Shivaji Bhosle

Shivaji Bhosle

Shivaji Bhosle, also known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhosle (February 19, 1627 to March 4, 1680) was the founder of Maratha empire in western India in 1674. Using guerrilla tactics superbly suited to the rugged mountains and valleys of the region, he annexed a portion of the then dominant Mughal empire. He is considered a great hero in India particularly in the present-day state of Maharashtra, and stories of his exploits have entered into folklore. Guru Aurobindo declared of violent resistance of the British colonialists, ‘sword of the warrior is as necessary to the fulfilment of justice and righteousness as the holiness of the saint. Ramdas is not complete without Shivaji’.[1]

Family background

Shivaji started his rise to power in what is now the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan, close to the power centres of South-Central India.
The land of Maharashtra was ruled by a local dynasty, the Satavahanas from 300 BC to 230 AD. After which, it constantly swayed into many different kingdoms.
In 1292, Ala-ud-din Khilji defeated the Yadavas of Devagiri, but the Yadavas continued to rule till 1310. But a branch of the Yadavas ruled parts of Konkan and Khandesh regions for a century. While the Maratha capital fell to invaders, the regional lords held their sway.
In 1453, an invasion of Bahamani in the region of Vishalgarh resulted in a defeat. Over time, an understanding evolved between the sultanates, regional lords and their erstwhile master Yadavas. The Yadavas became a vassal of Bahamani. In 1492, the Bahamani sultanate broke into five kingdoms called Shahi.

In 1565, the allied Deccan sultanates had vanquished the Vijayanagara Empire at Talikota. By the time Shivaji began his military career, power in the region was shared by three Sultanates - Bijapur, Ahmednagar, and Golconda. Most of the Marathas continued as the noblemen of the Sultanates. Indeed, the sultanates engaged in a continuous game of mutual alliances and aggressions.
Like his ancestors, Shahaji was a major player in the Mughal Wars. At that time, Shahaji played the role of a regent for the young Nizam. Together with the prime minister of Nizamshah, Malik Amber, he put up a stiff resistance to the advancing forces of the Mughal emperor and defeated them. However, tired of the unsettled conditions, Shahaji Raje left Nizamshah's service and joined Adilshah of Bijapur, who gave him the title of 'Sar Lashkar' [2]. Emperor Shah Jahan again attacked the Kingdom of Nizamshah. At this critical hour, Shahaji Raje returned to the service of Nizamshah. Meanwhile Lakhuji Jadavrao was murdered. Shahaji raised the banner of independence.

Early life

It was during this period that Shivaji was born. Thus he was born in independent country as it was declared by his father. Perhaps, that was the reason for his life long fight for independence. The actual date of Shivaji's birth was under controversy but now settled on date as 19 February 1627. He 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 before Shivaji who did not survive, except for Sambhaji who was with Shahaji in the South. Shahaji attempted to build on the ruins of the Nizamshahi kingdom of Ahmednagar, but was defeated by a combined force of the Mughals and 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 at present-day Bangalore. But he was allowed to keep his old land tenures and holdings in Pune.

Foundation of empire

Under 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 Shivaji in the administration which included Shamrao Nilkanth as Peshwa, Balkrishna Pant as Muzumdar, Raghunath Ballal as Sabnis and Sonopant as Dabir. Apart from these ministers, military commanders Kanhoji Jedhe and Baji Pasalkar were appointed to look after Shivaji's training. Dadoji Kondadev was appointed to look over his overall training. Under such conditions, Shivaji took the oath of swarajya at the temple of Raireshwar assuming administrative responsibility in 1644. Shahaji got Lal Mahal built at Pune. A royal seal was handed over to Shivaji which reads in Sanskrit: "This is the royal seal of Shivaji, son of Shahaji. This royal seal is for welfare of 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. After Shahaji died Shivaji used the title of Raja (king).
Thus his parents made an indelible imprint on his impressionable mind. Shahaji's failed attempts at political independence, his exceptional military capabilities and achievements, his knowledge of Sanskrit, Hindu ethos and patronage of the arts, his war strategies and peacetime diplomacy, all have inspired him. His mother, having lost her father and three brothers to a plot hatched by the Nizamshah, had enough bitter experience of wayward and callous alien rule to instill in Shivaji a natural love for self-determination and aversion to external political domination. Her piety and commitment to indigenous culture made him peerless (as confirmed by even otherwise inimical chroniclers, Khafi Khan especially) in his tolerant attitude towards other religions and treatment of women and non-combatants. Shahaji's vision, Jijabai's motivation, and the able training by military commanders such as Gomaji Naik, Baji Pasalkar were the greatest influences which groomed Shivaji into a brave and fearless military leader as well as a responsible administrator. Young Shivaji, the prodigy that he was, wasted no time in applying what he had learned.

