A History of the Maratha People, Vol. 1 - Forgotten Books

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A H ISTORY OF THE

M’

ARATHA PEOPLE

C . A . KINCA ID , C .V .O

A uthdr of,

‘

The Ta le of the Tuls i Pla n t .’ ‘

The I n d ia nHeroes .

’ ‘

Deccan Nursery Ta les .

’ ‘

Ta les from the I n d ia n

Ep ics ,’ ‘

I sbtur Phakd e ,’

etc

AND

RAO BAHADUR D . B PARASNISAuthor of

‘

The Ra n i of Jha n s i , Mahaba leshwar etc .

Ed itor , Itihas Sa n graba .

'

VOL . I

FROM THE EARL IESTTIMES

TO THE DEATH OF SH IVA J I

TO THE MARATHA PEOPLE

THIS WORK

IS

RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED

ii PREFACE

Skivd igvijaya , the Chit/Ms , the Skedgavkar an d the Sabha sad

Bakkars, Mr. Rajwad e’

s publication s , Ran ad e’

s Rise of the

Mam ika Power, Orm e’s Fragm en ts an d the vast store of origin al

Maratha papers which Rao BahadurD . B . Parasn is was able to

place at m y disposal . I have also studied deeply the poetry

of Tukaram,Ram das

,Nam d ev an d Mahipati , a n d the life of

Ram das by Han m an t Swam i .

This first volum e en ds with the death of Shivap . The secon d

volum e will, if I am spared to con tin ue the work , en d with the

coup d’

etat of AD . 1750. The third volum e will brin g the

n arrative down to AD . 1818 . It will also con tain appen dices ,givin g a short accoun t of the Maratha States between 1818 an d

the presen t d ay .

I have don e m y utm ost to avoid givin g offen ce to m y In dianread ers . If. by in adverten ce I have don e so , I trust that theVwill exten d m e their forgiven ess .

C . A . KINCAID .

CONTENTS

CHAPTERI . INTRODUCTORY

II . THE SATAVAHANA OR ANDHRA KINGS

III . THE EARLY CHALUKYAS AND RASHTRAKUTAS

IV. THE L ATER CHALUKYAS'

V. THE YADAVAS OE DEVAGn u

VI . THE AEGHAN CONQUES T cm‘

THE IDEcGAN

VI I . TH E DECCAN UNDER DELHI AND THE RISE OF VIJ AYANAGAR

VIII . THE BAHMANI KINGDOM

IX . MOGHULS AND PORTUGUESE

X . THE AHMADNAGAR KINGDOM

XI . THE PANDHARPUR MOVEMENT

XII . THE RISE OF THE BHOSLES

XIII . SHI VA J I’

S BIRTH AND BOYHOOD'

X IV. THE RI SE OF SHIVAJ I

XV. EARLY SUCCESSE S : J AOLI , J ANJ IRA AND PRATAPGAD

XVI . MUDHOL, PANHALA AND SAVANTVAD I

XVII . TUKARAM AND RAMDAS . .

XVIII . THE MOGHUL WAR

XIX . SHIVA J I AT AGRA

XX . SINHGAD , SURAT AND SALE EB

XXI . THE CROWNING OF SHIVA J I

XXII . THE GREAT SOUTHERN CAMPAIGN

XXIII . THE LAST DAYS OF THE GREAT KING . .

INDEX

ILLUSTRATIONS

Raj a Shiv aji , Foun der of the Mara tha Em pire

A d ilshah i Kin gs of Bij apur

Shaha j i,Fa ther of Sh i v aji

Goddes s Bhav an i of Pra tapga d

Auran gzib

Spot a t Raygad where Shi vaji wa s burn t

L ake an d Tem ple a t Raygad

Ra j a Sam bhaji

MAPS

PAGESketch Map to Illustrate the Early Period

Sketch Map showin g pla ces m en tion ed in the a c coun t of Shiv aji’

s

Ca m pa ign s

THE PEOPLE

IN the en suin g pages it will be the writer’s aim to tell the storyof the coun try kn own as Maharashtra . It lies on the western

shore of m iddle In dia an d is in shape a trian gle .

* Its base is

the sea from Dam an to Karwar . The perpen dicular side is

form ed by a lin e run n i n g from Dam an bey on d Nagpur. The

hypoten us e is form ed by an irregular lin e from beyon d Nagpur

to Karwar. The area of thi s tract is over square m i les

an d its population exceeds thi rty m illion s . The race that

in habits it varies just as Fren chm en of d ifieren t provin ces vary .

But it has distin ct characteristics , whi ch differen tiate it from

other In dian races . The people of Maharashtra as a rule lack

the regular features of the Northern In dian . Their tem pers ,too, are usually less un der con trol than those of the dwellers in

the Gan getic plain . But their courage is at least as high as that

of an y other In dian n ation,whi le their exquisitely keen sen se of

hum our, the lofty in telligen ce of their educated classes , their

blun t speech an d fran k bearin g rarely fail to win the love an d

adm iration of those En glishm en whose lot it is to serve am on g

them the In dian Govern m en t .

Maharashtra has three distin ct division s . Of these , theseaboard below the Sahyad riMoun tain s is kn own as the Kon kan

the tract occupied by the Sahyad ris is kn own as the Mawal ;whi le the wide, rollin g plain s to the east are kn own as the Dash .

Ma harashtra receives from the m on soon a rain fall that varies

Ramada, Rise of the Maratha, Power, p. 20.

A H ISTORY

MARATHA

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTORY

2 A HISTORY OF THE MARATHA PEOPLE ‘

greatly. I n m an y parts of the Kon kan 100 in ches in a sin gle

year are n ot un usual . I n the Sahyad ris as m an y as 400 in ches

have been recorded . I n the eastern parts of the Desh a fall of

20in ches is welcom ed with the utm ost gratitude . The Kon kan

is,owin g to its low level , hotter than the other two division s .

It is , however, in parts extrem ely fertile . The Mawa l is cool

an d em in en tly healthy for European s , but , except for its rice

fields , of little value for cultivation . The Desh is barren to the

west,but grows richer to the east, where the deep black soil

n eeds on ly rain to produce crops in abun dan ce . The clim ate of

the Desh,whi le hotter than that of the Mawal , is still pleasan t

an d salubrious .

In the earliest period of In dian History on whi ch light has

yet been thrown ,we fin d the Aryan people established on ly in

eastern Afghan i stan an d the western Pun j ab . To thi s tract

they were lon g con fin ed either by the forests that grew a lon g

the Gan ges River or by the valour of the,

tribes that dwelt close

to their borders . I n course of tim e , however, they subdued

the forests an d the tribes that blocked their path, an d by the

8th cen tury BC . were in com plete con trol of the vast territory

between the Him alayas an d the Vin d hyas . Thi s im m en setract

,watered by the Gan ges , the In dus , the Jam n a , an d a host

of m in or rivers an d visited by the yearly m on soon rain s , should,it m ight have seem ed , have sufficed for the n eeds of the con querin g race . But the 7th cen tury BC . saw a great activity am on g

the n ation s alon g the Mediterran ean seaboard . The Etern a l

City had been foun ded on the ban ks of the Tiber, an d the

Wolves of Italy had begun to peep from their Rom an

stron ghold at the world , which in the course of eight cen turies

they were to subdue from the highlan ds of Britain to the fast

n esses of Judea . I n Greece the old civili zation“

of Hom er hadbeen followed by an other

,far m ore darin g an d n ot less pictur

esque . Dorian s an d Ion ian s had plan ted their colon i es from the

Gulf of Taren tum to the south of Sicily. Their trirem es an d

pen tecon ters fought battles for the trade of the Adriatic .

* Theirm ercen ary soldiers helped Gyges an d Ardys of

‘

Lydia to check,

See Bury’s Greece.

INTRODUCTORY 3

a n d then to drive back, the Cim m erian hosts to the Crim ea .

In return they learn t the art of coin age from the Lydian s, an dletters from the Phoen i cian s . But it was in the valley of the

Nile that‘

civ ili zation m ade her greatest advan ce . The con quest

of Egypt in 672 BC . by Kin g Assar-haddon was As syria ’s

proudest exploit . For twen ty-fiv e years the slavery of the

Egyptian s en dured . Then Psam m etichus of Sais,of the dark

Libyan stock,raised the stan dard of revolt . To hi s ban n er

flocked n ot on ly n atives of Egypt but m ail-clad m ercen aries

from Lydia an d Caria . The Assyrian troops were driven from

the Nile valley . The old exclusive policy of the an cien t

Pharaohs disappeared for ever . Greek settlers brought trade

an d art to the shores of Egypt; A can a l cut by Psam m etichus’

son Necho an ticipated the work of De Lesseps by over 2000

years an d j oin ed the waters of the Mediterran ean to the Gulf

of Suez . Not m an y years afterwards a fleet of Phoen ician

ships equipped by Necho sailed forth from Suez to circum

n avigate Africa . They pa ssed through the Red Sea with a skill

whi ch showed lon g acquain tan ce with its in hospitable coasts .

They waited on the Som ali shore un til the m on soon storm s had

passed away . Then doublin g the Cape of Good Hope , they

return ed trium phan tly through the Pillars of Hercules an d ,

within two years of their departure,an chored am id the applause

of three con tin en ts off the m ouths of the Nile .

It was hardly possible that such a hum an ferm en t should

prod uce n o effect in In dia . Actually the effect was im m en se .

I n the 7th cen tury BC . a great forward m ovem en t carried the

Aryan race over the Vin d hyas , un til it died away at the extrem e

south of the Pen in sula . The progress of this m ovem en t m ay

be discern ed from the two great San skrit epics . The first, the

Ram ayan a , tells the story of Kin g Ram a of Ayodhya . His

father, Kin g Dasharatha , on e of a race sprun g from the loin s of

the Sun God,ruled over the coun try n ow kn own as Oudh .

When Kin g Dasharatha ’s eldest son Ram a grew to m an hood ,

the kin g was in duced by Ram a’s stepm other

, Queen Kaikey i ,to disin herit him in favour of her own son

,Prin ce Bharata ,

an d

to ban ish Ram a for fourteen years i n to the forest . I n obed ien ce

A HISTORY OF THE MARATHA PEOPLE

to this sen ten ce the prin ce , hi s wife Sita , an d hi s brother Laxm an

wan dered southwards un til they reached the forest of Dan daka ,beyon d the Vin dhyas . There Kin g Ravan a of Ceylon carried

off Sita to his islan d kin gdom . Ram a an d Laxm a n followed

to win her back . From thi s poin t on wards the Ram ayan a

becom es a fairy tale . The prin ces ’ wan derin gs brought them

to the abodes of m on keys , apes an d bears .‘

An d aided by a host

of warlike an im als, Prin ce Ram a crossed the Palk Straits an d

recovered his bride . It m ay thus be surm i sed that when the

Ram ayan a was written the Aryan s had n ot yet gon e farther

south than the Vin d hyas . I n the Mahabharata we fin d a differ

en t state of thin gs . Its heroes are the race of the Bharatas ,sprun g from the loin s of the Moon God . Their capital was at

Hastin apura , n ot far from Delhi . But a quarrel took place

between two fam ilies of Bharata prin ces, the son s of the dead

Kin gPan d u an d those ofhis brother the blin d Kin g Dhritarashtra .

The gam blin g in stin cts of Kin g Pan d u ’

s eldest son ,Yudhi shthira ,

gave for thirteen years the victory to the son s of Kin g Dhrita

ra shtra . But in the en d Yud hishthira an d his brothers trium ph

ed . Now the youn gest of Yudhi shthira ’s brothers , Sahadeva ,is said in the course of his adven tures to have subdued thePan d yas , Keralas , an d An dhras , who all lived south of theVin dhyas . It seem s

,therefore

,certain that when the Maha

bharata had reached its presen t form ,the Aryan s had explored

the whole sub-con tin en t from the Hi m alayas to the Pa lk Straits .

I n the epics , Maharashtra bore the n am e of the Dan d akaran yaor Dan daka Forest . That is clear from the m en tion of the

Godavari,on e of the m ost im portan t rivers in Maharashtra .

In deed, even to-d ay , when the Marathi—speakin g Brahm an s inthe course

,

of sacrifices refer to their coun try , they call it n ot

Maharashtra but Dan d akaran ya . Stran gely en ough it was on e

of the last parts of In dia con quered by the Aryan in vaders .

It was lon g protected by the peaks an d forests of the Vin d hyasa n d Satpuras . The Aryan s overran the Gan ges va lley from west

to east, an d it was n ot un til they reached the eastern shores

of In dia that they were able to turn the Vin dhya Moun ta in s .

They then con quered southern In dia from east to west ._

In the

INTRODUCTORY 5

extrem e south the Aryan s were un able to im pose their lan guageon the already highly civili zed Cholas

,Pan d yas an d Keralas .

But a lthough the Dan d akaran ya was on e of the last of their

con quests , the trium ph in it of the Aryan s was as com plete as

in n orthern In dia . The Rakshasas or abori gin al tribes were

soon absorbed or driven from the valleys to the hills . A race

sprun g from the un ion of Aryan in vaders an d captive wom en

took their place , an d Marathi , the ton gue whi ch the descen dan tsof that race speak to-d ay ,

. is as closely alli ed to the an cien t

San skrit as an y of her elder sisters in the n orthern plain s .

An other question rem ain s to be solved . How did the Dan da

karauya com e to be called Maharashtra " Its in habitan ts ,proud of their hi story an d of the hun dred vi ctories of their

forefathers , proclaim that Maharashtra m ean s the great coun try .

The en suin g pages will in deed show how great it becam e . But

it bore the n am e of Maharashtra when it was still an un kn own

provin ce . Mr . Molesworth,the well-kn own Marathi scholar ,

hinted that,

the n am e m ight m ean the coun try of the Mbare ;but there are n um erous groun ds for rej ectin g thi s surm ise .

TheMhars are n ot a people . They are m erely a debased section .

Nor is their n am e an an cien t on e. It is a corruption of the

word Mrityuhar or rem over of the dead .

’ It m ust therefore

have com e in to existen ce , n ot before the Aryan in vasion , but

after the Mhars ‘ had been reduced to their presen t m iserable

con dition . From so abj ect a com m un ity n o coun try would

take its n am e . Lastly,the words Mrityuhar Rashtra would

n ot, accordin g to the ordin ary laws of lin guistic corruption ,

becom e Maharashtra . To ascertain the true origin of the n am e

let us revert for a m om en t to the poli tical hi story of eastern

Europe an d n orthern In dia .

To the n orth-west of the Aegean Sea lay the coun try of

Macedon ia . Its ki n gs were Hellen ic . This circum s tan ce pregserved for the Macedon ian kin gs the roya l dign ities which in

Hom er’s tim e had been held by ki n gs in every Grecian State .

But the stren gth of the n on -Hellen ic feudatories an d vassals

in the western hi lls ren dered the ki n g powerless to m eddle in

affairs outside his own kin gdom . I n the Persian War the

6 A HISTORY OF THE MARATHA PEOPLE

Macedon ian kin g Alexan der had in trigued wi th both Greeks

an d barbarian s . I n the war between Sparta an d Athen s ,Kin g Perdicoes had followed sim ilar tactics . But in the year

359 B C. there cam e to thi s im poten t dom i n ion a m an with an

idea . He was Phi lip , the son of Am yn tas , an d un cle of the

in fan t kin g . I n hi s boyhood he had been seized as a hostage

by the Theban govern m en t an d had spen t hi s youth in the m i li

tary school of Boeotia . There he had watched the work of

Epam in on das an d had seen how a flan k attack m ade by picked

in fan try, com bin ed wi th a fron tal advan ce,was irresistible

even to the Spartan hoplite . It occurred to Phi lip that an

attack on both flan ks by picked cavalry com bin ed with a fron tal.

advan ce by in fan try would be m ore decisive still . This was his

idea an d it was destin ed to chan ge the face of the civilized globe .

At the age of twen ty—four he return ed to his n ative coun try

an d assum ed , as regen t for hi s n ephew ,the Macedon ian gover n

m en t . By the aid of the gold m in es of Moun t Pan gaeus , he

equipped picked cavalry an d stim ulated their pride by the n am e

of Hetairoi , or com pan ion s of the kin g . The n ew m ilitary

tactics obtain ed successes even greater than those of Epam in on

d as . The arm i es of the vassals,of Illyrian s , Theban s ,

Athen ian s

an d Spartan s , proved alike un able to resist them . In 336 B C.

Phi lip fell ben eath an assassin ’s kn ife . To Phi lip succeeded

hi s son Alexan der . But the idea lived on an d each year brought

it fresh successes . By 335 B C. all Greece was hum bled . The

fate of As ia Min or was decided on the Gran icus , that of Syria

an d Egyp t on the Issu s , that of Persia on the plain of Gauga

m ela . Yet an other victory on the Jbelum placed the Macedonian kin g in the possession of the western Pun jab . To the

con queror’s cam p there cam e about thi s tim e on e Chan dragupta

Maurya . He was a hum ble kin sm an of the Nan da kin g who

ruled at Magadha . For political reason s he had fled his coun try

an d he n ow tried to tem pt Alexan der to the con quest ofMagad ha . The revolt of hi s troops forced the ki n g to turn a

deaf ear to Chan dragupta . But if the exile had failed in his

chi ef aim , his vis it to Alexan der’s cam p had n ot been frui tless .

His n atural abilities had been im proved by travel an d by con tact

INTRODUOTORY 7

with awestern people . He had learn t the value of disciplin e

an d a n ew system of tactics . Wh en the Macedon ian kin g left

In dia,Chan dragupta , thrown on hi s own resources , organ ised

a revolt , attacked the Macedon i an garrison s,drove them out ,

an d fixin g hi s capital at Pataliputra or Patn a,foun ded a dyn asty

whi ch was to last for 137 years . On Chan d ragupta’

s death hi s

son ,Bin d usara , succeeded hi m ,

an d he in turn was followed

by the great Buddhist em peror, Asoka . In stead of arm i es ,Asoka sen t forth in every direction m in isters of religion to preach

the teachi n gs of Buddha . These m i ssion s he recorded in in

scription s carved in rocks all over n orthern In dia . On n o less

than four of those whi ch still survive , Asoka in scribed that he

had sen t m ission aries to the Rastikas . These Rastikas or

Rashtrikas were the dwellers in the Dan daka Forest . Proud

of their in depen den ce , or for som e kin dred reason ,they cam e

I n later years to call them selves Maharashtrikas , an d so the

coun try whi ch they occupied cam e to be kn own as Maharashtra

an d its people as Marathas . *

Bhan d arkar, Decca n , p. 9 . But see the article on theAn cien t Geographya n d Civ ilization of Maharashtra by Mr. Kan e. He in terprets Maharashtrato m ean

‘

the great coun try,’

t.e. , the great forest coun try south of theVi n d hyas .

Per con tra see Mr. Rajwad e’

s Maharashtra cha Vasaha t Kal (The Colon izationof Maharashtra ) , wherein he lays down that Maharashtra com es fromRashtrikas , t.e.

,the leadin g m en of the rashtra , or cou n try Maharashtrikas

m ean t chiefs am on g the leadin g m en .

CHAPTER II

THE SATAVAHANA OR ANDHRA KINGS

CIRCA 185 RC. To A .D. 250

THE em pire foun ded by Chan dragupta began to crum ble away

after the death of As oka . It term in ated in 185 by the

assassin ation of the last Maurya kin g, Brihad ratha , by hi s

chi ef gen eral,Pushpam itra ,

the foun der of the Sun ga lin e . Like

m ost In dian usurpers Pushpam itra was a m an of talen ts an d

vigour . He soon exten ded the boun daries of the shrun ken

em pire , un til in the south they reached the Narbada River an d

in the west the fron tiers of the Pun jab . The Sun ga dyn asty

en dured for 112 years , but of Pushpam itra’

s successors little

is kn own . His gran dson Sum itra was assassin ated on the boards

of the roya l theatre,to whi ch he was in ordin ately attached .

The last Sun ga ki n g, Devabhuti or Dev abhum i , lost hi s life

whi le en gaged in a licen tious in trigue . The m urderer was

the dissolute kin g’s prim e m in i ster. His n am e was Vasudeva

Kan va an d he an d his descen dan ts ruled for 45 years,till

they in turn were swept away by the rise of the An dhras .

Hitherto the param oun t rulers of In d ia had been n orthern

kin gs . But the n ew dyn asty, as powerful as an y that preceded

it, cam e from the south . On the shores of the Bay of Ben gal ,between the m ouths of the Krishn a an d Godavari Rivers , dwelt

the An dhra people . Of the Dravidian race , they spoke the

m usical Telegu . Their wealth an d power had been ren own ed

from an cien t tim es . Megasthen es, a Greek en voy at the

court of Chan dragupta,wrote wi th adm iration of their

thirty walled cities , their coun tless villages, their foot

soldiers , their 2000 horsem en an d their 1000war elephan ts .*

They appear in edicts,dated 206 B .C. ,

as tributaries ofAsoka .

See Vin cen t Sm i th, Early History of I n d ia , p. 206.

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In dia an d m ade them selves m asters of Mathura an d Taxila ,

Kathiawar an d Ujj ain . But in earlier tim es the Sakas had

ackn owledged the Parthian kin gs as overlords an d had them

selves born e the title , n ot of kin g, but of satrap . To thi s latter

title they clun g lon g after they had becom e in depen den t . Thus

Nahapan a the great Kshatrapa was a descen dan t of som e Saka

chief who had forced his way in to Maharashtra . On ce satisfiedthat Nahapan a was a Saka , Dr . Bhan d arkar m ade an other

surm ise . The resem blan ce between the word Saka an d the

Sake or Shak‘

e* era whi ch prevails south of the Narm ada could

hardly be fortui tous . Now if the Shakeera was foun ded by the

Sakas , they did it in all probability to celebrate som e great

achi evem en t . Thus the Sakas probably con quered the Deccan

when the Shakeera began ,that is to say in A .D. 78.

The dom i n ion ,however

,of these foreign kin gs did n ot lon g

vex Maharashtra . About A .D . 150 an Alexan drian Greek ,called Ptolem y

,wrote a book on geography . Therein he has

recorded that a certain Polem ios ruled at Baithan . Now Baithan

is clearly Paithan on the Godavari , then the capital of the

An dhra viceroyalty of Maharashtra . Sirios Polem ios can be

iden tified with Kin g Pulum ayi in the third set of in scription s .

Therefore before A .D. 150 Saka rule in Maharashtra had van ish

ed . It is easy n ow to recon struct the story. In A .D. 78 the

Saka chi ef forced his way either through the Vin d hyas or a lon g

the Kon kan seaboard . For som e fifty years he an d hi s des

cen d an ts occupied Maharashtra . The An dhras fell back on their

other prov in ces . Then led by a capable an d active prin ce ,Kin g Gautam iputra , they drove out the Sakas . The third

in s cription , however, m en tion s Pulum ayi as kin g . But the

The Shakeera is com m on ly kn own as the Shali v ahan era .

THE SATAVAHANA OR ANDHRA KINGS 11

Puran as Show that Pulum ay i was the son of Kin g Gautam iputra .

It seem s therefore probable that after the re-con quest of Maharashtra

,Gautam iputra m ade his son Pulum ayi either Viceroy or

j oin t kin g . Nor was thi s the on ly victory of Gautam iputra .

I n the in scription quoted above he is said to have left n o trace

of the race of Khagarata . Dr. Bhan d arkar has con jecturedthat the Saka kin g of Uj jain

,whose an cestor was Khagarata

or Kshaharata , in dign an t at the fate of hi s southern brethren ,

tried to help them . He Shared their defeat an d lost his life .

This con j ecture fin d '

s support in a charm i n g legen d still curren t

in Poon a . It is as follows . I n Paithan on the ban ks of the

God avari there dwelt in the house of a potter a Brahm an'

girl

who had two brothers . On e d ay the Brahm an girl wen t to

bathe in the Godavari . But as she bathed, her beauty won

the heart of n o less a lover than Shesha,the great serpen t kin g,

upon whose coils the god Vishn u takes his rest in the cen tre

of the m ilky ocean . To refuse such a wooer was im possible .

The serpen t ki n g chan ged him self in to a m an an d becam e the

lover of the Brahm an girl . The child born of this rom an ce was

brought up by its m other in the,

house of her lan dlord , the

potter . At thi s tim e there reign ed in Uj jain a m ighty kin g called

Vikram ad itya , or the Sun of Valour . To hi m on e d ay the sage

Narada foretold that death would com e to him from the han dsof a boy aged two . whose m other was still un wed . It was n ow

a m atter of life an d death to Vikram ad itya to discover the boy

an d to destroy hi m . The roya l m essen gers an d spies searched

in vain for the kin g’s foe . At last Vikram ad itya called to his

aid Vetal,the great ghost kin g .

* On Vetal’

s arrival, Vikram a

d itya told him of Narad a’

s prophecy an d begged hi m to fin d

out where the m urderous in fan t lived . Away on the search

wen t Vetal a n d his troopers un til at last the ghost kin g saw

playin g at Paithan a boy p f two , n ear whom stood an un m arried

girl who seem ed to be his m other . Veta l guessed that this was

the in fan t for whom he sought , an d told Vikram ad itya . The

latter led out his whole arm y to destroy the two-year-old bov .

R in gs of white ston es represen tin g Vetal , the ghost kin g , a n d h is trOOpomare often to be seen outside Deccan v illages .

by which to m ake them,liv e an d vast though Vikram ad itya

’

s

arm y was , it was soon overwh elm ed by the still greater host

that spran g from the clay to m eet it . The chi ld afterwards

becam e kin g an d ruled with such good fortun e that he foun ded

the Shalivahan era to com m em orate his glory . Now Shaliv ahan

is m erely an other way of pron oun cin g Satav ahan . Therefore ,the kin g of the legen d

,who defeated the lord ofUjjain ,

was n o

doubt the great Satav ahan a kin g,G autam iputra . But the era

which he is said to have foun ded was the Shake era,which he

in herited from the con quered Sakas .

The An dhras did n ot lon g retain their con quests n orth of the

Vin dhyas . A capable Saka leader, n am ed Rud rad am an ,arose

i n Kathiawar an d drove the An dhras out of the coun try . Kin gPulum ayi , Gautam i putra

’

s son ,took his daughter in m arriage

but the allian ce did n ot stay the arm s of Rud rad am an . About

A .D. 150* Rud rad am an had recovered all the provin ces in

n orthern In dia which Gautam iputra had taken from the Sakas .

Pulum ay i died‘

, accordin g to Dr . Bhan d arkar, in A.D. 150 or

accordin g to Mr . Vin cen t Sm ith in A .D. 163 . His im m ediate

successor was his brother Siv asri . But the on ly n otable An dhra

ln'

n g after the death of Pulum ayi was Gautam iputra Yajn asri .He appears partially to have aven ged the defeats of Pulum ayi .

The dyn asty fin ally passed away in the early part of the 3rd

cen tury A . D.TNevertheless

,in Spite of our ign oran ce of the person a l achi eve

m en ts of m ost of the An dhra rulers,there are m an y in d ication s

that the dyn asty syn chron ized“

with a tim e of great prosperityin Maharashtra . The hills of the Deccan an d the Kon kanaboun d with caves excavated about this tim e by rich m erchan ts ,goldsm i ths , carpen ters , corn -dealers an d even by druggists .The fortun e of a sin gle ban ker en abled him to m ake the great

cen tral cave at Karli . In terest, as on e of Ushvad ata’

s in scrip

Vin cen t Sm ith, Early H istory of I n d z'

a , pp . 210-11.

TA . D . 218 , a ccordin g to Dr . Bhan d arkar.

THE SATAVAHANA OR ANDHRA KINGS 13

tion s Show, varied form 5 to 7 per cen t , rates whi ch com pare

favourably wi th those of m odern tim es . Nor is this a cause forwon der. The treatm en t of Egypt by her Rom an con querors

had been pecu liarly favourable to the Hellen ic gen ius .Mace

d'on i a a n d Syria were crushed an d plun dered un til they cam e

to resem ble other provin ces of the em pire . But the dan gerwhich Rom e had in curred from An ton y’s in fatuation for

Cleopatra had led Augustus to treat Egypt in a differen t way .

His court poet Virgil wrote twelve books of im m ortal verse to

warn hi s coun trym en again st the dan gerous beauties who haunted the n orthern Shores of A frica . The em peror m ade the

adm i n i stration his own peculiar care an d forbade Italian s of

sen atorial ran k to visit Egypt without his specia l leave . Pro

tected from in tern a l disturban ce an d foreign attack,yet n ot

in terfered with by the Rom an adm in i strators,the talen ted

Greeks of Alexan dria Obtain ed a fu ll scope for their develop

m en t . System s of philosophy foun ded in Attica reached perfection in Egypt . As tron om y an d m athem atics m ade am a zin g

progress . But it was in geography that hum an kn owledge

m ade its greatest advan ces . Seam an ship was peculi arly the

gift of the Hellen e . From every village on the Erythrean coast ,Greek sailors fitted out ships to explore the eastern seas . The

Gulf of Om an,the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea

,the western

shores of In dia , becam e in tim ately kn own to them . They

ven tured as far as the Malay Pen in sula an d brought back such

stores of precious m eta l that it acquired the n am e of the GoldenCherson ese . Other Greek fleets

,m ore audacious still

,di sda in ed

the confin es of“

the In dian Seas . Headin g resolutely east,

they em erged in to the Pacific an d sold the products of Europe

in the em porium s of Chin a .

* Nor was this all. I n A .D. 116

Tra jan pushed the Rom an fron tier to the Persian Gulf . The

caravan routes of Ar abia were guarded by Rom an fortresses an d

Rom an legion s . Thus the m ighty em pire of Europe was at

severa l poin ts a lon g its fron tier lin ked by sea to the vast pen in

sula of In dia . Year by year ships from Egypt brought to In dia

the com m odities of the West . I n exchan ge they took back

Seearti cle on Ptolem y’s geography in theEn cyclopaed ia Bri ta n n i ca .


her on yx,cotton an d m uslin s . The coast lin e of Maharashtra ,

then as n ow,offered the m ost con ven i en t an chorages to foreign

ships . An d it requires n o great flight of fan cy to im agin e how,

to the great profit of the Maratha people , the trade of southern

In dia passed through the Western Ghats to be shipped to Meso

potam ia,Arabia an d Egypt, just as tod ay it roars through the

Bhor an d Nasik Ghats on its way to Basra an d Gen oa , to Mar

seilles,Liverpool an d Lon don .

A legen d exists which shows that the An dhra period was on e

n ot on ly of m i litary an d m ercan tile, but also of literary, activity.

A certain ghost kn own as Kan abhuti brought to on e Gu n ad hya ,

a m in i ster of Kin g Shaliv ahan ,seven volum es of stories

,all

written in blood . Gun ad hya accepted them an d offered them as

a gift to his royal m aster . Disgusted with the stran ge lan guage

an d the stran ger script , Kin g Shaliv ahan return ed the books to

Gun ad hya . The latter, furious at the failure of his presen t, burn t

six of the seven volum es . The rem ain i n g volum e fell in to the

han ds ofGun ad hya’

s pupils or clerks . They were acquain ted

with the ghost lan guage an d pron oun ced the book charm in g .

Their verdict cam e to Kin g Shalivahan ’

s ear an d he m ade a

further effort to read Kan abhuti ’s stories ; an d on ce he hadm astered the difficulties of Kan abhuti ’s li terary m edium ,

hewas as charm ed with the tales as Gun adhya

’

s pupil'

s.Now the

ghost lan guage of Kan abhuti was n o doubt the Maharashtri

dialect, born of the attem pts of the Rashtrikas to speak San skrit ;an d the reign

"

of Shalivahan , that is to say the years whenthe An dhra kin gs held sway ,first saw the use for literary purposes

of that vigorous , supple, graceful an d copious ton gue , Marathi .

CHAPTER III

THE EARLY CHALUKYAS AND RASHTRAKUTAS

CIRCA A .D . 500 To 973

THE efforts of Orien tal scholars to peep in to the history ofMaharashtra between the death of the last An dhra kin g

,

Pulum ayi IV, about A .D. 218* an d the rise of the Chalukyas

has n ot hitherto been crown ed with an y great success . It seem s

however that for about seven ty years a dyn asty of Abhiras or

cowherds were i n power an d that they were driven out by

a bran ch of the Rashtrikas , the people to whom Maharashtra

owed its n am e . A kn la or fam ily of the Rashtrikas m ade

them s elves m asters of the Deccan an d are kn own in history

as RashtrakutasqL I n the sixth cen tury they were driven from

power by a n ew dyn asty , that of the Chalukyas . Several

graceful legen ds have been woven roun d the origin of these

vigorous prin ces . On e tells how on a certain m orn in g the god

Brahm ad ev a was en gaged in hi s devotion s . The god In dra

approached him an d bewailed the Sin fuln ess of the earth . No

livin g m an ,so said In dra , ever perform ed sacrifices or offered

libation s to the gods . Brahm ad ev a looked an grily at his han d ,whi ch was then hollowed , that it m ight hold the water n eeded

in his cerem on ial . In stan tly there spran g from the great god’s

han d two heroes by n am e Harita an d Man av ya . They foun ded

a fam i ly destin ed to achieve great glory, an d because they

were sprun g from Brahm ad ev a’

s hollow han d or Chaluka , they

becam e kn own as Chalukyas . An other talei relates that Harita

an d Man av ya were the son s of the sage Man u .§ On e d ay Harita

was pourin g out a libation to the gods , when from the spray

Bhan d arkar, Decca n ,p

. 29 . Mr. Vin cen t Sm ith gives the date as A .D. 225 .

TBhan d arkar, Decca n , p . 36.

3: Elect , Decca n , p . 17 .

§1Man u was the son of the god Brahm ad ev a .


of his waterpot spran g the foun der of the n ew dyn asty . All

the legen ds agreethat the Chalukya kin gs first ru led at Ayodhya ,the capital of the divin e Ram chan dra . The god Vishn u gave

them a ban n er on which was displayed a wi ld boar. Thi s

den oted n ot on ly the im petuous va lour Of the Chalukya arm ies

but in dicated that they were un der the god Vishn u’s special

protection .

* Nor was the god Vishn u the on ly div in e frien d

of the Chalukyas . The god Kartikeya or Kartikswam i , born

to Shiva by the daughters of the Fire-god , Agn i , him self ledto battle the hero-kin gs of Ayodhya . An d with hi s an d

Vishn u’s help,they forced their trium phan t way to the

southern shores of In dia .

The first prin ce whose n am e survives in the in s cription s is

on e Jayasin ha , whi ch bein g in terpreted m ean s the li on of

victory .

’ It seem s probable that he was a m i litary adven turer

from the n orth , who con quered Maharashtra from its n ative

prin ces,the Rashtrakutas . His gran dson Pulakesi I m ade

Vatapipura , the m odern Badam i , hi s capital , an d assum ed the

titles of Prithvi Vallabha or Husban d of the Earth’ an d Satya

sraya or the Support of Truth .

’

Kirtiv arm an,the son an d

succ essor ofPulakesi I , was also a capable prin ce . Headded to

hi s father’s ki n gdom the n orthern Kon kan an d n orthern Can ara .

An in scription in a cave tem ple at Badam i has en abled Sir R .

Bhan d arkarj' to fix the date of his accession in A .D. 566 or 567 .

After a reign of twen ty-four years Ki rtiv arm an died leavi n g

three youn g son s an d a brother Man galisa . It was the

con tin uous aim ofMan galisa to secure for hi m s elf an d hi s son the

thron e of Vatapipura , But the talen ts an d vigour of Kirti

verm en’

e eldest son Pulakesi II ren dered Mangalisa’

s efforts vai n .

In A .D. 611 Pulakesi II defeated decisively his un cle Man galisa ,who with his son fell on the field of battle . These civil troubles

led the Rashtrakutas un der a chi ef called Govin da to attem pt

the recovery of their form er power . A rebellion ,too

,broke out

in the provin ces subdued by Pulakesi ’s father . But n o d itfi

Vishn u i n his third in carn ation took the form of a boar to ra ise the earthfrom the bottom of the sea.whi ther a dem on ca lled Hiran yaksha had draggedt .

1‘ Bhan d arkar, Decca n , p. 38



He grew to m an hood an d , when n in eteen years old ,was m arried

to his cOusin Yasod hara . He at first gave him self wholly to

a life of pleasure . But i n hi s twen ty-n in th year such a life

began to pall . As he on e d ay drove through his pleasure groun d ,the Sight of a broken down old m an tur n ed his m in d to serious

thoughts . These thoughts becam e graver still when he saw on e

d ay a leper an d an other d ay a dead body. On e n ight , as the well

kn own story tells us , he left hi s wi fe an d chi ld an d wen t out in to

the wi ldern ess a pen n i less wan derer . He sought at first,so we

are told , to learn wisdom from the Brahm an sages,but they did

n ot satisfy him . At last prolon ged m editation un der the Bod -hi

tree led him to foun d a faith kn own as Buddhism . I n m ost

essen tials , it differed little from Hin dui sm . But it den ied the

existen ce of the gods an d the exis‘

ten ce of caste . The n ew

doctrin es m ade at first slow progress,but the con version of

Asoka spread them all over In dia . From In dia they exten ded

in the reign of the Kushan kin g Kan ishka to Chi n a .

The Hun in vasion broke off in tercourse between Chi n a an d

In dia an d certain religious difficulties in duced in A .D. 400

on e Fa Hien an d five com pan ion s to visit In dia . Two

cen turies later an other pilgrim n am ed Hiuen Tsan g m ad e

the arduous pilgrim age . He travelled widely through In diaan d m ade adm i rable n otes on what he heard an d saw i n

hi s travels . An d n o part of hi s book is so in terestin g

as that in which he has related his visit to the Maharashtra

c oun try an d the court of Pulakesi II . I quote the followi n g

passage :

The kin gdom of MOholatcha (Maharashtra ) has a cir

cum feren ce of 6000 li . To the west of the capital run s abig river the circum feren ce of the town is thi rty li . The

soil is rich an d fertile an d yield s a great harvestOf corn .

The clim ate is hot . The m an n ers of the people are Sim plea n d hon est . They are tall a n d proud an d distan t . Wh oeverdoes them a kin dn ess can coun t on their gratitude . But

he who does them an in jury n ever escapes their ven gean ce .

If an yon e in sults them , they risk their life to wash out the

affron t . If an yon e in distress begs their help,they forget

SKETCH MAP TO ILLU STRA TE THE EARLY PERIOD.

THE EARLY CHALUKYAS AND RASHTRARUTAS 21

their own safety in their efforts to help him . When they

have an in sult to aven ge , they n ever fail to warn their

en em y beforehan d . This don e , they d on their arm our

a n d fight lan ce in han d . I n battle they pursue the fugitives

but n ever la'

ll those who surren der. When a gen eral has

lost a battle they do n ot in flict on him corporal pun ishm en t.

They m ake him dress in wom en ’s clothes an d thus force

him to com m it suicide . The state keeps a body of several

hun dred fearless cham pion s . Every tim e they get ready

for a fight,they get dru n k , an d on ce drun k, a sin gle cham

pion lan ce in han d will challen ge ten thousan d foes . If he

kills an yon e as he goes to battle , the law does n ot pun i sh

h im . Every tim e the arm y sets out on a cam paign ,this

chosen body leads the way with drum s beatin g . Besides

these picked troops , there are hun dreds of fierce war ele

phan ts . When the battle is about to open ,the elephan ts

are given stron g liquor to drin k . They then rush forward

a n d tram ple everythin g un derfoot . The kin g,proud of his

s oldiers an d hi s war elephan ts , despises an d in sults the

n eighbourin g kin gdom s . He is of Tsatili (Kshatriya )s tock ; his n am e is Pouloki che (Pulakesi ) . His v iews are

broad an d profoun d an d he dispen ses as far as the m ost

d istan t spots hi s kin dlin ess an d hi s favours . His subj ects

serve him with absolute devotion . Tod ay the great kin g

Silad itya (Harsha ) bears from the east to the west his

victorious arm s ; he con quers distan t races an d m akes the

n ation s n ear hi m trem ble . But those of hi s (Pulakesi’

s)kin gdom are the on ly m en who have n ever yielded to him .

Although severa l tim es he has put him self at the head of

all the forces of the five In di es , a lthough he has called to his

aid the bravest gen erals of all coun tries , although he has

him self m arched to pun i sh the m en of Maharashtra , he has

n ot yet overcom e their resistan ce . From this fact alon e

it is possible to judge their warlike habits an d custom s .

The m en love study an d practise at the sam e tim e heresy

an d truth . There are a hun dred m on asteries, which con ta in

about five thousan d m on ks . There are a hun dred tem ples


to the gods . The heretics of the differen t sects are very

n um erous ”

The fam e of Pulakesi was n ot con fin ed to In dia . It reach ed

the ears of Chosroes II , kin g of Persia . In A .D. 625 he n ot

on ly received but return ed a com plim en tary em bassy from the

Chalukya kin g . An d a large fresco pain tin g at Ajan ta still

portrays for the ben efit of the learn ed the reception of the

Persian en voys by the great Pulakesi .

