered cannons to be fired. This was a signal to his infantry, which had been strategically placed under the cover of the densely covered valley, to immediately attack Afzal Khan\'s forces.

Maratha troops commanded by Shivaji\'s captain Kanhoji Jedhe, swept down on Afzal Khan\'s 1,500 musketeers; resulting in a complete rout of the musketeers at the foothills of the fort. Then in a rapid march, a section of Adilshahi forces commanded by Musekhan, was attacked. Musekhan, Afzal Khan\'s leiutenant, was wounded and subsequently fled the battle field. Meanwhile, Moropant led the Maratha infantry toward the left flank of the main portion of Adilshahi troops. The suddenness of this attack on Afzal Khan\'s artillery, at close quarters, made them ineffective in providing artillery cover for the main portion of their troops. And as a result of this, the rest of their troops rapidly succumbed to an all out Maratha attack. Simultaneously Shivaji\'s Sardar (captain,) Ragho Atre\'s cavalry units swooped down and attacked the large but unprepared Adilshahi cavalry before they were able to be fully geared up for battle, and succeeded in completely routing them in short order.

The Maratha cavalry, under Netaji Palkar, pursued the retreating Adilshahi forces, who were attempting to join up with the part of their reserve forces stationed in the nearby village of Wai. They were engaged in battle before they could regroup and were defeated prior to reaching Wai.

This great and complete victory made Shivaji a legendary figure among his people, a and hero in Maratha folklore. The large quantities of captured weapons, horses, armour, and other materials helped to strengthen the nascent and emerging Maratha army.

Subsequently, the Sultan of Bijapur sent an elite Pashtun army comprised mainly of Afghani mercenaries to subdue and defeat Shivaji before he could substantially expand his army. In the resulting war of Panhalgadh, Bijapur\'s Pashtun army was decimated by the Maratha troops. The intense and bloody battle ended in the unconditional surrender of Bijapuri forces to Shivaji.

The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, now identified Shivaji as a major threat to the mighty Mughal Empire.

In January, 1670 Shivaji launched a major, multi-pronged assault on Mughal garrisons in Maharashtra. Within six months he had regained most of his old territory and more. From 1670 to 1674, Shivaji expanded his kingdom to include major portions of Maharashtra and far in to the South including parts of modern-day Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The Battle of Sinhagad is considerd one of the most important wars fought by Shivaji Maharaj. Only after this war, was he named Chatrapathi.

Kondana Fort, on the outskirts of Pune, was still under Mughal control. Uday Bhan Rathod, the fort keeper, controlled an army of about 1500 Rajputs and Mughals for the protection of the fort. On February 4, 1670 Shivaji deputed one of his most senior and trusted generals, Tanaji Malusare, to head a mission to capture Kondana.

Tanaji Malusare surveyed the fort and its defenses for some days. The fort was extremely well guarded. One very sheer cliff caught Tanaji\'s eye. This side was least guarded as one could not possibly imagine climbing the fort from this steep side. Tanaji decided to scale this cliff to enter the fort. He used a monitor lizard, (known as a ghorpad in Marathi,) named \"Yeshwanti\" with a rope tied around its body for climbing this cliff on a moonless night. Perhaps this was the first time in the history of wars where a lizard was used to climb a fort. As the advance party reached the top, they threw ropes for others to climb. Meanwhile Tanaji\'s brother Suryaji moved close to the gates of the fort, namely Kalyan Darwaja, with another 300 Mavalas. The gates were soon opened and once inside, all his soldiers joined Tanaji in the surprise attack.

Tanaji and Uday Bhan came face to face and a fierce fight ensued. Tanaji was severely wounded but managed to kill Uday Bhan before succumbing to his own injuries. Seeing their leader mortally wounded, the Maratha soldiers started to back-up and retreat. Suryaji, then stepped in, front and center, to rally them and get them back on the offensive. The Marathas now re-commenced their attack on the Mughal defenders and captured the fort.

When Shivaji reached the fort in victory, he was deeply bereaved by the loss of Tanaji. On this, he commented \"Gadh ala pan sinha gela,\" (The fort was conquered, but the lion was lost). Thereafter Kondana fort was renamed Sinhagad, (Lion Fort,) to honor Tanaji Malusare\'s bravery and sacrifice.

Shivaji was formally crowned Chhatrapati (Chief, or King of Kshatriyas,) on June 6, 1674 at Raigad fFrt, and given the title Kshatriya Kulavantas Sinhasanadheeshwar Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Pandit Gaga Bhatt, a renowned Brahmin from Varanasi, officially presided over the ceremony declaring that Shivaji\'s lineage was bonafide and recognized Kshatriya. He was bestowed with the Zaanva, (in Hindi the Janeu, the sacred thread), with the Vedas and was bathed in an abisheka. Shivaji had insisted on an Indrabhishek ritual, which had fallen into disuse since the 9th century. Shivaji then was conferred with the title of \"Shakkarta\". He started his own calendar. A few days later a second ceremony was carried out, this time according to the Bengal school of Tantricism and presided over by Nischal Puri.

Toward the end of 1676, Shivaji launched a wave of conquests in southern India with a massive force of 50,000 (30,000 cavalry & 20,000 infantry). The first major alliance made by the monarch was with Abul Hasan, the Qutb Shahi Sultan of Golconda. They began a campaign against the Bijapur Karnataka, including the Shivaji\'s own half-brother, Vyankoji Bhonsla. He defeated and captured the forts at Vellore and Gingee in modern-day Tamilnadu. These victories proved quite crucial during future wars. Jinjee served as Maratha capital for 9 years during 27 years of war.

Shivaji died at 12 noon, 3rd April, in 1680 at Raigad, after running a fever for three weeks. It is said that he died due to contracting a disease Bloody Flux,Intestinal anthrox.The funeral ceremony was arranged in Raigad in presence of his son Rajaram, and Soyarabai. After Shivaji\'s death, his elder son Sambhaji and Soyrabai , fought for control of the kingdom. After a brief struggle Sambhaji was crowned king.

Shivaji was an able and competent administrator and established a government that included such modern concepts as cabinet (Ashtapradhan mandal), foreign affairs (Dabir) and internal intelligence. Shivaji established an effective civil and military administration. He also built a powerful navy and erected new forts like Sindhudurg and strengthened old ones like Vijayadurg on the west coast. The Maratha navy held its own against the British, Portuguese and Dutch,till Maratha internal conflict brought their downfall in 1756.

Shivaji is well known for his benevolent attitude towards his subjects. He believed that there was a close bond between the state and the citizens. He encouraged all socio-economic groups to participate in the ongoing political/military struggle. He is remembered as a just and welfare-minded king. He brought revolutionary changes in military, fort architecture, society and politics. He was a very strategic ruler of the post Mughal era who craved out an independent kingdom/homerule having pushed back the powerful Mughals and the regional sultanates.He laid the foundations of the modern Marathi identity and infused it with strong martial, moral and chivalric traditions.

He was an innovator and an able commander, he successfully used effective tactics including hit-and-run, strategic expansion of territories and forts, formation of highly mobile light cavalry and infantry units, adaptation of strategic battle plans and formations, whereby he succeeded in out-maneuvering, time and time again, his vastly bigger and determined enemies.

Shivaji\'s kingdom served as a Hindu bulwark against Islamic powers within India. His brilliant strategic and tactical maneuvering on battlefields and his acute management and administrative skills helped him to lay the foundations of the future Maratha empire in India.

Posted by Vishal Kalyani

Posted Date 15.05.2015

 
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