Confrontation with the local Sultanates

At the age of 19 he carried out his first military action by capturing Torna fort of the Bijapur kingdom, in 1646. By 1647 he had captured Kondana and Rajgad forts and had complete control of the Pune region.
By 1659 Shivaji had captured forts in the Western Ghats and along the Konkan coast. In a bid to sabotage this move of the Marathas, Adilshah had Shahaji arrested by deceitful means, and sending one army against Sambhaji, Shivaji's elder brother at Banglore (with Farradkhan at its head) and another against Shivaji at Purandhar (with Fattekhan at its head). However both brothers defeated the invading armies securing the release of their father. Later, Sambhaji was treacherously killed by Afzal Khan, Bijapur's finest general, in the siege of Kanakgiri. Afzal Khan was then sent to destroy Shivaji, in an effort to put down what was seen by Bijapur as a revolt.

Battle of Pratapgarh

Main article: Battle of Pratapgarh
Shivaji vanquished Afzal Khan in the battle of Pratapgarh which was fought on November 30, 1659. This feat made Shivaji the hero of Maratha folklore and legend. All contemporary powers of the Indian subcontinent were shocked with the outcome of the battle. Immediately after the battle, Shivaji in the brilliant moves of cavalry conquered the area right up to the Panhala fort stretching over 200 km.
In the war of Panhalgarh, a Pashtun army was decimated by the Marathas, who killed thousands of Pashtuns. This crushing defeat of the Muslims in the Deccan raised the confidence of the Hindus across India.

Battle of Kolhapur

Main article: Battle of Kolhapur
To counter the loss at Pratapgad, another army of over 10,000 was sent against Shivaji, commanded by Bijapuri general Rustemjaman. With 5000 cavalry, Shivaji attacked them near Kolhapur on 28 December, 1659. In a swift movement, Shivaji lead an attack at the center of the enemy forces while other two portions of his cavalry attacked the flanks. In a pitched battle, the enemy was crushed and Rustemjaman fled.

In 1660, Adil Shah sent Siddi Johar - an Abyssinian general of repute. At that time Shivaji was camped at the fort Panhala, near present day Kolhapur, on the borders of his dominion. Siddi Johar's large and intimidating army camped near Panhala, cutting off supply routes to the fort. Shivaji, in a bold move, decided to escape to a nearby fort Vishaalgad, where he could regroup his soldiers to fight a decisive battle. He sent misleading messages to Siddi Johar that he was willing to negotiate. With the Adilshahi soldiers slightly relaxed, Shivaji escaped on a stormy night. However, Johar's soldiers captured a small group of the Marathas apparently including Shivaji, only to realize he was a look-alike dressed like Shivaji sent out to create a diversion and facilitate the real king's escape. But it did not take much time for Siddi Johar's soldiers to figure out where Shivaji was going. A large army, in hot pursuit of Shivaji might have easily captured him had they caught up. In a last minute rear-guard defensive move, Baji Prabhu Deshpande, a brave Sardar along with 300 soldiers, volunteered to hold back the enemy at Ghod Khind. In the resulting battle of Pavan Khind, Baji Prabhu fought aggressively, at times with swords in both hands. He was fatally injured but he gave up his life only after hearing cannon fire from Vishaalgad, signalling Shivaji had reached safely at Vishalgad. Panhala was surrendered to Siddi Johar. After this scuffle, a truce was made between Shivaji and Adilshahi through Shahaji acknowledging the independence of Shivaji. This remained the situation until the death of Shahaji, when Shivaji was free to deal with the Mughals. Thus the Marathas became a power to reckon with. Ghod Khind (khind = "narrow pass in mountainous terrain") was renamed Pavan Khind (Sacred Pass) in honor of the soldiers that selflessly fought and died to save their king.