Un happily the Chalukya kin g outlived his good fortun e . To

un derstan d how disaster overtook him , we m us t turn to the

early hi story of southern In dia . When the Aryan s pen etratedthe extrem e south , they foun d there three highly civili zed

Dravidian n ation s,the Cheras (or Keralas ) , the Cholas an d the

Pan d yas . Of these the Cheras lived on the south-west coast

from Can n an ore to Triv en d ram . The Cholas occupied the

Madras districts to the south of the Mysore State . The Pan d yas

dwelt in the extrem e south from Travan core to Ram n ad . The

govern m en ts of these n ation s,the Aryan s hum bled but did n ot

destroy . They im posed on them their religion but n ot their

lan guage n or their script . Thus the Cheras , the Cholas an d the

Pan d yas recovered from the Aryan in vasion an d in course of

tim e began to prosper. Durin g the An dhra dom in ation they

actively helped that warlike people to substitute a SOuthern

for a n orthern overlordship . From tim e to tim e alsothey foughtam on g them s elves . When hi story begin s the Cholas are them ost powerful of the three n ation s . About the en d of the secon d

cen tury A .D. , the Cheras are the stron gest . Durin g the darkn ess

whi ch fell over In dia after the fall of the An dhras they alloweda fourth power to dom in ate them . Thi s power was that of thePallavas . They lived at first between the Cav eri an d the

South Peun ar Rivers on the south-east coast . They exten ded

their possession s n orthwards across the South Pen n ar an d m ad e

Kan chi , the m odern Kan jeveram ,their capital . A further

m ovem en t carried them across the North Pen n ar River to the

southern ban ks of the Krishn a . Thi s brought them in to collision

I have tran slated this from M. Jul ien ’s Fren ch tran s lation of Hin en

Tsan g’

s travels .

THE EARLY CHALUKYAS AND RASHTRAKUTAS 23

with the Chalukyas . A lon g an d in decisive warfare followed .

But at last Kin g Narsin hav arm an , the greatest of the Fallavam on archs , m oun ted the thron e . He drove the Cha lukya forces

back a lon g the Krishn a . Fin ally he storm ed the Chalukyacapita l Badam i an d in this overwhelm in g ca lam ity Pulakesiperished .

For thirteen years after Pulakesi ’s death the Chalukya powerrem ain ed broken . His eldest son Chan d rad itya fell back on

Ven gi , the an cien t hom e of the An dhras,between the Krishn a

an d the Godavari . Nevertheless Pulakesi ’s secon d son,Vikram

aditya I, succeeded after a lon g strugglein restorin g the great

n ess of the Chalukya em pire (A .D.

The Chalukya dyn asty en dured for about seven ty years after

the death of Vikram ad itya I , when it was overthrow n by two

successive kin gs of the in digen ous Rashtrakuta stock , Dan ti

durga an d Kr ishn araja (circa A .D.

As I have already m en tion ed , the Rashtrakutas were a power

ful fam i ly of Rashtrikas ,who, before the com in g of the Chalukya s

from the n orth,ruled over Maharashtra . Durin g the early

troubles of the reign of Pulakesi II , they sought vain ly to re

cover their in depen den ce . The vast abilities of that m on arch

ren dered the effort vain . But what was im possible in the

seven th cen tury A .D. becam e possible in the eighth . The

n ew Rashtrakuta dyn asty began with Kin g Dan tid urga . He

was the great-gran dson of Govin da ,the Rashtrakuta chief who

had rebelled again st Pulakesi II . Beaten an d pardon ed , he

becam e on e of the great kin g’s trusted a llies . His son Karka

an d hi s gran dson In dra in herited in turn Gov in d a’

s fief. But

a lthough vassals,their power was con tin ually on the in crease ,

an d from tim e to tim e the Chalukyas deign ed to give to the

Rashtrakutas their own daughters in wedlock . In dra received

the han d of a Chalukya prin cess , who was herself descen ded

from a previous un ion between the two fam ilies . From thi s

un ion spran g,

Dan tid urga . He rebelled again st Kirtiv arm an

II,the last Chalukya kin g of the early dyn asty . Som ewhere .

in southern In dia , Dan tid urga defeated the Chalukya arm y of

See A iyan gar, A n cien t I n d ia , Chap ter I .


Occupation . Swiftly followin g up his success, Dan tid urga

attacked an d took Badam i . He died childless an d was succeeded

about A .D. 753 by his patern al un cle Krishn araja . Thi s prin ce

com pleted the work of Dan tid urga an d.

utterly “destroyed the

Chalukya power. To use the picturesque lan guage of the

in scription s , He churn ed the Ocean of the Chalukya race an ddrew from it the Laxm i of param oun t sovereign ty .

”H avi n g

thus rid him self of his ferm er overlord'

, he caused to be m ade a

than k-offerin g to the god Shiva . He had carved out of the

solid rock a tem ple so beautiful that the gods , so it is affirm ed ,could hardly believe it to be the product of hum an han ds . An d

even the archi tect who design ed it a sked him self how he had

been able to do it . For m ore than a thousan d years thi s work

has attracted pilgri m s from all parts of In dia an d to-d ay En glish

an d Am erican tourists,to whom the very n am e of Rashtrakuta

is un kn own,gape at it every win ter with awed won der . For the

work of Krishn araja is n on e other than the m atchless tem ple of

Kailas at Ellora . Kri shn araja d eign ed som e tim e between

AD : 753 an d 775 . Hi s eldest son Govin da II succeeded hi m but

his thron e was soon usurped by hi s youn ger brother. Thi s

warlike prin ce bore the n am e of Dhruva , that of the legen dary

child who worshipped the god Krishn a with such fervour that

he at last won an im m ortal thron e in heaVen , when ce he stillflocks down as the pole star on the earth . But the n ew m on arch’s

ad m irin g subj ects called him Nirupam a ,or the In com parable

On e.

The rise of the Rashtrakutas had been alm ost as fatal to,

the

P allav as as to the Chalukyas . The Pallava em pire was n ow

d ivided in to three parts . On e bran ch , kn own as the Gan gas,*

ruled over the western portion . An other bran ch , kn own as

the Gan ga Ban as,ruled the cen tre . The kin gdom of the m ain

bran ch of the Pallav as was reduced to the districts on the eastern

coast . Upon thi s disorgan i sed dom i n i on Dhruva fell . He led

i n to captivity the Gan ga prin ce an d capturin g Kan chi from the

Pallav as forced them to pay a yearly tribute of elephan ts .

The Gan gas ’ coun try was called Gan gavasi or Gan gav ad i . The rzoun try of

the Gan ga Ban as was kn own as Ban avas i .



kar discovered that they thereby m ean t the Rashtrakuta

sovereign s . Mankir was a corruption of Malkhed or Man yakheta their capital . Balhara was a corruption of Vallabharai ,

well-beloved sovereign , a title they had borrowed

from the early Chalukyas .

CHAPTER IV

THE LATER CHALUKYAS

C IRCA A .D. 973 TO 1189

THE first d uty ofTailapa after his overthrow of theRashtrakutaswas to secure his n orthern fron tier from the Parm ara dan ger .

He con ciliated his n ew subj ects by m arryin g Jakkaba , the

daughter of Kakkala,an d then set forth to attack Malwa . For

a n um ber ofyears the hon ours of war were fairly divided . In deed

Kin g Mun ja ’s in scription s claim for him victory in n o less than

six cam paign s . But in A .D. 995 fortun e at last in clin ed deci

sively in favour of Tailapa . Kin g Mun ja crossed the Godavari ,hopin g n o doubt to repeat hi s successful in vasion in the reign

of thes

last Rashtrakuta . But Tailapa attacked the Parm aras

with their backs to the great river . Un able to recross it they

were all but exterm i n ated . Ki n g Mun ja was taken prison er .

At first Tailapa treated wi th con sideration his royal captive .

But Mun ja return ed Tailapa’

s courtesy by an attem pt to escape .

It failed,an d Mun ja felt the full weight of theChalukya

’

s dis

pleasure . He was put in prison an d taken Out daily to beg

the food den ied hi m by hi s jailor . At last , probably to hi s relief,he was beheaded .

In A .D. 997 Tailapa’

s eldest son Satyasraya succeeded his

father . The n orthern fron tier had been pacified by the vigorous

action of Tailapa . But a dan ger n o less great n ow threaten ed

Maharashtra from the south . As I have m en tion ed , Gan dara

ditta n,the brother of Rajad itya ,

saved after his brother’s defeat

an d death the Chola coun try . Durin g the declin e of the Bashtra

kutas the Cholas recovered their power, an d after con querin g

the extrem e s outh resolved to carry through Rajad itya’

s pla n

an d drive from the Gan ga coun try the fam ily of Perum an ad i .

Satyasraya m arched south to m eet them, but was com pletely


defeated by the great Chola kin g Rajraja I , the great-n ephew

of Gan d arad ittan . The Chola s then overran Maharashtra ,pillaged it, an d spared n either wom en ,

children n or Brahm an s

(A .D.

I n A .D. 1008 Satyasraya died an d left hi s shattered kin gdomto his n ephew Vikram ad itya I . The latter en j oyed power for

on ly a few m on ths , when Kin g Mun ja’s n ephew,

Ki n g Bhoja ,the legen dary hero of Cen tra l In dia , aven ged hi s un cle

’s death

by defeatin g an d killin g Vikram ad itya I (A .D. The

latter’s brother, Jayasinha , in turn aven ged Vikram ad itya’

s

death . For to use the picturesque words of an in scription ,

he was the m oonTof the lotus whi ch was Kin g Bhoja ,”or in

other words hum bled hi m . Jayasin ha was less successful again st

the Cholas , then in the zen ith of their power . Rajraja the

Great , after overrun n in g Maharashtra an n exed Gan gavad i‘

or the Gan ga coun try an d established hi s fron tier a lon g theTun gabhad ra an d the Krishn a . All In dia south of those riverswas hi s . Between the Krishn a an d the Godavari , the Eastern

Cha lukyas still ruled in Ven gi . But by con quest an d them arriage of hi s daughter Kun d avv aiyar to the Eastern Chalukya

ki n g, Vim alad itya , I he had bulli ed an d bribed the latter to be

his subordin ate vassal . To the n orth of Ven gi , as far as the

Mahan adi River,Rajraja had con quered all Kalin gam . An d he

was m a ster also of the Maldives an d the Laccadives . In A .D.

1012 Raj en dra,Rajraja

’

s capable son ,succeeded his father.

He m ade an expedition in to Orissa an d brought back as captives

the kin g an d hi s youn ger brother . Whi le Raj en dra was absen t,Jayasin ha thought the tim e favourable for an attack on his

lin e of com m un i cation . He was , however, severely defeated ,an d Raj en dra carried hi s victorious arm i es as far as the Gan ges

an d his in scription s relatethat he m ade his subject kin gs carry

its sacred waters back with their own han ds to Kan chi .§I n A .D. 1040Jayasin ha died an d his son Som eshwara I suc

ceed ed him . The n ew kin g, better kn own perhaps by hi s title

Vin cen t Sm ith, Early H istory of I n d ia , p . 431 .

1“ Thi s is Dr. Bhan d arkar

’

s surm ise_ (Decca n , p .

it Aiya n gar , A n cien t I n d ia , p. 114 .

To com m em orate this feat he assum ed the title of Gan ga i Kon da .

THE'

LATER CHALUKYAS 29

Ahavam ala , or the great in war, spen t his reign in a ceaseless

struggle again st Chola aggression . The Chola em pire n ow

exten ded in a half circle roun d the Chalukya kin gd om . Ahavam ala therefore m oved his capita l from Yatagiri (30m i les south

of Ma lkhed ) to Kalyan ,the m odern Kalyan i in the Nizam ’s

dom in ion s . Ka lyan was a m ore cen tra l spot an d the chan ge

on the whole was justified by success . In A .D. 1052 he fought

again st Ra j en dra ’s son an d successor,Rajad hiraja ,

the great

battle of Koppam . Both sides claim ed the v ictory . But

Rajad hiraja fell in the battle . An d as we fin d later Ahav am ala’

s

son s viceroys of Ban avasi (the coun try of the Gan ga Ban as )an d of Gan gav ad i (the country of the Gan gas ) , it is on ly fair

to assum e that the fruits of the battle were the con quest of these

two provin ces from the Cholas . The close of Ahav am ala’

s

reign was n ot so fortun ate .

I n A .D. 1052, on the death of Rajad hiraja ,his brother

Raj en dra II was crown ed kin g of the Cholas . Ten years later

he died an d was succeeded by a third brother Virarajen d ra .

The chron i c hostilities between the Chola s an d Chalukyas

becam e on ce m ore acute on accoun t of a disputed succession

in Ven gi . The son of Vim alad itya , the Eastern Chalukya ,

an d of Rajraja the Great’s daughter, Kun d avv a iyar,

took in m arriage Am m an ga Devi , the daughter of Raj en dra

I, Rajraja

’

s son . The oflsprin g of thi s m arriage was

Prin ce Kullottun ga .j' He claim ed to succeed his father on the

Eastern Cha lukya thron e . It suited his overlord , the

Chola kin g,to set aside Kullottun ga

’

s claim s in favour

of the latter’s un cle Vijayad itya . The boy appealed to Ah ava

m ala,who wen t to hi s help , but was defeated first at Bejwad a

an d afterwards at Kuda l San gam ,the jun ction of the Krishn a

an d the Tun gabhad ra . Ahav am ala would n ot accept either

defeat as fin al . I n A .D. 1069 he sen t an autograph letter to

the Chola kin g in vitin g him to m eet him again at Kuda l San gam

a n d try on ce m ore the fortun e of battle . In the true spirit Of

A n cien t I n d ia ,p . 113 .

1'

A n cien t I n d ia ,p. 1 15 . The Prin ce’ s rea l n a m e wa s also Ra jen dra , but

I shall throughout call him by his title Kullottun ga , by which he is rem em

bered .

30 A H ISTORY or THE MARATHA PEOPLE

chivalry, Virarajen d ra accepted the challen ge . He gathered

his arm y on the southern ban ks of the Tun gabhad ra an d Krishn a

an d"

waited . But Ahavam ala n ever cam e to m ake good his

challen ge .He had been attacked by -a m align an t fever an d

in despair resolved to drown hi m self . He caused hi m self to be

carried on a thron e to the ban ks of the Tun gabhad ra at som e

distan ce from the spot where he had m ean t to m eet Kin g Vira

raj en dra .There in the presen ce of a va st m ultitude he bathed

in the river’s sacred waters . He distributed ,although fain t

with age an d sickn ess, a large sum of m on ey in charity. His

life-work n ow don e , he walked back in to the water un til it

reached his lips . The roya l ban ds then crashed out a farewell

salute . Ere the m usic had en ded , the Chalukya kin g had sun k

ben eath the waves .

On Ah av am ala’

s death , his eldest son Som eshwara II suc

ceed ed . The story of the prin ce’s reign an d of his deposition

by hi s youn ger brother Vikram ad itya II has been told by a

Kashm irian court poet n am ed Bilhan a . This story has been

accepted by both Dr. Bhan d arkar a n d Mr. Fleet . It requires ,however

,to be m odified in the li ght of the later inform ation

collected by Mr. Aiyan gar . Bilhan a has said n othin g but

good of Vikram ad itya . But he rea lly was by n o m ean s the

m odel prin ce portrayed by hi s biographer. Durin g Ahav am ala’

s

lifetim e,Vikram ad itya’

s courage an d capacity had all but in duced

the kin g to n om i n ate him , an d n ot Som eshwara . He , however,forbore from doin g so . On his death a bitter riva lry broke out

between the two brothers , an d Vikram ad itya repaired to Vira

raj en dra’s cam p at Kuda l San gam an d obtain ed his prom ise

of help again st Som eshwara . To seal the prom ise Virarajen d ragave Vikram ad itya his daughter in m arriage . At the sam e

tim e he in vaded the Chalukya coun try an d burn t Kam pili .

But before he could achieve an y decisive success , Virarajen d rafell ill an d died . Prin ce Vikram ad itya ,

havin g lost hi s fatheri n -law, coun ted on the support of Virarajen d ra

’

s son Adhiraja ,his own brother-in -law. But there n ow appeared as the latter’srival Prin ce Kullottun ga . He had

, as I have said , been forced

by Virarajen d ra to give up his thron e to his un cle Vijayad itya .

THE LATER CHALUKYAS 31

But the hour ofhi s reven ge had n ow struck an d he preten ded to

the Chola thron e as the gran dson of Rajraja the Great . He

had behi n d him an arm y with whi ch he had recen tly harried

Ma lwa . With its help , an d in spite of Vikram ad itya , Kullot

tun ga deposed his cousin Ad hiraja . At the sam e tim e he

deposed Vijayad itya ,an d at on e tim e becam e kin g both of the

Cholas an d of the Eastern Cha lukyas . Vikram ad itya was

n ow in dire peril . He extricated hi m self with skill . He

affected to be,recon ciled to hi s brother Som eshwara II an d

for som e tim e he lived with him on the best of term s .

But Som eshwara’

s in capacity alien ated the govern ors of several

of his provin ces , an d these Vikram ad itya won over to hi s

side . Am on g them were Sen n a Cha n dra Yadava ,the

govern or of n orth-west Maharashtra , Achugi II , the Sin da

chi ef of Yelburga , an d Ereyan ga Hoysala , the Viceroy ofGan gavad i .

I n A .D. 1076 Kullottun ga in vaded the Cha lukya kin gdom .

When Som eshwara II m arched to m eet hi m,the Chalukya

arm y revolted to Vikram ad itya . The latter then deposed hi selder brother, an d as Vikram ad itya II becam e kin g in his stead .

He proved a m ost capable m on arch an d at on ce took steps torepulse Kullottun ga

’

s in vasion . The war lasted for four years

without an y decisive result . In A .D. 1080, the two kin gs m ade

peace , but som e years later the successful treason of Vikram a

d itya I I tem pted hi s youn ger brother J ayasin ha to rebel in hi sturn . J ayasin ha was at the tim e Viceroy of Ban avasi an d

received support from the Chola kin g . But Vikram ad itya II

attacked an d defeated Jayasin ha on the ban ks of the Krishn a .

Jayasin ha fled but was afterwards caught sku lkin g i n a forest .

He was brought to Vikram ad itya II , who spared his life butn o doubt im prison ed him . Vikram ad i tya II had thereafter

a lon g an d prosperous reign , which in all lasted fifty years .

At hi s court lived the ren own ed Vid n yan eshwara ,the author

of the Mitaksham , still the chief authority on Hin du law in

Maharashtra . When he had com pleted his work he san g i n

several stan zas the splen dour of the town where he had worked ,

the glory of the kin g whose boun ty had fed him an d above all

32 A HISTORY or THE MARATHA PEOPLE

his own tran scen den t m erits . I quote the followin g s tan za

as a sam pleOn the surface of the Earth there was n ot , there is n ot

an d there n ever will be a town like Kalyan a n ever was a

m on arch like the prosperous Vikram arka (Vikram ad itya )seen or heard of an d what m ore " Vid n yan eshwara , the

Pan dit , does n ot bear com parison with an y other . Maythi s triad which is like a celestial creeper exist to the en d

of this Kalpa .

”

Kullottun ga died in A .D. 1118 . It is probable that hi s en d

was hasten ed by the severe defeat of his arm y by the Cha lukya

Viceroy of Gan gav ad i , Bitti Deva Hoysala ._Durin g the early

,

troubles of Vikram ad itya’

s reign , the Cholas had gain ed a firm

footin g in Gan gav ad i . But in A .D. 1116, Bitti Deva Hoysala

attacked them a n d drove them to the east of the Kaveri .

Vikram ad itya II surv ived’

hi s great riva l m ore than eight years ,dyin g in A .D. 1127 . He was succeeded by hi s son Som eshwara

III,who assum ed the title of Bhulokam ala

, or Lord of the

dwellers upon the earth . He reign ed on ly eleven years , but

in that tim e he won a reputation for learn in g n ot wholly un

deserved . A work of the roya l author, Abkila skitartka Chin ta

m an i , has survived to the presen t d ay . I n five parts are described

the tasks an d duties of kin gship . The first part in s tructs the

preten der how to acqui re a kin gdom . The secon d part teaches

him how to keep it . The thi rd , fourth an d fifth parts in dicate

the pleasures in which a kin g m ay in dulge without detrim en t

to hi m self or hi s kin gdom . Un der cover of these them es the

learn ed author touched on a stron om y , astrology,

rhetoric,

poetry, m usic , pain tin g, archi tecture an d m edicin e . An d his

won derin g subj ects gave hi m yet an other title , that ofSarvad n yaBhupa , or the kin g who kn ows ev erythin g .

Som eshwara III died in A .D. 1138. His son Jagad ekam ala

succeeded hi m an d reign ed for twelve years . He was followed

on the thron e by hi s brother Tailapa II . I n the reign of this

kin g the power of the later Chalukyas fell to pieces . The cause

of the decay can be traced to the treason of Vikram ad itya II .Havin g m ade the viceroys of Som eshwara II his fellow con spi


CHAPTER V

THE YADAVAS OF DEVAGIRI

A .D. 1189 TO 1294

BOTH Yadavas an d Hoysalas claim ed m ost an cien t pedigrees .

The Yadavas asserted their descen t from n o less a n an cestor

than Vishn u ’s eighth in carn ation Kin g Krishna of Dwarka .

The Hoysalas m ain tain ed that the foun der of their li n e was on e

(

Sela,who saved a Jain sain t from a tiger. The Jain was sittin g

in a village tem ple,when a tiger rushed at him . In despair

the sain t called to Sala,who was stan din g by, Poy , Sala

(Strike, Sala) . Sala ran to hi s help, an d killi n g the m on ster

with a sin gle blow of hi s walkin g-stick, a ssum ed the n am e'

of

Poysala to com m em orate the even t . I n course of tim e Poysala

was corrupted in to Hoysala .

* The hi storian , however, will be

con ten t to trace both fam i li es to the two great ,viceroys who

assisted Vikram ad itya I I to usurp the Cha lukya thron e . At

that tim e the govern or of the districts between the upper reaches

of the Krishn a a n d the lower course of the Tapti was Sen n a

Chan dra Yadava . The govern or of Gan gav ad i , taken by

Ahavam ala from the Cholas , was Ereyan ga Hoysala . Their

defection en sured Vikram ad itya’

s success . Durin g the lon greign of Vikram ad itya II , the Hoysalas rose rapidly to powera n d Ereyan ga

’

s gran dson Bitti DevaTactually rebelled again s tVikram ad itya II . He suffered defeat but foun d com pen sationin the victoriou s cam paign again st Kullottun ga already m en tioned . By A .D. l 130.he had m ade him s elf m aster of all m odernMysore an d of Han ga l an d Lakshm eshwar in the Dharwardistri ct . In A .D. 1138 upon the death of Som eshwara III , heagain rebelled , but was foiled by the loyalty of .the other great

viceroys. I n A .D. 1141 Bitti Deva died an d was succeeded

A n cien t I n d ia , p . 228.

1" He is alsokn own as Vishn u Vardan An cien t I n d ia , p. 235.

THE YADAVAS or DEVAGIRI 35

by his son Narsin ha , who held his own again st the usurper

Vijjala .

'Narsin ha died in A .D. 1173 an d was followed by hi s

son Vira Ballala . Thi s vigorous prin ce ruled un til A .D. 1220.

He was at first defeated by Bom m a when that gen era l i n A .D.

1183 restored Som eshwara IV to the Chalukya thron e . But

when the revolution of A .D. 1189 broke out , Vira Ballala had

his reven ge . He defeated Bom m a an d drove his arm y across

the Krishn a .

Whi le the power of the Hoysalas was growin g in the south ,that of the Yadavas was risin g with equal rapidity in the n orth .

Sen n a Chan dra Yadava was the life-lon g a n d trusted frien d of

Vikram ad itya II an d left to hi s son Param m ad eva an hereditary

viceroyalty. Param m ad ev a an d hi s Successors rem ain ed loya l

to’

the Chalukya kin gs un til the u surpation of Vijjala (A .D.

They then began to regard them selves as in depen den t ,an d when Som eshwara IV tried to recover the Chalukya kin gdom

Billam a Yadav‘

a , the then chief of the Yadava s , successfully

opposed hi m . When Vira Ballala fin ally defeated the Chalukya

gen eral Bom m a,Billam a Yadava seized the whole coun try n orth

of the Krishn a an d had him self form a lly crown ed kin g in hi s

Capital town Dev agiri (A .D.

The fron tiers of the riva l viceroys n ow m et , an d a struggle

between them was in evitable . At first the Hoysalas were

successful . In A .D. 1192 Vira Ballala won a decisive victory

at Lakhun d i in Dharwar. Billam a was succeeded by his son ,

Jaitrapala , who won som e petty cam paign s again s t the Kakatiyas

of Waran gal . But it was Sin ghan a ,J aitrapala

’

s*

son an d

succes sor, who raised the Yadava dyn asty to its greatest power

(A .D. He successfully in vaded Malwa an d Guzarat an d

con quered all the lower Kon kan an d the South Maratha coun tryfrom the Hoysala chiefs an d European officials wi ll read with

in terest that he was on e of the first patron s of their health

resort Mahableshwar. Sin ghan a’

SjL lon g a n d successful reign

Mnkan draj, the first Marathi poet, lived in the reign of J a itrapala I.

TSin gha n a foun ded Shi n gn apur , the fam ous shrin e of Mahadev a , a

fam ily god of the Bhosles . In hi s reign , Saran gd har Wrote the San skri tworkon m us ic Sa n gitra tn a kar. The coun try of the Yadavas was kn own a s

Sen n a Desh, from the foun der of the dyn asty, Sen n a Chan dra .


lasted un til A .D. 1247 , when he was followed by his gran dson

Krishn a I I . The in scription s claim for him that he defeated

the Hoysalas , the Gurj ara s an d the ki n g of Malwa . He died i n

A .D. 1260, l eavin g the thron e to h is brother Mahadeva . The

latter’s greatest success was his reduction Of the n orthernKon kan ,

where a chief n am ed Som eshwara had m ade him self

in depen den t . Mahadeva in vaded his coun try with a large

force of elephan ts . His tactics were successful , an d Som eshwara ,

driven from the lan d sought refuge in hi s fleet . But Mahadeva ’s

n avy pursued him an d destroyed hi s ships . In this d isastrous

n ava l action Som eshwara was . drown ed .

In A .D. 1271 , there ascen ded to the Yadava thron e Ram a

dev, the son ofKrishn a , an d the n ephewOfMahadeva . A m elan

choly in terest attaches to his n am e as the la st great chief of the

Yadava dyn asty . His early years were prosperous en ough .

His arm ies in vaded both Malwa a n d Mysore a n d he was un

question ably the greatest kin g i n Pen i n sular In dia . A hectic

splen dour , too , illum i n ated hi s reign . I n it flourished the

m in i ster Hem ad ri or Hem ad pan t . I n it a lso appeared Dn yandev

,the first of the great Maratha poets of the Pan dharpur

school . The form er Of these is the hero of m an y stories still

curren t am on g the Marathas . On e legen d relates that Bibhishan ,

a dem on subj ect OfKi n g Havan a of Ceylon , the ravisher of Sita ,

had flown over to India . In order to rest hi m s elf,he took off

his turban an d placed it by his side . Soon afterwards Hem ad

pan t chan ced to pass by . He saw the dem on ’s gigan tic turban

an d thin kin g it a couch flun g him self upon it a n d was soona sleep also . The dem on rose first an d without n oticin g the

slum berin g Hem ad pa n t replaced the turban on his own head .

Then soarin g in the air , he flew back to Ceylon to report his

Observation s to hi s roya l m aster . When the un happy Hem ad

pan t awoke , he fou n d him self travellin g through the a ir at a

prodigious speed . He W i sely held hi s ton gue an d tighten ed

hi s grip on the turban . When the dem on reached the shore

of the great southern islan d he again rem oved hi s turban to cool

him self after his lon g flight . As he laid it down he n oticed thecowerin g Hem ad pan t . The dem on asked his un willin g prison er

THE YADAVA s OF DEVAGIRI 3 7

how he had com e there . Hem ad pan t explain ed an d prayedfor m ercy. The dem on gran ted Hem ad pan t hi s life .

Hem ad

pan t, growin g bolder, asked for a partin g presen t .The dem on

gave hi m a seed of j owari or In dian corn .From this on e seed

were to sprin g the m ighty j owari harvests that are gathered bym illion s Of peasan ts every In dian win ter. Hem ad pan t ,

however,did n ot appreciate its v alue an d asked for further gifts . Thed em on gave him two m ore . The first was a bug,

the progen i torof the coun tless m yriads that have ever sin ce been the plagueOf In dian beds . The secon d was the Modi a lphabet . Fromthis legen d we can , I thi n k , surm ise that Hem ad pan t en couraged

to the utm ost of hi s powers Deccan agriculture .He m ay pos

s ibly have cleared tracts of forest lan d to widen its area . We

m ay a lso perhaps guess that about thi s tim e Modi writin g beganto be used in Marathi correspon den ce . Hem ad pan t

’

s fam ed oes n ot rest on thi s sin gle voyage .

He is supposed to havein ven ted the style of architecture kn own as the Hem ad pan ti ;

an d m an y a ruin ed tem ple in coun try villages is said to have

been built un der the great m in ister’s sn perin ten d en ce. Architect

, traveller a n d coun sellor of Ki n g Ram ad ev a ,

* Hem ad pan t

still foun d tim e to reduce to writin g the an cien t reli gious practicesa n d cerem on ials that had been han ded down by coun tless

gen eration s an d the prin ciples of m edicin e as then un derstood .

The Cka tn rvarga-chin tam an i an d the Ayurved a

-rasayan a

survive to day to prove how the busiest of m en occupied hi s

leisurefl'

For twen ty- three years Ram ad ev a had ruled prosperously .

The valour of hi s arm ies guarded his far-flun g fron tier . The

wisdom ofHem ad pan t secured the prosperity of hi s subj ects an d

filled the treasury of the m on arch . The poet Dn yan d ev wrote

ofKin g Ram ad ev a as the ‘dispen ser of justice ’ an d the abode

of all arts . ’ But the tim e was at han d when he an d hi s people

were to drin k to the dregs the cup of defeat an d hum iliation .

In A . D. 127 1 Ram a d eva gave 3 v i llages to 7 1 Brahm an s . The con dition sof the giftwere that the Brahm an s m ust live i n the vi llages , m ust n ot m ortgagethem

,m ust n ot en terta in con cubin es , n or gam ble

,n or carry arm s . They

should spen d theirwhole tim e i n religious duties .

THem ad ri a lsowrote the Rajap rashashti , a hi story of the Yadav a fam ilySard esa i

, Mara thi Rig/area l.

In the year A .D. 1294‘

am id a profoun d peace a m ob of terrified

peasan ts brought word to the kin g , as he sat ' in his doom ed

city,that an Afghan arm y was advan cin g towards

m arches . At its head rode Ala-ud -d in,

Ja lal-ud -d in Firoz Khilj i , em peror ofDelhi .

CHAPTER VI

THE AFGHAN CONQUEST OF THE DECCAN

ACCORDING to Ferishta, the Khil Afghan s were descen dedfrOm Ka lij Khan , the son—in -law of Jenghi z Khan , ,the.MoglIu1

con queror. The author Of the Seijukn am a traces their descen t

from on e Khuli ch , the son of Turk,the gran dson

,of J aphet an d

the great-gran dson of Noah . Wh atever hi s descen t, Ja lal

ud—d in Firoz was early in the Em peror Kaikobad ’s reign m ade

govern or Of Sam an a . Sum m on ed by Kaikobad to help him

overthrow his m in i ster,Jalal-n d -d in by a successi on of skilful

villain ies m ade him self suprem e ; he had Kaikobad rem oved

an d in AI ) 1288 m oun ted in hi s m aster’s stead the thron e of

Delhi . The n ew em peror had two son s an d two n ephews .

All were able , darin g m en . But the ablest an d the m ost darin g

was the em peror’s elder n ephew Ala-ud -d in . An d Ja lal-ud -d in

regarded this resolute prin ce as the m ain support of the n ew

m on archy . He bestowed on Ala-ud -d in the han d ofhi s daughter

an d the govern m en ts Of Ben ga l an d of Oudh . But if Ala-ud -d in

won the favour of hi s un cle , he failed com pletely to win the love

of his wife . The quarrels Of the prin cess with her husban d

were artfully fom en ted by the Em press Malika Jehan , who had

guessed the treacherous an d am bition s aim s Of her n ephew .

At last Ala -n d -d in resolved to rid hi m self by on e stroke Of all

his en em i es . He a sked for an d obtain ed leave to attack Chan deri .

a Ra jput fortress to the west of Cen tral In dia ,an d about 100

m iles n orth Of the Vin dhya Moun tain s . His rea l design was to

attack Ram ad ev a Yadava . I n the course of a Cen tra l In dian

cam paign , Ala-n d -d in had heard stories , Of the great wealth

accum ulated at Devagiri . If he could but seize it , he could

return to Delhi as a preten der to his un cle ’s thron e . With


8000 horse Ala -ud -d in at first m arched west towards Chan deri .

When he had n early reached it , he sudden ly chan ged his direction

an d m arched southwards through the Vin d hyas an d the Satpn ras

un til he reached Ellichpur, the largest n orthern town in the

Yadava dom in ion . There he lulled all suspicion s by declarin g

that he had quarrelled with his un cle a n d m ean t to Offer his

sword to the Raja Of Ra jam a n dri , that is to say to the Eastern

Chalukya prin ce , who still ruled at Ven gi as a va ssal of the

Yadava kin gs . The credulous Hin dus believed Ala -ud—d in an d

let hi m rest hi s troops close to their c ity . After a few daysAla-n d -d in struck his ten ts a n d pressed on by forced m arches

towards Dev agiri ."

i

It was the n ews of thi s advan ce that the terrified

peas an ts an n oun ced to Ram ad ev a . The Yadava kin g

was taken com pletely by surprise .

Shan kard eva was with his m other on a

however, did n ot despair . He gathered

m en a n d occupied a position four m ile

Here he was defeated an d drive

in s ide the t own . Ala -ud—d in n ow en tered Devagiri . Delightedwi th thesuccess Of his first stratagem ,

he tried a secon d on e. He

had on ly 8000 m en ,he said , but close behi n d hi m was followin g

the m ain arm y of Jalal-ud -d in . It was stron g an d

would overwhelm the whole coun try . The Marathas were again

deceived . The ki n g’s vassals , in stead of obeyin g Ram ad eva’

s

sum m on s for help,fled to fortify their own stron gholds again s t

Jalal—ud -din ’s arriva l . Ram ad ev a in despair Offered Ala—ud—d infifty m aun ds of gold an d a quan tity Of pearls an d j ewels if he

would return to Delhi . The prin ce , aware that hi s com m un i

cation s were lon g an d perilous , agreed to the ran som an d pre

pared to retrace hi s steps . But the kin g’s son Shan kard ev a ,

an xious to help his father , added to hi s m isfortun es . He col

lected a large Maratha force an d led it to Devagiri . A battle

toOk place a few m iles from the city . The Hin dus outn um bered

the Afghan s by three to on e, but Ala -ud -din ’s stratagem won him

the d ay . He had left 1000 troops un der on e Malik Nasrat

to attack Ram ad eva if he sallied from Devagiri . At a critica l



in his'

provin ces of Oudh an d Ben gal . Next he sen t his youn ger

brother, Alm as Beg, to rem ove , if he could , all doubts from his

un cle’s m i n d . Alm as Beg had talen ts but li ttle in ferior to

those ofAla -ud -d in . He depicted hi s brother as torn by rem orse .

He had been guilty of d isobedien ce . Without the em peror’

s

leave he had raided. Deva giri . An d n othin g less than the sight

ofhis un cle’s face an d'

the soun d Of his beloved voice con ferrin g

pardon would save Alafud -d in from the crim e Of sehd estm c

tion .. The em peror bade Alm as Beg in vite Ala -ud—d in to court

with every assuran ce Of his forgiven ess . Alm as Beg pleaded

that his brother dared n ot go to Delhi ._His en em ies a t court

had his un cle ’s ear an d his arriva l would be followed at on ce

by his execution . Let the em peror com e him self to" Karra ,

the capita l of the Oudh provin ce , an d there com fort an d forgivehis un worthy n ephew. The em peror

’s household warn ed him

again s t the folly of such a course . But the ready wit an d the

silver speech of A lm as Beg baffled the frien ds of Ja lal-ud ad i n .

The credulous old m an wen t with Alm as Beg to the Oudhfron tier. There he was in duced to go un arm ed an d un escortedto m eet ‘

Ala-ud—d in . The un cle em braced his n ephew an d

freely pardon ed hi m . A m om en t later Jalal-n d -d in was stabbed

an d his head struck Off. Malika Jehan , On the n ews of her

husban d ’s death , tried to Oppose the accession of his m urderer .

But‘

Ala-n d -d in distributed a share of hi s treasures am on g

his soldiers an d slun g gold balls am on g the villagers , as headvan ced on Delhi . A few weeks later Alarud -d in was em peror

an d with the exception Of Alm as Beg the whole household Of

Jala l-n d—d in Khi lj i had been con fin ed or assassin atedUpon the retreat Of Ala -n d -d in , Bam ad eva set him self to

restore , as best he could , prosperity to hi s ruin ed capital. It was

n ot, however, likely that the n ew em peror would forget thead v en

tur e of the prin ce . In A .D. 1306, ten years after his access ion ,

he determ in ed to reduce Devagiri to vassalage . The osten sible

m otive of the expedition was the failure of Ram ad eva to pay

tribute . But to it was added an other an d a m ore rom an tic

on e. . A t the begin n in g Of Ala-ud -din ’s reign there ruled i n

Guzerat a Waghela ‘

Raj put called Karan , but n i ckn am ed Ghelo,

THE AFGHAN CON'

QUEST OF THE DECCAN 43

or the Rash .

* He had a prim e m in ister called Mad hava ,whose

talen ts , in deed , had raised Karan to the thron e . Un happily

for both kin g an d people Mad hav a had a beautiful wife , Bupsun dari . Karan fell in love wi th her , an d takin g advan tage

of . Madhava ’

s m om en tary absen ce from An hilwad Patan , the

capital, Sen t an arm ed force to seize her .1

'

A fight en sued an d

in it the m in ister’s brother fell . His widow thereupon resolved

to die a sati . Before she en tered the flam es she ' ca lled down

a fearful curse on the kin g an d on the city . The kin g , so

prophesied the sati , would be driven from hi s ki n gdom

by the barbarian . His wife an d his daughter would be torn

from him a n d he hi m self would die a hom eless wan derer . When

Mad hav a cam e back to An hilwad Patan he foun d his hom e

rui n ed.

‘ Hearin g of the sa ti ’s curse he fled to Delhi , that he

m i ght secure its fulfilm en t . He Obtain ed an in terview wi th

Ala -n d—d in a n d told his tale . The em peror , delighted with the

pretext , sen t hi s brother Alm as Beg , n ow exalted by the title

of A laf Khan ,to subdue Guzarat . The duty was well perform ed .

Karan Ghelo was defeated . An hilwad Patan fell . The chi ef

queen , Kam alad evi , was taken an d was sen t to Delhi to be the

con cubin e Of Ala -ud -d in . Karan Ghelo fled with his daughter

to the court of Ram ad eva Yadava ,who gave him for his resi

d en ce Baglan , a fort in the Nasik district . The beauty an d birth

Of Kam alad ev i won her the favour of Ala -n d -d in an d in course

of t im e she grew recon ciled to her lot . On e thin g , however ,was n eeded to m ake her happin ess com plete an d that was the

com pan y Of her daughter . She told this to“

the em peror, who

had also learn t with in dign ation that Bam ad ev a had sheltered

Karan Ghelo. He equi pped an arm y of m en , over

whi ch he placed a favourite eun uch n am ed Malik Kafir. At

the sam e tim e he issued orders to Alaf Khan to advan ce on

Devagiri from Guzarat . On the way he was to take Baglan

an d to secure if possible Karan Chelo’s daughter. The latter ,Dev ald ev i by n am e , was four years Old at the tim e ofher father

’

s

*

d

The litera l m ea n in g of Ghelo i s m ad . But Karan wa s ra sh ra ther tha nm a

1' The fu ll story is adm irably told in the fam ous Guzarati n ov el Kaw n Glee/n

by the late Mr. Na n da Sha n kar .


flight an d had n ow grown in to a beautiful m aid Of fourteen .

Ram ad ev a had asked Karan Ghelo to g ive her in m arri age

to Shan kard eva his son . But the Raj put kin g, although in

exile,had yet deem ed hi s lin eage too hi gh to give his daughter

to a Yadava Of Devagiri . An en voy sen t by Alaf Khan , who

dem an ded the surren der Of Dev ald ev i for Ala -ud -din ’s harem ,

caus ed Karan to chan ge hi s m i n d . An d he resolved to m arry

her to a Maratha prin ce,rather than prostitute her to a barbarian

em peror . He refused Alaf Khan ’s dem an d an d held Baglan

as lon g as he could again st the Afghan arm y . For two m on thshis resista n ce was successful . Fam in e at last forced hi m to

leave his stron ghold . He fell back with his troops on Dev agiri ,followed by Alaf Khan . As he retreated , Karan sen t a bodyof horse by a separate route to con vey Dev ald ev i to the arm s

of the youn g Maratha . The plan would have succeeded butfor un foreseen ill fortun e . Alaf Khan pursued Karan

’

s troops

to a day’

s m arch from Devagiri , when in despair at Dev ald ev i’

s

escape he called a two days ’ halt . Durin g the halt three hun dredAfghan s , un kn own to Alaf Khan ,

slipped out of cam p to visit

the Ellora caves . As they started hom ewards , they saw som e

Hin du cavalry across their way . The Afghan s , flushed with

success , attacked a n d soon dispersed them . AS the con querors

fought over the wom en whom the fugitives had left behin d ,they learn t that on e was n o other than the beautiful Dev ald evi .

Overj oyed they'

took her to Ala f Khan ,who at on ce tookher

to Delh i . A few weeks a fter her arriva l,the em peror’s son

Khizr Khan , won by her beauty, Obtain ed her in m arriage , an d

the devotion of her husban d an d the trium ph Of her own charm s

led her to forget the absen ce of her father an d the m iseries ofher coun try .

Malik Kafir with the m ain Afghan arm y drove back the

Maratha forces un til he reached Devagiri . Ram ad ev a saw that

fur ther resistan ce was hopeless . He beat a parley,an d presen t

in g hi m self at' Malik Kafir ’

s cam p,offered to pay full arrears

of tribute an d an am ple in dem n ity. The Offer was acceptedan d Ram ad ev a n ot lon g afterwards v isited Ala -n d -d in at Delhi .

There the n ew vassal was received with great hon our . The

THE AFGHAN CONQUEST OF THE DECCAN 45

title of Ray-i-Rayan or _Hin du Kin g of Kin gs was con ferred on

him , an d in return for his hom age,he was perm itted n ot on ly

to retain Dev agiri but to govern Navasari , a district on the

seacoast Of Guzarat (A .D. The followin g year MalikKafir passed byDev agiri to plun der the Kakatiyas ofWaran gal .Ala-ud -d in had already tried to reduce them from a base inBen gal . But the expedition had failed , an d to MalikKafir was

com m i tted the task of retrievin g the glory of the Delhi arm s .Ram ad ev a received an d obeyed the com m an d to aid Malik

Kafir as a subordin ate a lly. Attacked both by the Musulm an

gen era l an d the Yadava kin g , the Ba ja ofWaran gal yet m ade astout defen ce . It was on ly after a siege of several m on ths that

he Open ed n egotiation s . Malik Kafir was n ot un willin g to

accept term s . His losses had been severe Ram ad eva’

s loya lty

hun g on even ts an d acceptin g 300 elephan ts , 7000horses an d

a large store of m on ey an d j ewels Malik Kafir return ed in

trium ph to Delhi .

The year A .D. 1310saw the down fall of the Hoysalas . They

had been pressed southwards by the later Yadava kin gs but

they still ruled the larger portion Of the presen t Mysore State,an d their capital was Dwara Sam udra .

* Legen ds of their

wealth were curren t i n Delhi an d Ala -ud -d in bade Mali k Kafir

plun der them as he had plun dered the Yadavas . On the wayfrom Delhi Malik Kafir again halted at Devagiri . But in the

cour se of the precedin g year (A .D. 1309 ) Ram ad ev a had died

an d hi s son Shan kard ev a sat on the thron e Of the Yadava s . The

m em ory of Dev ald ev i m ade hi m less plian t than hi s father .

He refused either help or suppli es . Nevertheless he did n ot

Open ly attack Ma lik Kafir . The latter , leavin g a force to watch

Devagiri , attacked with his m ain arm y the Hoysalas . They

Offered a poor resistan ce,a n d with a vast store Of fresh booty

Malik Kafir return ed n orthwards . The n ews however of

Shan kard ev a’

s con duct kin dled resen tm en t in Ala -u d - d in,

which was heighten ed by his subsequen t behaviour . After the

Delhi arm y had retired, Shan kard ev a withheld hi s tribute .

Malik Kafir On ce m ore in vaded the Deccan , storm ed Dev agiri

The m odern Ha lebid .


an d beheaded Shan kard ev a (A .D. Then layi n g wast e

Maharashtra he swept through the whole of southern In dia .

All the Old southern thron es , those Of the Pallavas , Cholas ,Pan d yas an d Cheras toppled over on e after the other un til at

last the trium phan t gen era l rested to erect a m osque at Ram esh

waram . With the booty of the con quered peoples Malik Kafir

was return in g to Delhi , when he received an urgen t sum m on s

from Ala-ud -d in . Dri n k an d“

lus t , war an d in trigue had worn

out the iron con stitution of the great em peror. Khizr Khan ,

on whom he had bestowed Dev ald evi , n eglected his father. I n

the lon elin ess of age an d ill-health , Ala-ud -d in sum m on ed Malik

Kafir to his side . He was the on e person whom the em peror

trusted a n d“

he betrayed the trust wi th the basest in gratitude .

On reachi n g Delhi , he at on ce began to plot the exterm in ation

bf the whole Khil hous e . Alaf Khan , the brother who had

helped Ala-ud -d in to the thron e , was lon g dead ; an d the arts

Of MalikKafir led Ala -ud—d in to believe that hi s son s , Khi zrKhan a n d Shadi Khan ,

were con cern ed with the queen ’s rela

tives in a treason able schem e . At the sam e tim e n ews cam e that

Guzerat , Ra j putan a an d the Deccan had revolted . Malik Kafir

laid the blam e on the con spirators . The queen an d her son s

were arrested . Her kin sm en were beheaded an d the em peror,

isolated from hi s kin sm en , soon died of a poison ed m eal prepared

for him by Malik Kafir (A .D. On the em peror’s death

Mali k Kafir put out the eyes of Khi zr Khan an d Shadi Khan,

arrested Ala-n d -din ’s fourth son Mubarak Khan ,a n d placin g

Ala-ud -din ’s youn gest son Um ar Khan,then aged seven , on the

thron e,began to govern in hi s n am e . It n ow seem ed that the

n ew Sejan us , m ore fortun ate than hi s Rom an prototype,had

brought hi s schem es to a happy issue . But at the very m om en t

of success , hi s good fortun e left hi m . On e n ight he sen t a ban d

of assassin s to kill Mubarak Khan . The latter happen ed to

wear roun d hi s n eck a strin g of j ewels . With it he ransom ed

his life . The assassin s , fearin g pun ishm en t for their n eglect

Of duty, sought out Ma lik Mashir , the captain of the guards an d

a devoted servan t of the dead em peror . Prom pt i n action,

MalikMashir rushed wi th his m en in to Ma likKafir ’s room,an d .

THE AEGHAN CONQUEST OF THE DECCAN 47

killin g him together with a n um ber of other eun uchs privy to

hi s schem es , placed MubarakKhan on the thron e ofDelhi .

The n ew em peror, who was n ot without ability , at on ce plan

n ed the subjugation of the revolted provi n ces . I n A .D. 1317

Mubarak’s gen eral Ai n -ul-Mulk reduced Raj putan a an d Guzerat .

I n A .D. 1318Mubarak hi m self un dertook the recovery of the

Deccan .

“

Upon Malik Kafir’

s departure , Harpald ev a , a Yad ava

n oble, who had m arried Bam ad ev a’

s‘

d an ghter , led on her behalf

a rebellion . With the a id of the n eighbourin g chiefs , he over

c am e m ost of the Musulm an garrison s an d for over a year ruled

Maharashtra . But on Mubarak’s advan ce .Harpald ev a’

s alli es

d eserted him . He hi m self fled , pan ic-stricken towards the

wes tern hills . Before he could reach them ,a body of Musulm an

horse overtook him an d brought him in to Mubarak’s presen ce .

He ordered Harpald ev a to be flayed alive . After death his

headWas cut off an d fixed over the m ain gate Of Devagiri . The

rebellion on ce crushed, the em peror took steps to preven t its

recurren ce . He bui lt a chain of forts from the Vin dhya

Moun tain s to Dwara Sam udra . An d for m ore than three hun d

red y ears the Maratha people dwelt ben eath the rule of Musul

m an kin gs .

CHAPTER VII

THE DECCAN UNDER DELHI AND THE RISE OF VIJAYANAGAR

A .D. 1316 To 1351

THE hi story of Maharashtra from the tim e Of its con quest

to that of the Bahrn an i revolution is the hi story of

em pire Ofwhi ch it form ed a part . The Em peror Mubarak , after

he had reduced the Deccan,believed that hi s duties were over

a n d that he m i ght pass the rest of hi s life in vice an d pleasure .

His n atural ability was soon extin guished , an d m isgovern m en t

produced rebellion . His cous in Malik Asad Uddin was the

first‘

to plot again st the thron e . The plot was discovered an d

As ad Uddin executed . With him perished the em peror’s bli n d

brothers,Khizr Khan a n d Shadi Khan ,

as well as Um ar Khan ,

the un happy child on whose head Malik Kafir’

s treason had for

a m om en t placed a crown . The beautiful Devald ev i was torn

from Khizr Khan an d carried to Mubarak’s harem . Disgusted

with the treachery of his relatives,Mubarak gave his en tire

con fiden ce to on e Hasan,a con verted sweeper

,on whom he

bestowed the title of Malik Khusru . The n ew favourite re

peated the tactics of Malik Kafir an d pen etratin g to the extrem e

south brought back 120 elephan ts an d a great store of j ewels

an d gold . His success led Malik Khusruto plan a rebellion in

the Deccan . Failin g to wm over the other im perial Officers ,he tried to destroy them . The schem e failed an d Malik Khusru

was sen t in chain s to Delhi . But such was the dexterity of the

low-born adven turer,that he turn ed the tables on his accusers

an d in duced the em peror to believe that they a n d n ot he were

guilty . The im perial Officers were disgraced an d their estates

con fis cated . The graceless low-caste n ow persuaded Mubarak

that the sweeper caste was the on ly on e in whi ch trus t could be

placed . With the em peror’s leave he sum m on ed twen ty thousan d



worthy to succeed an d I swear that I shall abide by your choice .

The m ob thun dered in an swer the n am e of Ghazi Beg Tughlak,

an d liftin g him in their arm s , they 'hailed him as Shah Jehan

or sovereign Of the un i verse . Ghazi Beg accepted the crown

but refused the title . Custom , however, required som e chan ge

Of n am e . In m em ory possibly of hi s father’s m aster, Ghyas-ud

d in Balbazn , he called hi m self Ghyas-n d -d in Tughlak. An d on

August 23 , A .D. 1321 he becam e em peror’

Oi Delhi .

The n ew m on arch’s vigour soon restored order in Hin dustan .

Near Kabul he built a chain of forts whi ch durin g hi s reign

closed firm ly the n orthern passes . He sen t hi s eldest son Alaf

Khan to subdue the Ra ja of Waran gal, who in the recen t

tum ults had withheld hi s tribute . Alaf Khan attacked Waran gal

from Devagiri . But the cam paign failed .

’ The Kakatiya—Ra ja ,

Pratap Rud rad ev a II , defen ded his town with s pirit . The hot

win ds destroyed the health of the besiegers . At last a report

spread that the em peror was dead an d that a revolution had

broken out at the capital . Believin g the report true,several

Officers deserted with their com m an ds . The prin ce took alarm

an d retreated with all' haste . But so severe Were the losses

in the attack an d retreat that Of the Whole arm y on ly 3000

return ed to Dev agiri . There Alaf Khan foun d the report to be

false an d en quired in to the con duct Of his faithless Officers .Two a lon e survived . The rest had been killed or taken by the

Hin dus an d the two survivors had soon reason to en vy the fate

of their com rades . The pri n ce sen t them to Delhi . There

Ghyas-ud -d in had them buried alive , Observin g with grim wit

that as they had buried hi m alive in j est he would bury thema live i n earn est . The em peror placed Alaf Khan in com m an dof a fresh arm y . Thi s tim e the prin ce took great pain s to secure

hi s com m un i cation s . Crossin g the Godavari at Rakshasabhuvan

he a dvan ced south—south—east to Bedar . Takin g it by storm,

he m ade it hi s base an d then m arched d ue east on Waran gal .After a prolon ged defen ce Pratap Rud rad eva surren dered ; He

a n d his fam i ly were sen t as prison ers to the em peror an d the

Kakatiya coun try was added to the provin ces of Delhi . Ghyas

ud -d in Tughlak n ow m arched in person to subdue Ben gal.

THE DECCAN UNDER DELHI 51

There Kan a Khan , the n om in al Viceroy but actua l ruler, has

ten ed to subm it, an d after a short cam paign in Tirhut to the

south of Nepal , Ghyas-n d -d in turn ed hi s face hom ewards . As

he n eared the capital he m et Alaf Khan,who

,surroun ded by

a brilli an t array of n obles , waited to con gratulate his father .

I n a han dsom e wooden structure specially erected by the pri n ce,

Ghyas-ud -d in held a reception an d received the felicitation s

of his courtiers . When the cerem on y was over,the em peror

sen t for his carriage . The prin ce an d the n obles hasten ed

to leave the bui ldin g, for it was their duty to guard on horse

back Ghyas-‘

ud -d in as he en tered hi s vehi cle . At last on ly

Ghyas-ud -d in Tughlak, hi s in fan t son , an d five atten dan ts

rem ain ed in side the tem porary palace . The roof sudden ly

collapsed,destroyin g in its fall every on e ben eath it . The

em peror died as becam e the form er warden Of the m arches .

His body was foun d arched across hi s son ’s body,Whose life

he had vain ly tried to save . The vulgar in ven ted m an y causes

for the calam ity . Elephan ts , so som e said , had pushed down

the buildin g from without . Others asserted that the lightn i n g

had struck it . Others m ore in gen ious still m ain tain ed that

Alaf Khan had erected the buildin g by m agic an d that When

he left it,the m agic that had supported it left also

,an d thus it

collapsed . But all, save a very few

,believed that whatever

the im m ediate cause , the m i shap had been con trived by the

treachery of Alaf Khan . At on e stroke he thus rem oved the

occupan t of the thron e an d hi s favourite son . An d as Mahom ed

Tughlak,the pri n ce , in A .D. 1325 , becam e em peror ofDelhi .

Upon the n ew sovereign n ature had showered with both

han ds her choicest gifts . I n the course of a lon g reign he m et

n o equal as a captain i n the field . But gen eralshi p was but

on e Of the varied talen ts Of Mahom ed Tughlak. He was deeply

versed in Greek logic an d Greek philosophy. He had studied

profoun dly a stron om y an d m athem atics . He kn ew in tim ately

the Arabic an d Persian lan guages . His speeches a n d letters were

for cen turies the won der an d the m odel of the Delhi secretariat .

His Persian verses have been preserved a n d are still read with

pleasure by Persian scholars . An ticipatin g by 500years the


British Govern m en t, he bui lt hospitals for the sick an d alm s

houses for widows an d orphan s . When he m oun ted the thron e

the highest hopes were form ed of this m ost eloquen t an d

accom plished prin ce . But when he died, he had fully earn ed the

n am e of them ost blood-thi rsty despot in In dian hi story.

I n the secon d year of Mahom ed Tughlak’

s reign , he was

threaten ed by a Moghul in vasion . But buyingit Off, he devotedhis atten tion to the subjugation of southern In dia . An d to

use Ferishta’

s phrase , he so subdued Tailan gan a (an other n am e

for Waran gal) , the southern Kon kan an d Dwara Sam udra,

or Mysore,that they m ight have been villages n ear Delhi . After

thi s cam paign ,the em peror subdued eastern Ben gal to its

farthest fron tiers an d Oudh to the foot-hi lls of the Him alayas .

But the cost of these wars an d the lavish gifts which Mahom ed

Tughlak bestowed on the learn ed m en of hi s tim e exhausted

hi s trea sury, alread y depleted by the ran som paid to the Moghul

in vaders . The fertile m i n d of the em peror then con ceived a

schem e as in gen i ous an d disastrous as an y proj ected by Law or

Patterson . He had heard that the Chi n ese govern m en t hadfrom early tim es issued paper m on ey . He resolved , in s tead of

ban k-n otes to issue copper coin s wi th the n om i n al value Of gold

pieces . But he failed to grasp that the Chin ese ban k—n oteswere issued on ly by the em peror an d were really but prom i ssory

n otes sign ed by hi m . Mahom ed Tughlak allowed,or at an y

rate failed to preven t, the ban kers of all In dia from issuin gcopper token s as fast as the Delhi m in t . The result m ay easily

be im agin ed . Every tax—payer hasten ed to pay taxes in then ew coin age . Foreign m erchan ts paid their debts with token s

but dem an ded their dues in gold . At last,When the coun try

was exhausted by this absurd schem e,the em peror con ceived

an other hardly less so . Chi n a was a rich coun try. Its over

flowin g treasuries would soon refill hi s . He m ust,therefore

,

con quer it . To realize thi s wi ld proj ect horse un der

Khusru Malik, the em peror’s n ephew

,advan ced in to Nepal .

The hardy Nepalese resisted their progress step by step . Never

theless after desperate fightin g Khusru Malik reached the frontiers Of Chin a . There a m ighty Chin ese force awaited the


a ttack of hi s atten uated squadron s . The gen eral in despair

ordered hi s troops to retreat . But n either in attack n or in

flight was there an y safety . The rain y season began . The

m oun tain paths becam e torren ts an d swept away the In dian s’

supplies a n d baggage train s . The Chin ese harried their rear

guards . The m oun tain eers ren ewed their attacks an d ,at last,

of all that host but a few stragglers from the lin es Of com m un i

cation return ed to tell Mahom ed Tughlak the fate of his arm y .

He at on ce ordered their execution .

Disgusted with Delhi as the scen e Of hi s failures , Mahom ed

Tughlak resolved to m ove the capital then ce to Dev agiri . From

thi s n ew m etropoli s he hoped to subdue In dia as far as Cape

Com ori n an d with the spoils ofhis foes to restore hi s own bank

rupt fin an ces . The m igration of the court an d of the public

ofli ces did n ot con ten t him . He ordered the whole Delhi

population to m ove to Dev agiri . Nor was on e sin gle person

perm i tted to evade the com m an d . Accordin g to the graphic

s tory of Ibn Batuta ,the Im perial poli ce foun d

,ou searchin g Delhi

,

but two solitary recusan ts . The on e was blin d an d the other

bedridden . Mahom ed Tughlak directed that the form er should

be shot to Dev agiri by a catapult an d that the bedridden m an

should be dragged thither by the leg . A few pieces Of the blin d

m an’s flesh an d on e leg of the bedridden m an even tually reached

the n ew capital . The em peror built a road from Delhi to Devagiri

an d en deavoured to distribute food to the travellers on the

way . Yet even so , half the population died on the road an d m an y

m ore died on reachi n g Devagiri . Nor did the Marathas gain

what the in habitan ts of Delhi lost . The tyran t resolved to m ake

Devagiri worthy Of an em peror’s residen ce an d as he had n o

fun ds with whi ch to pay workm en he achieved his aim by

forced labour . By the weary arm s of sufferin g Marathas he built

the fort of Daulatabad on a m ass Of rock n ot far from the city.

The perim eter of the fort was 5000 yards . Galleries ran in side

the stron ghold . It was abun dan tly supplied with water. An d

the en gin eers Of the tim e declared it im pregn able . The n ew

capital com pleted , Mahom ed Tughlak set out to en slave what

still rem ain ed free in southern In dia . Before he could do so he


had to occupy the great fortress of Kon d an a , twelve m iles from

Poon a , of whi ch a rom an tic tale wi ll be told hereafter . It was

defen ded for eight m on ths by a Koli chi ef n am ed Nagn ak, whorepulsed all the assaults of the im perial troops . When fam in e

overcam e hi s resistan ce , he skilfully evacuated the stron ghold .

The em peror return ed to Devagiri to recruit hi s war-worn arm y .

Whi le they rested he received n ews that Malik Bairam ,Viceroy

of the Pun jab , had rebelled . The em peror had com e to see

that whi le Devagiri was a good base for the con quest Of southern

In d ia , it was dan gerous ly far from hi s n orthern possession s :

He therefore bade all his chi ef Officers sen d as hostages their

fam ilies to Devagiri . Malik Bairam hesitated . The im perial

m essen ger charged hi m with treason . The in dign an t Viceroystruck Off his accuser’s head an d then sought safety in the crim e

which he had so hotly repudiated . The em peror hasten ed

to the Pun jab an d soon defeated an d slew his turbulen t servan t .

He n ow tried fresh m ean s to replen ish hi s coffers . He in cm ased

so largely the taxes on the fertile tract between the Gan ges an d

the Jam n a that the ruin ed population burn t their houses an d

fled in to the woods . En raged at yet an other fin an cial failure ,Mahom ed Tughlak organ ized a hun tin g party. Surroun din g

the woods,he an d hi s guests shot down in hun dreds the wretched

tax-payers , as hi s beaters drove them out Of the coverts . Un i

versal terror n ow led to un iversal rebelli on . The viceroys of

eastern Ben gal an d the southern Kon kan revolted . The

em peror return ed to Devagiri an d im posed so large a levy on the

surroun din g provin ces that it also rebelled . His arm y, how

ever,soon reduced DevagiIi to its form er slavery a n d he set out

to restore order in the southern Kon kan . On the road a pesti

len ce attacked hi s troops . Num bers perished an d the em peror

him self alm ost died . On hi s recovery he gave up the expedition ,

an d on return in g to Delhi he authorised the city’s form er in

habitan ts to return there also . A great m i gration from Devagiri

en sued . But very few of the em igran ts reached the lan d of

their desire . A fam in e broke out in Cen tral In dia an d as they

passed through the stri cken provin ce , they also suffered an d fell

by the way-side .


Mahom ed Tn ghlak’

s m in d n ow con ceived a stran ge explan ation

of the con tin ual troubles of hi s reign . They were n ot, as on e or

two presum ptuous advisers had in sin uated'

, d ue to hi s fin an cial

schem es or to hi s cruelties . The real cause was the wrath Of

God‘

. Although assiduous in hi s prayers an d the builder of

m an y m osques , Mahom ed Tughlak had n ot had hi s accession

con firm ed by the Arabian Caliph . A stately em bassy, laden

with presen ts , m ade its way to Arabia an d begged that the

Caliph would Oon descen d to forgive the past an d n ow proclaim

the em peror’ s accession as lawful an d proper. The Caliph

graciously con sen ted an d sen t an en voy with a letter con ferrin g

on the em peror what he already possessed . Mahom ed Tughlak

m et the en voy on foot twelve m iles from Delhi , placed the Caliph’s

letter on hi s head an d had it Open ed a n d read with the greatest

solem n i ty. He ordered hi s m osques publicly to degrade all

previous em perors (in cludin g hi s own father) who had n ot

received the confirm ation Of the Caliph . Then he awaited wi th

con fiden ce the dawn of happier tim es . His hopes were vain

an d hi s calam i ties grew m ore n um erous than ever . About thi s

tim e Krishn ad eva , a relative of Pratap Rud rad ev a II, the

im prison ed Raja Of Waran gal, escaped captivity an d plotted

rebellion . TO his plot he won over the Raja of Vijayan agar.

The rise of thi s kin gdom is the m ost in terestin g an d im portan t

even t of the fourteen th cen tury . TO the n orth of the Tun ga

bhadra River stood the fort ofAn egun d i . Its rulers were the

petty chi efs a“. Kam pila , or Kam pili , eight m iles to the east, who

were vassals first of the Chalukyas an d then of the Yadavas .

I n A .D. 1336 Mahom ed Tn ghlak’

s n ephew Bahauddin rebelled ,an d bein g defeated , fled from the terrible em peror to the

court Of Kam pila . The Hin du chief received the hi gh-born

fugitive With chivalrous courtesy. He en tertain ed hi m hospi

tably an d refus ed to surren der him . This brought on the chi ef

the Delhi arm y. Un daun ted,the chi ef sen t Bahauddin un der

an escort to a n eighbourin g ki n gdom an d took refuge in hi s

stron ghold at An egun d i . Surroun ded an d fam in e-stricken ,

the Raja resolved to die like a Rajput kin g . He caused a huge

fire to be lit . I n it hi s wives an d those of his garrison threw


them selves . Their hon our safe , the Raja a n d hi s n obles open ed

wide the gates a n d rushi n g on the besiegers died fightin g . The

em peror placed as Viceroy over An egun d i a Musulm an n oble

n am ed Malik .

B ut although the prin ce an d hi s kin sm en had perished ,their spirit had survived . Two brothers n am ed Harihar

an d Bukka , who had served Pratap Rud rad eva II , fled

when Waran gal fell in A .D. 1323 an d en tered the

Kam pila service . Their talen ts attracted the n otice of the

prin ce an d they respectively rose to be hi s m i n ister an d his

treasurer. They survived the sack of An egun d i an d afterwards

fom en ted the opposition to Malik’s rule , while artfully preten d

in g to be his frien ds . Through their in gen ui ty Malik was de

graded from the viceregal thron e an d in hi s stead Mahom ed

Tughlak rai sed Hari har* to be Raja of Kam pila . Wisely he

withdrew hi s capital to the s outhern ban k of the Tun gabhad ra

a n d foun ded a n ew city, to whi ch he gave the in s pirin g n am e of

Vijayan agar, or the city of vi ctory. To it flocked all the brave

or broken m en of the Deccan , rajas who had lost their kin gdom s ,baron s who had lost their fiefs , devout m en who fled from the

pollution of the foreign er, fightin g m en who wished to cross

swords on ce again with the hated in vader. The an cien t kin g

dom s Of the Cholas an d the Pan d yas , of the Cheras an d Of the

Pallav as,ackn owledged the n ewkin g as their suzerain an d soon

becam e absorbed i n his dom i n i on . Within its fron tiers the

Hin du races of southern In dia stood for two an d a half cen turies

heroically at bay . In A .D. 1342 Harihar died . His reign “

had

been peaceful . But his brother an d successor Bukka , hen ce

forth kn own as Bukka Raya , was of a m ore warlike m ould .

He seized the chan ce Of usin g the resources of Vijayan agar on

behalf of a kin sm an of hi s form er m aster. He en trusted a force

to Krishn ad ev a ,who retook Waran gal . Upon this success , the

rebellion spread through the en tire Deccan an d in a few m on ths

the em peror’s sole possession south of the Vin d hyas was Dev agiri ,overawed by the great stron ghold of Daulatabad . He sen t

Kutln gh Khan , hi s on e-tim e tutor,to recover the Deccan .

See Sewell, A Forgotten Em p ire, Chap . II .



where revolted . The first to rise were those Of Guzarat,where

Makhil the slave had been appoin ted Viceroy. Aziz wen t to

Makhi l’s help, but was defeated an d slain . The em peror hast

en ed to Guzarat an d , as usual, his talen ts an d vigour crushed

the r ebelli on . He n ow resolved.

to assassin ate all the leadin g

Musulm ans in Dev agiri . Makhi l the slave was sen t to seize

them . He did so. On the way n orthwards they guessed the fate

that awaited them an d overpowered their guards . Return i n g to

Dev agiri they ren oun ced their fealty to Delhi . The em peror

m arched as was hi s won t to the storm cen tre . He defeated the

n obles an d besieged them in Daulatabad . But in'

the absen ce

of Mahom ed Tughlak, the Guzarat n obles on ce m ore took up

arm s . Alm ost in san e with rage , he raised the siege of Daulata

bad an d return ed to Guzarat . As he did so the peasan try an d

hillm en harassed severely hi s retreat . Nothin g, however,daun ted the courage of the furious em peror. He forced hi s wayin to Guzarat

,defeated the n obles an d drove them in to Sin d .

He followed them across the In dus, determ in ed to extirpate

their whole race even if his absen ce from In dia cost him his

em pire . On the way a heavy m eal of In dus fish brought on an

attack Of fever . But even fever failed to stay Mahom edTughlak. He still pressed on in pursui t of hi s en em ies . But

the very violen ce of hi s pursui t proved their salvation . The

fever,which careful treatm en t m ight have cured , —rose with

n eglect . An d on March 20, A .D. 1351 , Mahom ed Tughlak

died som e 30m iles from Thatta in Sin d .

On the em peror’s retirem en t from the Deccan the rebellion

Of the n obles spread un til its repression would have taxed the

en tire stren gth of the Delhi em pire . Join ed b y the forces of

Waran gal an d Vijayan agar, they defeated at Bedar the im peria l

troops m archi n g un der Im ad-n l-m ulk, hi s son -in -law, to restore

order. Im ad-ul-m ulk perished on the field . The im perial

authority gon e an d the em peror’s arm y destroyed , it on ly

rem ain ed for the Deccan n obles to choose a kin g to reign over

them . Their first leader was on e Ism ail Afghan ,who m oun ted

the thron e un der the title of Nasaruddin . But in the defeat

of Im ad-ul-m ulk a certain Hasan had greatly distin guished


him self. Seein g that his courtiers turn ed to Hasan rather than

to him s elf Nasaruddin pruden tly abdicated in hi s favour . The

n ew kin g had begun life as the servan t of on e Gan gadhar or

Gan gu , a Brahm an by caste an d an astrologer by profession .

The story run s that when Hasan was on e d ay ploughi n g a piece

of lan d , len t to hi m as a reward for good service by hi s m aster,he u n earthed a copper vessel con tain i n g som e gold coin s . He

took them to Gan gadhar, who , delighted wi th his servan t’s

hon esty, brought it to the n otice of Mahom ed Tughlak, then

still Prin ce Alaf Khan . The latter told hi s father, who sum m on ed

Hasan to his presen ce an d gave him the com m an d of 100horse .

Gan gadhar then drew Hasan ’s horoscope an d learn in g from it

his future rise to greatn ess , m ade him prom i se that if ever he

becam e a ki n g, he would assum e the n am e of Gan gu an d em ploy

hi s form er m aster as hi s m in i ster of fin an ce . When Mahom ed

Tughlak sen t Kn tln gh Khan to be Viceroy Of the Deccan , the

latter took Hasan as an Ofli cer of his suite . At Dev agiri he won

the viceroy’s con fiden ce an d was on e Of the leadin g Deccan n obles

when they ren oun ced their loyalty to Delhi . When Im ad-ul

m ulk tried to recover the Deccan ,Nasaruddin appoin ted

Hasan to com m an d the rebel forces . They won the d ay but

the Vi ctory Of hi s com m an der proved Nasarn d d in ’

s ruin . On

hi s abdication Hasan m oun ted the vacan t thron e . I n the hour

of hi s prosperity he rem em bered hi s prom ise to Gan gadhar.

He sen t for him an d gave hi m the keys of hi s treasury, an d he

had him s elf crown ed un der the title of Ala-n d -d in Hasan Gan gu

Bahm an i , thus foun din g what is kn own in hi story as the

Bahm an i em pire .

CHAPTER VIII

THE BAHMANI KINGDOM

A .D. 1347 To 1526

THE n ew kin g Of the Deccan was as able a m on arch as he had

been a subject . His vigorous rule soon restored Musulm an

authority in the coun try roun dDev agiri . Then ,fin din g Devagiri

n ot sufli cien tly cen tral, he rem oved hi s capital to‘

Gulbarga ,a town som e 20m iles n orth of the Bhim a an d from that base

he reduced the whole coun try from the Bhi m a River in the

n orth to the Tun gabhad ra i n the south, an d from the fort of

Choul in the west to the town of Bedar in the east . Gan gadhar,the form er m aster of the n ew kin g, proved as capable a treasurer

as Hasan proved a sovereign an d at n o previous tim e was the

Musulm an yoke m ore firm ly fasten ed on Maharashtra than

durin g the reign of this fortun ate slave . The latter, however,did n ot live lon g to en j oy the fruits of his skill an d pruden ce .

I n August , 1357 , he received an in vitation from Prem Rai , a

descen dan t of Karan Ghelo to help him con quer Guzarat . Hasan

accepted the in vitation . He sen t ahead the van guard of hi s

arm y un der his eldest son,Prin ce Mahom ed . The pri n ce ad v a n

ccd with expedition un til he reached the beautiful wooded valley

through which win ds the Tapti River . An arden t sportsm an,

he soon forgot in the pursuit of tiger the Obj ect Of his cam paign .

He sen t such glowin g accoun ts of hi s trophies that the kin g

pressed forward to j oin him in the chase . But its fatigues proved

too great for a fram e exhausted by war, in tri gue an d govern m en t.

He con tracted m alaria an d return ed to Gulbarga , where he

lin gered for six m on ths . At last on the poin t of death he sen t

for hi s youn gest son Mahm ud an d asked hi m to read a passage

from the book before him . It was the Bostan , an d without

THE BAHMANI KINGDOM 61

design the boy read from it the words written by Sadi of the

Persian Kin g, Jam shed

I con quered the world by valour an d in depen den ce, but

was un able to subdue the power of the grave .

”

The dyin g kin g recogn ized in the words Of the dead poet his

own approachi n g en d . He n om in ated his eldest son as his

successor, bade his children farewell an d a few m in utes later

died . He left behi n d hi m the n am e Of a loyal frien d an d a

gen erous en em yj a n d the lon g en duran ce Of Musulm an rule insouthern In dia was d ue to the care with whi ch Hasan Gan gu

laid its foun dation s (A .D.

TO Hasan succeeded hi s eldest son Mahom ed,who assum ed

the title of Mahom ed Shah Bahm an i I . The begin n in g of the

n ew ki n g’s reign was troubled by the threats of the Rajas of

Waran gal an d Vijayan agar, Krishn ad ev a an d Bukka Raya .

They dem an ded upon pain of war the restitution of all lan ds

taken from them by Hasan Gan gu . Mahom ed Shah acted with

pruden ce . For eighteen m on ths he am used the Hin du am bas

sad ors with prom i ses an d n egotiation s a n d secretly prepared

his arm y. When it was ready, he dism issed the en voys , attacked

the allies , an d defeatin g them , forced Bukka Raya to fall back

withi n his fron tiers an d Krishn ad eva to pay a large ran som

in gold an d j ewels . A peace en sued which lasted for twelve

years,when it was again disturbed by the Hin dus . Vin ayak

deva , the son of Krishn ad ev a , seized som e horses destin ed for

the Bahm an i kin g . The latter with 4000 cavalry hasten ed

towards Vailam Pillam,

* the scen e of the Offen ce . He sen t on a

few of’

his troopers disguised as traders , who declared that they

had been pillaged by robbers a,The town guards gathered

roun d them an d becam e so abébed in the tale , that they didn ot observe un til too late the advan ce of the rest of the arm y .

They then in vain tried to shut the gates . They were cut down ,

an d in the en suin g con fusion the Bahm an i troopers took the

town . Vin ayakd ev a retreated in to the citadel . The sam e

n ight he fled‘

, but was overtaken an d brought before Mahom ed

Shah . The kin g, pleased with his success , had n o wish to kill

Ha ig, H istorica l La n d m arks of theDecca n ,p . 7 .


the prin ce . But the latter abused hi s captor with such Ob

scen ity that Mahom ed Shah’s good hum our van ished . He had

Vin ayakd ev a’

s ton gue out out an d had him shot from a catapult

in to a vast bon fire , wherein he was in stan tly con sum ed .

For two years Kri shn ad eva con tin ued the war . Then , un able

further to resist,he m ade a hum iliatin g peace . He ceded

Golcon da , an d a n um ber of elephan ts an d horses , an d pa id a

ran som of 33 lakhs of rupees . When the treaty was sign ed ,the Hin du am bassadors in form ed the con queror that if he

would bin d him self an d his successors to respect for ever the

fron tiers of Waran gal, the Raja could m ake Mahom ed Shah“

a

presen t worthy n ot on ly of a kin g but of an em peror . Mahom ed

Shah , devoured with curiosity, agreed to a perpetual peace an d

received hi s reward . Pratap Rud rad ev a II had prepared for

Mahom ed Tughlak a beautifu l thron e kn own as the Takhti

Firoz,or the thron e of azure . It was Of solid gold studded with

precious gem s . Pratap Rud rad ev a had died before its com ple

tion . His kin sm an Krishn ad ev a , a rebel again st the em peror,had retain ed it . He n ow presen ted it with all hum i li ty to the

n ew suzerain of the south .

The kin g’s n ext cam paign was again st Vijayan agar . On e

even i n g he sat in hi s pleasure garden s,listen in g to a ban d Of

m usician s as they san g the couplets of Am ir Khusru . Pleased

wi th the son g an d in toxicated with forbidden liquor, he ordered

his m i n ister to prepare for the sin gers a draft on the Vijayan agar

treasury . The m in i ster, thi nki n g the order but a drun ken

m an’s whi m ,

wrote the draft but did n ot sen d it .

'

Next m orn in g,however

,the kin g com pelled hi m to do so . The Raj a Of

Vijayan agar seated the m essen ger who brought the draft on

an ass an d sen t hi m hom e . Kn owin g that war was n ow im

m in en t , Bukka Raya m ade a surprise attack on the fortress of

Mud kal in the Doab , the lan d between the Krishn a an d Tun gab

hadra Rivers , an d put the garrison to the sword . The Bahm an i

kin g, on hearin g the n ews , vowed that he would aven ge the

disaster by killin g Hin dus . Nor did he fail to keep hi s

vow . The Raja fell back on Adon i, a fortress south Of the

Tun gabhad ra . Near that stron ghold a battle took place i n


which the Hin dus were com pletely defeated . The Musulm an s

ravaged the coun try-Side , killin g its en tire population . Bukka

Raya retreated to Vijayan agar .

'

Mahom ed Shah laid siege

to it . But the m ain Hin du arm y so harassed his force an d

its com m un i cation s that he had recourse to a stratagem . He

feign ed a serious illn ess an d struck hi s cam p . Bukka Raya,

overj oyed,followed hi m , harassed hi s retreat an d fell in to the

Bahm an i kin g’s trap . The latter recrossed the Tun gabhad ra

an d halted i n a Spacious plain . The sam e n ight he m ade a

darin g attack on Bukka Raya ’s cam p an d ki lled of the

Raj a ’s troops . The latter then sued for peace . It was gran ted ,

but by on e of the articles the Ra ja had to hon our the kin g’s

draft an d pay the m usician s . Except for the revolt of a certai n

Bairam Khan whi ch Mahom ed Shah suppressed without d ifficul

ty , the rest of the kin g’s reign passed in peace . He died in

A .D. 1375‘

an d left behi n d hi m the n am e of a valian t soldier

a n d a vigorous adm in istrator. But to the Musulm an hi storian *

his chief glory lay in his havin g killed withi n 17 years n o less

than Hin dus .

Mahom ed Shah’s son , Mujahi d Shah , followed hi s father on

the thron e Of Gulbarga . The n ew kin g had all the qualities of

a great prin ce , except the power to con trol hi s tem per . His

m in d was vigorous an d highly cultivated . His person was

m aj estic . An d such was hi s stren gth that when but fourteen

years old he overcam e the greatest wrestlers in hi s father’s

dom i n ion s . At hi s accession he was on ly n in eteen years old

an d n ot un n aturally looked to win glory at the expen se of his

n eighbours . The Doab served as a pretext . The bulk Of it

had been an n exed by Mahom ed Shah Bahm an i . But a few

town s here an d there rem ain ed i n the j oin t possession of Hin dus

an d Musulm an s . Mujahid Shah sen t an en voy to Vijayan agar

with a haughty m essage .

“ Join t possession,

” said the Musul

m an en voy,

“ is the fruitful cause of dispute . Let the Raja

of Vijayan agar withdraw hi s troops to the south of the Tun gab

hadra, an d the two powers will i n future live together i n am ity .

”

The whole Doab , replied the in dign an t chief ,“ is the coun try

Feri shta .


of m y an cestors . If the barbarian wan ts peace let hi m Withdrawhis preten sion s to all lan ds south of the Krishn a . Th

’

e en voy

return ed to Gulbarga an d war en sued . Bukka Raya cam ped

on the southern bank of the Tun gabhad ra , in ten din g to await

there the attack of Mujahi d Shah . Sudden ly a pan ic spread

am on g the Hi n dus . They learn t that Mujahid Shah had in a

recen t hun t slain sin gle-han ded a tiger. Bukka Raya withdrew

his arm y in to the woods for six m on ths . Mujahid Shah pursued

him an d guerilla warfare raged through the Western Ghats a n d

Kan ara jun gles . At last Bukka Raya ’s health suffered so m uch

that he fell back on Vijayan agar . A battle took place n ear the

city . Mujahid Shah was victorious but his losses had been so

heavy that he resolved to retreat . He then learn t that his

un cle Daud Shah , whom he had posted on a n arrow n eck to

guard his rear, had left his post to j oin in the battle . The safety

Of the Musulm an arm y was n ow gravely im perilled . Neverthe

less the disciplin e Of the Bahm an i troops an d the courage an d the

en duran ce of Mujahi d Shah en abled hi m to withdraw without

disaster . He ven ted , however, so vehem en tly hi s wrath on Daud

Shah that the latter, broodin g over the reprim an d , plotted the

kin g’s m urder . A year later chan ce favoured him . The ki n g

had been fishi n g an d had gon e to rest with on ly a sin gle slave to

guard hi m . Whi le the kin g slept Daud Shah an d three assassin s

en tered his room . The glare on the water had hurt the ki n g’s

eyes,so that he could n ot see hi s en em ies . Daud Shah stabbed

his n ephew through the body . His com pan ion s killed the slave

an d then cut in pieces the dyin g m on arch .