Clash with the Mughals
With the death of Muhammad Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur, Aurangzeb and his amir Mir Jumla began to take over the Adil Shahi holdings. In 1657 Aurangzeb attacked Golconda and Bijapur. Shivaji, using guerrilla tactics, took control of three Bijapuri forts formerly controlled by his father. With these victories, Shivaji assumed defacto leadership of many independent Maratha clans. He was bequeathed the sobriquet of "mountain-rat (pahadi chuha)" by his opponents for his frequent guerilla-style raids. The Marathas harried the flanks of the warring Bijapuris and Mughals, gaining weapons, forts, and territories. During the war of succession, Shivaji's small and ill-equipped army survived an all out Bijapuri attack, and Shivaji mortally wounded the Bijapuri general, Afzul Khan after the general had, in another famous act of treachery, attempted to stab Shivaji in the back in an unarmed meeting between the two leaders. With this event, the Marathas transformed into a powerful military force, capturing more and more Bijapuri and Mughal territory

Shahiste Khan

In 1660, Aurangzeb sent Shaista Khan, his maternal uncle with a large army to defeat Shivaji in the Deccan. Within three years in 1663, Shivaji had lost most of his conquests to a relentless attack by a well-trained Mughal army. Shaista Khan, seized Pune and the fort of Chakan. His vast army was more than a match for Shivaji's troops and he was an experienced commander who had defeated Shahaji in this region in 1636. But though he held Pune for almost a year, he had little further success. He had set up his residence at Lal Mahal in the city of Pune. Shivaji planned a daring attack on Shaista Khan. One day in April 1663, a wedding party had obtained special permission for a procession and Shivaji planned an attack on that very night. The Maratha's disguised as the bridegroom’s procession members entered Pune. Since many Maratha Sardar's served in the Mughal army, Shivaji and his men cleverly made through the rings of Mughal defenses around Lal Mahal. After disposing of the guards they broke into the house by breaking through a wall. Shivaji confronted Shaista Khan and with a slash of his sword he severed three of Shaista Khan's fingers, the Kahn escaped by jumping from a window and was taken to a safe place by the servant maids. Shaista Khan also lost his one son in the raid. After this daring attack, Shaista Khan left Pune heading North. An angered Aurangzeb transferred him to distant Bengal as a punishment for his embarassing defeat in Pune. [3]

Surat Loot and Mirza Raje Jaisingh

Thereafter, in 1664 Shivaji looted Surat as a revenge for looting of his territory by Shaiste Khan. Shivaji got immense wealth with loot of Surat. This was required for raising of army, safeguarding the captured territories,etc. The Marathas continued to capture forts belonging to both Mughals and Bijapur. Aurangzeb then sent a renowned Rajput General, Mirza Raje Jai Singh, a Hindu, to defeat Shivaji with a vast army.
Jaisingh's blistering attacks were so successful that at Purander in 1665, Shivaji agreed for peace. In the treaty of Purandar, that was signed between Shivaji and Jaisingh, Shivaji agreed to give his 23 forts and 4 lakh hons to the Mughals. He also agreed to become a Mughal Sardar and serve the Mughal court of Aurangzeb. Shivaji's clandestine intentions in becoming a Mughal Sardar were to defeat the Bijapur and Golconda Kingdoms using Aurangzeb's army and then take on the mighty Mughals.

Trip To Agra and Escape

In 1666, Aurangzeb summoned Shivaji to Agra, along with his six year old son Sambhaji on the occasion of his fiftieth birthday. In the court,on 12 May 1666, Aurangzeb made Shivaji stand behind mansabdar's (Commanders)of his court,considered as an insult by him ɓ. Deeply offended, Shivaji stormed out of court and was promptly placed under house arrest, under the watch of Fulad Khan,Kotwal of Agra.
From his spies, Shivaji came to know that Aurangzeb planned to shift him to Raja Vitthaldas's Haveli to kill him. Shivaji then feigned sickness and requested and sent back all his accomplises to Deccan. On his request,he was allowed to send sweets to saints, fakirs,temples in Agra as an offering for getting well. After several days of sending out boxes containing sweets, Shivaji disguised himself as a palanquin bearer and managed to sneak out without being seen.Sambhaji had sneaked out a couple of days earlier, disguised as the son of a brahmin who had come to pray for Shivaji's quick recovery.( Another theory is that he along with his son, Sambhaji escaped by hiding in the box of sweets)
In the years 1667-69, Shivaji adopted a low profile. In 1668, Shivaji's repeated petitions to Aurangzeb won him the title 'Raja' and Chakan fort. The Mughals had the impression that he was now a spent force and would not cause them any more trouble. Then in January 1670 Shivaji's forces launched a concerted attack on Mughal garrisons in Maharashtra. The force of the assault was overwhelming and within six months Shivaji had regained most of his old territory. His army was much larger now: about 40,000 cavalry, backed by 60,000 infantry. From 1670 to 1674 Shivaji continued to expand his territory at the expense of the Mughals.