Daud Shah , his reven ge gratified , a spired to m oun t the thron e

Of hi s m urdered n ephew . But his aim s were baffled by the

courage of Ruh Parva Agha , the dead kin g’s sister . On e m on th

an d five days after Mujahid Shah ’s death, an assassi n procured

by her stabbed Daud Shah , as he prayed in the great m osque

at Gulbarga . Daud Shah rem oved,the prin cess proclaim ed

that n on e of the traitor’s stock should profit by hi s villain y .

Blin din g his son , Mahom ed San gam , she placed on the thron e

Mahm ud Shah the youn gest son Of Hasan Gan gu ,the boy who

had read the lin es of Sadi to his dyin g father (A .D. I n



brother, on the thron e , hoped to govern the Deccan i n hi s n am e .

“The daughters , however, of Mahm ud Shah were m arried to

Firoz Khan an d Ahm ad Khan , the two youn ger son s of Daud

Shah ; an d they in stigated their husban ds to aven ge their

brother. Lalchin tried to sei ze them but they fled to Sagar.

There they gathered roun d them'

a con siderable force an d risked

a battle with the royal arm y . Defeated, they disguised their

aim s by treachery. They affected subm iss ion , prayed for, an dobtain ed pardon . A fortn i ght later they skilfully ‘seized the

person s of Lalchi n an d Sham suddin . Lalchi n they handed over to

the ven gean ce of Ghyas-ud -d in , who although bli n d cut him to

pieces with a sabre . Sham sud d in’

s eyes were put out an d he

passed from a thron e to a dun geon . An d Firoz Khan , un der the

title Of Firoz Shah Bahm an i, assum ed the crown which his father

Daud Shah had vain ly sought to wear (Novem ber 15 ,The talen ts of the n ew kin g distin guished him even am on g

the gifted pri n ces of the Bahm an i lin e . He was a con sum m ate

lin gui st . He had studied deeply such varied scien ces as botan y,

geom etry, an d logic . He con ducted twen ty- four cam paign s

again st the Hin dus an d exten ded thefron tiers .Of the Bahm an i

em pire further than an y previous kin g . But hi s m ost extraordin ary quality was his love of fem ale beauty . In thi s he

equalled , if he did n ot surpass , Ki n g Augustus I of Polan d an d

Saxon y . At first he felt som e doubts whether Islam perm itted

m ore than four wives . But con vin ced by the Shia doctors

that the Prophet had approved tem porary un ion s , he on a

sin gle d ay received 300 wom en in to hi s zan an a . From that

d ay on wards his agen ts con tin ually brought to hi s seragli o the

fairest faces of Greece an d Italy, Rus sia an d Tibet,Afghan istan

an d In dia . Withi n its walls the polyglot kin g con versed with

every in m ate in her own lan guage an d accordin g to Ferishta,

he bestowed on each of his m i stresses such atten tion that she

thought herself the sole obj ect of the roya l affection s . There

seem s , however, n o doubt that in the en d hi s excesses weaken ed

hi s m in d an d led to hi s down fall .

Of Firoz Shah ’s twen ty-four cam paign s , twodeserve special

m en tion . I n A .D. 1379 Bukka Raya of Vijayan agar had


passed away, leavin g to hi s son a m ighty kin gdom d efen ded

by a large an d well-disciplin ed arm y . His son ,Harihar II , was

a s peaceful as his Musulm an con tem porary, Mahm ud Shah .

I n A .D. 1398 he was advan ced in years,an d his son , afterwards

Bukka II , had already usurped m ost of his father’s powers .With or without the kin g’s leave

,the prin ce set in

m otion the arm ies of Vijayan agar an d overran the Doab . Hereached the southern ban ks of the Krishn a before the Bahm an i

forces had tim e to m obili ze . The Krishn a was in high floodan d Firoz Shah saw n o way to cross it . At this m om en t on e

Kazi Shi raz offered his services to the kin g . He would assassi

n ate Prin ce Bukka or his son , an d in the alarm thereby caused ,Firoz Shah could cross the Krishn a an d destroy the en em y .

Firoz Shah agreed an d collected a n um ber of rafts for his arm y .

Kazi Shiraz , with seven frien ds , wen t disguised as beggars to

the harlots ’ quarters of the Hin du cam p . There the Kozi

affected to fa ll in love with a pretty courtezan ,Who accepted

his atten tion s . On e even in g , however, his mistress told him

that she was en gaged to dan ce an d sin g before the prin ce ’s son .

The Kazi,like a distracted lover, begged her to take hi m with

her . The girl obj ected that the prin ce would on ly adm it

m usician s . But I too am a m usician , pleaded the Kazi ,an d takin g from his m istress her rebek, he played an d san g an d

,

callin g hi s com pan ion s , dan ced with such skill that she gladlytook with her the whole party. After the dan cin g-girl haddisplayed her art an d charm s , she begged the prin ce to let the

Kazi an d his com pan ion s dan ce also . Leave was given an d the

Kazi an d hi s frien ds began a dagger dan ce . SO brillian t was

their execution that the prin ce let them draw closer an d closer.

Sudden ly they plun ged their daggers in to the hearts of the

prin ce an d his courtiers . The assassin s then ran out,an d cut

the ropes of the ten t, so that it fell upon the party in side .

Min glin g with the crowd they spread every kin d of alarm i n g

report . In the en sui n g con fusion 4000 Musulm an s crossed

the river an d slaughtered the Vijayan agar troops like Sheep .

Prin ce Bukka,distracted by the loss of his son an d the defeat

of his arm y,fell back on his father

’s capital, where the aged

68 A HI STORY OF THE MARATHA PEOPLE

Raja , who had all hi s li fe loved peace , gladly paid Fi roz Shah

in order again to obtain it . .

An other of Firoz Shah’s cam paign s con tain ed an equa lly

rom an tic episode . I n Mud kal,’

on e of two great strongholds

in -the Doab , dwelt a beautiful girl n am ed Nihal .'Her fam ily

were son ars or gold srn iths an d her paren ts wished to wed her

to a boy of her own caste . But she pleaded so earn estly for a

respite that the m arri age was postpon ed . An Old Brahm an who

happen ed to visit her paren ts was so struck with her beauty

that he spen t eighteen m on ths in teachi n g her to dan ce an d sin g .

The teacher was an expert but so apt was the pupil that she

at len gth surpassed her m aster. The delighted Brahm an wen t

to Vijayan agar. There Harihar II had died the year after the

loss of hi s gran dson . His son Bukka II had succeeded an d had

died early i n A .D. 1406. I n his place there n ow reign ed his

youn ger brother Deva Raya I . To him the Brahm an san g so

ferven tly the'

praises of the m aid _Nihal, that at last the kin g felt

that life would be worthless un less he possessed her. He sen t.back by the Brahm an rich presen ts for t he girl

’s paren ts an d

prom ised to m ake her hi s queen . But again Nihal begged that.

her paren ts would n ot part her ‘ from them . The Brahm an

return ed to Vijayan agar an d told the Raja the failure of hi s

m ission . Deva Raya I,furious with disappoin tm en t, sen t

5000 cavalry to take her. But ign oran t of their Obj ect the

paren ts an d their daughter fled . At the sam e tim e Firoz Shah ,in dign an t at the un provoked in vasion , attacked the cavalry,ren ted it a n d in turn in vaded Vijayan agar. The Raja ’s troopswere everywhere defeated . His great fortress of Ban kapur

fell an d in the en d he was forced to give hi s own daughter in

m arriage to Firoz Shah with the town Of Ban kapur as her Wed

din g dowry. It then tran spired that the goldsm i th’s daughter

had from the first believed that her fated husban d was a Musul

m an prin ce . For this reason she had rej ected a m arriage with

a son ar boy an d the em braces of a Hin du sovereign . On learn

in g this , Firoz Shah had her brought to court, a n d fin din g that.

her beauty exceeded all description , he gave her in m arriage

to his eldest son Hasan Khan .


In A .D.

i

l417 Firoz Shah , in spite of Mahom ed Shah’s treaty

of perpetual peace with Waran ga l,tried to seize Pan ga l, a stron g

hold to the n orth of the Krishn a an d wi thi n the fron tiers of the

Warangal Raja . Now for the first tim e good fortun e left him .

The garrison defen ded the fortress so resolutely that after twoyears their defen ce was un shaken ,

whi le the besieger’s arm y

had dwi n dled to alm ost n othi n g . Chan ges too had occurred

a t Vijayan agar . Deva Raya I had died in A .D. 1412. His

gran dson Deva Raya II was n ow on the thron e . The n ew kin g

was in the flower of his age. Vigorous in body, am bitious

of glory, surroun ded by the fiery chivalry of the south,he led

his arm y n orthwards to help hi s.

Hin du brother. Firoz Shah

should have raised the siege an d fallen back on Gulbarga . His

pride forbade hi m . He faced the en em y an d lost hi s en tire

a rm y . He him s elf escaped with the greatest difficu lty from

the battlefield . Deva Raya II overran the Doab , but he was

even tually dri ven out b y the vigour of Firoz Shah ’s brother,

Ahm ad Khan . His brother’s victory was m ore fatal to the

kin g than his own defeat . The kin g’s son Hasan Khan , n aturally

a weak prin ce,had becom e so en am oured of the lovely Nihal

that, aban don in g all busin ess , he had given up his en tire tim e

to hi s wi fe . The disgusted n obles turn ed their eyes to Ahm ad

Khan . Civil war broke out . The royal forces were overthrown

a n d the kin g was besieged in Bedar . I n despair he open ed the

gate of the town an d abdicated in hi s brother’s favour . Ten

days later Firoz Shah‘ died an d hi s brother , un der the title of

Ahm ad Shah Bahm an i,reign ed in his stead (March

The n ew ki n g’s abilities were equal to those of Firoz Shah

a n d he had n ot dissipated his vigour in the roya l zan an a . He

treated Prin ce Hasan with great kin dn ess an d gave him a beauti

ful palace in whi ch to en j oy the com pan y an d the charm s of

the goldsm ith’s daughter. He als o took steps to m eet the

a ttacks of the Rajas of Waran gal an d Vijayan agar, who had

gain ed con fiden ce durin g the civil strife . The hostile forces

n eared each other un til they were on ly divided by the Tun ga

bhadra . Alarm ed by the sight of the Musulm an arm y, the Raja

of Waran gal deserted his ally . Nevertheless Deva Raya held

70 . A HISTORY OF THE MARATHA PEOPLE

hi s groun d an d defied Ahm ad Shah to cross the river. Un der

cover of: a dark n i ght Ahm ad Shah d id so,an d on e of his patrols

surprised Deva Raya as he lay asleep in a sugar-can e plan tation .

He was clad in scan ty attire an d the'Musulm an soldiers took

the half-n aked m an to be a com m on villager . They m ade

him carry for them a bun dle of sugar-can e . As the fight devel

oped,the patrol left Deva Raya to j oin theii com rades , an d

un woun ded‘

,the Ra ja retur n ed safely to his arm y. His n arrow

escape,however

, affected his n erves , an d with all haste he broke

ofi the a ction an d retreated to Vijayan agar . Ahm ad S hah n ow

overran the coun try roun d the capital , slaughtered the wretched

villagers with their wom en an d chi ldren an d d efiled their m ost

sacred tem ples . Exasperated at the kin g ’s in hum an ity, five

thousan d Hin dus swore to kill hi m . Closely their spies watchedhi s m ovem en ts . On e d ay they brought word that the kin g ,accom pan ied by on ly two hun dred guardsm en ,

was hun tin g

twelve m iles from hi s cam p . The five thousan d Hin dus galloped

with all haste to the spot . Fortun ately for the kin g a bodyof archers j oin ed him at this m om en t an d by sacrificin g them ~

selves en abled their m aster to reach a m ud fort n ot far away .

There the arrival of a large body of troops drove off the Hin dus .

The kin g n ow blockaded Vijayan agar so closely that Deva Rayawas glad to Offer peace . The kin g , sobered by hi s recen t dan ger,was glad to accept it . The Raj a paid a large sum as tributean d the kin g m arched n orthwards to pun ish the Raja ofWaran

gal.‘ That un lucky prin ce paid to the full the pen alty of his

faithlessn ess . His arm y was d estroyed . His capital w as

storm ed . He lost at on ce his coun try an d his life . Hen ceforth

Waran gal,un der the

“

n am e of Telin gan a or Tailan gan a becam ea provin ce

‘

Of the Bahm an i kin gdom .

I n 1429 Ahm ad Shah after a successful cam paign in Ma lwa

suffered a severe reverse at the han ds of the Musulm an m on archof Guzarat . Ahm ad Shah had sen t his gen eral Malik—ul—Tujar,a Persian adven turer, to reduce the lower Kon kan .

‘ When

this feat had been accom plished , the gen eral in an excess of zeal

took the islan d of Bom bay, n ow the capita l of the En gli sh ,then the property of the kin g of Guzarat . The latter protested,

THE BAHMANI KINGDOM 7 1

but Ahm ad Shah en dorsed his gen eral’s act . A battle followed

in whi ch the Deccan arm y suffered a com plete defeat . An d

Bom bay Islan d was again Occupied by the troops of Guzarat ;After a reign of 12 years an d 11 m on ths Ah m ad Shah died : Hisreign was on the whole successful . He left his kin gdom larger

than he had foun d it . But a deep stain of cruelty rests upon

his fam e . Yet in spite of it he is the on ly Musulm an kin g of

In dia on whom his people con ferred the title of Wali,

”or

sain t . An d if the tale be true , it m ust be con ceded that he

fully earn ed it . For on ce,after a two years ’ fam in e

,he obtain ed

by his prayers an d in tercession s a boun tiful m on soon (February

The early reign of the n ew kin g Ala -ud -d in Shah , the son of

Ahm ad Shah,was troubled by dom estic disturban ces . I n sp ite

of hi s kin dn ess to his youn ger brother, Mahom ed Khan , thelatter attem pted with the aid ofVijayan agar to usurp the thron e .

After a fiercely con tested action n ear Bed ar the royal troops

won the d ay an d Mahom ed Khan fled . The gen erous kin g ,however, forgave his brother, an d recallin g him to the capita l

m ade him govern or of Raichur. His n ext trouble cam e from

his “wife . He had been m arried in youth t o Malika Jehan ,

daughter of Nassir Khan ,Kin g of Khan desh . She had retain ed

her husban d ’s affection un til his gen eral , Dilavar Khan ,brought

him from a

’

western cam paign the lovely daughter of a Konkan

baron . Skilled in m usic , witty, am iable an d beautiful, she

at on ce effaced from the ki n g ’s heart the picture of Malika

Jehan . The n eglected wife appealed to her father . He raised

a large arm y an d allied him self to the Kin g of Guzarat, an d a

n um ber of Deccan n obles in vaded Berar . Ala-ud -d in Shah ,

fearin g treason , dared n either leave his capital n or en trust

hi s arm y to an y Of his n obles . At last he thought of Malik-ul

Tujar, whose capture Of Bom bay had led to his severe defeat .

Malik-ul-Tujar accepted the com m an d of his arm y but dism issed

all the Deccan officers , allegin g that his form er disaster had been

d ue to their treachery . Success justified his act . With a

force on ly 7000 stron g he defeated Nassir Kha n ,ravaged

Khan desh an d effectually crushed both the rebels within an d the

72 A HISTORY OF”

THE 'MARATHA PEOPLE

in vaders without . Return in g in trium ph to B edar, n ew the

capi tal of the Bahm an is , Malik-ul-Tujar was received out

side the city by tlTe kin g’s eldest son . Hon ours were n ow

showered on hi m by hi s grateful . m aster, who wen t-

so far as'

to

give to all‘ Persian * an d foreign officers preceden ce over all

Deccan is an d Abyssin ian s . Thi s . un fortun ate act created an

en m i ty between the two classes"

of Officials , whi ch in theen d

destroyed the Musulm an power in the Deccan .

A bout this tim e Deva Raya II of Vijayan agar, depressed

by c on tin ua l defeat, called upon hi s priests an d n obles to explai n

the frequen t successes of the Bahm an i kin gs . Their territory,”

said Deva Raya ,

“ is sm aller than m y own ; their courage is n o

greater than ours an d their religion is barbarous .” The

Brahm an s replied that heaven had ordain ed that for years

the Musulm an s should oppress the Hin dus ; The n obles gave

a m ore m an ly an swer . The Musulm an s,they repli ed

,

are better m oun ted an d m ore skilled'

as archers . Let the Raja

keep a large force of train ed bowm en'

an d'

victory will on ce

m ore return to his ban n ers .” Deva Raya accepted the advice

of his n obles an d en listed n ot on ly Hin du archers but also several

thousan d Mus ulm an m ercen aries . AfterE

train in g the n ew

levies , Deva Raya set forth to con quer tlie Bahm an i kin gdom .

He at first m et with som e success . Hesurprised Madkal an dadvan ced to the southern ban k of the Krishn a . There

,however

,

he m et the fate-

whi ch awaits m ere im itators . In a series of

action s the copy proved un equal to the origin al . The Baja ’s

troops were defeated . The.

Raja him self was In vested I n

Mudkal. Now con vin ced that to overthrow the Bahm an i

kin gdom was beyon d his power , he , for the rest of hi s life,

ackn owledged the Bahm an i kin g as hi s overlord an d paid him

tribute .

After the defeat of Vljayan agar, Ala-ud -d in Shah resolved

to seize an d garrison all the Kon kan fortresses . The Kon ka nplain s had lon g been in the han ds Of the Bahm an is . B ut the

gian t stron gholds of the Western Ghats were still the refugeof robber baron s . They paid or withheld tribute as it sui ted

Malik-ul-Tujarwa s a Persian .



Sikan dar Khan"

subm itted an d Ala-ud -d in Shah return ed to

Bedar, where he died happy in his fin al - trium ph ~

(Apr‘

il 3 ,1458)To the wise an d capable Ala—ud—d in Shah succeeded his son ,

Prin ce Hum ayun , to whom his subj ects ri ghtly gave the n am e

of Zalim or the Tyran t . His accession was followed by a fresh

revolt of Sikan dar Khan ,who n ow

,as the kin g

’s cousin,claim ed

a share in the kin gdom . At the sam e tim e the ki n g’s-

youn ger

brother .Hassan Khan tried to usurp the thron e . ResolutelyHum ayun m et both dan gers . He crushed the palace con spiracy

an d blin ded Hassan . He defeated an d slew Sikan dar Khan in a

hard-fought battle . But while Hum ayun was absen t from hi s

capital he received n ews of a fresh disturban ce . Hassan Khan’

s

frien ds m an aged by a forged order to en t-er his prison an d to

release him an d a n um ber of those i m pris’

on ed with him . The

blin d prin ce then raised an arm y an d at first defeated the roya l

troops . But when Hum ayun return ed with his m ain forces he

gain ed a com plete victory . Hassan Khan fled , but was seized by

the govern or Of Bijapur and han ded over to ' the royal m ercy .

But the an xieties which he had un dergon e had un settled the

kin g ’s m i n d . From the date of his victory to the en d of

his reign hi s con duct was that of a ravin g m adm an . He preparedan aren a in Bedar . An d there in the presence of the whole

city, he gave a free rein to his cruel tem per. First Hassan

Khan was thrown to an d devoured by a m an -eatin g tiger .

-

His

com pan ion s were beheaded on e after the other,an d then the

un happy wom en of their households were publicly violated

by the lowest scum from the Bedar prison s . The spectacle

en ded with the torture an d m assacre Oi 7000 persdn s , m ost

of whom had little or n o con cern with the prin ce’s rebellion .

Nor did this reven ge satisfy the ki n g . Then ceforward he

acted towards his loyal subj ects as he had acted toward s

the rebels . To gratify a passin g whim he would execute

or torture them or violate their wom en . At last after“

a reign

of three an d a half years a just fate overtook him . His

servan ts fell upon him when drun k an d tore birri to pieces

(Septem ber 4,


The tyran t left a son, Nizam Shah

,but n in e years old , to

succeed him ; but the kin g’s in fan cy gave am ple scope to the

abilities of the queen m other . They were at on ce fully tested .

The-Hin du chi ef of Orissa ,

descen ded from the an cien t house

of Waran gal , m arched southwards to place a kin sm an on its

thron e . The in vasion was checked an d the Hin du arm y retreat

ed . A secon d attem pt in the followin g year was even m ore

disastrous . The Orissa chief ’s whole arm y perished an d he him

self barely escaped with his life . To celebrate the victory

the queen m other resolved to m arry her son an d chose for his

bride on e of her ow n relatives . Un happily the excitem en t of

the cerem on ial proved too m uch for the boy kin g . His head

sudden ly san k forward on his breast . His body fell to on e

side ; an d when the courtiers rushed to support him he was

already dead of heart failure (July 30,To the dead kin g succeeded his still youn ger brother Mahom ed

Shah Bahm an i II . The twen ty years durin g which the prin cereign ed saw the Bahm an i power reach its greatest height an d

then crum ble alm ost to pieces . Its rise an d its collapse had a

com m on cause in Khwa ja Mahm ud Gawan,the kin g’s m in ister .

This loya l an d gifted m an was con n ected with the royal house

Of Persia . His an cestors had for several gen eration s been

hereditary Vazirs to the Persian prin ces of Jhi lan . The en m ity

of Shah Tam asp forced the you ng Mahm ud to leave his coun try .

He becam e a m erchan t an d in the course of hi s travels cam e

to Bedar,in ten di n g to j ourn ey then ce to Delhi . Ala-ud -d in

m et hi m,was attracted by hi s qualities an d m ade him a n oble

of his court . I n the reign of Hum ayun Shah he rose t-o be first

m i n ister . Thi s ofli ce he filled with great distin ction durin g

the n n n orities of Nizam Shah an d Mahom ed Shah II an d after

the latter cam e of -

age, he yet rem ain ed in favour. So lon g

as hi s m aster han d guided the Bahm an i affairs , the state

prospered . He first dictated peace to the kin g of Malwa an d

then m arched again st Shan kar Rai Of Kheln a . After two

cam paign s he captured the great Maratha stron ghold an d

ravaged all Shan kar Rai ’s lan ds , thus aven gin g the defeat of

Malik-ul-Tujar. He then m ade a surprise attack both by lan d

76 A HISTORY OF'

THE MARATHAPEOPLE

an d sea on the Vi jayan agar fortress ofGoa. The Hin du kingdom

had recen tly passed through troubled tim es . Deva Raya had

died of woun ds in fli cted by his own brother. To him succeeded

hi s son Deva Raya III , an d then his gran dson Virupaksha I .

Ever sin ce the reign of Deva Raya II,the Vijayan agar cavalry

had been m oun ted on im ported horses . The im porters were

the Musulm an traders of Bhatkal . In A .D. 1469, either on

reli gious or com m ercial groun ds ,they began to sell their an im als

to the Bahm an i m on arch . Virupaksha I , furiOus with the

m erchan ts , ordered their m assacre . Ten thousan d Musulm ai n s

perished . The rest fled to Goa , where they foun ded a city,

which n ow yielded gladly to the arm s Of Mahm ud Gawan . Two

years later Virupaksha I tried to retake it . He was aided by

Vikram a Bai,t he chi ef of Belgaum . But the Bahm a n i kin g

foresta lled their offen sive by storm ing Belgaum . An d soon all

Vikram a Rai ’s lan ds were added to the Bahm an i dom in ion .

In A .D. 1475 a great fam i n e devastated the Deccan . This

tem pted'

the Ra ja of Orissa on ce aga in to in vade Telin gan a .

But a good m on soon restored Mahom ed Shah’s prosperity an d

his m in ister equipped so efficien t an arm y that n ot on ly was the

Ra ja driven from Teli n gan a but he soon had lost Orissa a lso .

Forced to sue for peace he obtain ed it by surren derin g hi s

elephan ts an d aban don i n g all claim s to Telin gan a . Several ,however

,of the Hin du baron s had revolted to aid the Raja .

The leader of these was on e Bhi m Raja , the feudal lord of

Kon dapalli , a large town som e 20 m iles from the m outh of the

Kri shn a . On the defeat of the Ori ssa forces , the un fortun ate

chief was cut off from all hope of success . After six m on ths ’

s iege he prayed for an d obtain ed pardon . But although the

kin g forgavethe n oble , he ven ted hi s an ger on the pri ests . An d

to win the title of Ghazi , or holy on e, he destroyed the largest

tem ple in the town an d with hi s own han d slaughtered the

atten dan ts . The sacrilege alien ated his Hin du subj ects an d m ust

have d isgusted the broader—m in d ed am on g hi s Musulm an

followers . Both rem em bered that through a Brahm an’s

kin d n ess Hasan Gan gu had risen to a thron e an d in the calam ities

that followed both saw divin e retribution for the cruel deed .

THE BAHMAN I KINGDOM 77

Nevertheless so lon g as Mahm ud Gawan rem ain ed the kin g’s

m in ister, n o evil befell hi s m aster . Shortly after the fall

of Kon dapalli, Mahm ud Gawan r educed Masulipatam ,held

for Vijayan agar by the Raja ’s relative Narsin ha Raya,

who som e years later was to usurp the southern thron e .

But the con tin ual successes ofMahm ud Gawan excited the en vyof his f ellow n obles . “ They forged a letter purportin g to be

written by the great m in ister to the Ra ja of Orissa offerin g toshare with him

“ the Bahm an i kin gdom . They n ext in duced a

drun ken slave to seal this paper with Mahm ud ’s seal . Then they

showed it to the kin g . The latter, in toxicated at the tim e,

would hear n o explan ation n or hold an y in quiry . An Abyss i

n ian slave cut off Mahm ud Gawan ’s head in hi s m aster’s presen ce

an d the sam eb low severed the sin ews of the Bahm an i em pire .

On e Yusuf Adil Khan had been adopted as a son by Mahm ud

Gawan . The rom an ce of hi s career m i ght have been a tale told

by Shaharazad i . He was the youn ger brother of Mahom ed

II,the sultan who storm ed Con stan tin ople . While Yusuf was

still a chi ld the sultan had ordered hi s execution . His m other

substituted for her son a Georgian slave an d sen t Yusuf to

Alexan dria . Wh en he was sixteen years old his n urse divulged

hi s secret . To escape his brother’

s ven gean ce , he fled to Shi raz .

There he dream t that a divin e form bade hi m go to In dia ,where

a thron e awaited him . He reached In dia in 1459 , was en trapped

by a m erchan t an d sold at Bedar as a Georgian slave . The

purchaser was Mahm ud Gawan . The slave of the great m in i ster

soon rose to power . On the m urder of his patron , he an d two

other high ofli cers , Im ad-ul—m ulk an d Khud avan d Khan,re

v olted an d extorted from the kin g the govern m en t of Bijapur

for Yusuf Adil Khan an d the two viceroyalties of Berar for his

two con federates . The Bahm an i kin g then en quired in to the

charge again st Mahm ud Gawan , an d fin din g that he had been

duped did his utm ost to repair the wron g . But the rebel n obles

had gon e too far to retrace their steps . They refused to appear

at court an d becam e in depen den t in all but n am e . Their

con duct so preyed on the kin g’s m in d that he becam e a slave

to d rin k . At lastlon March 26, 1482, he died in a fit of delirium


trem en s , exclaim in g that the ghost of Mahm ud GavVan was

tearin g out his en trails .

After the m urder Of Mahm ud Gawan , the dead kin g hadappoin ted on e Nizan i -ul—Mulk as his m in ister. He was by birth

a Brahm an an d the son of on e Bahira of the Kulkarn i fam ily of

Pathri in Berar . Captured in in fan cy by som e troopers of

Nizam Shah B ahm an i , he was brought up as a Musulm an an d

m ade the com pan i on of the youthful Mahom ed Shah . His keenBrahm an brain soon m astered Persian an d Arabic , an d win n i n g

the favour of Mahm ud Gawan he becam e Viceroy of Telin gan a .

As a con verted Hin du hi s in clin ation led him to j oin the Deccan

party,who hated Mahm ud Gawan as a Persian an d a foreign er .

With his own han d he forged the letter which caused the m in is

ter’s ruin . When Mahom ed Shah’s twelve -year-old "

son Mah

m ud Shah succeeded hi s father, Nizam -ul-Mulk con tinued to

be his m i n ister . He at first sought to destroy Yusuf Adil Khanhe induced hi m to en ter Bedar with .a sm all escort an d then fell

upon hi m —with the roya l forces . But the gallan t Turk defen ded

him self lon g en ough for his own troops an d those of his a lly

Im ad-ul-Mulk to break open the gates an d en ter the city . A

street fight en sued in whi ch 8000m en lost their lives . At last

Yusuf Adil Khan an d Im ad -ul—Mulk extricated them selves an dretreated , the form er to Bijapur, the latter to Berar. Nizam -ul

Mulk n ow foresaw the break-up of the em pire an d bestowed all

the western provin ces in fief to his son Malik Ahm ad . The ki n g

retali ated by plottin g his assassin ation . The m in ister fled an d

sought to seize the roya l treasure . The attem pt failed an d

Nizam -ul-Mulk perished . But on hi s death, the Bahm an i

em pire,shattered by Mahm ud Gawan ’s m urder

,fell to pieces .

Malik Ahm ad declared hi m self in depen den t as Ahm ad Nizam

Shah , kin g Of Ahm adn agar . Subdui n g the whole coun try

from Bid to the sea-coast an d from the Khan desh fron tier

to the south of Poon a , he established what is kn own in hi story

a s the Nizam Shahi dyn asty . About the sam e tim e Yusuf Adil

Khan had him s elf crown ed in Bijapur as Yusuf Adil Shah , thus

foun din g the Adil Shahi dyn asty . His action was copied by

Im ad-ul-Mulk, on e of the two viceroys of Berar. Makin g him


s elf m aster of the whole provin ce an d ren oun cin g hi s allegian ce ,he foun ded the dyn asty kn own as Im ad Shahi . To the Bahm an i

kin g there n ow rem ain ed m erely the territory rou nd Bedar

a n d the provin ce of Telin gan a . Soon on e of the rem ain i n g

pieces fell away . The govern or of Telin gan a ,Kutb-ui -Mulk , a

Persian adven turer,usurped his trust an d foun ded the Kuth

Shahi lin e of Golcon da . On ly Bedar n ow rem ain ed . But even

a t the capital the kin g ’s weakn ess en abled his m in ister Kasim

Barid to becom e all powerful an d to bequeath hi s power to hi s

s on Am ir Barid . The latter Im prlson ed his un fortun ate m aster,

who died on Decem ber 26, 1518, after an in glorious reign of

3 7 years . Ahm ad Shah , Mahm ud Shah ’s s'

on , died of wan t

two years after his n om in al accession . His cousin,Ala -ud -d in II ,

was assassin ated in A .D. 1521 by Am ir Barid , who shortly

a fterwards poison ed Ala -ud -d in the Secon d ’s s uccessor, Wali

Ulla Ahm ad Shah ’s son ,Kalim Ulla

,was n ow the sole survivor

of the Bahm an i house . He m oun ted the pagean t thron e I n

AD: 1526,the year in which the Em peror Babar won the

field of Pan ipat . He in vain begged the con queror to pity his

fate . But Babar’s task was already great en ough for hi s

s tren gth . Kalim Ulla then fled from Bedar to Bijapur . But

fin din g that he had exchan ged but on e state prison for an other,he fled to Ahm adn agar . There the Nizam Shahi kin g treated

him with the respect d ue to fallen greatn ess . An d in som e

m easure of dign ity an d com fort the last Bahm an i kin g passed

the rem ain der of hi s life . His death left the thron e of Bedar

vacan t . Am ir Barid ’

s son ,Ali Barid , ascen ded it an d foun ded

the Barid Shahi dyn asty of Bedar (A .D.

CHAPTER IX

MOGHULS AND PORTUGUESE

IN the precedin g chapter a referen ce has been m ade to the

Em peror Babar. We m ust, therefore , return for a m om en t to

the his tory of n orthern India . After the d eath of Mahom ed

Tughlak in A .D. 1351 the Delhi em pire fell slowly to pieces .

In 1354 on eHaj i Elias foun ded what is kn own as the Purbhia

dyn asty of eastern Ben gal . In 1387 Dilavar Khan ,the im perial

Viceroy , m ade him self kin g ofMalwa . In 1388Malik Raja,on ce a

trooper, declared him s elf kin g of Khan desh . In 1390a m en ial

of the im perial household n am ed Muzaffar Khan foun ded the

kingdom of Guz arat . Four years later a fifth provin ce fell

away an d becam e the prey of a eun uch called Malik Survur.

At last Delhi becam e the scen e of disorders as violen t as an y

that had raged in its depen den cies . Whi le the streets of the

capita l ran with the blood of con ten din g partisan s,the n ews

spread that the Am ir Tim ur with m en had crossed the

In dus an d was advan cin g by forced m arches through upper

In dia .

Although Tim ur claim ed to be the descen dan t of Jen ghiz

Khan ,he was actually a Berlas Turk . He had , however, a fter

years of hard fightin g subd ued the in heritan ce of Jagataij'

on e ofJen ghi z Khan’s son s , an d in 1369 he had hi m self crown ed

in Sam arkan d as sole kin g of the Jagatai Moghuls . The n ext

30years he spen t in reducin g the Moghuls of the Caspian an d the

vast lan ds between the Ura l an d the Volga . To the south he

con quered Persia from Khorasan to Kerbela . An d in 1398,

when in his sixtieth year, the troubles at Delhi drew his rest-less

Thi s is the date given by Ferishta . The I m p eria l Gazetteer gives the dateas 1401 .

1 The word is som etim es spelt Chagata i an d the Marathas corrupted itin to Chakatyachi bad shahi .



Ibrahim Lodi was slain an d Babar proclaim ed him self Em peror

of In dia . His n ext great battle was with the Ran a San ga of

Chi tor,whom he decisively defeated at Sii ; But n othi n g in

Babar’s li fe becam e hi m like the leavin g of it . His eldest son

Hum ayun was stricken with a violen t fever . The court doctors

had pron oun ced hi s case hopeless , when fBabar resolved to offer

his life to the Most High in stead Of that of hi s child . Three

tim es the em peror walked roun d the prostrate prin ce , hi s lips

m ovi n g in silen t prayer . Then staggerin g backwards he cried

in a loud firm voice , I have born e it away .

” In s tan tly the

fever left Hum ayu n an d struck down Babar in hi s place . Faithhad m ade the on e whole an d had ki lled the other. The war-worn

foun der of the Moghul em pire died on Decem ber 26, 1530, an d

hi s body was born e far away to the n orth an d buried am i d the

flowers an d the cool run n in g stream s of Kabul .

He was followed on the thron e by the son whose life he had

saved . Twen ty years afterwards Hum ayun fell , as he walked

down the stairs of his library,ahd died a few hours later . His

son Akbar, the greatest prin ce but on e who ever occupied an

In dian thron e , succeeded hi m . In the course of hi s reign hereun ited to the Delhi em pire m ost of the kin gdom s which had

com e in to bein g after the”

death of Mahom ed Tughlak. In

1564 he an n exed Malwa . In 1572 he con quered Guzarat . In

1599 he reduced Khan desh . The sovereign ties of Jaun pur an dBen gal had already van ished . In them Akbar firm ly established the im perial authority . An d n ow, m aster of all n orthernIn dia , Akbar began to m editate the con quest of the Deccan .

At thi s poin t the hi story of Maharashtra from the fall Of the

Bahm an i kin gdom -dem an ds our atten tion . But before returnin g to it I wish to sketch shortly an even t ofthe first im portan ce ,the arri val of the Portuguese . For n ot on ly did they con quera portion of Maharashtra but they showed the way roun d the

Cape to other European peoples. An d to-d ay the sovereign of

on e of. them bears the proud title n ot on ly of Kin g of En glan d

but of Em peror of In dia .

The foun der of the Portuguese kin gdom was a Fren chm an .

I n , A:D. 1086, "Alfon so , the Span ish kin g of Leon , suffered a

MOGHULS AND PORTUGUESE 83

com plete reverse in the battle Of Zalaca an d lost all Spain

to the south of the Ebro . I n d espair~Kin gAlfon so sum m on ed

to hi s aid the chivalry of n orthern Europe . Am on g the gallan t

kn ights who flocked to hi s ban n ers was on e Hen ry , Coun t of

Burgun dy . To him Kin g Alfon so gave in m arriage hi s illegiti

m ate daughter Theresa ,wi th the coun ties oi Coim bra an d

Oporto an d the title of Coun t of Portugal . Their son was the

fam ous Alfon so En riquez , the foun der of Portuguese in d epen

den ce . His greatn ess , so the legen d run s , displayed itself from

in fan cy . Fire played roun d hi s cradle without hurting the god

like child . Attacked when a boy by a pack of m oun tain wolves ,he Slew them all sin gle-han ded an d return ed hom e without a

scratch . He passed hi s m an hood in fights again st the Moors

an d the Span iards . The form er he routed on the field of Ouriquean d by the walls of San tarem . The latter he overcam e in the

fam ous Tourn ey of Va ldevez , an d thus secured the in depen den ce

of Portuga l . Nin th in descen t from Alfon so En riquez was Kin g

John the Great , ren own ed both as soldier an d adm in istrator,but greater still as the father of Prin ce Hen ry the Navigator.

Thi s pre- em in en t pr1n ce is the com m on glory of Portuga l an d

En glan d . He was the third son of Kin g John an d of Queen

Phi lippa , daughter of John of Gaun t, the foun der of the House

of Lan caster . At the siege of Ceuta hi s bravery had been con

spicuous even am on g the gallan t n obles of Portugal . At the

disaster of Tan gier hi s fortitude was proof again st the darkest

frown s of fortun e . But hi s m in d turn ed rather to study than to

war . I n Herodotus he read that Necho ’s fleet had circum n avi

gated Africa . He too,he thought, would circum n avigate it , an d

brin gin g back from In dia boun dless wealth,would m ake Portuga l

firs t am on g“

the n ation s . Prin ce Hen ry settled at Sagre n ear

Cape St . Vin cen t an d then ce sen t forth every year Portuguese

captain s to explore the n orth—west shores of Africa . Year by

year the darin g seam en crept further an d further alon g the coa stof the great con tin en t . As they wen t they foun d the Azores ,St . Michael , Mad eira ,

the Can aries an d the Cape Verd e Isla n ds

The prin ce , however , n ever let hi s thoughts wan d er from the

In dian route . On e by on e Cape Boj ador, Cape Blan co , Cape

84 . A HISTORY OF THE MARATHA PEOPLE

Verde , an d the Rio de Oro yielded their secrets to the bold

explorers . Prin ce Hen ry died in 1460, thi rty—six years before thefin al triM ph . But his spirit n ever ceased to fire his coun trym en .

In 1471 , Fern an do Bom crossed the equator an d discovered Cape

Catherin e . Next Diego Cam discovered the Con go, an d in

1486, Bartholom ew Diaz doubled the southern poin t Of Africa . To

it he gave the n am e of Cabo Torm en toso , or the Cape of Storm s .But Kin g John I, m ore far-seein g than his captain , saw in the

discovery the dawn of success . He therefore n am ed it the Cape

of Good Hope . Three years later the dream s of Prin ce Hen ry

becam e realities . In the household of Kin g Em m an uel was a

gen tlem an called Vasco Da Gam a,who was the son of an experi

en ced sailor n am ed Estav ao Da Gam a an d had him self served

at sea with distin ction . Him Kin g Em m an uel chose for the

fin al effort . His brother Paul Da Gam a an d on e Nicholas

Coelho , both tried captain s , volun teered to go With hi m , an d on

the July 3 , 1497 , a fleet of four sh ips weighed an chor on the m ost

m em orable en terprise that the world had seen . Of these on e

was a store ship an d the total equipage of the fleet n um bered but

160. The voyage has been described by Cam oen s in an epic poem

based on the E n eid an d equal , if n ot superior, to.

its m odel .

Accordin g to the author Of the Lusz'

ad, the old gods fought for

an d again st Da Gam a . Bacchus , j ealous of hi s an cien t ren own

as the con queror of In dia , did hi s best to thwart the heroes who

would eclipse hi s fam e . Ven us , who saw in them the quali ties

that had m ade the son s of her darli n g fEn eas m asters of the

world,worked for them an d at last brought them safe to their

goaLAt first

,fair weather sm iled on the Portuguese . They passed

with a favourin g win d the Can ary an d Cape Verde Islan ds .

Then they en coun tered heavy storm s an d were driven as far

west as St . Helen a . At last able to head on ce m ore for Afri ca,

they touched at St . Helen a ’s Bay on the western coast of Cape

Colon y . They lan ded , but, un able to con verse wi th the n egro‘es

,

they again weighed an chor an d headed for the Cape . A storm

n ow overtook them ,which was to try to the utm ost Da Gam a

’s,

resolution . The sailors m utin i ed an d dem an ded the return of

MOGHULS AND PORTUGUESE 85

the fleet“ Da Gam a an d his brother Paul put them in iron s an dstood by the helm n ight an d d ay . At last after m an y days oflittle food an d less sleep , they guided the fleet safely to TableBay . With dan ger passed away the m utin ous spirit of

‘ the

crews an d in delightful weather they coasted alon g the south

ern an d then the eastern shores Of Africa . But their trials

were by n o m ean s over . A violen t curren t carried them southwards from Cape Corrien tes , whi ch thereby earn ed its n am e .

But the tem pests again caught them an d drove them out of the

curren t . On Jan uary 10,1498

, they n eared the shore an d

fin din g the n atives frien dly they christen ed the coun try Terra di

Natal . On March 1 , they saw four islan ds off the coast of

Mozam bique . Shortly afterwards seven ships sailed out to

m eet them . At first all wen t well . The stran ge squadron was

that of the viceroy Of the Arab kin g of Quilon . The captain s

hailed Da Gam a in Arabic , to which the in terpreter , taken by

him on

'

board before he left the Tagus,replied . Fan cyin g the

stran gers to be Musulm an s from Morocco,the Mozam bique

shi ps supplied all their wan ts . But the viceroy soon learn t

that Da Gam a an d hi s'

m en were Christian s an d he plotted their°

destruction . Their superior artillery saved them , an d still

headin g n orthwards they reached Mom basa . It also belon ged

to the kin g of Qui lon , an d here a treacherous pilot tried to run

them agroun d . But with Ven us ’ help an d their own adroitn ess

they on ce m ore escaped , an d a d ay or two later reached Melin da

in the m odern provin ce of British East Africa . Here the kin g

was as kin d as the Arabs ofMozam bique an d Mom basa had been

in hospitable . On April 22, with a trusty pilot an d a favourin g

wi n d,the Portuguese sailed n orth un til they crossed the lin e

an d wi th a passion of j oy saw Orion an d the Great Bear shin e

on them ,as they had seen them shi n e in their far Off hom es in

Portugal .

The fleet headed n ow eastwards an d three weeks later

the sailors saw on the eastern sky the m oun tain s above

Calicut . Two leagues from shore the Portuguese squadron

an chored an d was soon surroun ded by a great n um ber of boats .

In on e of them Da Gam a sen t a m essen ger ashore . A vast


crowd welcom ed him in the m ost frien dly way . But, un able

to talk to them , the m essen ger was at a loss what to do . At

last a voice greeted hi m in excellen t Span ish . By an in credible

chan ce a Tun i s Moor, who had Often un dertaken con tracts for

the Portuguese govern m en t , happened to’

be at Calicut an d he

glad ly Offered him self as in terpreter . The ru ler of Ca licut was

a Hin du prin ce called the -Sam uri , an d hi s chief reven ues were

derived from the Mopla or Ar ab traders established on hi s

coasts . Actin g on their coun sel he in duced Da Gam a to lan d ,im pri son ed hi m an d then tri ed to destroy hi s fleet . But the

bearin g of Da Gam a an d the vi gilan ce of hi s ofl’i cers defeated

the Arab in trigue . The Sam uri , struck with Da Gam a’s courage,

ordered his release . He return ed to his shi ps,but the Ar abs ,

furious at hi s escape , attacked his li ttle squadron wi th twen ty

barges filled wi th arm ed m en . The Portuguese can n on an d a

fortun ate storm dispersed hi s assailan ts , an d Vas co D a Gam a

headed on ce m ore for the Tagus . But further troubles an d

dan gers awaited hi m . Arabs an d pirates attacked hi m . On e

of hi s ships groun ded on a san d ban k . His heroic brother

Pau l Da Gam a died on the hom eward j ourn ey . Nevertheless

the daun tless courage of the Adm iral bore him through every

trial an d at last am id the fran tic en thusiasm of thePortuguese

n ation Vasco Da Gam a lan ded at Lisbon . He had brought

hom e n either gold n or spices , n either cargoes n or plun der . Of hi s160 m en on ly 55 lived to return . But he had discovered

a secret by whi ch the Portuguese were to reach the height of

glory . After Da Gam a , wen t out Cabral, an d after Cabral,Da Gam a again ,

the Alm eidas an d the Albuquerques ;but they wen t n o lon ger as cur ious explorers or peaceful traders .

Their warships darken ed the seas ; their tran sports carried

battalion s across half a world . They built fortresses in Cochin

an d Can n an ore , Quilon an d Div . At last in 1510 Alfon so Da

Albuquerqu e took , lost an d retook Goa from the kin g of Bij apur

an d m ade it the capita l of the eastern em pire of the Portuguese .

Thus again after 1800 years EurOpe forced Open on e of the

gates of In dia .

CHAPTER X

THE AHMADNAGAR KINGDOM

A .D. 1490 TO 1600

IN m y eighth chapter, I sketched the hi story Of the Bahm an i

em pire un til the death in A .D. 1549 Of Kalim Ulla } That

em pire had in reality ceased to exist sin ce A .D. 1490 whenAhm ad Nizam Shah fir st declared hi s in depen den ce . Of the five

prin cipalities form ed from the Bahm an i em pire that of Golcon da

was the an cien t Waran ga l peopled by Telegus . The kin gdom of

Bijapur was in the m ain peopled by Can arese Berar an d Bedar

were peopled partly by Marathi an d partly by Hin di speakin g

races . On the other han d Ahm adn agar state was , apart from

the Musulm an s , peopled en tirely by Marathas . Within its

fron tier the great Maratha revolution had its birth . At Jun n ar,on e of its fortresses , Shiv aji was born . At Poon a , on e of its

town s , Shi v aji passed hi s boyhood . His gran dfather Maloji

an d hi s father Shahaj i were n obles in the Ahm adn agar kin g’s

em ploym en t . I shall therefore con tin ue at thi s stage the his tory

of the Marathas , by relatin g the rise an d the fall of the Ahm ad

n agar ki n gdom .

The first kin g of Ahm adn agar, Ahm ad Nizam Shah,was the

son of the m in i ster Nizam -ul-Mulk, whose death has been de

scri bed towards the close of Chapter VIII . Nizam -ul-Mulk ,to prepare for hi m self either a secure retreat or an in depen den t

kin gdom ,bestowed the coun try from the fort of Shivn er to

Daulatabad as a fief on his son . The latter . was on e of the first

soldiers of the age. Un der cover of hi s father’s authority , he

subdued n ot on ly the fief bestowed on him , but the whole lin e

of the Sahyad ris from Shivn er to Puran d ar. Then ce he descen ded

in to the Kon kan an d was en gaged in reducin g it , when he heard

of hi s father’s assassin ation . He at on ce return ed to Shi vn er,


ren oun ced hi s a llegian ce to the Bahm an i kin gdom , an d prepared

to resist to the utm ost the attacks of the royal troops . Such

was the rebel’s repute as a soldier, that Mahm ud Shah Bahm an i

foun d n o Officer willin g to m eet him . Mahm ud Shah first

offered the com m an d to Yusuf Adil Khan ; but that aspirin g

Turk was in n o m ood to fight on e whose con duct was si m ilar

to his own . At last on e Sheikh Muwalid , an Arab , volun teered

to overthrow Ahm ad Nizam Shah . At the sam e tim e he won

over to the royal cause on e Zain ud d in , the j aghirdar of Chakan,

an officer on whose help Ahm ad Nizam Shah had coun ted . The

latter showed him self equal to the dan ger. In a surprise attack

on Chakan he destroyed the en tire force of Zain ud d in . Then re

turn in g wi th hi s victorious troops , he fell upon Sheikh Muwalid’

s

arm y, slew the gen eral an d captured his cam p an d baggage .

If it had been d iflficult before to fin d a com m an der to face Ahm ad

Nizam Shah , it becam e still m ore so n ow. At last Mahm ud

Shah foun d in on e Jehan gir Khan an obedien t if n ot an efficien t

Officer. With eight thousan d m en he set forth to reduce the

redoubtable in surgen t . Ahm ad Nizam Shah fell back in to the

wes tern hills , securin g hi s supplies through the Kon kan passes .

There fortifyin g him self he awaited Jehan gir Khan’s attack .

The royalist gen eral was loth to risk such reputation as he hadgain ed from Ahm ad Shah ’s retreat . He did n ot assault the

rebel position but en cam ped twelve m iles away. Not lon g

afterwards the rain s broke . Jchan gir Khan’s vigilan ce an d the

disciplin e of hi s troops in sen sibly relaxed . But in Ahm ad

Nizam Shah’s cam p the qualities of the gen eral sustain ed those

of the soldiers ; an d everywhere reign ed good order an d pru

den ce . On the n i ght of the May 28, 1490, Ahm ad Nizam Shah

wi th a picked force set out towards Jehan gir Khan ’s cam p .

The sodden roads deaden ed the n oise of the advan ce an d the

heavy clouds hid everythi n g in darkn ess . As Jehan gir Khan’s

s en tries slept, they were stabbed silen tly at their posts ; an d

a few m in utes later Ahm ad Nizam Shah overwhelm ed the royal

forces . Jchan gir Khan an d hi s staff fell fightin g . Such ofli cers

as surren dered were m oun ted on buffaloes an d paraded in

derision before the arm y. Freed by thi s last victory from furq



tracted a m arriage with BibiMiriam , the daughter ofYusuf Adil

Shah , the foun der of the Bijapur dyn asty, an d sister of the reign

in gkin g, Ism ail Adil Shah . The Bijapur en voy prom ised to give

as her dowry the town of Sholapur an d five an d a half districts .

The prom ise however was repudiated by Ism ail Adil Shah an d

proved a con stan t source of en m i ty between the two kin gdom s .

Burhan Nizam Shah reven ged hi m self for the loss of Miriam ’s

dowry by n eglectin g her an d by retain in g Am i n a as his chi ef

queen . The prin cess com plain ed to her brother, whose am bas

sad or'

rem on strated stron gly with the kin g of Ahm adn agar.

The latter’s fury then kn ew n o boun ds . He declared war

again st Bijapur . But in the absen ce of Mukam il Khan , the

Ahm ad n agar troops proved un equal to their foes ; Burhan

Nizam Shah was com pletely defeated an d sufferin g from

sun stroke was carried in sen sible from the field (A.D.

In 1537 , on e Shah Tahi r in duced Burhan Nizam Shah to becom e

a Shi a . His chan ge of religion n early lost him his kin gdom .

With difficulty he quelled a furious Sun n i tum ult in Ahm adn agar ,on ly to learn that the kin gs of Guzarat, Bijapur an d Khan desh

had decided to divide hi s kin gdom between them . Burhan

Nizam Shah extricated hi m s elf skilfully from the dan ger . He

bought off the kin gs of Khan desh an d Guzarat by som e triflin g

con cession s an d then drew to his stan dard 3. n um ber of Shia

soldiers whom the kin g of Bijapur, a fan atical Sun n i , had d is

m i ssed . He n ext in duced the kin gs of Berar, Golcon da an d

Bedar to j oin wi th Ram raj, kin g of Vijayan agar, an d him s elf

in an attem pt to destroy Bijapur .

Sin ce I last m en tion ed Vijayan agar that state had passed

through m an y vicissitudes . In 1490,on e Narsin ha Raya, a

kin sm an of the reign i n g house , had u surped the thron e . He was

a m an of ability an d he an d hi s successors in creased the great

n ess of the Vijayan agar kin gdom . They were m uch helped by

the dissolution of the Bahm an i em pire an d by the com in g of

the Portuguese . The latter, at en m i ty wi th the Musulrhan s ,gladly accepted the frien dship of Vijayan agar . They sold to

its ki n g horses from Persia an d powder from Portugal, an d

from tim e‘to tim e aided hi m in battle . With their help , Kin g

THE AHMADNAGAR KINGDOM 91

Krishn a Deva Raya recovered from Bi japur, in the year 1520,the fortresses of Raichur an d Mudkal together wi th the Doabor the lan ds between the Krishn a an d the Tun gabhadra . At

thi s tim e Vijayan agar reached the sum m it of its glory . The

Portuguese chron i clers have exhausted their vocabularies in

describin g the splen dours of the capital . The streets , accordin g

to Paes ,* were as wide as a tourn am en t aren a . Wa ll within

wall guarded the citadel from hostile attack . Num erous lakes

supplied the garrison wi th water. The shops overflowed with

diam on ds,sapphi res an d rubies . Its stores of provi sion s exceeded

those of an y other town in the world an d its exten t rivalled that

of the city of the seven hills in the days of the Juli an Caesars .

Upon Krishn a Deva ’s death the royal power was usurped by the

kin g’s m in ister Tim m a,who ruled the coun try for forty years .

On Tim m a’

s death hi s son Ram a Raya,com m on ly kn own as

Ram raj, m arried the daughter of Krishn a Deva , im pris on ed

the lawful heir, Sad ashi v a , an d in his stead proclaim ed hi m self

kin g of Vijayan agar . It was thi s sovereign whom the kin g of

Ahm adn agar called to his aid . I n 1548, Burhan Nizam Shah

at the head of an allied arm y advan ced to besiege Kalyan i .

As he besieged it,great bodies of Bijapur cava lry so haras sed

hi s com m un ication s , that in the quain t words of Ferishta , true

beli evers an d Hin dus a like fasted in the m on th of Ram zan . In

despair Burhan Nizam Shah m ade a dawn attack on the m ain

Bijapur force . The hazard succeeded . The Bijapur arm y

were so com pletely surprised that they lost all their gun s whi le

their kin g, who was at the tim e en j oyin g a warm bath, had to

flee n aked from the scen e of hi s defeat . Kalyan i afterwards

capitulated,an d so great was the dem orali zation of the Bijapur

officers that the gen eral who held Paren da sudden ly des erted

it . He had m i staken the buzzin g of a m osqui to in his bedroom

for the trum pets of the Ahm adn agar troops , who were still forty

m iles distan t . Burhan Nizam Shah recovered Sholapur an d its

five an d a half districts . The a lli es then besieged Bi ]apur ;

an d it seem ed likely that the Adil Shahi kin gdom would be

divided between Ahm adn agar an d Vijayan agar, when Burhan

See Sewell, A Forgotten Em p ire, p . 98.


Shah fell seriously ill . He withdrew with his troops to hi s

capital,'

where he d ied . His body was em balin ed an d sen t for

buria l to Karbela ,the holy place of the faith to whi ch he had

been con verted (A .D.

Hus sein Nizam Shah , the eldest son of the dan cin g girl Am i n a ,

succeeded his father Burhan Nizam Shah at the age of on ly

thirteen . The chief even t of his reign was the destruction of

Vijayan agar by a con federacy of four of the Musulm an kin gs

of the Deccan . Burhan Shah had left by hi s queen Miriam

Bibi , prin cess of Bijapur, two son s , Ali an d Miran Mahom ed .

On their father’s death they fled to their un cle Ibrahi m Adil

Shah , kin g of Bijapur . He espoused their cause but suffered

two reverses . He then im plored the aid of Kin g Ram raj of

Vijayan agar . The Hin du kin g sen t a large arm y un der hi s

brother Ven katad ri , who soon severely defeated the en em y .

Un happily Ibrahim Adil Shah celebrated the victory with so

m an y bum pers of coun try‘

liqucr that he fell ill . An d as he put

to death all the court physician s whose prescription s did n ot

in stan tly cure him , the survivors fled the coun try an d left

Ibrahim Adil Shah to die without their assistan ce His

son Ali'

Adil Shah ren ewed the treaty with Ram raj. The twoallies in duced the kin g of Golcon da to j oin them , an d in vadin gAhm adn agar, laid siege to the capital . At last Hussein

.

Nizam

Shah was reduced to such straits that he was forced to order

the execution of his best gen eral , J chan gir Khan ,to cede the

fortress of Kalyan i to Bijapur an d to receive pan as an in ferior

from the han d ofRam raj Hussein Nizam Shah ’s pride especiallyresen ted this last clause . After Ram raj had touched hi s han d ,Hus sein Nizam Shah called out in a loud voice for a basin of

water. He then washed hi s han dsin the m ost offen s ive m an n er

possible . The gen erous Hin du would n ot aven ge him s elf on

on e who was in hi s . power. But the in ciden t m ade an y laterrecon ciliation between the two im possible.Five years later Hussein Nizam Shah , allyin g hi m self to the

ki ng of Golcon da , tried to retake Kalyan i . But Ram raj an d AliAdil Shah, j oin ed by the kin gs of Bedar an d Berar, attacked

the besiegers , defeated them an d again besieged Ahm adn agar.



It would certain ly have fallen,had n ot a quarrel broken out

am on g the allies . The Hin dus , fin din g them selves in Musulm an

territory, threw down the m osques an d d efiled the holy places .

Ali Adil Shah , scan dalized at the in sult to hi s faith , begged

Ram rai to raise the siege . Ram raj com plied but ven ted hi sill will upon all the Musulm an kin gs alike . He forced Ali Adil

Shah to cede hi m the districts Of Etgir an d Bagrakot . He took

Kowilcon d a , Pan gal an d Gun tur from the kin g of Golcon da . An d

he showed his con tem pt for the kin gs of Bedar an d Berar by

publicly slightin g them an d en couragin g hi s Officers to do the

sam e . Ali Adil Shah , who had lon g fretted at the in solen ce of

his Hin du ally, resolved to lay aside his quarrel with Ahm adn agar

an d destroy Ram raj. Hussein Nizam Shah’s hatred Of Ram raj

proved stron ger than hi s rivalry with Bijapur . He gave hi s

daughter Chan d Bibi in m arriage to Ali Adil Shah with Sholapur

an d its five an d a half districts as her dowry . Ali Adil Shah

gave his daughter Hud d ea Sultan a to Hussein ’s son Murtaza . The

recon ciled rivals a llied them selves to the ki n gs of Golcon da

an d Bedar, an d all four declared war upon Ram rajThe latter regarded the hostile allian ce with con tem pt . He

posted his arm y on the southern ban k of the Krishn a an d defied

his en em i es to en ter the Doab . On e n ight, however, the alli es

skilfully crossed the great river . Next m orn in g the arm i es

en gaged . Ram raj, who was over seven ty,would n ot ride

,

but com m an ded the cen tre of his arm y from a raised thron e .

His brother Ven katad ri , who com m an ded the left win g , drove

back the Bijapur forces . His other brother Tirum al,com m an der

of the right win g , a lso drove back the arm y Of Golcon da . But

Hussein Nizam Shah , im pelled by a furious hatred of the kin g

to whom he had hum bled hi m self, out his way through the

Vijayan agar cen tre un til he reached Ram raj’

s thron e an d took

him prison er . With m align an t j oy he had hi s captive’s head cut

offan d placed on a spear. A pan i c seized the Hin dus . Ram raj’

s

brother Ven katad ri fell on the field . Tirum al m ade n o effort

to hold Vijayan agar, but retired south to the great fortress of

Pen n akon d a . Then alas for the great city with its m ighty wa lls

an d its sparklin g lakes ; with its ston e-paved streets an d its


m arkets glitterin g with j ewels an d precious ston es "Hordes of

robber clan s rushed in to the city to pluhd er the shops , the store‘

hcuses , the dwellin gs an d the palaces . On the thi rd d ay the

Musulm an arm ies arrived an d com pleted the.

ruin . Street

by street they slaughtered the in habitan ts , broke in pieces the

idols an d desecrated the tem ples . When their work was don e ,Vijayan agar was a scen e of utter desolation an d such it has

rem ain ed to this d ay .

Hussein Nizam Shah “ did n ot lon g survive the victory of

Ta likota ,the n am e by which the great battle is kn own . Return

in g to Ahm adn agar he , as Ibrahim Adil Shah had don e , killed

hi m self by the excesses wi th which he celebrated hi s trium ph

(A .D.

The reign of his son Murtaza Nizam Shah is fam ous for hi s

con quest of Berar . Early in his reign a treaty was con cluded

between Ah m adn agar an d Bijapur . The prin cipal articles were

that Ali Adil Shah should be free to com plete the con quest of

Vijayan agar an d that Murtaza Nizam Shah should be at liberty

to con quer Berar, recen tly u surped by on e Tufal Khan from

the in fan t kin g, Burhan Im ad Shah . Im m ediately upon the

con clusion of the treaty,the Ah m adn agar arm y in vaded Berar

un der the com m an d of on e Jen ghi z Khan . He defeated Tufal

Khan an d took hi m an d Burhan Im ad Shah prison ers . In stead

of placin g the latter on the thron e , Murtaza con fin ed him an d

Tufa l Khan an d their fam i lies an d depen dan ts in a fort . But

the prison s of prin ces. are n igh to their graves . Shortly after

wards all the captives died sudden ly, an d Berar becam e a pro

vin ce of Ah m adn agar (A .D. The last. years of Murtaza

Nizam Shah were d arken ed by m adn ess . He attem pted the li fe

of his son Miran Hussein . His brother Burhan con spired again st

him an d then fled to Akbar’s court . At last Prin ce MiranHus sein , who had hidden in Daulatabad , was recalled to

Ah m adn agar by the n obles . He m urdered hi s father an d seated

hi m self upon the thron e (A .D.

Thi s parricide profited the n ew kin g but little . His chief

con federate in the late revolution had been the first ‘

m in i ster,

a Persian by n am e Mirza Khan . A con flict soon broke out


96 A HISTORY OF. THE hi ABA-THA PEOPLE

Will you , he cried,

m en of Ahm adn agar , pardon your

ki n g’s m urder when you resen ted his deposition The m ob

rallied an d set fire to the gates of Ah m adn agar fort . Mirza

Khan sought to escape , but was taken .

'

He was m oun ted on

an ass , paraded through Ahm adn agar city, an d then beheaded .

Jam a l Khan n ext ordered a gen eral m assacre of the foreign

soldiers, of whom a thousan d were m urdered in seven days .

The rest fled to Bijapur (A . D .

The con fusion in to whi ch the Ahm adn agar kin gdom had

fallen gave Akbar the chan ce'

of in terferen ce which he had lon g

desired . He had sheltered Burhan Nizam Shah,the exiled

brother of Murtaza Nizam Shah . He n ow helped Burhan Nizam

Shah to defeat an d slay Jam al Khan,depose his own son Ism ail ,

an d m oun t the thron e with the title of Burhan Nizam Shah II .

The n ew m on arch’s reign was short , but in it he suffered two

reverses . He tried to reduce the Portuguese fortress of Reva

dan da . The attack was skilfully plan n ed . The harbour was

blocked to preven t an y help from the sea ,while the siege was

pressed from the lan d side . The m utin ous s pirit, however,of the Deccan Officers , who sin ce the n ew kin g’s reign had been

out of favour, a ided the besieged ; an d when the Portuguese

garrison were at the last extrem ity,sixty Portuguese shi ps ,

forcin g by n i ght the boom across the harbour,lan ded four thou

san d m en with abun dan t arm s an d supplies . Next m orn in g

the in itiative passed to the besieged . They attacked the besiegers ,an d a lthough on ly half their n um ber

,killed twelve thousan d

of them an d put the rest to flight . The kin g con soled hi m self

by the thought that the fallen were m ostly Deccan Musulm an s

an d sought to re-establish his prestige by recoverin g Sholapur .

Thi s adven ture also failed , an d retirin g to Ahm adn agar he died

soon afterwards Of dysen tery (April 30,Burhan Nizam Shah ’s eldest son Ibrahim Nizam Shah succeed

ed to the thron e an d appoin ted hi s father’s form er tutor, Mia

Man ju ,hi s m in i ster. The choice was wise

,for the m in ister

had capacity, but the disorder in to which the state had fallen

n ullified hi s efforts . A turbulen t Deccan n oble n am ed YeklasKhan sought to revive the Deccan party an d gathered roun d


him the n ative-born Musulm an soldiery . The m in ister retaliat

ed by form i n g a body-guard of foreign m ercen aries . Fact ion

fights broke out in all parts of the city an d the un happy kin g’s

authority van i shed . The . Bijapur kin g, on the pretext of

restorin g order , in vaded the Ahm adn agar territory . Mia

Man ju en deavoured to persuade the Bijapur gen eral Ham id

Khan that the tim e had com e to m ake up the quarrels of the

two states,that they m ight better ward Off the Moghul dan ger .

But Mia Man ju’

s wise en deavours were frustrated by his own

kin g . The wretched boy had foun d con solation for the loss

of hi s power in arden t spirits , an d in a drun ken fit called on his

arm y to attack Ham id Khan . His troops obeyed . As he

charged at their head he fell struck by a can n on ball . Thus

after a reign of on ly four m on ths the thron e of Ahm adn agar

again becam e vacan t (Septem ber,Mia Man ju ,

Yeklas Khan an d som e other leadin g n obles

n ow held coun cil how the govern m en t of Ahm adn agar should

be carried on . It was at first suggested that the late kin g’s

in fan t son Bahadur should be crown ed an d his aun t Chan d

Bibi declared regen t . Thi s illustrious lady was the daughter

of Hussein Nizam Shah an d had,whi le still a chi ld , been m arried

to Ali Adil Shah , kin g of Bijapur . The daughter , wife an d

sister of ki n gs , she un ited in her person the highest qualities

of both the Bijapur an d Ahm adn agar houses . When her

husban d was killed in 1580, his n ephew Ibrahi m Adil Shah was

raised to the thron e of Bijapur . To Chan d Bibi was en trusted

the care Of hi s person . The care of the state was en trusted to

a certain Kam il Khan . In n o lon g tim e Kam il Khan aspired

to usurp the thron e , an d to seduce Chan d Bibi . She scorn fu lly

rej ected her wooer’s suit an d plan n ed hi s destru ction . With

the aid of a certain Kishwar Khan , she overthrew the regen cy of

Kam il Khan . But Kishwar Khan had n o soon er displaced

Kam i l Khan than he began to follow hi s exam ple . He assum ed

the govern m en t of the state ; an d when Chan d Bibi opposed

hi s am bition,he had her driven from the royal harem an d con

fin ed in the fortress of Satara , destin ed lon g afterwards to be

the hereditary prison of Shiv aji’

s descen dan ts . But the power

7


of Chan d Bibi m ade itself felt through the ston e walls of a d is

tan t stron ghold . The m ob rose again st Kishwar Khan as the

jailer of their beloved queen an d drove hi m from the__city. They

then released Ohan d Bibi , brought her back in tMM ph an d on ce

m ore en trusted to her care the person of the youn g kin g . In

1584, the widowed queen , disgusted at the turbulen ce of the

Bijapur n obles , left that city to vi sit her brother Murtaza Nizam

Shah . For ten years she resided at Ahm adn agar an d her n am e

was n ow put forward to con duct the adm in istration . Mia

Man ju , however, desired suprem e power an d in sisted that a

certain Ahm ad , the son of an im postor n am ed Shah Tahir,should be placed upon the thron e . Yeklas Khan m et this in

trigue by takin g a beggar boy n am ed Moti from the streets an d

declarin g him to be the son of the late ki n g . A fight en sued ,in which the beggar boy

’s adheren ts wOn the d ay . Mia Man ju

then appealed to Prin ce Murad , the son of Akbar, to in vade the

coun try . On the appearan ce , however, of the Moghul van guard ,all Ahm adn agar called with on e voice for Chan d Bibi to defen d

them . Mia Man ju fled an d‘

Chan d Bibi , declarin g her n ephew,

Bahadur, kin g , assum ed the govern m en t on hi s behalf. Order

n ow appeared where all had been disorder. The m asculin e

queen with veiled face but sword in han d appeared everywhere

to direct an d to cheer the garrison . Prin ce Murad sought to

m in e the walls . Chan d Bibi showed her troops how to coun ter

m in e an d wi th her own han ds rem oved the powder from two

of the m in es . At last a thi rd m in e exploded an d several yards

of the fort wall fell . The chi ef Officers sought to flee, but Chan d

Bibi,talfl

'

n g their place , sham ed her gen erals in to resolution .

From four in the aftern oon Moghul storm in g parties tried to

force their way through the breach . But fired by the spiri t

of the gallan t lady the Ahm adn agar garrison was in vin cible .

At last the breach was choked wi th the corps es of the assail

an ts . Night fell . The Moghul arm y withdrew to their cam p

an d n ext m orn in g saw to their won der a n ew wall whi ch the

un con querable queen had built durin g the n ight . The gallan try

of Chan d Bibi was n ow the them e of Prin ce Murad ’s cam p an d

the chivalrous Moghul con ferred on her the title of Chan d


palace an d killed her whose on ly wish was to serve their in terests .

With the heroic queen died the spirit of her soldiers . A few

days later the Moghul arm y storm ed the fort, put its defen ders

to the sword an d carried Off Bahadur Shah to Gwalior fort,where he died in captivity ( A .D. 1600 Khan desh , which

had fallen in 1599, was wi th Ahm adn agar m ade in to a govem or

shi p for Akbar’s youn gest son Prin ce Dan iyal . Although , as

we shall see in a later chapter, the en tire provin ce did n ot subm it

un til 1636, yet the fall of the Ahm adn agar fort m ay be deem ed

to m ark the en d of the Ahm adn agar kin gdom .

A pathetic story still exists whi ch shows how deep was thelove whi ch Chan d Sultan a in spired . The peasan ts of the western

hi lls refused for m an y years to believe that she was dead . She

had escaped , they said , through an un dergroun d passage an d was

hidin g in som e deep fold of the Sahyadri Moun tain s . Whenthe tim e cam e she '

wculd again reveal herself, drive the Moghuls

across the Vin d hyas , an d brin g back on ce m ore the golden

years of Ahm adn agar.

A HISTORY OF THE MARATHA PEOPLE 101

APPENDIX

I t m ay a ssist the reader if he refers from tim e to tim e to the ~ followi n g

table of the five Deccan dyn asties

AHMADNAGAR

1 . Ahm ad Nizam Shah (d .

2. Burhan Nizam Shah (d .

3 . Hussein Nizam Shah (d .

f 14 . Murtaza Nizam Chan d Bibi 7 . Burhan

Shah Nizam Shah II(d. July 6, (d . April 30,

I5 . Miran HusseinNizam Shah 6 . I -

1

( deposed April 30,8

31311Ni zam

1589 ) (deposed May26, 1591L

11. Hussein Nizam Shah( im prison ed

BIJAPUR

Yusuf Adil Shah I (d.

Ism ail Adi l Shah (d .

Mallu Adil Shah (deposed

Ibrahim Adil Shah I (d .

Ali Adi l Shah (d .

Ibrahi m Adil Shah 11 (d.

Mahom ed Adil Shah (d.

Ali Adil Shah (d .

Sikan dar Adil Shah (deposed

8. Ibrahi mNizam Shah(d . Septem ber

1595 )

9. Bahadur Nizam Shah(deposed

10. Murtaza Nizam Shah II(d .

102 A HISTORY OF _THE MARATHA PEOPLE

GOLCONDA

1 . Sultan Kuli Kuth Shah (d . Novem ber 21,

Ibrahim Kutb Shah (d. 2. Jam shed Kutb Shah (d.

Mahom ed Klutb Shah (d. 3 . Subhan KutbShah (d.

Mahom ed K"uth Shah (d .

Abdul Kutf) Shah (d .

Abu Hussein Kuth Shah ( captured

BEDAR

Kas im Barid (d .

Am ir Barid (d.

Ali Barid Shah (d .

Ibrahim Barid Shah (d .

Kasim Barid Shah I (d .

Mirza Ali Barid Shah (expelled

Am ir Barid Shah II (di ed

BERAR

Fateh Ulla Im ad Shah ( Im ad-uI-Mulk) (d .

Alla -ud -d i n Im ad Shah (d.

Daria Im ad Shah (d .

Burhan Im ad Shah (deposed

Tufa l Khan ( im prison ed



were soiled because of the sin s‘

of whi ch the pilgrim s washed

them selves clean . They then turn ed on Pun d alik an d told him

that because of hi s treatm en t of his paren ts he was the worst

sin n er of them all. They rated him so soun dly that they effected

a com plete cure . From the m ost cruel he becam e the m ost

devoted of son s . He m ade hi s wife wa lk by hi s side whi le his

paren ts rode . By his filial con duct , he in duced them to give

up the pilgrim age an d return to Dan d irv an . There n o paren ts

were ever better served than Jan ud ev an d Satyav ati were served

by Pun d alik an d his wife .

On e d ay it fell out that the god Krishn a ,then kin g of Dwarka ,

sat thin kin g of his early days on the ban ks of the Yam un a . He

rem em bered his sports with the m i lkm aids an d how they, an d

especially Radha,had wept when he had left Mathura . He so

lon ged to see Radha again that , although she was dead , he by

his divin e powers brought her back to sit upon his lap . Just

then his queen ,the stately Rukhm i n i , en tered the room . Radha

should at on ce have risen to do her hon our. She rem ain ed seated .

Rukhm in i in a fury left, an d fleein g to the Deccan , hid herself

in the Dan d irv an forest . As she did n ot return to Dwarka , Kin g

Krishn a wen t to Mathura ,thin kin g that she had fled thi ther.

From Mathura he wen t to Gokula . There he on ce m ore assum ed

the form of a child“

,an d roun d hi m began to play on ce m ore

the cows an d the herdboys,the ca lves an d the m ilkm aids .

They too j oin ed in the search , an d even / Moun t Govardhan

freed itself from its foun dation s an d set forth with the gaycom pan y to look for Rukhm in i . At last they reached the ban ksof the Bhim a . Krishn a left his atten dan ts at a spot outside

the Dan d irvan forest lm own as Gopalpura . Wan derin g alon e

through the woods,

‘ he at last foun d Rukhm in i . The queen’

s

celestial an ger yielded to the en dearm en ts of the king. Recon

ciled , they walked together un til they cam e to Pun d alik’

s

herm i tage . At this tim e Pun d alikwas busily en gaged in atten d

in g to hi s paren t’s wan ts . Although he learn t that Krishn a

had com e to see him,he refused to do the god hom age un til

his filial task was don e . But he threw a brick outside for his

visitor to stan d upon . Krishn a , pleased with Pun d alik’

s

THE PANDHARPUR MOVEMENT 105

devotion to his paren ts , overlooked the slight to him s elf an d

stan din g on the brick awaited Pun d alik’

s leisure . WhenPun d alik was free he excused hi m self to the god . The latterreplied that, so far from bein g an gry, he was pleased with Pun dalik ; an d he ordered hi m to worshi p hi m as Vithoba , or hi m

who stood upon a brick . A stately fan e arose at the scen e of

the m eetin g of Krishn a an d Pun d alik (A .D. In its

holiest recess the god Krishn a ’s im age stan ds on the brick

thrown to him by Pun d alik. Close to his Side stan ds an

im age of Rukhm in i , whose flight was the cause of hi s visit to

Pan dharpur .

It was at this sacred place that the poet Dn yan d ev , the

first of a lon g lin e of fam ous sain ts , took up hi s abode .

Accordin g to the poet Mahi pati , the world had becom e so

sin ful that the gods Brahm ad eva an d Shiva sought out Vishn u

to devise som e plan by whi ch to purify it . They decided that

all three gods together wi th Vishn u’s queen Laxm i should

take hum an form s . The paren ts whom they hon oured by be

com in g their chi ldren were Vithoba,a Brahm an from Apegaon ,

an d his wi fe Rakhm ai , the daughter of a Brahm an of Alan di ,a sm all town on the I n d rayan i River about twelve m iles n orth

of Poon a . Vithoba an d Rakhm ai settled at Alan di . But

although the un i on was in other respects happy en ough , it

was n ot blessed with children . I n a fit of m elan choly, caused

by the death ofhis paren ts , Vithoba wen t to Ben ares an d becam e

a sany assi or an chorite . Thi s was a sin on his part , for n o on e

who has a chi ldless wife should take san y us . Even tually his

preceptor Ram an an d happen ed to go to Alan di an d m et the

un happy Rakhm ai . From her lips he learn t the true facts . He

return ed to Ben ares , drove Vithoba out of his herm itage an d

forced him to live with hi s wife at Alan di . Rakhm ai welcom ed

him hom e an d their reun ion was blessed with the birth of four

chi ld ren—Nivratti , Dn yan d ev ,Sopan a an d Muktabai , who were

respectively the in carn ation s of Shiva , Vishn u ,Brahm ad eva

an d Laxm i .

The return of Vithoba to a m arried householder’

s life after

he had taken a vow of asceticism deeply offen ded the Brahm an s

106 A HISTORY OF THE MARATHAP EOPLE

of Alan di . They outcasted hi m . An d when he wished to havehis eldest son in vested with the sacred thread

,they refused to

perform the cerem on y un less he could get the Brahm an s of

Paithan , a holy place on the Godavari , to give him a letter of

purification . Nivratti wi th hi s two brothers an d hi s sister

wen t to Paithan . There the Brahm an s heard their case an d

decided that there was on ly on e pen an ce for such a crim e as thereturn

‘

of the an chorite to m arried life . The pen iten t m ust

prostrate him s elf before every dog, pig, hare , ass or cow that he

m et,thi n kin g all the tim e of the god Brahm ad eva . Nivratti an d

hi s brothers an n oyed the Brahm an s by receivin g the sen ten ce

cheerfully . The Brahm an s asked Dn yan d ev what right he had‘

to a n am e which bein g in terpreted m ean t “ the god of wisdom .

Just then a buffalo passed,carryin g a skin of water .

“ Let us

call this buflalo Dn yan d ev ,

” said the Brahm an s ; he is every

bit as wise as the real own er of the n am e . Dn yan d ev repliedreadily that they were welcom e to call

f’

i t by hi s n am e . For in

the sight ofKrishn a m en an d an im als were alike . The Brahm an s

retorted,If the bu ffalo is your equal an d you are really a

learn ed m an,let it recite the Vedas .” Dn yan d ev rose an d placed

his han d on the buffalo ’s head . Straightway it recited all four

Vedas wi thout an error .

This m iracle,followed by others

,con vin ced the Brahm an s

of the sain tly character of Nivratti an d his fam ily . They gaveNivratti a letter of purification an d the Brahm an s of Alan d ihad perforce to accept it . In vestin g Niv ratti an d hi s two

brothers with the sacred thread they adm itted him in to the Brah

m an caste . At Alan di Dn yan d ev wrought m an y other m iracles .At Newasa he wrote the Dn yan eshwari or Marathi com m en tary

on the Bhagwat Gite, thus disclosin g the teachin g of Krishn a

to the hum blest of the Maratha people . Besides the Dn yan esh

wart Dn yan d ev wrote the Am ritan ubkau an d the Dn yan eshwar

Nam en .

When his li fe-work was don e , he wished to take sam ad hi,

or in other words be buried a live at Pan dh arpur . The poet*

Nam d ev ‘ has told the story of Dn yan d ev’

s en d in beautiful an d

Nam d ev’

s Char i tm , p . 198.



where Dn yan d ev an d his brothers an d sister died becam e cen

tres from whi ch the Pan dharpur ten ets were prom ulgated from

the Bhim a to the Tapti an d from Alan di to Saswad . Men who

m ade pilgrim ages to these shrin es were drawn to each other

by their com m on kn owledge of the Marathi speech an d of the

d octrin es of the Pan dharpur sain ts . I n thi s way there cam e

in to existen ce the begin n in gs of a n ation al feelin g . I n course

Of tim e the Deccan govern m en ts , cut off from the recruitin g

groun ds of Afghan i stan an d Cen tra l As ia , began to em ploy

Maratha clerks , Maratha soldiers an d Maratha fin an ciers .

The Marathi lan guage cam e to be the lan guage n ot on ly of the

Ahm ad n agar‘

offiees but of the Ahm adn agar court . But whi le

the Musulm an Officials dissipated their vigour in vice an d riot,the Hin dus , owin g to the teachin gs of the sain ts of Pan dharpur,led clean an d m an ly lives . So it cam e about that the religio

m ovem en t m ade ready the path for the “

n ation al hero who was to

free Maharashtra from the foreign yoke . When he appeared ,great beyon d hum an an ticipation ,

religion gave to hi s gen ius a

fervour which he was able to im part to the com rades of hi s

youth an d the peasan ts of hi s father’s villages . Thus in spired ,

his half- train ed levies fought with the valour of Cortez ’ com

pan ion s or of Crom well’s cui rassiers .

CHAPTER XII

THE RISE OF THE BHOSLES

A .D. 1600 TO 163

WE m ust n ow return on ce m ore to the un happy kin gdom of

Ahm adn agar . The fall of the city built roun d the palace of

the great Ahm ad Nizam Shah did n ot lead to the en tire sub

jection of the kin gdom . An Abyssin ian n am ed Malik Am bar,

who had been a depen dan t of Jen ghiz Khan , the con queror

of Berar, raised to the thron e an other descen dan t of Ahm ad

Nizam Shah an d con ferred on him the title of Murtaza Nizam

Shah II . As Ah m adn agar could n o lon ger serve as a capital ,Malik Am bar m ade the head-quarters of his govern m en t at

Khadki , or the Rocky Town , built by him un der the shadow

of the great fortress of Daulatabad . The Em peror Auran gzibin after y ears chan ged the n am e of Khadki to Auran gabad , by

which appellation it is kn own to-d ay . Som ewhat earlier,Prin ce

Selim,the son of Akbar an d afterwards the Em peror Jchan gir,

rebelled again st his father . When the rebel had been won

back by his father’s clem en cy an d patien ce,Prin ce Dan i yal

,

Akbar’

s thi rd son,to whom he had en trusted the govern m en t

of Ahm adn agar an d Khan desh , died of in tem peran ce . These

calam ities broke the health of the great em peror an d on October5,1605 , Akbar passed away , leavin g Prin ce Seli m to succeed

him . The n ew em peror m oun ted the thron e with less difficulty

than hi s successors . Nevertheless his eldest son Khusru rebelledan d had to be defeated before Jchan gir could feel hi m s elf m asterof upper In dia

The Six years whi ch had passed between the fall of Ah m ad

n agar an d the defeat of Khusru had been m ost usefully spen t

by Malik Am bar, a m an of con sum m ate talen ts an d en ergy .