Shivaji was formally crowned Chhatrapati ("Chhatrapati= Chief, head or King of Kshatriyas", representing the protection he bestowed on his people) on June 6, 1674 at the Raigad fort, and given the title Kshatriya Kulavantas Sinhasanadheeshwar Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Pandit Gaga Bhatt, renowned as Vedonarayana (Greatest exponent of Vedic discourse), a Brahmin from Varanasi, officially presided over the ceremony declaring that Shivaji's ancestor's were truly Kshatriyas who descended from the solar line of the Ranas of Mewar. He was invested with the Zaanva, in hindi the Janeu (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.
Thus Shivaji become a “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. Henry Oxinden (later Acting President of the Bombay Presidency) from the British East India Company was present at the ceremony.

Shivaji's rule

Shivaji was an able administrator and established a government that included such modern concepts as cabinet (Ashtapradhan mandal), foreign affairs (Dabir) and internal intelligence.[4] 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 fatherly attitude towards his subjects. He believed that the state belonged to the people. He encouraged all socio-economic groups to participate in the ongoing political changes. To this day he is remembered as a just and welfare-minded king. He brought revolutionary changes in military, fort architecture, society and politics.
Shivaji occupies a special place in the hearts of Marathi peoples and many others in India due in part to his well documented, high moral code of conduct and his unrelenting drive toward the liberation of India from alien power of the Mughals and the Nizams. He faced daunting challenges such as repeated invasions by huge enemy armies, notably the Mughals and the Sultan of Golconda, that would have defeated a lesser leader.
Shivaji coped and survived and eventually emerged triumphant by using innovative tactics including hit-and-run, strategic expansion of territories and forts, and by constantly keeping on the move, being highly mobile and always one step ahead of his pursuers.
In the earlier years of his leadership he commanded a small force of loyal followers, they had few resources and lacked military hardware and equipment and made do with what was available. Compared to the hardy but illequipped army of Shivaji the Mughals sported a numerically superior and fully armed and well stocked army. Shivaji brilliantly overcame these disadvantages by adopting intelligent stratergies and tactics and by taking advantage of their intimate familiarity of the mountainous and rugged Maharashtra terrain. He was unrelenting in expansion of his kingdom and the liberation of vast Maratha territories within and outside of Maharastra. He was a particularly troublesome thorn in the side of the mighty Mughal empire.
His strong warrior code of ethics and deep seated and uncompromising spiritual values directed him to offer protection to houses of worship, non combatants, women and children. He always showed respect to holymen and places of worship of all denominations and religions.
Once a misguided lieutenant offered him the daughter-in-law of a defeated muslim nobleman as a gift, upon which Shivaji has been famously noted to have said 'If my mother was as beautiful as you, I would have also been beautiful. Go back to your family, go in peace'. Shivaji had internalised the teachings and lessons of Ramayana, Mahabharata and other sacred Hindu texts as taught by his mother in his youth. His behaviour, was noted by those around him, to be always be of the highest moral caliber, he clearly and unambiguously embodied the virtues and ideals of a true nobleman.
As a result of of Shivaji's selfless service to his peoples and nation, his immpeccable conduct and his unpararelled courage and daring, he struck a deep chord with his followers and the citizenary. The high level of loyalty and respect he earned from his followers and subjects sets him apart from any other Indian king or chieftan in the post Islamic Indian history. Even today he is venerated in India and especially in the state of Maharashtra with awe and admiration and as a hero of epic proportions.