He in troduced a n ew/

reven ue system which m ade hi s govern m en t


at on ce rich an d popular, an d although he retain ed all the

power in hi s own han ds , he yet won the love an d esteem of

the youn g kin g . In A .D. 1610 he believed him self stron g

en ough to attem pt the con quest of the en tire Ahm adn agar

state. From 1610to 1615 he was alm ost con tin uously successful .

He retook Ahm adn agar fort an d n ot on ly recovered all the

Ahm adn agar kin gdom except on e or two districts in the extrem e

n orth but als o retook a large part ofBerar .

The loss of territory an d the defeats of hi s gen erals led

the em peror to appoin t hi s eldest son Shah Jehan * to con duct

the cam paign again st Malik Am bar . Shah Jehan had already

won great distin ction by hi s reduction of Udaipur an d , n owincom m an d of a n um erous arm y, he soon in flicted a series of

revers es on Malik Am bar an d drove him from Ahm adn agar

fort . The victorious course of the Moghul arm ies was then

checked by a curious in trigue at Delhi (A .D. Nur Jchan ,

the all-powerful em press , had hi therto been a warm fri en d an d

supporter of her stepson Shah Jehan . But havin g m arried

her daughter by her form er husban d to Prin ce Shahriyar, the

em peror’s youn gest son ,She tran sferred her support to her

son -in -law.1' She in duced Jchan gir to recall Shah Jchan from the

Deccan an d to en trust to him an expedition again st Kan dahar,recen tly taken by the Persian s . Shah Jehan suspected an

in trigue an d refused to leave the Deccan un til som e guaran tee

of the em peror’s good faith was given hi m . Nur Jehan artfully

in flam ed her husban d ’s m i n d again st the in subordin ate prin ce ,whose fiefs were con fiscated an d given to Shahriyar. At the

sam e tim e, several of Shah Jehan’

s frien ds were executed as

his fellow con spirators . Shah Jehan had n ow n o hOpe save in

rebelli on . He withdrew hi s arm y from the Deccan an d m archin g

towards Agra fought an in decisive action wi th the royal troops

in Cen tral In dia . Failin g to Obtain the first victory essen tial

to an in surgen t, Shah Jehan retreated through Guzarat in toKhan desh , from Khan desh to Ben ga l an d from Ben gal back

in to the Deccan . There he threw him s elf on the m ercy of his

Then kn own as Prin ceKharram .

1 Elphin ston e’

s History , p . 563 .



by the prin ce for whom Malik Am bar had created a kin g

d om .Murtaza Nizam Shah II had reached m an hood an d

resen ted the authority of on e whose abilities were of the

com m on est order . With the aid of an officer called Tukarrib

Khan he en ded the regen cy an d im prison ed Fateh Khan . But

the prin ce ’s abilities were even feebler than those of the fallen

regen t an d he was soon in volved in troubles , whi ch lasted un til

his death . Khan Jehan Lodi , the Moghul com m an der with

whom Fateh Khan had m ade peace, was a person al foe of Shah

Jehan . Shortly a fter the latter’s accession (A .D. 1628) he

open ly rebelled , an d after evadin g the royal pursuit m ade hi s,

way to Daulatabad . Murtaza Nizam Shah in an evil m om en t

m ade the fugitive’s cause his own an d thus brought on hi m self

an other Moghul War . Shah Jeban took the field in person,

defeated Murtaza Nizam Shah’s arm y in fron t of Daulatabad ,an d drivin g Khan Jehan Lodi out of the Deccan defeated an d

slew him in Cen tral In dia The death of Khan Jehan

Lodi did n ot en d the troubles of Ahm adn agar . The Moghuls

con tin ued their efforts again st Murtaza Nizam Shah an d the

horrors of war were doubled by the acciden t of a fam i n e . At

last Murtaza Nizam Shah in despair turn ed to hi s form er regen t

Fateh Khan , an d releasin g him from prison placed hi m on ce m ore

in authority . This act com pleted the kin g’s ruin . Fateh

Khan on reassum i n'

g power threw his m aster in to prison . He

then put hi m to death , an d placin g Murtaza Nizam Shah’s

in fan t son Hussein * on the thron e , declared hi m self to be on ce

m ore regen t on the chi ld ’s behalf

At this poin t I m ust in troduce to m y readers a Maratha

n oble n am ed Shahaj i Bhosle, fam ous‘

both for hi s own m erits

an d as the father of Shiv aji , the liberator of the Maratha n ation .

His fam ily cla im ed descen t from Sajan a Sin g , the gran dson of

Lakshm an Sin g , the an cestor of the house of Udaipur . On e

of the fam ily, Devrajji by n am eqLafter a quarrel with the Ran a

of Udaipur fled to the Deccan . There he an d his descen dan ts

Badahah Nam a , Elliot an d Dowson , Vol. VII, p . 27 .

1' I n the Shivd igvijaya Baklww

' his n am e is given as Kakap , a n am e n ot

to be foun d in theKolhapur gen ealogica l tree.

SHAHAJ I , FA THER OF SH IVAJ I

fiaee u z . ]



In the m ean tim e Vithop had return ed hom e, an d m i ssin g

Maloji wen t to look for hi m an d foun d him in a swoon .

Vithoji roused hi s brother, from whom he learn t what had

occurred . They wen t hom e an d n ext m orn i n g the two

brothers wen t to the an t-heap , d ug there , foun d the treasure

an d took it to Sheshaji Naik at Shrigon da . To hi m also had been

vouchsafed a vision of Bhavan i . She had revealed herself to

hi m an d had bidden hi m keep faithfu lly the m on ey en trus ted

to him by Maloji . With it Maloji built a tem ple at Veru l kn own

as Ghri shn eshwar, an d a tem ple an d a tan k at Shi n gn apur. In

1577 Maloji an d Vithop en tered the service of a Maratha baron

n am ed Jagpatrao or Van an gpal Nim balkar, the an cestor of

the presen t chi ef of Phaltan . They rose rapidly to the com m an d

of several thousan d horse , with whi ch they harried Bijapur

territory. On e d ay as theywere bathi n g , they were surp risedby a Bijapur force . But with cool daring they rallied their

horsem en an d routed their oppon en ts . The fam e of their success

reached the ears of Murtaza Nizam Shah I , then kin g ofAh m ad

gar. He sum m on ed the two brothers , an d gave them em ploy

m en t in hi s arm y, where they attracted the n otice of the leadin g

Maratha n oble at the Ahm adn agar court, Lakhoji Jad havrao.

Through hi s in fluen ce Maloji obtain ed as a bride Dipabai , the

sister of Van an gpal Nim balkar, hi s form er m aster. For

m an y years the un ion was n ot blessed by an y chi ldren .

Maloji built tan ks , foun ded tem ples to the gods , an d m ade

pilgrim ages to the fam ous tem ple of Bhavan i at Tuljapur,but to n o purpose . He visited the shrin e of a Musulm an

sain t n am ed Shah Sharif. T Then at last his piety an d

patien ce were rewarded . In 1594 Dipabai bore her husban d

a son ,whom in grateful recollection of Shah Sharif they

n am ed Shahaj i . In 1597 a secon d son was born whom they

called Sharifji .

This Van an gp al Nim ba lkar had a great reputation for brav ery, as m aybe gathered from the Marathi proverb which is still curren t Rao Van an g

pal, bara Vaziran ch a, kal,”Rao Van a n gpa l is a m atch for 12 vazirs .

TShedgavkar Bakhar. Gran t Duff s ays that Shahan en gaged the prayersof Shah Sharif. But both the Shivd igv zjuyrt a n d the Shedgavka r Baklzars

say that Maloji an d h is Wife prayed at the tom b of the sain t . He had lon gbeen dead an d buried.

THE RISE or THE BHOSLES 115

Con n ected by m arriage with an an cien t Maratha house ,fortun ate in the possession of heaven -sen t treasure

, an d n ow

father of two son s , Malop had reason to hope that Bhavan i ’s

prophecy to him m ight be fulfilled . He con ceived the design

of un iting hi s eldest son Shahaj i to the daughter of LakhojiJad havrao , hi s powerful patron :

The design seem ed at first hopeless . Lakhoy Jad havrao claim ed

descen t from the an cien t Yadava kin gs of Devagiri . He was

d eskm ukk of Sin dkhed an d com m an d ed in the Ahm adn agar

service a d iv ision of horse I n A .D. 1599 fortun e favoured

the aspirin g adven turer. Shahap was a very fin e little boy , sturdy

an d in tellectual above the ordin ary . He becam e the in separable

com pa n ion of hi s father . On e d ay , whi le still a chi ld ,* he wen t

with his father to the house of his patron Lakhoji to celebrate

theg

Holi festival . Presen t also was J ijabai , the daughter of

Lakhoy ,a little girl on e year youn ger than Shahaj i . It is

usual at the Holi festival for guests an d hosts to am use them s elves

by squi rtin g red -coloured water over each other’s clothes an d

faces . The chi ldren m i m icked the a ction of their paren ts .

Lakhop ,his heart soften ed by the gay scen e an d attracted by

Shahaji’

s beauty, exclaim ed What a fin e pair they wi ll

m ake "” Maloji at on ce drew the atten tion of the guests to

the rem ark an d called upon them to n ote that Lakhoji hadbetrothed h is daughter J ijabai to Shaha j i . Lakhoji appears

at first to have been taken aback . But pressed by the other

guests , he seem s afterwards to have prom i sed Maloji that his sonShaha j i should have J ijabai as his bride .1

‘ The sam e even i n g

Lakhoji told his wife Mhalsabai what he had don e . The proud

wom an deeply resen ted the betrothal of her daughter

to the son of on e whom she rem em bered as her hus

ban d’s clien t . She pressed Lakhou stron gly to break off the

Gran t Duff writes that Shahaj i was th m in h is 5th year. The Shivd igv ij aya

Bakba r giv es h is age a s 9 or 10. A ccordin g to Maratha authorities J ija ba iwas born i n 1595 .

1' Gra n t Duff in sis ts that Lakhoii n ever con sen ted then . But both the

Shivd igucja i

/a a n d the Shed ya vkt r Bakha rs say th i t he con sen ted the s am e

even in g . I th '

n k th i t he m ust have don e so. O therwiseMa loji would hardlyha ve been able to keep h im to h is prom i se.


m arriage . Next d ay Lakhop in vi ted MalOJI to a din n er-party,

m akin g n o referen ce to the en gagem en t of their chi ldren . Malojideclin ed the in vitation un less Lakhoji un dertook publicly to

recogn i ze Shahap as hi s future son—in —law . Lakhoji , sm artin g

from Mhalsabai ’s reproaches . refused to do so . Malop thenleft Ahm adn agar on a pilgrim age to Tuljapur

,where

,prostrate

at the feet of Bhavan i ’s im age , he im plored her divin e assistan ce .

The sam e n i ght he had a dream in whi ch she appeared before

hi m . She prom i sed hi m her con stan t help an d assured hi m that

he would com e by the desire of hi s heart . Return in g to Ahm ad

n agar,he challen ged Jad havrao to a duel .* Murtaza Nizam

Shah II heard of the dispute an d sum m on ed both to atten d his

court an d explain their con duct . Maloji stated hi s case, _plead in gthat Jad havrao had prom ised his daughter Jijabai to Shaha ji ,but n ow refused to keep his word . LakhOJI adm itted that he

had said som ethi n g of the sort, but m ain tain ed that he had

spoken in ‘j est on ly . Murtaza Nizam Shah II,who liked Maloji

an d had n o wish to drive a gallan t soldier to take service else

where,pressed the m atch On Jad h

'

avrao,an d

,to overcom e the

obj ection s ofhis wife , prom oted Malop to the com m an d of 5000

horse,gave hi m Poon a an d Supa in fief tosupport them ,

an d

further m ade hi m com m an dan t of the fortresses Of Shi vn er an d

Chakan with the title of Raja fi‘ Jad havrao could n o lon ger

wi thhold hi s con sen t an d the m arriage of Shahaji an d Jijabai

in 1604 was celebrated with great cerem on ial an d was hon oured

by the presen ce of the kin g in person . From thi s tim e un til

hi s death in 1619Maloji in creased in the favour ofMalik Am bar .

When he d i ed , hi s son Shaha ji , whohad grown up a gallan t an d

capable soldier, succeeded to his estate . The n ext year Shahaji

greatly distin guished hi m self in the fightin g again st the Moghuls .

But in spite ofhi s gallan try Malik Am bar was defeated . Lakhoji

*Duellin g , a ccordin g to Ferishta , was extrem ely com m on in the Ahm adn aga rkin gdom from the tim e of the first kin g.

r

[ he story of Maloji’

s challen ge toJ ad havrao will be foun d in the Shivd igv ijaya Bakha r. The Shedgavk

’

a r Bakhar

relates that Maloji attracted the a tten tion of the ki n g by throwin g two deadboars in to a m osque. There is n othin g im poss ible in this ta le either I havem yself kn own a m an place a boulder on a ra ilway track in Kathi awar an d riskdera ilin g a train s im ply to call atten tion to a priv ate grievan ce, nam ely

that his wife had run away.

TGran t Duff , Vol. 1 , p . 92.



Moghuls , who were then fightin g again st Murtaza Nizam Shah

II . But after m akin g extravagan t dem an ds from their gen eral

Azim Khan , Ran d ulla Khan , actin g on in struction s from Bija

pur, en tered in to n egotiation s with Murtaza Nizam Shah II .

Before the plot could m ature,Azim Khan heard of it , an d

makin g a surprise attack on the Bijapur arm y severely defeated

it . It was hi s despair at thi s defeat whi ch prom pted Murtaza

Nizam Shah II to call Fateh Khan to hi s aid , with the results

that have been already related .

Wh en Shahap en tered the Bi ]apur service that ki n gdom was

still at war wi th the Moghuls . He pressed on Mahom ed Adil

Shah an im m ediate attack on Daulatabad . The kin g agreed

an d placed Shahaj i in com m an d of a large Bijapur force . Fateh

Khan in a larm wrote to Mahabat Khan the Moghul gen eral*

an d begged for his help . He,in return

,un dertookto surren der

Daulatabad an d hold the rest of the kin gdom as a vassal of

Delhi . Mahabat Khan willin gly agreed an d sen t a picked force

un der Khan Jam an hi s son * to throw them selves in to Daulatabad

while he cam e afterwards with the m ain arm y. But quickly

as the Moghul cavalry rode , Shahajii an d hi s Bijapur troops

rode faster still , an d f reachi n g Daulatabad first , succeed ed in

con vin cin g Fateh Khan tha t hi s real in terest lay in desertin g

his Moghul allies an d in m akin g com m on caus e with Bi japur .

If Fateh Khan resign ed all claim s to Sholapur an d its five an d a

half districts,Mahom ed Ad il Shah would let him retain Daulata

bad an d all that still rem ain ed of the Ah m adn agar state . FatehKhan , attracted by the offer, accepted it . An d Shahaj i ‘

at

on ce threw a garrison an d provision s in to the fortress . When

the Moghul advan ce guard reached its walls , they were greeted

with a salvo of artillery . Mahabat Khan was n aturally en raged

at the treachery. He attacked Shahaji’

s troops,drove them

away, an d gettin g between them an d Daulatabad , regularly

in vested it . Ever sin c e its con struction by Mahom ed Tughlak

Bad shah Nam , p . 37 .

I Bad shah Nam e , p. 38. Before startin g on this expedition Shahajian d Murat J agd ev weighed them selves aga in st gold in a v illage calledNagargaonon the ban ks of the Bhim a . This in ciden t has caused it to be kn own as

Tulapur to this d ay .

THE RISE OF THE BHOSLES 119

it had been regarded as im pregn able , an d Malik Am bar hadgreatly in creased its stren gth . Nevertheless the im perial arm y

,

in whi ch were large bodies of Raj puts , storm ed its n in e bastion s

on e after the other an d at the sam e tim e repulsed all Shahaji’

s

efforts to reli eve it . At last FatehKhan ,foreseein g the im m in en t

fa ll of his stron ghold , sued for, an d was gran ted , term s . In

return for a paym en t of ten lakhs of rupees he surren dered

Daulatabad an d the person of Hus sein Nizam Shah,the son

of Murtaza Nizam Shah II . Both were sen t to Delhi . The

property of the un happy Hussein was wholly con fis cated an d

he was im prison ed with Bahadur Shah in Gwalior fort . The

traitor Fateh Khan received a gran t of lan d valued at RS .

per an n um

Shaha j i m ade on e last desperate attem pt to retrieve the

fortun es of the cam paign . When the Moghul gen eral Mahabat

Khan withdrew with hi s spoils an d captives , he left a garrison

in Daulatabad . The arm y was n o soon er out of sight thanShahaji

’

s troops occupied the besieger’s en tren chm en ts an d

tried to take the fortress by storm . But the com m an dan t ,Khan Dauran * was a veteran soldier . He fought severalvi ctorious action s again st Shahaji an d drivin g hi m back, succeed

ed in sen din g m essen gers to Mahabat Khan . The latter at on cereturn ed with all speed to Daulatabad , an d Shaha ji retreated

towards Bijapur . He was however n ot yet at the en d of hi s

resources . Som ewhere or other he discovered an other in fan t

descen dan t of Ahm ad Nizam Shah an d proclaim in g hi m kin g,d eclared hi m self regen t durin g the child ’s m in ority. At first

he m et with som e success an d with the help of the Bijapurtroops defeated the Moghuls at Paren da an d drove them out of

Ahm adn agar in to There Mahabat Khan d iedof fistula an d Shah Jehan resolved on ce m ore to take the field

in person . So lon g as Bijapur was n ot crushed there would be ,so the em peror felt, con tin ued in surrection s in the Ahm adn agar

provin ces . He therefore en tered on a cam paign again st both

Bad slm h Nam e ,p. 42.

‘

I’

Do.


Shahaji an d the B i japur kin g . with an arm y of m en .

Of these , 20,000*m en un der Kh an Dauran ,the late com m an dan t

of,Daulatabad , were to attack an d overrun the Bijapur kin gdom ,

m en un der Khan Zam an ,the son of Mahabat Khan ,

were to overwhelm Shahaji an d then j oin forces with KhanDauran T Shahaji , however , prbv ed too ski lful for hi s oppon en t .Em ployin g the sam e tactics for whi ch Shiv aji afterwards becam e

fam ous , Shahaji evaded pitched battles, but con stan tly out

m archin g the im perial troops , in fli cted repeated reverses on

their rearguard . At last Shah Jehan ordered Khan Zam an to

leave the pursuit of Shaha ji an d to j oin Khan Dauran in theattack on Bijapur . Several in decisive en gagem en ts followed

between the Moghuls an d the arm y of Mahom ed Adil Shah .

At last both sides,weary Of

/

the war,cam e to term s . On May

6, 1636, Mahom ed Adil Shah agreed to aban d on Shahaji an d

to , help i n his reduction . In return , he received Paren da ,Sholapur with its five an d a half d istrictsi , the Ahm adn agar

Kon kan as far n orth as Bassein ,the coun try between the Bhim a

an d the Nira Rivers as far n orth as Chakan an d a lso the

districts ofNa'

ld urga ,Kalyan i an d Bedar in the Cen tral Deccan .§

Shahaji had n ow to face both the Moghuls an d the Bijapur

arm y .\

Nevertheless he con ducted a m ost gallan t defen ce,Khan

Zam an in vested Jun n ar, the fort wherein Shaha j i had m ade hi s

capital. Shahaji , leavin g a garrison there , so harassed the

com m un ication s of the Moghuls , that had they been un aidedthey would have had to raise the siege . To Khan Zam an

’s aid ,however, wen t Ran d ulla Khan with the Bijapur troops .

Attacked both from n orth an d south , Shahaji retreated skilfully

through ,the Sahyad ris in to the Kon kan . There doubli n g on

his track, he retired through the sam e passes an d reached theDesh, whi le hi s pursuers still sought for hi m to the west of the

Sahyadris , When they learn t of hi s escape the com bin ed

arm ies followed hi m with great expedition an d at last brought

BadshahNa/m a , p . 52

I .

Gran t Duff, Vol. I, p . 115 .

I Sholapur an d 55 d i stricts had been ceded to Bi japur as Chan d Bibi’sdowry on her m arriage to Ali Adil Shah. Malik Am bar retook them in 1624

from Bijapur after h is vi ctory of Bhatvadi (Shivd igfq ijaya Bakhqr) .For text of treaty, see Appen dix, p . 122.


f


APPENDIX

TEXT OF TREATY BETWEEN DELHI AND BIJAPUR

( 1) Adil Shah , the kin g of Bi japur, m ust ackn owledge the overlordshipof the em peror an d prom ise to Obey his orders i n future.

(2) The preten ce of a Nizam Shahi kin gdom m ust be en ded an d all its

territories div ided between the em peror an d the Bijapur kin g . Adil Shahm ust n ot v iolate the n ew im perial fron tier n or let h is servan ts hin der theMoghu l Oflieers i n occupyin g a n d settlin g the n ewly a n n exed districts .

(3 ) The kin g of Bijapur was to reta in all h is an ces tra l territory with thefollowin g addition s from the Ahm adn agar kin gdom in the west , the Sholapura n d Wa n giMahals , between the Bhim a an d the Sin a R ivers -in cludin g the fortsof Sholapur a n d Paren da ; i n the n orth -east the pargan as of Bhalki an d

Ch idgupa ; an d that portion of the Kon kan which had on ce belon ged to theNizam Shahi s , in cludin g the Poon a a n d Chakan districts . These acqu is ition scom prised 59 pargan as an d yielded a reven ue of 20 lakhs of hun s or 80 lakhsof rupees . The rest of the Nizam Shahi kin gdom was to be recogn ised asan n exed to the em pire beyon d question or doubt.(4 ) Adil Shah m u st pay the em peror a peace offerin g of twen ty lakh s of

rupees i n cash an d kin d . But n o a n n ual tribute was im posed .

(5 ) Golcon da bein g n ew a state un der im peria l protection , Adil Shah m ust

in future treat it with frien dship, respect its fron t ier, a n d n ev er dem an d costlypresen ts from the kin g , to Whom he m ust behave like a n elder brother.

(6) Each s ide un dertook n ot to seduce the officers of the other from theirm aster

’

s serv ice, n or to en terta in deserters , an d Shah Jehan prom ised for himself an d his son s that the Bijapur kin g would n ever be ca lled upon to tran sferan y of his Officers to the im perial serv ice.

( 7 ) Shahaj i Bhosle, who had set up a prin celi n g of the house of NizamShah, should n ot be adm itted to office un der Bijapur, un less he ceded Jun n ar.Trim bak an d the other forts st ill i n his han ds to Shah Jehan . If he declin edhewas n ot to be harboured in Bijapur territory n or even a llowed to en ter it.

CHAPTER XIII

SHIVAJ I’

S BIRTH AND BOYHOOD

A .D . 1627 To 1645

THE m arriage of Shaha j i to J i jabai appears, in spite of the

differen ces between Maloji Bhosle an d Lakhop Jadhavrao, to

have been for the first few years happy en ough . In 1623 , Jijabaibore her lord a son

,three years after their m arriage . He was

called Sam bhaji an d becam e a great favourite of his father,just as Shahaji had been ofMaloji . On April 10, after

an in terval of four years,she bore Shaha ji a secon d son . Severa l

stories are told in support of the gen eral belief that the baby

boy was an in carn ation of the god Shiva . A charm i n g on e i s

to be foun d in the Skedgavkar Bakhar. Durin g the storm y years

that followed the birth of Sam bhaji , Shahaji , en gaged in the

warlike en terprises en trusted to hi m by Malik Am bar, foun d

n o tim e to pay hi s wife con jugal atten tion s . On e n ight he

dream t that he saw a Gosav i or Hin du an chorite , clad in rags

an d sm eared with yellow ashes , stan d by hi s bedside an d put a

m an go in hi s han d . Share the fruit with your wi fe , said

the an chorite , an d you will becom e the father of a son who will

be an in carn ation of the god Shi va . You m ust n ever force him

to salute a Musulm an an d after his twelfth year you m us t leave

hi m free to act as he pleases . ” When Shahaj i awoke from hi s

dream , he foun d a m an go in his han d , vi sited hi s wife an d shared

it with her . The offsprin g of thi s reun ion was the boy Shivaji ,born on April 10

,1627 . Con vin ced that the an chorite whom he

had seen in his dream was the god Shiva ,Shahaj i gave the n ew

born chi ld the n am e of Shiv aji , just as Maloji had called Shahaj iafter the Musulm an sain t Shah Sharif . Accordin g to an other

story, Shaha j i had a vision of Shiva after Shivaji’

s birth an d was

Mara thi I tiluwa n chi Sad ha n e, pp . 42-43.


then told by the god that the n ew-born boy was his Own in

carn ation .

* When Shiv aji was born , his m other J ijabai was livin g

in a hous e on the top of the Shivn er ’

fort close to Jun n ar . A

rui n ed wall still stan ds on the Site where the house stood an d a

m arble tablet , in serted in it un der -the orders of the Bom bay

Govern m en t by the late Mr . A . M . T . Jackson,keeps alive the

m em ory of the greatest of In dian kin gs an d of on e of the wisest

an d best of m odern En glishm en .

Even Shiv aji’

s early days were n ot free from peril an d

adven ture . Before hi s birth , his gran dfather Lakhoji Jad havrao

had j oin ed the Moghuls ,an d Shaha j i by refu sin g to follow hi s

exam ple had in curred his bitter en m ity . The quarrel was taken

up by the other n obles in the Moghul service . An d although

Lakhoji Jadhavrao died in 1629 , treacherously assassin ated at

Daulatabad by Murtaza Nizam Shah II , the hatred born e by the

Moghuls to Shahaj i survived Lakhoji Jadhavrao’

s death . A

certain Mhald ar Khan ,origin ally appoin ted by Murtaza Nizam

Shah II to be govern or of Trim bak , deserted to Shah Jehan .

Wishi n g to secure the favour of the em peror, he arrested Shahaji’

s

wife (A .D. J ijab'

ai succeeded in hidin g Shi v aji but she

herself was con fin ed in the fort of Kon d an a . Durin g the three

years , 1633 to 1636, in whi ch Shaha j i defied the Moghuls , they

m ade every effort to fin d out Shiv aji’

s hidin g place , that they

m ight hold hi m as a hostage for his father. But J ijabai’

s wit

baffled them,an d Shi vaji rem ain ed safe un til Shahaji ’s fin al

surren der. Even then Shi v aji could n ot en j oy his father’s

protection . In 1630 Shahaj i . had con tracted a secon d m arriagewi th Tukabai , a girl of the Mohi te fam ily. Thi s fam ily, a lthough

of an cien t descen t , was in ferior in ran k to that of LakhojiJad havrao, an d after hi s secon d m arriage

,Jijabai seem s to

have broken off all but form al relation s with her husban d .

Wh en Shivaji was ten years old . it becam e tim e accordin gto the cus tom of the d ay to arran ge hi s m arri age ; for that

purpose J ijabai took her son to Bijapur . There he was weddedto on e Saibai , T the daughter of Vithoji Mohi te Newaskar.

Sabhacad Baklu r, p . 2.

1“

An other accoun t m akes Sa iba i daughter of Jagd evrao Nim balkar.



Alon g its course rise stately villas an d over its waters fli t boats

plied by En glish an d In dian rowers . To the n orth of the river

m ay be seen the vast fron t Of the Deccan College , of whi ch the

wide court-yards an d red roofs brin g back to m em ory the n am esof m an y fam ous m en . To the south of the can ton m en t lies the

city of Poon a ,a spot m ore in terestin g even than its riva l to the

passin g traveller. In its very heart ri se the gian t bastion s

of the Shan war Wada , which to-d ay overawe the spectator as

they did in the days of Bajirao II . To the n orth of it stan ds the

an cien t palace of the Puran d ares , a n oble fam i ly who boast

with pride that the first Chitpawan Peshwa was on ce a petty

clerk in their an cestor’s Office . To the east stan ds the hom e

of the Rastes, whi ch like the an cien t dwellin gs of the Italian

n obles is half a hous e an d half a fortified castle . Behin d the

Shan war Wada on ce stood the palace of Nan a Phad n avis .

Its siteis n ow occupied by the buildin gs of the New En glishSchool . To the west the m i ghty tem ple of On kareshwar

looks down in its aus tere beauty on the last restin g place of

theBrahm an caste of Poon a .

In Shi vaji’

s youth the scen e was very differen t . Poon a was

then a cluster of tin y huts on the right ban k of the Muta. It

derived its n am e of the m eritorious town from the san ctity

whi ch in In dia attaches to the con fluen ces of rivers . About

half a m ile from the little ham let, the Muta j oin ed the Mula .

But n o d am then kept the Mula full. In the rain y season a

vast volum e of water d ue to the heavy rain s in the western

hi lls poured to waste down the Muta from Sin hgad an d down

the Mula from the Sahyad ris . The two stream s after j oin in g

flowed,often half a m ile wide , in to the Bhi m a

, the Krishn a , an dlastly in to the Bay ofBen gal . Directly the rain s ceased the Mula

an d Muta ,from great rivers , dwin dled to petty stream s , whi ch in

April an d early May alm ost wholly disappeared . Where the

roads an d the railways n ow run alon g the river’s ban k, there

grew then a thick belt of un dergrowth in fest-ed by wolves an dpan thers . To-d ay a can al system a n d a n um ber of artificial

reservoirs have turn ed the coun try roun d Poon a in to a sm ilin g

plain . In Shivaji’

s chi ldhood it was a barren wildern ess .

SHIVAJ I’

S BIRTH AND BOYHOOD 127

The wars between Ahm adn agar an d Bi japur, between Bi japur

an d the Moghuls , an d those of Malik Am bar an d Shahaj i

again st both had rui n ed the en tire Deccan .

* To grow a crOp

was m erely to in vite a troop of hostile cavalry to‘

cut it an d

probably kill its own er . Nor was thi s the on ly dan ger. The

in vaders usually carried away with them the chi ldren of both

sexes an d the youn g wom en an d forcibly con verted them . The

father of the foun der of Ah m adn agar an d the first kin g of

Golcon da were thus carried in to captivi ty an d m ade Maho

m ed an s . Ram das in hi s well-kn own Sketch of a Hin du ’s life

m en tion s , eviden tly as a m ost ordin ary even t,that the

Hin du ’s youn g wife is carried away an d m arried to a Musul

m an j‘

. As Poon a an d Supa were Shahaji’

s private fief,

the m align ity of his en em ies applied itself deliberately to

their destruction . The rustic population had either fled

or perished . Wild beasts of all kin ds took their place an d

the few m en who peopled the huts on the ban k of the

Muta were fisherm en , who lived by catchi n g the fish in the

two rivers .

Such was the estate from which J ijabai , her son , an d her

clerk,had to Obtain their livi n g . Ordin ary person s would have

given up the attem pt in despair . But J ijabai an d Dad OjI

Kon d ad ev were n ot ord in ary person s . Soon er than Share with

a .youn ger wife the affection s of Shahaj i , the proud lady was

ready, if n eed be , to starve . Dad oji Kon d ad ev was a very

able m an . A Deshasth Brahm an , born in Malthan in the Poon a

d istri ctgt he had , som ehow, in the course of a varied service,acquired a perfect kn owled ge of reven ue adm in i stration . This

he n ow applied wi th Sign al success to the ruin ed fief. He

attracted cultivators from the hi lly tracts an d the n eighbourin g

districts by offerin g them ren t-free lan ds . He kept down the

wi ld beasts by givin g hun tsm en rewards , probably from hi s

own savin gs . But when crops on ce m ore began to appear on

the barren plain s , robbers an d free la n ces began to carry off the

In the la st war between Bijapur a n d the Moghuls Mahom ed Adil Shahdevastated a ll the coun try within 20 m iles of h is capita l. The Moghuls topu n ish him dev as tated as m u ch aga in .

1 Dasbod h .

i Ham ade, p . 63 .


harvests an d en slave the villagers . Dad Ojr Kon d ad ev m et the

dan ger by arm i n g ban ds Of hi llm en from the Sahyad ri s , who,with a little train i n g, soon m ade a raid on Poon a a perilousun dertakin g . His success attracted Shahaji

’

s n otice an d ‘he

added to Dad oji’

s charge two n ew estates rece‘

n tly given ‘

hi m by

the Bijapur govern m en t . They are n ow kn own as the In dapuran d Baram ati talukas of the Poon a collectorate. The

En glishm an who to-d ay visits Baram ati will see alon g the ban ks

of the Karha River,as far as the horizon , field after field of

gigan tic sugar-can e . In Shi v aji’

s tim e n o can als carried water

to all parts of the taluka . Nevertheless,then as n ow,

the soil

was black an d rich , an d in good years yielded an abun dan t

harvest . Of the resources of hi s n ew tru st Dad oji m ade the

fullest use. With the surplus reven ue he plan ted m an go an dother frui t trees . Between Shirwal an d Poon a , where the m angoorchards throve better than in other places , he foun ded a village

an d n am ed it after hi s m aster’s son . It is kn own as Shivapu'

r

to thi s d ay . To great en ergy, thrift an d experien ce , Dad oji

added whatwas rarer still in those tim es , n am ely, perfect hon esty .

A charm i n g tale has been han ded down whi ch illus trates thi s .

On e d ay as Dad oji strolled through on e of the shady "groves at

Shivapur , a large an d lus cious m an go caught hi s eye . The d aywas hot he was tired an d thirsty wi th labour. Un con scious ly he

stretched Out hi s han d an d plucked it . Then he realized too late

that he had stolen frui t whi ch belon ged to hi s m aster. In

an agon y of rem orse he begged his com pan ion s to cut off the

offen din g right han d that had m ade hi m sin . They very properly

refus ed an d bade him thin k n o m ore of the m atter . Nevertheless

it still so weighed on hi s m in d that for m an y m on ths he

wore coats wi thout a sleeve for his right arm . For,”

" so he would say ,“ if m y right arm had had its deserts , it

would have been cut off as a pun ishm en t .”

At last the

story reached Shahaji’

s ears . He, n ot without d ifficulty ,

persuaded his retain er to forget his triflin g fault an d wear coats

like other people .

Shivaji was between ten an d eleven years old when he first

Skivd igm j aya Balchar.


130 A HISTORY OF ‘ THE MARATHA PEOPLE

wars ; he was a lso , as becam e a Brahm an , a profoun d scholar .

He had bui lt a room y hous e for Jijabai an d Shi v aji , whi ch he

n am ed the Raj Mahal , close to the right ban k of the Muta,

where stretches n ow the Mun icipal Garden to the east of the

Shan war Wada . There on win ter even i n gs he " would gather

roun d him Shivaji an d hi s frien ds an d expoun d to“ them the

teachi n gs of Dn yan d ev an d of the other sain ts of Pan dharpur .

When they grew weary of abstruse doctrin es , he would take upthe San skrit scrolls an d by the sm oky light of a wick soaked in

oil, he would first read an d then tran slate to them tales of Bhi m a

the stron g, of the archery of Arjun a ,of the chivalrous courage

of Yudhi shthi ra . Or he would repeat to them the wise sayin gs

of Bhi shm a, in whi ch are con tain ed the experien ce an d wisdom

of two thousan d years of In dian war, statesm an ship an d govern

m en t .There were other in fluen ces too at work on Shiv aji

’

s character.

The scen ery roun d Poon a is of the m ost in spirin g kin d . To

the west are the trem en dous barrier ran ges of the Sahyad ris .

On ly twelve m i les to the south stan ds out the colossal fortress

of. Sin hgad . To the south-west m ay be dim ly seen the peaks

of Raj gad an d Torn a , whi ch , when outlin ed again st the settin g

sun , arouse even to-d ay em otion in the phlegm atic En gli shm an .

But thi rteen m i les to the n orth of Poon a lies Alan di , the spot

where Dn yan d ev en tered hi s livin g tom b an d to whi ch, n ow,

as in Shivaji’

s tim e , thousan ds of pilgrim s bearingyellow flags

m ake their way from Pan dh arpur . But there was yet an other

in fluen ce m ore powerful than eitherDad oji Kon d ad ev’

s teachi n gs,

or the gran deur of the lan dscape . J ijabai , fatherless , deserted

by her husban d an d by her eldest son foun d a solace for her

grief in Shivaji , the on e possession left her . She lavished on her

son all an d m ore than all a m other’s love . At the sam e tim e she

bade him n ever forget that he was descen ded both from the

Yadavas of Devagiri an d the Ran as of Udaipur . She recited

to hi m the Puran a s with their m arvellous feats of war an d darin g .

But she wished to see hi m pious as well as brave . She m ade

him pray con stan tly at the little village Shrin e whi ch still m ay

be seen in Poon a n ot far from the site of J ijabai’

s hom e . There

SHIVAJ I’

S BIRTH AND BOYHOOD 131

too she welcom ed Kathekaris or religious preachers to tran slate

an d expoun d to hi m ,better than even Dad oji could do , the

vari ous virtues an d m erits of Krishn a . Thu s grew Etruria

stron g an d Shi vajl at eighteen was a m an tireless , fearless

an d deeply devout .

It was n ow tim e for Shi v aji to choose a career . As the son

of the form er regen t of Ahm adn agar, as the gran dson of Lakhoji

J ad havrao, as a n ear kin sm an Of the an cien t house Of Phaltan ,

Shi v aji was on e Of the n atura l leaders of the Maratha people .

There were several courses open to him . Like som e of the

baron s of the tim e he could live on Shahaji’

s estate , am u se hi s

leisure with stron g drin k , fill hi s zan an a with the rus tic beauties

of the n eighbourhood an d perform just as li ttle m i litary ser

vice as would en able him to retain such fiefs as he m ight in herit

from hi s father . But to the son of Shahaji an d the gran dson

of Maloji such a life probably n ever offered m uch tem ptation .

The secon d course was that favoured by Dad oji Kon d ad ev .

He could go to Bijapur, j oin the kin g’s service as a subordin ate

of Shahaj i , as Sam bhaji had don e , an d with him rise to a high

place am on g the factious n obles who surroun ded Mahom ed Adi l

Shah . But Shiv aji was well aware of the weakn ess of the Bijapur

govern m en t . He kn ew that behin d the gli tter of the court

there were waste , m ism an agem en t an d in capacity. At Bi j apur ,just as there had been at Ah m adn agar

,there was a con s tan t

an d furious riva lry between the Deccan an d the foreign parties .

Either faction , in order to gratify private Spite , were preparedto call in the Moghuls an d rui n their coun try. Shi v aji realized

that soon er or later a house so divided m ust fall a prey to the

disciplin ed Moghuls ,whose forces were led by royal prin ces who

were am on g the first captain s of the tim e . A thi rd course open

to Shivaji was to seek hi s fortun e at Delhi . The son of Shaha j iBhosle would n o doubt have received a high post in the Moghul

arm y . There his n atural gifts would certain ly have won hi m

m ost hon ourable distin ction . But to adopt thi s course would

have been to desert hi s coun try an d to stan d by whi le Auran gzib’

s

arm i es en slaved the In dian peoples an d in sulted their religionfrom the Bhi m a to Ram eshwaram . There was yet an other


course Open to the youn g n oble an d that was to attem pt theliberation of the Maratha race . It was a well-n igh hopelesstask . After three cen turies of slavery the wish for freedomwas all but dead an d lived , if at all

, in a few hi ll tracts in the

Mawa l an d the Kon kan . He could expect n o aid from otherMaratha n obles . All that the Ghorpad es , the Mores , the Man es ,the Savan ts an d others aspired to was their own advan cem en t

at court or the en largem en t of their fiefs at the expen se of their

n eighbours . Without resources he m ust raise an arm y. He

m ust in spire it by hi s own words an d acts with hi gh ideals . He

m us t fight again st hi s own relatives an d coun trym en . He m us t

in cur charges of treason an d charges Of un filial con duct. In

the en d ,he would m ost likely see hi s hopes Shattered , hi s frien ds

butchered , an d him self con dem n ed to a cruel an d a lin geri n g

death . Yet thi s was the course whi ch Shi v aji resolved to adopt .

He did so,n ot with the rash presum ption of youth , but after

deep deliberate thought , after lon g discussion wi th the frien ds

of hi s boyhood , wi th Dad oji Kon d ad ev an d wi th his m other

J ijabai . Havin g on ce adopted it he n ever swerved from it

un til hi s work was don e . More than 2500 years b efore,three

im m ortal goddesses had ca lled on an other eastern prin ce to

decide question s very Sim i lar to those whi ch n ow con fron ted

Shi vaji . But far other than that of_Paris was the judgm en t

of Shahaji’

s son . He turn ed aside from the rich prom i ses of

Hera an d the voluptuous sm iles of Aphrodite an d without

a sin gle backward glan ce placed the golden fruit in the han ds

of Pallas Athen e .



eastern fron tier was n o doubt exposed, but to com e by an east

ern route from Bijapur to Poon a was a lon g way roun d . The

fort of Torn a had a com m an dan t an d a sm all garrison . But

durin g the heavy m on soon rain s , when n o m ili tary operation was

con ducted , it was the custom of the Torn a garrison to leave

the hi ll-top an d live in the valley. Takin g advan tage of thi s

circum s tan ce , Shiv aji an d hi s three chi ef com pan ion s Yesaji

Kan k, Tan aji Malusare an d Ba j i Phasalkar, with a followi n g of

about a thousan d m en occupied Torn a wi thout bloodshed .

There , wi th the sam e good fortun e that had atten ded his gran d

father Maloji , he foun d , whi le diggin g in the fortification ,which

had fallen in to disrepair, a large hidden treasure . The Torn a

com m an dan t in dign an tly reported Shi v aji’

s con duct to the

Bijapur govern m en t . But Shi v aji had already m ade a coun ter

charge . He com plain ed to the ki n g’s m i n isters that the com

m an dan t had wi thout leave deserted hi s post an d that they had

far better en trust the fort to on e as vigilan t in the kin g’s in terest

as Shi v aji was . He supported his com plain t by a distribution

am on g the m in i sters of part of the Torn a treasure . The com "

m an dan t’s report fell upon deaf ears an d in stead of satisfaction

he received a reprim an d’i‘

. When Shi v aji Offered to pay a larger

ren t than had ever been previously p aid for the lan ds roun d

Torn a,it was added to hi s father’s fief. With the rem ain in g

treasure Shi v aji bought arm s , can n on an d am m un ition f raised a

force of hillm en on the sam e li n es as those upon which Dado] 1

had raised hi s guards , an d fortified an other hill about six m iles

away from Torn a . It was then kn own as Morbad but he chan ged

its n am e to Raj gad or the kin g’s fort , the n am e by which it is

kn own to-d ay .

The boldn ess of thi s act attracted all the youth of Poon a

an d the n eighbourhood . Am on g those who n ow arden tlyem braced Shiv aji

’

s caus e were Moro Pin gle , An n aji Datto ,Niraji Pan dit , Raoj i Som n ath , Dattaji Gopin ath , Raghun ath

Pan t an d Gan gaji Man gaji . They were all Brahm an s an d were

m ost of them son s of clerks appoin ted by Dad oji to help hi m

in the m an agem en t of the estate . But Dad oji Kon d ad ev , whose

KhafiKha n ,Elliot a n d Dowson , Vol. 7 , p. 257 .

THE RISE OF SHTVAJ I 135

am bition was that Shivaji should rise to distin ction in the

Bijapur service an d who was at on ce a loyal servan t of Shahaji

an d a loyal subject OfMahom ed Adil Shah,protested vigorous ly.

He m ain tain ed that he , an d n ot Shi vaji , was the m an ager of thefief

, that Shi v aji had acted wi thout hi s san ction . Had Shi vajisen t a written request for leave to occupy Morbad , hi s father

’s

in fluen ce would possibly have secured it . As it was , the kin g

would n ot fail to pun ish Shaha j i an d Dad oji as well . But

Shi v aji had a lready con sidered fully hi s acts . He believed

hi m s elf the trustee of a divin e task . He had hi s m other’s full

support . He bore patien tly Dad OjI’

s reproaches . But at the

sam e tim e he directed Moro Pin gle to com plete as rapidly as

possible the fortification s of Rajgad . Dad oji , fin din g his ownprotests un availin g , called roun d him all the old clerks an d

servan ts of the fief an d bad e them address Shi vaji . He paid

as little atten tion to them as to Dad oji . At last the old m an

wrote a form a l letter of com plain t to Shaha j i at Bijapur ;

The latter for the last ten years had troubled little or n othi n g

about hi s first wife an d her son . In 1637 , the year after he j oin ed

the service ofBijapur, he was appoin ted un der Ran d ulla Kh an

secon d in com m an d of an arm y collected to subdue the south

eastern coast oi In dia . Ever,

sin ce the battle of Talikota the

Golcon da an d Bijapur kin gs had tried to exten d their power over

the territories of Vijayan agar an d reduce the petty chi efs an d

lan d-holders,who on its destruction had m ade them s elves in

d epen den t . But the wars with Ah m adn agar had diverted the

atten tion of Bi japur,an d the ln

'

n gd om of Golcon da had so far

profited m ost by the fall Of Ram raj. I n 1637 Bijapur , freed

by the destruction of its an cien t rival,resolved to con quer

as m uch as it could of southern In dia . Shahaj i an d Ran d alla

Khan spen t the year 1637 in overcom in g the resistan ce of a

powerful chi ef n am ed Kem p Gauda , whose capita l was Ben grul or

Ban galore . At the close of the year Ran d ulla Khan was recalled

an d Shaha j i succeeded to the suprem e com m an d . The capacity

of the veteran gen eral soon m ade itself felt an d the Bijapur

arm y overran Kolar, Dood , Balapur an d Sira . These districts

were con ferred on Shaha j i as m ilitary fiefs . After he had


con quered the whole plateau roun d‘

Ban galore, he descen ded the

Eastern Ghats to subdue the an cien t coun try of the Cholas .

As already related the in vasion of Malik Kafir overthrew all

the d yn asties of southern In dia . From thi s in vasion Tan j ore

n ever recovered . The fi se of Vijayan agar was m ore fatal to

it even than the assaults ofMalik Kafir. It li n gered on,however

,

in n am e un til A .D. 1530. At that tim e the prin ce of Tan j ore ,Vir Shekhar, was the deadly en em y of Chan dra Shekhar, the

prin ce of Madura . After various turn s of fortun e Vir Shekhar

overthrew his fee an d took Madura . Chan dra Shekhar, to recover

it, ca lled to hi s help Krishn a Raya , kin g of Vijayan agar. The

result was the us ual on e in such cases . The Vijayan agar arm y

overthrew Vir Shekhar. The kin g an n exed Tan j ore an d gave

it in ‘fief to on e Shi vappa Naik, on e of the roya l prin ces . Chan draShekharwas for som e tim e allowed to reign in Madura as a puppet

ki n g.

“

But before his death Madura had becom e the fief of a

certain Vishvan ath Naik, a gen eral of Vijayan agar . After Talikota ,Tan j ore an d Madura again becam e in depen den t prin cipalities .In Shahaji

’

s tim e Raghun ath Naik was chief of Tan j ore . He

passed his tim e in fightin g with Vyan kat Naik, the lord of the

great fortress of Jin j i , an d Trim al Naik, who own ed the large

town Of Tri chi n opoli to the south of the Coleroon River, the

n am e given to the Caveri before it reaches the sea . Shaha j i,

takin g ad van tage of their quarrel , reduced all three disputan ts

to a com m on obedi en ce to the Bijapur govern m en t .

Shaha ji , bus y in the work of con quest an d adm in istration ,

paid little atten tion to Dad op Kon d ad ev’

s com plain t an d does

n ot appear to have an swered his letter . But the Bijapur govern

m en t n ow began to look askan ce at Shi vaji’

s con duct an d called

on Shaha ji for an explan ation of it . Shahaji even then did n ot

treat the m atter serious ly. He wrote a soothi n g reply to

Bijapur an d sen t a letter to Shi vaji in whi ch he suggested that

he had better n ot fortify Raj gad . The ev iden t in differen ce

of Shahaji , the obstin acy of Shi v aji , an d the fears whi ch Dad ojifelt for the future of both preyed on his m in d . He fell ill.

Shivaji , greatly attached to hi m , n ursed hi m with filial devotion .

Hesen t for the best available doctors to treat him . But care



Baram ati to dispute Shiv aji’

s authority, Shivaji had now

acquired com plete con trol of hi s father’s Poon a estates . He

was , therefore , at liberty to resum e his form er schem e an d pro

teet him self again st attack from the Bijapur govern m en t . He

had already, by the occupation of Torn a an d Raj gad,secured

his south-western fron tier . But twelve m iles im m ediately

south of Poon a was the great fortress of Kon d an a . Wh oever

held it d om in ated n ot on ly the Muta valley but the Poon a

plain as far as Chakan . It was in charge of a Musulm an com“

m an dan t whose n am e has n ot survived . For a sum of m on ey

he con sen ted to surren der it , an d Shiv aji after en terin g it chan ged

its n am e to Sin hgad or the Lion ’s fort .

To the south-east of Sin hgad was , if possible , a still m ore

stupen dous n atural stron ghold . Its n am e was Puran d ar ,

an other n am e for the god In dra,an d it overlooked the plateau

above the Sin hgad hi lls , infi hi ch lies Saswad , the burial\place

of Sopan a . If it could be taken the whole of Shi v aji’

s southern

fron tier would be Safe . The Bijapur govern m en t had en trusted

Puran d ar to a Brahm an called Nilkan th Naik* . All that is

recorded of him is that he had an un govern able tem per. On

on e occasion his wife obj ected to his con duct . He had her

prom ptly blown from the m outh of a can n on . In youth he

had been a great frien d Of‘

ShahajI an d hi s son s kn ew Shiv aji

well . The fiery old com m an dan t died about the sam e tim e as

Dad Oji KOn d ad ev ; an d the eldest son Pilo , without orders from

Bijapur , n ot on ly assum ed com m an d of the fort, but usurped

all the lan ds an d reven ues allotted to the com m an dan t . The

youn ger brothers claim ed that they, as son s of the sam e father,had equal rights with Pilo . Wh ether the plea was good law

in the case of a m ili tary fief m ay be doubted . But in an y case

they wereen titled to a hearin g, an d as the Bijapur govern m en t

was too slothful to gran t them on e, they appealed to Shiv aji .

What happen ed a fterwards has been various ly related . Accord

in g to on e authorityj‘ the garrison sen t Shivaji a m essage

advisin g him to seize the place hi m self an d so en d the quarrel .

Shivd igm’

g’

aya Bakhar see a lso Ran a d e, p . 30.

TRan ad e, p . 9 1 .

THE RISE OE SHI VAJ I 139

Accordin g to a secon d authority* the brothers called in Shivaji

as

,

an arbitrator . He , un der preten ce of exam in in g the pro

perty in dispute , seized it . Accordin g to a thi rd authorityj‘

Shi vaji , hearin g of their differen ces , gave out that he was goin g

to attack the Nim balkars of Phaltan . As he wen t he halted

at Saswad som e six m iles from Puran d ar. It was the Diva li ,or the feast of lam ps , an d Pilo an d hi s two brothers begged hi m

to j oin them in the festiva l . He a ccepted the in vitation an d

took part in the m erry-m akin g . Next d ay he proposed that he

an d hi s hosts should bathe in the stream whi ch flows through

Saswad . The brothers agreed an d the youn g m en spen t them orn in g bathi n g . When they return ed to Puran d ar, Shivaji

’

s

en s ign flew from the battlem en ts . His soldiers, in the absen ce

of the brothers , an d with the con n i van ce of the garrison , had

seized the fortress . But whatever the true ‘ story m ay be , we

n eed waste n o pity on the brothers . The fortress,as such , was

worthless to them . They prized it m erely for the salary whi ch

the com m an dan t drew . After its capture Shi vaji offered them ,

an d they accepted,com pen sation elsewhere of greater va lue .

To Pilo Nilkan th he gave a wide tract of lan d below the fort

an d roun d Puran d ar village an d had a house bui lt there for hi m .

Shan karraoji Nilkan th ,the secon d brother, Shivaji m ade superin

ten den t of his artillery,elephan ts an d cam els . The youn gest

brother also en tered Shiv aji’

s serv ice . More Pin gle , whose

skill in fortification had recen tly been shown at Torn a an d

Ra j gad , was appoin ted govern or of Puran d ar .

Shi v aji’

s southern fron tier was n ow safe . But he had exhaus

ted the Torn a treasure an d the reven ues of hi s father’s fief.

It was therefore absolutely n ecessary for hi m to obtain m on ey.

Shortly after the capture of Puran d ar , chan ce en abled hi m to

supply thi s n eed . I n the cen tre of on e of the m ost fertile tracts

of the Than a collectorate is the rich town of Kalyan . It was

then the capita l of a provin ce en trusted to the care of a Musu l

m an n am ed Mulan a Ahm ad . Com pletely ign oran t of Shivaji’

s

design s , he had collected the govern m en t ren ts of hi s charge

Shedgavka r Bakha r.

‘

I' Shivd igvijaya Bakhar.


an d had sen t the m on ey to Bijapur . With it wen t an escort

large en ough to guard it'

again st.

an attack by a ban d of hill

robbers . As the carts wi th their escort were win din g theirway through the Kon kan , Shi v aji , with a body of 300 horse ,part of the form er garrison of Supa

,descen ded the Bhor pass

wes t of Poon a an d surprised them . The guards could m ake n o

effective resistan ce an d Shiv aji m ade hi m self ‘

m aster of the

treasure . Such an act m ean t , of course , open war with Bijapur .

So Shi vaJI followed it up by a surprise attack on the n eighbourin g forts .

* He took "

n o less than n i n e . Of these the m ost

im portan t were Lohgad ,Rajm achi an d Bairi . Rajm achi is a

s tupen dous hi ll at the foot of the Bhor pass . Bairi,whi ch

afterwards becam e Shiv aji’

s capital, wi ll be described in a later

page . Lohgad stan ds above the Bhor pass an d ,with its twi n

fortress Visapur ,T is a fam iliar object to travellers from Poon ato Bom bay. Stran ge legen ds are still told of thi s an cien t

fort . The best-kn own is the followin g . In early days , before

the Bahm an i kin gdom had arisen an d before Islam had becom e

the state religion , six Musu lm an sain ts cam e to con vert the

Deccan . On e of these was n am ed Um ar Khan ,an d hi s m ission

led hi m in to the In d rayan i valley. There,however

,the fam e

of a Hin du an chorite who lived on the top of Lohgad ham pered

hi s m ission ary efforts . The Musulm an resolved to rem ove hi s

Hin du riva l . He rode up the path un til he reached a spot

where the paths to Lohgad an d Visapur bifurcate. He then

alighted,an d roarin g a warn in g to the an chorite to depart,

en forced his words by a vi olen t blow of his spear again s t the hill

side . Driven by the" sain t ’s m us cular arm the spear passed

through the edge of the cliff, leavin g a gigan tic wi n dow or flyin g

buttres s again st its side . The an chorite , however, paid n o

atten tion . Um ar Khan then clim bed Lohgad , an d on its

sum m i t foun d his en em y absorbed in beatific con tem plation .

Still louder Um ar Khan bade him begon e . Again the an chorite

heeded him n ot. Um ar Khan ,exasperated , seized him by the

Gran t Duff gives the n am es of the forts a s Kan gooree, Toon g, T ihon a ,Bhoorup , Koaree, Lohgad an d Rajm a chi .

1“ Visapurwas n ot fortified un til the tim e of Balaji Vishvan ath.



n ecessary to proceed cautiously. An un successful attem pt

would m erely drive hi m in to Open rebelli on . In the royal servi ce

was an am bitious Maratha n oble called Baj i Ghorpad e. The

fam i ly had on ce been kn own as Bhosle an d were probably

con n ected although rem otely with that of Shahaj i . They had

later taken the n am e of Ghorpad e after an an cestor who had

first us ed the ghorpad or large lizard for the capture of forts .

He had observed that the an i m al could n ot on ly clim b a perpen d i

cular rock, but could clin g to it even if pulled with great violen ce .

The Maratha ,actin g on his observation ,

train ed a ghorpad to run

up a wall i n a given direction . Its train in g com plete , he fasten ed

a rope ladder to its tail an d made it run up the wall of a fort

which he wished to escalade . When the ghorpad had reached

the sum m i t, a sm all boy was s en t up the ladder . The ghorpad ,feeli n g the strain ,

d ug its claws firm ly in to the earth . Wh en

the boy reached the top , he released the ghorpad an d fasten ed

the rope ladder to the groun d with iron pegs . By m ean s of a

ladder the storm i n g party reached the top an d overpowered

the garrison . This device was afterwards us ed exten sively

by both the Ahm adn agar an d Bijapur govern m en ts . The kin g

had recen tly con ferred the fief of Mudhol on Ba j i Ghorpad e an d

he was n ow expected to Show that he had deserved hi s prom otion .

He was told treacherously to seize Shahaji’s person an d han d

him over as prison er to the kin g . A few days later, Ba ji Ghor

pade visited Shahaj i an d begged hi m to be presen t at a din n er

party given in hi s hon our. Shaha j i accepted the in vitation an d

cam e on the appoin ted d ay . When Shahaj i reached the outerdoor Ghorpad e

’

s servan ts bade hi m doff hi s sword an d shi eld an d

dism iss hi s atten dan ts . Shahaji , possibly suspectin g dan ger,

refus ed to do so . Ghorpad e then offered courteous ly to Show

hi s guest over the house . Shaha j i followed hi m un til they

reached the m ost distan t part of it . Sudden ly Ghorpad e shut

an d bolted a door behi n d hi m , thus separatin g Shahaji’

s attendan ts from their m aster . At the sam e tim e a body of Ghorpad e

’

s

m en hidden in the back of the -house rushed on Shahaji an dtook hi m prison er . He was put in chain s an d sen t to Mahom ed

Adil Shah .

THE RISE OF SHI VAJ I 143

I n the royal"

presen ce the un fortun ate n oble vain ly

protested hi s in n ocen ce . The kin g refused to believe hi m an d

ordered hi m to be bricked up in a wa ll . Mason s were sen t for.

A n i che large en ough to adm i t a m an was m ade . In to it Shahaji

was placed an d in fron t of him the m ason s began to bui ld a

fresh wall . As each layer added to its height the kin g shouted

at hi s victim : Con fess your gui lt an d save your life "” At

last the layers of bricks reached as hi gh as Shahaji’

s chi n , leavin g

on ly hi s face visible. As Shahaj i still asserted that his son

Shi vaji had acted en tirely without his authority, the ki n g stopped

the m ason s an d left Shahaji a s he was . But he ~ told hi m to

write to his son an d threaten ed, in case Shiv aji d id n ot soon com e

to Bijapur, to close the sm all aperture that still rem ain ed . On

receivin g hi s father’s letter Shi v aji was in a cruel dilem m a .

If he wen t to Bijapur , he would alm ost certain ly be executed .

If he did n ot , his father would die in his place . A thi rd course

was , SO it is said , suggested tohim by his wife Saibai . He sen t

on e ofDad oji’

s old clerks , Raghun ath Pan t, to Delhi to in voke

the aid of Shah Jehan . That em peror had n o love for Shaha ji,

who had so lon g defied hi s efforts to con quer Ahm adn agar .

But the chan ce of pickin g a quarrel with Bijapur an d above

all of an n exin g that part of Ahm adn agar whi ch had been resign ed

to Bijapur by the recen t treaty was too good to be lost . The

em peror sen t direct to Shaha j i a letter* dated Novem ber 30,1649 . I n it he wrote that he overlooked the past an d that he

had sen t word to hi s am bassadors to secure Shahaji’

s release

an d that he accepted hi m as a n oble of the Delhi em pire . He

also con ferred a dress of hon our on Shahaj i an d gave a com m an d

in the im perial service to Sam bhaji . The arrival of the letter

at Bijapur m ust have caused Mahom ed Adil Shah som e hours

of an xious thought . If he killed Shaha ji,Shi v ajl would do

hom age for his recen t con quests to Shah Jehan . The latter

would gladly hold them as security for the Bijapur arrears of

tribute an d would further dem an d satisfaction for the death of

Shahaj i , n ow a subj ect of Delhi . Shahaji’

s frien d s Murar

Jagdev , the first m in ister, an d Ran d ulla Khan ,Shahaji

’

s Old

See Appen di x A ,p . 149 .


com rade in arm s , in terceded for him . The kin g relen ted, an d

releasin g Shahaj i from hi s brick coffin allowed him to m oveabout in Bijapur city but forbade him to leave it . As Shivajihad achieved his object , he n o lon ger wished to becom e a feud atory of Delhi . He begged that before he did so the em peror

would gracious ly con fer on hi m the d eshm ukhi reven ue or tithesof Jun n ar an d Ahm adn agar, which were hi s by an cien t right .

The em peror replied " courteously that he would atten d to them atter when he return ed to Court . Shivaj1 Should then havehi s agen t ready an d fully in structed to argue hi s case .

The position n ow between Shivaji an d the Bijapur govern m en twas on e of stalem ate . If Shi vaji com m i tted further aggression s

they would certain ly kill Shaha ji . If Mahom ed Adil Shah

harm ed Shaha ji , Shi vaji would call in Moghul aid . I n the

circum s tan ces n either party wi shed to begin overt hostilities .

But the Bijapur govern m en t m ade a secret attem pt to capture

their en em y .j‘ Am on g the latter’s con quests was the town of

Mahad in the Kon kan about 50 m i les as the crow fli es to the

south-west of Poon a . It is n ow the head-quarters of a taluka

in the Ratn agiri district . It was even then an im portan t place

an d Shi v aji used often to visit it . Thi s was kn own to the Bija

pur govern m en t , an d on e Ba j i Sham rajwas ordered to surp ri se

him there an d take him dead or alive . As the coun try im m ed i

ately to the east of Mahad was a fief of a certain Chan dra Rao

More,Raja of Jaoli , he was m ade privy to the plot an d he agreed

to let Ba j i Sham raj con ceal him self withi n hi s estates .

Chan dra Rao More was on e of the m ost im portan t Hin du

n obles un der the Bijapur govern m en t. His chi ef town Jaoli ,n ow a petty village , lay in the valley Of the Koyn a River,im m ediately below Mahableshwar , to-d ay the sum m er capital

of the Bom bay govern m en t . That plateau , whi ch exten ds

from the head of the Krishn a valley to Pan chgan i , a distan ce

of n early 20 m i les , is n ow in tersected in every direction by

broad red roads an d by shady ridin g paths that lead the

vi sitor to poin ts an d clearin gs , from which can be seen views

See Appen dix B, p . 149 .

TGran t Duff, Vol. 1 , p. 145 . See a lso Ran ad e.



the s ource of n o less than five , has been sacred from rem ote

tim es . Am on gst the earliest kn own pilgrim s was Sin ghan a,

on e of the greatest of the Yadava kin gs . In 1215 he bui lt at the

sources of the Krishn a a sm all tem ple an d d ug a pon d in hon ourof the god Shiva , who here is worshipped un der the title ofMaha-Bal-Ishwar, or god the m ighties t .

The Yadava kin gs gave theMahableshwar plateau an d n eigh

bourin gvalleys to the Shi rkes , the fam ily ren own ed by the defeatof Malik-ul-Tujar n ear Vishalgad . After their con ques t by the

Bahm an i kin gs , the Shi rkes heldMahableshwar as vassals . With

the down fall of the Bahm an i kin gdom the Shi rkes fell als o . Yus uf

Adil Shah , the foun der of the Bijapur kin gdom ,offered the Shi rkes ’

fief to Pars oji Bajirao More , on e of hi s Maratha captain s, an d

gave him troops with whi ch to con quer it . More was com

pletely victorious . After a series of fights he drove the Shirkesfrom the lan ds whi ch they had held for s o m an y years . Besidesthe fief, Yusuf Adil Shah con ferred on More the title of Chan draRae , or Moon—lord , to be held by him in perpetui ty. Parsoji

’

s

son , Yeshwan t Rae, added fresh glory to the fam i ly fam e . In

the great defeat in flicted in 1524 on Burhan Nizam Shah I by

Ism ail Adil Shah , Yeshwan t Rae captured the green stan dard

of the Ah m adn agar arm y . For this feat More received the

perpetua l title of Ra ja an d leave to keep the roya l stan dard as

a trophy . For seven gen eration s the Mores govern ed Jaoli

wi thout leavin g an y en durin g tra ce of their rule . The eighth

in descen t from Parsoji was on e Krishn aji , ca lled like his

forbears Chan dra Rao More . When harassed by a risin g of the

Kolis or the wild tribes of the valleys he vowed that he wou ld,if

successful , give the god Mahableshwar a silver im age weighin g

half a m aun d . Either by the god ’s help or his own Skill,he

put down the risin g , an d in his gratitude he m ore than kept

his prom ise . He n ot on ly had the silver im age prepared

but had a stately tem ple built,which stan ds to this d ay . In side

it is a pool in to which the waters of the five rivers con tin uously

flow. Beside them is a sixth chan n el reserved for the waters

o f the Gan ges . Krishn aji had five son s,Ba la j i , Daulat , Han m an t

,

Govin d an d Yeshwan t . The eldest,Balaji , succeeded to the

THE R ISE OF SHIVA J I 147

title of Ra ja an d Chan dra Rao. The youn ger son s received a

vi llage ea ch . To Dau lat wen t the village of Shivthar Han m an t

in herited Jor ; Govin d , Jam bli ; an d Yeshwan t , Bahuli . In

Shivaji’

s youth J ijaba i had taken him on a pilgrim age to

Mahableshwar . Whi le there She was attracted by the beauty of

Bala ji More ’ s three daughters .

* She a sked for on e of them as a

bride for Shivaji . But Ba la ji More , who regarded the Bhoslesa s in ferior to his own an cien t house , declin ed the offer . When

Shivaji later pressed‘

More to join in the revolt again st the

Bijapur govern m en t , More again refused , pleadin g this tim e

his loya lty to Mahom ed Adil Shah . At the suggestion of the

Bijapur gov ern m en t , More n ow a llowed Ba ji Sham raj to use his

fief as a base from which to surprise an d kill Shivaji . The

a ttem pt failed a s it deserved . Shivaji’

s spies were a s wellin form ed as those of Bijapur. He learn t of Baji Sham raj

’

s

design,an d m ovin g secretly from Mahad , fell upon his ban d a s

they lay in wa it an d drove them with con siderable loss in to

Jaoli .

In 1653 Shaha ji , after four years of restrain t , was perm itted

to return to Ban ga lore . There he foun d everythin g in disorder.

The chiefs whom his arm ies had subdued had revolted durin g his

absen ce,a n d in on e of the fights which en sued

,his favourite

son Sam bhaji had fa llen . A Musulm an n am ed Mustafa Khan

cla im ed to have certain rights in the fortress of Kan akgiri , which

had been con ferred by the Bijapur govern m en t on Shaha ji

Bhosle. In stigated,if n ot actua lly aided

,by a m em ber of the

roya l household n am ed Afzul Khan ,Mustafa Khan overpowered

Shahaji’

s garrison a n d occupied Kan akgiri . Sam bhaji wen tthere with a force but foun d Mustafa Khan prepared to resist.Sam bha ji sen t a letter to Musta fa Khan

,urgin g him to refer the

d ispute to the kin g at Bijapur . While n egotiation s were pro

ceed in g, Musta fa Khan treacherously ordered his artillery-m en

to hit , if they cou ld , Sam bhaji an d the kn ot of officers roun d him

The batteries Open ed fire a n d a can n on —ba ll,hittin g Sa m bha ji ,

killed him in stan tly . The treachery profited Musta fa Kha n

but little . When Shaha ji on ce m ore reached Ban ga lore he ledan other body of troops to Kan akgiri an d storm ed it . With

Parasn is MSS . See also Maha bleshwar by Rao Bahadur Paras n is


superb gen erosity be spared the life of his son ’s assassin s . To

wards Ghorpad e of Mudhol , Shaha ji displayed a d ifferen t aspirit .

The kin g of Bi japur, an xious to. protect Ghorpad e from his

v ictim ’s ven gean ce,m ade both parties swear in his presen ce

n ever to m olest each other a n d m ade them as a proof of frien d

ship exchan ge with ea ch other portion s of t heir lan ds . Shaha ji

kept his prom ise in the letter but n ot in the spirit . He sen t

to Shivaji an epistle in which he wrote , Be'

careful to

com plete the work which you have un dertaken . By the grace

of the Most High m a y the wives of your en em ies ever bathe in

their own warm tears . May God crown your hopes with success

an d in crease your prosperity . You will n ot fa il to be courteous

a lways to Ba ji Ghorpad e, for you kn ow the great obligation s

un der which he has la id m e.

”

Shivaji prized highly the words of approva l con tain ed in them issive . He a lso grasped the rea l m ean in g of the last sen ten ce .

An d he resolved , when a fittin g chan ce cam e , to com ply with

Shahaji’

s wishes an d exact full ven gean ce from Ba ji Ghorpad e

ofMudhol .

Shivd z'

gvijaya Bakha r.


CHAPTER XV

EARLY SUCCESSES : JAOLI , JANJIRA , AND PRATAPGAD

A .D. 1655 To 1659

BEFORE carryin g out Shahaji’

s in jun ction to pun ish BajiGhorpad e, Shi v aji had hi s own quarrel to settle with Balaj i

More . He was , however, loth to destroy on ewhom he had kn owni n boyhood an d he resolved to m ake an effort to wi n over More

by person al in fluen ce,pHe visited Jaoli hi m self an d i n an

in terview wi th Balaj i More did hi s utm ost by appeals to hi sreligion an d patriotism to gain to hi s side the reluctan t n oble .

He m erely wasted hi s breath . Balaj i duri n g the in terv iew

tried to secure his visitor’s person in order to han d hi m over,jus t as Ghorpad e had han ded over Shaha ji , to the Bijapur

govern m en t . But Shiv aji , who had com e prepared for treachery,broke loose from his assailan ts an d m ade his escape . Shi v aji

n ow despaired of win n i n g More ’s alli an ce . Nevertheless he did

not at on ce declare war . He sen t to Jaoli two en voys,I

Ragho

Ballal Atre,a Brahm an

,an d Sam bhaji Kav aji , a Maratha , to

lay before Balaj i an ultim atum . Its term s were that he should

at on ce j oin Shi v aji an d give him hi s daughter in m arriage or

take the full con s equen ces of refus al . More at first affected

to gran t Shiv aji’

s dem an ds . Several in terviews took place ,but Balaji evaded a defin ite an swer . At last it becam e clear

that More was but am usin g the en voys in order to gain tim e .

On receivin g their report , Shi v aji with hi s arm y started as if

to go to Puran d ar . By n ight he chan ged hi s d irection an d

occupied Mahableshwar . Ragho Ballal Atre n ow dem an ded

an d Obtain ed on e m ore in tervi ew with More . What happen ed

is obscure . It is probable that Shiv aji’

s en voys charged Bala ji

The‘Mahableshwar Accoun t, ’ Parasn is MSS . See a lso Rao Bahadur

D. B. Parasn i s , Mahableshwar, p . 19.

EARLY SUCCESSES : JAOLI,JANJ IRA

,AND PRATAPGAD 151

wi th double deali n g an d that the latter com plain ed of Shiv aji’

s

in vasion . High words were exchan ged , swords were drawn

an d Ragho Ballal Atre an d Sam bhaji Kavaji killed More an d hi s

brother Then fleein g in to the jun gle they escaped to

Shi v aji . The latter had n ot authorized hi s en voy’s acts . But

as More ’s n on -acceptan ce of the ultim atum was tan tam oun t

to a declaration of war, Shi v aji determ in ed to profit by them .

He an d his troops pushed on at on ce to Jaoli . They were j oin ed

by Balaji’

s brothers , who had lon g been on bad term s* with hi m

because he had con fiscated their villages . Balaji’

s m i n i ster

Han m an trao an d Balaji’

s son s offered a gallan t resistan ce . But

their m en lacked the disciplin e of Shiv aji’

s force an d the ski ll

of his leadershi p . Han m an trao fell fightin g an d Balaji’

s son s

were overpowered an d taken prison ers . Shiv aji im proved the

victory to the utm ost . He en li sted in his serv ice More ’s own

troops , an d wi th their aid an d that of the brothers , to whom he

restored their villages,he overran in a few days the en tire fief.

I n a rem ote part of it was the stron g fort of Wasota,destin ed

m an y years afterwards to be an En gli sh prison . It fell at the first

assault an d after its fall Shiv aji m et with n o further resistan ce .

He could n ow con solidate hi s con quest . He foun d at Jaoli

a large treasure accum ulated by successive gen eration s of Mores .

With part of it he im proved the tem ple at Old Mahableshwar .

The rem ain der he put to a m ore practical use, n am ely the fortifi

cation of Pratapgad j‘

.

The rhym e Milale barabha i a n i buda li Chan dra Ra i will be foun d i nthe Shedgavkar Bakhar.

TI have followed the Shedgavkar Bakha r here. Gran t Duff m akes Sh iva jibu ild Pratapga d tem ple later, see Gran t Duff, Vol. 1 , p . 204 . I thin k that theform er i s right otherwise Sh ivaji could n ot have worshipped Bhavan i beforethe battle of Pratapgad .

A tin y portion of More’

s treasure escaped Shiv aji’

s observ ation . A n um berof gold coin s had been con cea led i n a n earthen pot an d buried i n a field i n the

Kri shn a v a lley. More than 250 years afterwards a cultiv ator a cciden tallyun earthed the pc t a s he ploughed the field . He an d h is n eighbours sharedthe coin s am on g them selves . The fin d reached the ears of the Musulm an

chief con stable of Pan chgan i . Un happily for hi m he fell a v ictim to hi s own

covetousn ess . In stead of reportin g the m atter to h is superi ors , he forcedthe v illagers to surren der the trea sure an d thu s m isappropriated it to h i sown use. He was arrested. By a curious cha n ce he wa s tried an d con vi ctedby the writer of these pages , then Session s Judge of Satara ,

an d sen ten ced toa lon g term of im prison m en t .

152 A HISTORY on THE MARATHA PEOPLE

A charm i n g story has been preserved whi ch explain s hi sselection of Pratapgad rather than an y of the other hills in

the n eighbourhood . It had been the practice of the Bhoslefam ily to visit at least on ce a year the tem ple of Bhavan i ,or Parwati , at Tuljapur. After the vi sion in whi ch she

poin ted out to Maloji the treasure from whi ch the Bhosles ’

fortun es rose , she had becom e the special obj ect of the fam i ly

worship . But a fter Shi v aji’

s

'

rebelli on it was n o lon ger safefor him to m ake a pilgrim age to

.Tuljapur . For it lay far to

the east of hi s territories . He therefore decided to bui ld a

tem ple at Bairi . For thi s purpose he sen t all over In dia for a

suitable piece of m arble for the goddess ’ im age . But on e n ight

he saw Bhavan i in a vision . She told him that her wish was

n ot to have a tem ple at Bairi but to live close toMahableshwar .

Shi v aji should search un til he foun d a hi ll kn own as the Bhorapya

Hi ll . On its sum m it he should build a tem ple for her an d a

fort for hi m s elf . Next m orn in g Shiv aji searched for the Bhorapya

Hi ll. A herdsm an poin ted it out to him about twelve m iles to

the west of the Mahableshwar plateau . When he reached it

his v ision ' was con firm ed by the discovery of a ston e on whi ch

was m arked a lin g,’ the special m ark of Shiva . Shi v aji n o

lon ger doubted that hi s dream had com e through the gates of

horn an d buildi n g a tem ple to Bhavan i placed in it the m arble

idol prepared by hi m for Bairi . Roun d the tem ple Moro Pin gle ,at his m aster’s orders , bui lt a fortress . To it Shiv aji gave the

n am e of Pratapgad or the Fort of Glory.

” The spot chosen

by Bhavan i did in fin i te credit to her judgm en t . From the

Koyn a valley Pratapgad rises over 1000 feet . But on the

western side it drops yet an other 1000 feet in to the Konkan ,

an d to him who looks at it from the Mahad road it offers a

spectacle of the m ost im posin g kin d . At the sam e tim e it

com m an ds what is n ow kn own as the Mahad Ghat, the on ly

pass by whi ch the traveller can descen d from the Krishn a or the

Koyn a va lley in to the Kon kan . The possession of thi s pass

was of the utm ost value to Shi v aji , for it j oin ed up hi s n ew

con quest of Jaoli with hi s form er con quests alon g the western

seaboard .


EARLY SUCCESSEs : JAOLI . JANJ LRA ,AND PRATAPGAD 153

Not lon g after the fall of Jaoli an in ciden t happen ed whi ch

showed clearly the course whi ch Shi v aji had chosen for hi m self .

I n a v illage n am ed Golewad i , n ot far from Wai but in Jaoli terri

tory, lived a Maratha n am ed Gole , who on Chan dra Rao ’s death

tried to m ake him self in depen den t . Shiv ajl put down the

risin g an d took Golewad i by storm . I n the course of the

fightin g , Gole’s daughter-in—law,

a beautiful youn g wom an,was

taken prison er an d brought to Shi v aji by on e of hi s Brahm an

officers . Shiv aji could have placed her i n hi s zan an a without

in currin g an y reproach . Nevertheless , after praisin g the girl’s

beauty,he turn ed to his officer an d said , So fair is she that

were it in m y power, I should wish to be born as her son

He then gave the lady presen ts such as she would have received

had she visited her father or her brother an d sen t her back pro

perly atten ded to her husban d . To hi m he also wrote an assur

an ce that the youn g wom an was leavin g hi s custody as pure

as when she had en tered it .

I n 1656 a fresh war broke out between Bij apur an d the

Moghuls . Shah Jehan s thi rd son Auran gzib had treacherously

attacked an d defeated the kin g of Golcon da an d forced on hi m

a hum iliatin g peace . The prin ce then turn ed hi s eyes towards

Bijapur . He had lon g disliked the kin g , Mahom ed Adil Shah ,who had been on frien dly term s wi th his eld ’est brother an d rival

Dara Shakoh . I n Novem ber, 1656, Mahom ed Adil Shah died ,leavin g as hi s successor hi s son Ali Adil Shah . The latter was

on ly n in eteen years of age an d Auran gzib saw in the weakn ess

of the youn g kin g a chan ce of reven gin g him self upon a dead

en em y. He in s in uated to the em peror that Ali Adil Shah was

illegitim ate . Bijapur was a tributary state . The succession ,

argued the prin ce , depen ded on the approval of Delhi . As Ali

Adil Shah had without rights of in heritan ce an d without the

em peror’s perm i ssion usurped the thron e , he should be at on ce

deposed . Shah Jehan yielded to thi s reason in g an d orderedAuran gzib to attack Bijapur . The un happy youn g kin g suedfor peace i n the hum blest term s an d offered to pay as ran som

Shedgavkar Bakhar. A s im ilar s tory is told in the Bom bay Ga zetteerof Sh iv aji an d Mulan a Ahm ad ’s daughter-in -law. Both are probably v arian tsof the sa m e tale.


a crore of rupees . But Auran gzib’

s aim was to subvert the

kin gdom . He refus ed all term s , an d overrun n i n g Bijapur , lpressed the siege of the capital wi th the utm ost vigour . The

ki n g gave hi m s elf up for lost, when an even t at Delhi com pletely.chan ged hi s situation .

On Septem ber 8,

1657,the Em peror Shah Jehan fell

seriously ill . His eldest son Dara Shukoh ,who was at

Agra wi th hi s father, assum ed the govern m en t . Prin ce

Shuja,Dara ’s secon d brother

,was govern or of Ben gal .

Pri n ce Murad Baksh,his fourth brother

,was govern or of

Ah m adabad . Both Shuja an d Murad Baksh rebelled . Auran g

zib, en riched by the wealth taken from the Golcon da ki n g,an d gen eral of the Deccan arm y

,raised the siege of Bijapur an d

j oin ed in the risin g . What followed is too well-kn own to be

related in detail . The em peror recovered from hi s illn ess an d

ordered hi s son s to return to their duties . They paid n o heed

to his orders, but attackin g the im perial arm y un der Dara

Shukoh com pletely defeated it at Sam aghar , on e day’

s m arch

from Agra . After the victory of the alli es Auran gzib im prison ed

Murad Baksh,defeated Shuja an d beheaded Dara Shukoh

(A .D. Then deposin g Shah Jehan , he m oun ted the

thron e in hi s place . When Auran gzib first m arched upon

Bijapur, Shiv aji welcom ed hi m as an ally . He wrote a letter

to the prin ce in whi ch he begged that Auran gzib would , on the

em peror’s behalf, ackn owledge hi s rights over the forts an d

territories con quered by him from Bijapur . Auran gzib ,in a

letter* d ated April 23, 1657 replied in the m ost gracious term s .

He recogn ized Shi v aji as the lord of all the territories in hi s

occupation an d he called upon hi m as an a lly to rej oice in hi s

recen t successes . Day by d ay ,”wrote the jubilan t Moghul,

we are becom in g m ore victorious . See " the im pregn able

Bedar fort , n ever before taken ,an d Kalyan i , n ever storm ed

even in m en ’s dream s,have fallen in a d ay . Others

would have tried for days together to take them ,but

would have tried in vain .

”But the vi ctories whi ch so

gratified Auran gzib gave'

little pleasure to Shi v aji . He had

Origin al letter in Parasn is Collection .



Ra j gad ; an d in com m an d of his war-ships he placed a n um ber

of hi s coun trym en . These Abyssin ian s were won t to a ssum e

the title of Syad an d to claim a descen t from the Prophet . This

title the Marathas corrupted in to Sidi . Upon the partition of

the Ah m adn agar ki n gdom the rocky islan d passed with the

m ain lan d to Bijapur .

_But it n ever received a n am e . It was

sim ply kn own as Jazira,or the Islan d . This Arabic word the

Marathas corrupted in to Jan j ira,whi ch serves it as a n am e to

thi s d ay . The Bijapur govern m en t retain ed the Abyssin ian

sailors i n their service, but placed over them their own officers ,

to whom were also en trusted several forts on the m ain lan d . At

the tim e of Shi v aji the Bijapur govern or was an Afghan called

Fatih Khan an d it was from his subordin ates that Shi v ajihad in hi s first direct attack on Bij apur taken the forts of Sala

Gossala a n d Bairi . Sin ce that reverse Fatih Khan had shown

m ore alertn ess a n d hi s spies had carefully watched Shi vaji’

s

m ovem en ts . The latter n evertheless was con fiden t of success .

He equi pped an efficien t force , in to which he adm i tted 800

Afghan m ercen aries , an d defen ded the act by tellin g hi s som e

what scan da lized followers that those who sought to foun d an

em pire m ust have the sym pathy an d the help of all classes an d

all creeds . He in creased hi s cavalry out of the spoils of Jun n ar

an d Ah m adn agar an d appoin ted to com m an d them NetojiPalkar

,a brave an d en terprisin g officer . Shi v aji had by thi s

tim e appoin ted,after the m an n er of the Bij apur an d Ah m ad

n agar govern m en ts , a Peshwa or foreign m i n i ster . The holder

of the office was a Brahm an called Sham raj Nilkan t Ran jekara n d to him was en trusted the task of overthrowin g Fatih Khan .

The appoin tm en t was a m istake . Shiv aji should him self haveled the arm y in an un dertakin g so arduous . Sham raj provedun equal to it . He was surpri sed an d defeated by Fatih Khanan d his arm y dispersed . Shiv aji strain ed every n erve to repair

the disaster . He sen t a large body of fresh troops an d ordered

Ragho Ballal Atre to assum e the com m an d in place of the

beaten gen eral . Ragho Ballal Atre n ot on ly checked the pursuit

Both Gran t Duff an d Ran ad e callFa tih Khan a Sidi . But thi s is in correct .

He was a n Afghan officer of Bijapur (Khafi Kha n , Elliot an d Dowson , Vol.

VII , p .

EARLY SUCCEsss s : JAOLI,JAN J IRA

,AND PRATAPGAD 15 7

but soon forced Fatih Khan to act on the defen sive . Moro

Pin gle succeeded Sham raj as P eshwa,an d Shiv aji , Pin gle an d

Netoji Palkar spen t the m on soon of 1659 in equ ippin g a force

large en ough to overwhelm Fatih Khan in the followin g win ter

an d seize Jan j ira .

Shiv aji however was forced to chan ge hi s plan s to m eet a n ew

an d form idable dan ger . Sham raj’

s repulse before Jan jira had

put fresh heart in to the Bij apur govern m en t . The youn g

kin g at his m other’s suggestion called on the n obles of hi s court

to volun teer for the com m an d of an arm y destin ed to destroy

Shi v aji an d his followers . The first to step forward was on e

Afzul Khan ,a m an of great stature an d stren gth . He was the

son of the dowager queen ’s brother,who was superin ten den t

of the royal kitchen . He was the sam e m an who, as I have

already m en tion ed , in stigated Mustafa Khan’s rebellion , in

the course of whi ch Shiv aji’

s elder brother Sam bhaji fell . Afzul

Khan had also been govern or of IVai on the upper reaches of

the Krishn a an d he kn ew well the coun try roun d Jaoli . The

kin g gladly accepted his services an d placed him at the head of

a fin e arm y com posed of horse an d well equipped with

can n on , stores an d am m un ition . His in struction s were to take

Shi v aji dead or alive . Failin g that, he was to recover Shi v aji’s

recen t con quests from Bijapur . Afzul Khan m ade the boastful

reply that he would n ot on ly take Shiv aji prison er, but would

m ake hi m ride on his own horse back to Bijapur.

I n Spite of these brave words , evil om en s , so the Maratha

chron iclers love to relate , repeatedly warn ed Afzul Khan again st

the en terprise . As he reviewed his arm y before the first m arch ,Fatih Lashkar, the picked elephan t of the Bijapur stables , d ied j

‘

.

Wh en Afzul Khan wen t to say good—bye to his priest I, the

latter recoiled in horror , for he could see in fron t of him on ly a

headless figure . Nothi n g daun ted by these om en s , Afzul Khan

set out in Septem ber 1659 from Bijapur . He seem s to have first

Gran t Duff estim ates the force a t horse a n d foot ; a ll the

Hin du Writers estim ate it a t horse.

1" Ba llad Of Afzul Kha n .

1: Shedgavkar Baldwr


in ten ded to turn Shivaji’

s southern fortresses by a wide flan kin g

m arch . He , therefore , m arched alm ost d ue n orth from Bijapur'

to

Tuljapur . Thi s was , an d is still , a favourite shrine of Bhavan i

an d was , as I have said , especially dear to the Bhosle fam ily .

Kn owi n g this , AfzulKhan resolved to desecrate it . The priests

sus pected hi s in ten tion s an d before hi s arrival m oved . the

goddess ’ im age to a place of safety. Un able to destroy the

im age , Afzul Khan had a cow killed an d its blood sprin kled

throughout the tem ple .

* I n the m ean whi le Shi vaji , hearin g of

Afzul Khan’s advan ce, had retired with hi s troops from Rajgad

to Jaoli , where the difficulties of the coun try would"

en able him

better to m eet the Bijapur arm y. Afzul Khan at on ce altered

hi s lin e of m arch an d turn ed south-west , crossin g the Bhim a

River at Pan dharpur . Here also he desecrated the tem ples an d

thr ew the im age ofPun d alik in to the water . The idol ofKrishn a

stan di n g on a brick was saved from hi s fury by the_vigilan ce of

the Brahm an s . From Pan dharpur, Afzul Khan m arched

through Rahim atpur to Wai , where he am used hi m s elf by pre

parin g a cage for Shi v aji’

s con fin em en t . At the sam e tim e

he sen t a m essen ger to Shi vaji in vi tin g him to a conferen ce at

Wai . But Shi vaji by n ow had had som e experien ce of Bijapur

ways Vishv asraoj‘

a Prabhu by caste an d the chief of

Shiv aji’

s secret service , had already m ade hi s way dressed in

a fakir’s garb in to Afzul Khan ’s cam p an d had heard him boast

that he m ean t to en trap Shi v aji an d take him prison er to

Bijapur . This in form ation Vishv asrao at on ce com m un icated to

his m as ter . When Afzul Khan ’s en voy,Krishn aji Bhaskar, i

reached Pratapgad , Shi vaji affected to believe hi s words an d

expressed him self as an xious to m eet the Khan as the latterwas to m eet hi m . The Khan , said Krishn aji , will use his

in fluen ce with the Bijapur govern m en t to obtain n ot on ly

forgiven ess but form al cession s of all lan ds in your occupation .

If tha t i s so , replied Shi v aji ,“

an d the Khan is really well

affected toward s m e, I shall gladly m eet hi m at Jaoli . But I

Ba llad of Afzul Khan .

1 Shedga vka r Bakhar. His full n am e was Vishvasrao Na n aj i Muse Khorekar .

I Krishn aji Bhaskar wa s Ku lkarn i of Wa i a n d Diwan of Afzul Khan .

He sen t him to Shi v aji .



in duce hi m to return with you to Bijapur . Afzul Khan,

con fiden t in hi s troops an d in hi s own person al stren gth , _sen t

back a m essage to Shiv aji acceptin g hi s in vi tation .

When the fortn ight had elapsed , Afzul Khan struck his cam p

an d m arched over the Mahableshwa r plateau . At each haltin gplace he foun d am ple provision s for hi s troops , who m arched

gaily alon g,ign oran t that thousan ds of hostile eyes watched them

from the n eighbouri n g thi ckets . They descen ded the Rad ton d i

pass,but as they wen t

,yet an other ill om en warn ed Afzul Khan

of approachi n g disaster . . The elephan t which carried the roya l

stan dard stopped dead an d refused to m ove .

* But the Bijapur

gen era l was as bli n d to om en s as the Greek warriors who

m arched again st Thebes. The stan dard was placed on an other

elephan t ’s back an d the arm y,reachi n g the Koyn a valley, en

cam ped at Par,a sm all village at the foot

_of Pratapgad .

The In terv i ew was fixed for the followin g . even in g an d

the place chosen was a spot about a quarter of a m ile from

the fort walls . Shi v aji had a sham i an a erected an d fur n ished

with rich carpets an d costly han gin gs . I n the m orn in g he

bathed an d ate hi s breakfast as u sual . I n the aftern oon he, laydown an d slept , as if n o dan ger awaited him . After risin g he

visited the tem ple of Bhavan i a n d im plored her help . Next

he took in to his con fiden ce hi s com rade Tan aji Malusare, the

Peshwa Moro Pin gle an d Netoji Palkar . They were ordered to

post troops roun d the flan ks an d rear of the Bijapur arm y so as

to cut off all possibility of retreat in case Afzul Khan attem pted

treachery. The sign al for their attack was to be a blast on a

horn . Shi v aji then called a coun cil an d n am ed in the even t

of his death hi s youn g son Sam bhaji as his heir an d Netoji

Palkar as regen t . Last of all he visited hi s m other J ijabai .

She begged him n ot to m eet Afzul Kh an . Shi v aji , however ,stood firm in his resolve . The Hin du gods , he said , an gered

wi th Afzul Khan , will , if n eed be , fight on m y Side .

”At len gth

J ijabai gave way ,blessed him ,

an d as he left her said , Be

careful , m y son ,be careful an d take ven gean ce for Sam bhaji

your brother .

”

Afzul Khan Ballad

EARLY SUCCESSES : JAOLI, JANJ IRA, AND PRATAPGAD 161

Shiv aji then prepared him self to m eet the treachery

whi ch he an ticipated . He put on a coat of chain arm our .

Over it he put on a gold-em broidered coat . On hi s

head he fasten ed a steel cap an d woun d over an d roun d it a

lon g cloth turban . In to hi s left han d he fitted the steel poin ts

kn own as waghn akkor tiger claws . He con cealed a sm all dagger

kn own as a vi n cku or scorpion in hi s right sleeve . Then fully

equi pped he began to descen d the hi ll accom pan i ed by Jivba

Mahala , Sam bhaji Kav aji an d a third whose n am e has n ot

survived . I n the m ean tim e Afzul Khan was bein g carried up

Pratapgad in a palan qui n . At hi s side wen t Krishn aji Bhaskar .

Behi n d them followed a large body of arm ed m en . Kri shn ajipoin ted out that if the Khan hoped to dupe Shi v aji , he hadbetter leave hi s soldiers behi n d . Afzul Khan agreed an d reduced

his escort to the sam e n um ber as Shiv aji’

s . On e of these ,however, was a fam ous swordsm an n am ed Sayad Ban da .

Shi v aji , seein g Sayad Ban da , sen t a m essen ger to say that he

feared his presen ce an d offered to dism i ss on e of hi s atten dan ts,if Afzul Khan left Sayad Ban da behin d . Afzul Khan con

sen ted an d Sayad Ban da halted . Shi vaji then sen t away hi s ,

thi rd atten d an t an d accom pan ied on ly by Jivba Mahala an d

Sam bhaji Kav aji advan ced to greet the Khan ,who had n ow

en tered the sham i an a . Shi v aji appeared to be un arm ed an d

Afzul Kha n ,who carried a sword , thought that the m om en t

had com e to seize hi m . He addressed Shi v aji in in sultin g ton es

an d asked how a com m on peasan t like him cam e to have the

ri ches displayed in the sham ian a . Shiv aji repli ed hotly that that

was hi s busin ess , an d n ot AfzulKhan’s , whose father was n othin g

but a cook.

* The Khan , en raged at the taun t, seized with

the left arm Shi vaji by the n eck, forcin g his head un der hi s

arm pit . At the sam e tim e the Khan with his sword tried to

stab him in the stom ach . The coat of m ail turn ed the poin t .

Nevertheless Shivaji was in great peril . Although expectin g

treachery he had yet been taken un awares . To use a term from

the prize rin g , he was in Chan cery ; an d by a com m on trick of

Afzul Kha n Ba llad. Shiv aji’

s taun t referred to the post of superin ten

den t oi the royal kitchen held by AfzulKhan ’

s father.

l l


In dian wrestlers Afzul Khan wa s tryin g to dislocate Shi vaji’

s

n eck by twistin g hi s head . As he afterwards said when relatin g

the scen e to a frien d ,* he was on the poin t of fain tin g . Had

he don e so he would have been lost Sudden ly he thought of

hi s divi n e m ission . Hope an d courage return ed . He swun ghi s left arm roun d the ‘ Khan ’s waist as he raised hi s right armfor a secon d blow . The steel claws bit deeply in to the Khan ’s

stom ach an d as he win ced with the pain , Shi v aji freed his right

arm a n d drove the dagger in to his en em y’s back . Afzul Khan

broke away an d aim ed a m ighty blow at Shi v aji’

s head,whi ch

cut through the turban a n d the steel cap , in flictin g a slight

scalp woun d . Shiv aji s n atched a sword from J ivba Mahala ,who

carried two, an d struck the Khan through his left shoulder . He

fell callin g for help . Sayad Ban da an d his other atten dan ts

rushed up . They placed Afzul Khan in a palan qui n an d tried

to carry him back to Par . But Shi v aji an d J ivba Mahalaovercam e Sayad Ba n da an d Sam bhaji Kav aji , run n in g a fterthe palki bearers slashed at their legs un til they dropped their

burden . Sam bhaji then cut off the dyin g m an’s head

’

an d

brought it back to Shiv aji . The latter blew his horn .

From every corn er of the thick jun gle poured out bodies of

foot-soldi ers an d s quadron s of cavalry . The battle was en ded .

i n a few secon ds . The Bij apur horsem en , com pletely sur

pri sed , were ridden over by Netoji Palkar before they hadtim e to m oun t . Those who tri ed to escape on foot were cut

off by Shi v aji’

s i n fa n try . Num bers fell but at Shiv aji’

s

orders all who surre n dered were spared . The Maratha

prison ers were a llowed to en li st i n Shiv aji’

s service . A body

of 300 cava lry , i n cludin g Fa za l Mahom ed, Afzul Khan’s

son ,m an aged wi th the help of on e Kha n d oji Khopad e to

escape to Karad . But the e n tire cam p , treasury , stores ,horses , elepha n ts an d can n on of the Bij apur force fell in to

Shivaji’

s han ds . Much of thi s booty he distributed a s re

ward‘

s am on g hi s troops . On Pan toji Gopin ath he bestowed

the vi llage of Hiv are. To Vishv a srao , the spy who had firs t

Ram das . Shivaji sa id that h is courage return ed When he thought ofRam da s but I take it that he m ean t that he thought of Ram das an d all th atRa m da s stood for—theHin du tem ples , gods an d castes .



A PPENDIX

The a ccoun t given by m e of the Pla tapgad battle differs so widely fromthat given by Gra n t Duff, tha t I thin k it n ecessary to go in to the m atter m ore

carefully than I could d o in the prev ious chapter, for fear of spoilin g the n arrative.

In Gran t Duff’s story , Shivaji is m ade to bri be Afzul Khan ’

s en voy, Pan tojiGopin ath, an d with hi s help to lead Afzul Khan in to a trap deliberately laidfor him an d treacherou sly to m urder hi m . With all deferen ce to that learn edan d em in en t writer, I can n ot but thi n k that on thi s occasion he ha s been lessthan fa ir to Shiv aji . Pan toji Gopin ath was Shivaji

’

s officer an d n ot Afzul

Khan ’

s . The bestowa l therefore on hi m of B ivaro v illage was n ot a bribeatall an d could n ot have in fluen ced the rea l en v oy, Krishn aji Bhaskar. The

story of Shi vaji’

s treachery was taken by Gran t Duff from Khafi Khan .

Now Khafi Khan ’

s a ccoun t should in m y opin ion be wholly di scarded. Hi s

bias aga in st Shi v aji is such that he n ever speaks'

of hi m except as that v ilein fidel or that hell d og. His d escription

xof the scen e too i s ridicu lous .

A ccordin g to hi m , Shiv aji begged forgiven ess in abject term s an d with lim bstrem blin g an d crou chi n g.” If Shivaji had thus overa cted hi s part, he wouldcerta in ly have roused suspicion in the Khan ’

s m in d. Aga in Khafi Khan’s

story could n ot have been based on an y eye-witn ess ’s ev iden ce. All theMusul

m an s n ear en ough to see what happen ed di ed with Afzul Khan . It m ay be

of course sa id that if Khafi Khan ’

s accoun t should be rejected on accoun t ofhis bia s , so a lso should the Bakha re. But this is n ot so. Owin g to a curiousm en ta l attitude of the writers of the Bakhars , they have gon e out of theirway to im pute un scrupu lous acts to Shivaji in the belief that thereby theyproved h is clevern ess an d subtlety. It i s certa in that if Khrishn aji An a n tSabhasad , the author of the Sabha sad Bakha r, ha d believed that Shivaji ha dbegun the attack on Afzul Khan , he would have gloried in the act. Now boththis Baklm r an d the Shivd igvijaya Bakka r agree tha t it was Afzul Khan whowas gui lty of the first treacherous attack. In this they are supported by theSkedgavka r an d Chitn is Bakka re an d by the Afzul Kha n Ballad. In deedGran t Duff has later adm itted that all the H in du authorities lay the blam e of

the attack on Afzul Khan . But he has n ot given an y reason s for rejectin gthem

—

i n fav our of Khafi Khan ’

s accoun t. To m y m i n d, however, there ison e con clus ive groun d for preferrin g them to the Musulm an hi storian . Therei s a passage in the life of Ram da s by hi s pupil Han m an t in whi ch the latter,a con tem porary of Shi vaji , writes tha t at their first m eetin g after the death ofAfzul Khan , the kin g spoke to Ram das as follows When at our in terv iewAbdulla (Le. Afzul Khan ) caught m e un der hi s arm , I was n ot in m y sen ses

a n d but for the Swam i ’s blessin g I could n ot have escaped from his grip.

”

Now had Sh ivaji torn Afzul Khan’

s stom ach Open with his waghn akh an d

stabbed him with his dagger, hewould have been in n o dan ger an d would haven eeded n o blessin g. A m an a s badly woun ded as Afzul Khan ha d been was

boun d to collapse in a m in ute or two. From thi s it follows that Afzul Khanm ust have seized Shiv aji when un woun ded. It was , therefore, LAfzul Khanan d n ot Shiv aji Who was guilty of treachery

CHAPTER XVI

MUDHOL, PANHALA AND SAVANTVADI

A .D. 1660 TO 1662

THE n ews of Afzul Khan ’s death an d the com plete destruction

of his arm y produced the wildest con stern ation in Bijapur.

The dead gen era l was the first cousin of Ali Adil Shah an d the

queen m other, at whose suggestion AfzulKhan had been appoin t

ed to the com m an d , felt her n ephew’s death m ost deeply. She

refus ed for several days to eat or drin k . An d n ot on ly she ,but the kin g an d the whole Bijapur court , put on m ourn in grobes for Afzul Khan .

* Nor were the tidin gs that daily reached

the capital calculated to allay their grief . Shiv aji’

s arm y, swollen

by the en listm en t of the Bijapur Hin dus , spread over all the

Bijapur districts in the n eighbourhood of Jaoli an d over the

southern Kon kan . The Dalv is , an an cien t Maratha fam ily

in the Bi japur service , were driven from Shin garpur . Pan hala ,

a great fort n ear Kolhapur , surren dered without a siege to An n aji

Datto . Pavan gad an d Wassan tgad fell im m ediately after

wards . Ran gn a an d Kheln a were carried by a ssault Shivaji

chan ged the n am e of the latter place to Vishalgad , by which

n am e I shall hereafter call it . The Bijapur govern m en t , in

the hope of checkin g Shi v aji’

s trium phan t progress , ordered

Bastam Jam an , the com m an dan t of Mira j , at on ce to m ove

towards Kolhapur an d drive the rebel back to Jaoli . It was

a coun s el of despair, because Bastam Khan ’s strikin g force

n um bered on ly 3000 m en . Shi v aji allowed him to com e closeto Pan hala an d then fell upon him with a greatly superior arm y .

Rastam Jam an was com pletely d efeated j‘

an d he had con sider

able d ifficulty in escapin g back to Miraj . Shi v aji , after the

Victory, rallied hi s cavalry an d leadin g them to Bijapur plun dered

Sabhaead Bakkar.

TKhafiKha n ,E lliot an d Dowson , Vol. VII, p . 260:


the roya l territory up to the very gates of the city . Retreatin g

with his plun der to Vishalgad he deposited it there an d descen ded

in to the Kon kan (Jan uary, There he levied a heavy

con tribution from the town of Rajapur, captured the fort of

Dabhol, which had been con ceded to him by Auran gzib an d

return ed in trium ph to Rajgad .

Ali Adil Shah n ow resolved to Stake the whole resources of

his kin gdom on an attem pt to aven ge the disaster of Pratapgad .

He felt it useless to en trust the duty to an y of his hereditary

n obles . In trigue , j ealousy an d evil-livin g had ren dered them

in capable of actin g vigorou sly . The kin g therefore selected

Sidi Johar, an Abyssin ian m ercen ary, an d con ferred on him

the title of Salabat Jan g. As his secon d in com m an d , he n am ed

Afzul Khan ’s son Faza l Mahom ed , a hi gh-spirited youn g m an

who had escaped from Pratapgad an d who lon ged to retrieve

hi s own hon our and his father’s death . The kin g collected an

arm y of horse , 14 ,000' foot an d efficien t artillery . He

in structed Sidi Johar to recover Pan hala . At the sam e tim e

he ordered Fatih Khan toissue from Jan j ira an d retake the Kon

kan . The Savan ts of Savan tvadi un dertook to harass Shi v aji

by an attack on his south-western fron tier .

The little coun try of Savan tvadi , or the hom e of the Savan ts ,lies alon g the Sahyad ris . It is boun ded on the n orth by the

Malwan taluka an d on the south an d west by the Portuguese

districts . Durin g the greatn ess of the Vij ayan agar ki n gdom ,

Savan tvadi had been govern ed by the Vijayan agar viceroy of

Goa . At the close of the fifteen th cen tury Savan tvadi fell to

the arm s of Bijapur , but a local dyn asty kn own as the Desais

of Kuda l were allowed to con tin ue as govern ors . I n 1554 a

n ation al hero of great talen ts , n am ed Man g Savan t , revolted

again st Bijapur, an d drivin g out the Musulm an garrison s

rem ain ed in depen den t un til his death . His son was over

thrown ; but the fam ily retain ed a large part of the district

as Jaghir un til 1627,when Khem Savan t , a descen dan t

of Man g Savan t , on ce m ore m ade him self in depen den t . I n

1640 he was succeeded by his son Som Savan t , an d

Som Savan t,eighteen m on ths later,

’

by hi s b rother Lakham


168“


their The m on soon , durin g whi ch Shi vaji had expected

Sidi Johar’s retirem en t, burst, but the stout old Abyss in ian

paid n o heed to the teem in g rain an d he pressed the siege with

un rem i ttin g en ergy. Shiv aji’

s situation was n ow extrem ely

seri ous . Fam i n e was begin n in g to m ake itself felt am on g the

garrison . Septem ber had com e an d the d ry season would soon

be at han d . The fall of Pan hala would then be certain , an d

its fa ll m ean t his capture an d the ru in of all his hopes .

But if his situation was grave , n ever was hi s m in d

m ore resourceful or his courage hi gher. He sen t a m essen ger

to Sidi Johar‘

, in form in g hi m that he was anxi ous to

surren der an d proposin g a person al interview. The Abys

sin ian ,

’

who was a m an of hon our, gran ted it . He'

received

Shi vaji with all courtesy an d the two lead ers‘

spen t the d ayn egotiatin g for the surren der of Pan hala . In the even i n g som e

poin ts rem ain ed un settled . They were reserved for the follow

i n g m orn i n g . Shi vaji was perm i tted to return un m olested to

Pan hala . The besiegers were con vin ced that n ext d ay would

see the fall of the great fortress a n d con sidered them s elves

en titled to a little relaxation after m on ths of toil an d exposur e .

The sen tries slept at their posts . The din n ers of the officers

were m ore con vivial than usual . About m idn i ght Shi vaji an da body -of chosen troops left Pan hala . They descen ded , n ot

by an y of the regular roads , but by a differen t path kn own as

Shiv aji’

s Win dow .

”I n perfect silen ce they picked their way

through the sleepin g en em y an d taki n g a westerly direction

began to m arch,a s on lyMaratha hi llm en “

can ,toward s Vishalgad .T

It was im possible lon g to con ceal the flight of a large body of

Sabha sad Bakhar.

T I have a lready ( see Ta le of the Tuls z'

Pla n t, 2n d ed ition , p . 29 ) expressed the opin ion that Sh ivaji fled to Vishalgad an d n ot to Ban gn a . I relychi efly on ( 1 ) local tradition , (2) the Visha lga d Bakha r, (3) the greaterdistan ce of Ban gn a from Pan hala . A s regards (3 ) i t i s reason able to suppose that Shiv aji , other thin gs equa l , would have fled to the n earest

fortress . Now Visha lgad is 40 m iles from Pan ha la , while Ran gn a by theshortest road i s over 60. Nor is Visha lgad an y less stron g than Ran gn a .

Both descen d in to the Kon kan . Thus n either can he starved out. Aga inthe road to Vishalgad is through a den se forest, through which in fan try canm ove as qui ckly as cava lry . The road to Ran gn a li es through open coun try .

Had Shiv aji taken i t , he wou ld have seen been overtaken by the Bijapurhorse. It is n o doubt true that both Gran t Duff an d Ben ade m en tion

MUDHOL,PANHALA AND SAVANTVADI 169

troops . Before it dawn ed , Shivajr’

s escape had been discovered

an d Fazal Mahom ed begged an d obtain ed leave to pursue him

with a force of cavalry . Sidi Jchar prom ised to follow him with

a large body of in fan try . I n the wooded coun try throughwhi ch Shi v aji led his force , m en on foot can m ove as qui ckly

as m en on horseback . Nevertheless desire for reven ge len t

win gs to Fazal Mahom ed . About n oon his leadin g squadron

sighted Shiv aji’

s foot soldiers . The pos ition was critica l .

VishalgadWas yet six m i les off an d his m en were worn wi th wan t

of Sleep an d fatigue . But the great kin g ’s cooln ess did n ot desert

him . He detached half his troops to form a rearguard an d

placed it un der the com m an d of on e Baj i Deshpan de with

orders to resist to the last at a place called Pan dhar Pan i , or

the White Water . I n the m ean tim e Shiv aji with the m ain

body of his troops would m ake for Vishalgad with all expedition .

When he had reached it , he would fire five gun s as a sign al .Ba j i Deshpan de was then to break Off the fight an d retire as

best as he could to Vishalgad . The officer to whom the perilous

post of rearguard com m an der was en trusted had recen tly been

in arm s again st Shi v aji . He was of the sam e fam i ly as the

Deshpan d es of Robi da ,who had helped hi m in his early days .

But Baj i Deshpan de had served Chan dra RaoMore an d in the

con test between him an d Shiv aji , Baj i had stood by hi s m aster

even after hi s death . Even tually Baj i had j oin ed Shi vaji’

s

service . He was a Kayastha . Prabhu an d a few words about

that m ost attractive an d lovable caste m ay n ot be out

of place .

Ran gn a a s the pla ce to which Sh iv aji fled . But both these em in en twriters appear to hav e relied on the Chi tm

’

s Bakhar . On the other han dthe Shivd igvijaya Bakhar i s curiously am biguous . I t says that Shivajifirst wen t to Vishalgad an d then to Ran gn a . But Shiv aji could n ot havestarted before 1 1 p .m . , an d a ccordin g to Gran t Duff hewa s overtaken beforen oon . I n other words he wou ld have had to cov er a hun dred m i les inthirteen hours , m archin g con tin uously a t a rate of n early eight m i les a n

hour. This was an im poss ible speed even for Mawa l in fan try. It is

further n oteworthy that the Shivd z’

gv ijaya Bakha r says ( I ) that Deshpa n defought his rearguard a ction a t Pan d hare J alav ,

clearly the sam e place asPan d har Pan i , whi ch i s on ly s ix m iles from Visha lgad , an d (2) thatafterwards the Mu sulm an s en cam ped at Gajapur i an d besieged Shivaji atVishalgad . Lastly i t m ust n ot be forgotten that Shivaji ha d s tored h isrecen t booty at Vishalgad . Hewou ld n atura lly fa ll back there so as to

protect i t . I n these circum stan ces , I thin k, there i s good reason for

affirm in g that Shi v aji escaped to Vishalgad an d n ot to Ran gn a .


Its m em bers accoun t for their origin by the followin g tale .

A certain Sahasrarjun a , otherwise kn own as Kritav irya , was

on ce ki n g of the Haihiyas an d had a thousan d arm s . In his

kin gdom lived a sage called Jam ad agni , who , _wishi n g to‘

attain

perfect freedom from all hum an passion s , cast them from him .

Am on g them was An ger . Before leavin g J am ad agn i , An ger

warn ed him that he was m akin g a“

m istake,for without an ger

m an could achieve n othing . Jam ad agn i , however, in ten t

on ly on attain i n g com plete Sam/as , heeded n ot the warn i n g

an d bade An ger depart with the other passion s . Som e days

later kin g Sahasrarjun a cam e to Jam ad agn i’

s herm itage . T he

sage was out .

‘

But his wife bade the kin g welcom e . He

repaid her hospitality in churlish fashi on by stealin g her sa cred

calf . This act led to a dispute between the sage an d the kin g .

But as Jam ad agn i had lost all power to get an gry, he was un able

to lift his han d again st his roya l foe. The latter gave hi m

twen ty-on e woun ds on the head a n d killed him . Now am on gJ

'

am ad agn i’

s son s was on eRam a,called Para shuram a

,or Ram a

with the axe,a weapon given him by the god Shiva . He was

the sixth in carn ation of the god Vishn u an d when he heard of

his father’s death he took a fearful ven gean ce . For each

woun d t hat Jam ad agn i had received,he cleared the earth on ce

of the Kshatriyas or warrior class to which Sahasrarjun a

belon ged . Amon g his victim s was Sahasrarjun a’

s son

Chan d rasen a . His wife,who was pregn an t , fled to the herm it

age oi the sage Dalabhya . Para shuram a heard of the flight an d

followin g her d em an ded her of the sage . The latter com plied soreadily that Parashuram a prdm ised to give .hi m an y boon for

whi ch he' ‘

a sked . The sage at on ce asked for the life of the

chi ld still in the prin cess ’ wom b . Parashuram a gran ted the

boon but stipulated that the child , if a boy , should becom e a

writer an d n ot a warrior,an d that in stead of ~Kshatriya he

should call him self Kayastha,as he had been spared in hi s

m other ’s kaya or body. Whatever truth m ay un derlie this

legen d , it is certain that Kaya stha Prabhus un ite the quali ties

both of warriors an d writers . They are brave an d loyal,laborious an d in telligen t .



of som e En glish factors , whom he rightly or wron gly sus pected

of helpin g Fatih Khan to defen d J an j ira . He took them pri’

souers an d did n ot release them un til he had obtain ed a con s ider

able ran s om . Durin g the m on soon Shi v aji laid siege to Jan j ira .

This tim e he led the besiegin g‘

force in person . Nevertheless he

was un able to effect his purpose . Fatih Khan ’s shi ps held the

sea an d the islan d was too far from the m ain lan d for Shi v aji’

s

artillery to produce an y effect . At last Shi vaji , so the story

run s ,* had a dream in whi ch he saw Varun a . The Sea-god

spoke to him an d said , Jan j ira wi ll n ever fall in to your han ds .

To take it is beyon d your stren gth . I shall give you an other

islan d on which to'

erect a fortress equal to Jan j ira .

” When

Shivaji awoke he resolved to raise the siege an d , believin g a n

islan d off Malwan , kn own as Sin dhu Durg, to be the islan d of

whi ch the Sea-

god had spoken ,fortified it an d m ade it a

n ava l base .

Shivaji had an other an d perhaps a better reason for raisin g

the siege . The Savan ts of Savan tvadi proposed to the court

of Bijapur a further plan of cam paign . If they were supported

by the Bij apur arm y an d by Ba j i Ghorpad e of Mudh ol, they

un dertook to en gage Shi v aji with success . The ki n g agreed an d

sen t on eBahlol Khan with a force to co-operate wi th the Savan ts

a n d Baj i Ghorpad e. Had Shi vaji waited un til the con federateshad com pleted their preparation s , the Savan ts

’ schem e m ight

have succeeded . But that was n ot Shiv aji’

s way . He wen t

back to Vishalgad , whi ch is about equidistan t from Mudhol

in the Doab an d Savan tvadi in the southern Kon kan . There ,in the win ter of 1661-62, he learn t from hi s father that Baj i

Ghorpad ewas at Mudhol with on ly a sm all force .

* In stan tly

Shi v aji with 3000 horse stole forth from Vishalgad . With

extraordin ary swiftn ess he reached Mudhol, com pletely surpris

in ghis father’s en em y. Now was the tim e to take ven gean ce , an d

he took it to the full . Baj i Ghorpad e fought bravely, but he ,hi s followers an d his son s were all ki lled . Shi vaji m arched

through the fief strippin g it of everythi n g portable an d destroyin g

the rest. As he wrote in a letteri‘

to his father in form i n g hi m

Shivd igvijaya Bakhar. 1‘ See Appen dix , p . 178 .

MUDHOL,PANHALA AND SAVANTv 73

of hi s victory, the booty was en orm ous . The kin g of Bi j apur

sen t a rein forcem en t un der on e Khawa s Khan to replace the loss

of Ba j i Ghorpad e an d hi s troops . But Shi v aji in tercepted

Khawas Khan an d to use hi s own words drove hi m back sad

an d despon den t to BijapThat govern m en t had at this tim e to suffer further ill fortun e .

Sidi - Johar, who had so n early succeeded in en din g the war

by the capture of Shi v aji , deeply resen ted hi s supersession an d

disgrace . He at first retired to hi s own estate an d then began

to in trigue with the Hin du n obles of the Doab , who , fired by the

exam ple of Shi v aji , had risen again st Ali Adil Shah . Tha t

kin g, un aware of Sidi Johar ’s treachery, appoin ted him to

com m an d an arm y to suppress the risin g . This gave the an gry

gen eral the chan ce which he sought . So far from actin g again st

the Doab n obles , he n ot on ly helped them as far as he could ,but en tered in to a correspon den ce with Shiv aji him self . The

prin ce , however, was too pruden t to be drawn in to a distan t

expedition . Nevertheless Sidi Jchar thought the tim e fittin g for

rebellion an d attacked the Phaltan con tin gen t , when separated

from the m ain Bijapur arm y by the Tun gabhad ra River .

The treachery failed . The Phaltan chi ef ralhed hi s m en an d

even tually repulsed Sidi Johar, who n ot lon g a fterward s was

assassin ated by his own soldiers . But a lthough his rebellion

was un successful , it yet caused the risin g in the Doab to spread

in every direction . The great stron ghold of Raichur, so often

lost an d retaken by the troops of Vijayan agar, defied the kin g’s

authority . So ,too , did the lesser fortress of Torga l . Ali

Adil Shah was forced to reca ll the arm y sen t to cc -operate with

the Savan ts of Savan tvadi . Those un happy chiefs were n ow

left to bear the fu ll weight of Shivaji’

s an ger . In va in they

ca lled in the aid of the Portuguese . The latter sen t them a

force too sm a ll to be of an y use.

* An d Shivaji , fallin g upon

the a llies,dispersed their arm y a n d overran the whole fief of

the Savan ts . They fell back on the fort of Phon da to the

south -east of Goa . But Shiva ji blew up on e of the bastion s

an d the fort beca'

m e u n ten able . The un happy Savan ts had n ow

Shi vaji’s letter see Appen dix , p . 178.


n o hope save in the clem en cy of the con queror We a re

Bhosles like yourself,” they pleaded exten d to us therefore

your protection . Take half our reven ue an d leave to us the

other ha lf . If you do so , we sha ll equip three thousan d m en

a n d serve a lways as your a llies .

”Shivaji accepted the term s

but in sisted on the surren der of Phon da fort , an d from that

d ay forward Savan tvadi was his vassa l state . The Portuguese

however,had in curred Shivaji

’

s wrath by a idin g the Savan ts .

He in vaded the coun try roun d Goa ,an d forced the Govern or

Ge‘

n era l to sue for peace an d to supply him with m uskets ,am m un ition an d can n on (A .D.

The kin g of Bijapur, with the Doab un subdued , his ally the

chief of Mudhol dead , the Savan ts in Shiv aji’

s power,was in

n o state to ren ew the war . Nor had Shiv aji an y wish to prolon git . He had throughout hi s life but on e aim an d that was to

free the Maratha race from Musulm an The portion

subj ect to Bijapur he had freed . He n ow wished to keep it

free from -the Moghuls by form in g a triple allian ce between him

s elf an d the states of Bijapur an d Golcon da , which m ight defy

Moghul aggression an d en able him to liberate that portion of

Maharashtra whi ch had been con quered by the Delhi em perors .

When both sides are an xious to en d a war, peace usually com es

without m uch difficulty . A con ven ien t m ediator was at han d

i n Shaha j i . He had n eglected his son in his youth but n ow

felt in ten sely proud of him . An d n othin g delighted him m ore

than the successful attack on Mudhol an d the fall of Ba j i Ghor

pade . On the other han d Shi v aji also felt proud of his distin

guished father an d on hearin g that the Bijapur govern m en t

had appoin ted Shahaj i as their en voy, sen t hi m by a m essen ger

a cordial welcom e .

Shaha j i set out on his j ourn ey with n o less pom p an d circum

stan ce than if he had been about to visit Delhi . He firs t con

sulted a strologers , an d learn in g that the stars were propitious ,he took with him his secon d wife Tukabai an d her son Vyan koji .

Shiv aji’s letter , see Appen dix .

TRan ad e, pp . 87 , 88. So lon g as we bear this a im ' in m in d, Shivaji s

con duct wi th regard to both the Delhi an d Bijapur govern m en ts i s

If n ot, i t is d i fficult , if n ot im possible, to un derstan d it.


176 A HISTORYor THE MARATHA PEOPLE

in the n orth to Phon da in the south , an d from Dabhol in the

west to In dapur in the east , an d his com plete indepen den ce

was ackn owledged . Both parties un dertook to defen d the

other from foreign aggression . An d Shi v aji took a solem n

oath n ot to m olest Bijapur durin g Shahaji’

s lifetim e .

Shivaji en tertain ed in royal style Shahaji’

s party durin g the

rain y season . When the m on soon had abated Shiv aji took

Shahaj i with him to Rajgad an d Puran d ar, Lohgad an d Bairi .

When they reached Bairi , Shahaji’

s experien ced eye took in

its extraordin ary stren gth . Lyin g to the west of the Sahyadris ,it is surroun ded on every side by a sea of m oun tain s . It rises ,however

, hi gher than an y of its n eighbours . To clim b it to-d ay ,

when un defen ded , is a m ost arduous task . To storm it, if

properly fortified an d garrison ed , was to Shi v aji’

s con tem por

aries an absolute im possibility. Shahaj i urged hi s son to chan ge

his chi ef stron ghold from Ra j gad to Bairi . Shi v aji , con vin ced

by hi s father’s reason in g , agreed . He chan ged the n am e of

the great hill from Bairi to Raygad an d appoin ted Aba j i Son d ev

to fortify it an d to build on its sum m it public bui ldin gs an d a

palace for him self . At its base , but elevated som e hun dred

feet above the plain ,he was to erect a dwelli n g place for Jijabai .

Wh en the work of fortification was com plete Shiv aji issued a

proclam ation . By it he offered a bagof gold an d a gold bracelet

worth 100pagodas to an yon e who would ascen d the fort by an y

other path than those whi ch passed through the‘

fort gates .*

A m an of the Mhar caste cam e forward an d un dertook with

Shiv aji’

s perm ission to try . If he succeeded , he would plan t

a flag at the top . Shi v aji sm iled an d bade hi m try . But the

Mhar proved equal to the task . Clim bin g by a path kn own to

hi m from boyhood he disappeared from Shi v aji’

s view . Not

lon g afterwards the watchers saw the Mhar’s flag flutterin g

on the sum m it . He then descen ded , prostrated him self at hi s

prin ce ’s feet an d received the prom ised reward . Shivaji closedthe path by a gate still kn own as Chor Darwaja or the thi ef ’s

door . Not lon g afterwards an other even t occurred whi ch

showed that Aba j i Son d ev ’

s work was n ot yet com plete. A

KhafiKhan , Elliot an d Dowson , Vol. VII , p. 288.

MUDHOL,PANHALA AND SAVANTVADI 177

cowherd ’s wife n am ed Hirakan i or Diam on d had en tered Raygad

fort to sell m ilk to the garrison . En gaged in the task , she had

n ot n oticed that n i ght was fallin g . When she tried to leave ,she foun d the gates closed an d the guards obdurate . I n her

house below she had a child an d a m other-in -law . Soon er

than n eglect the on eor in cur the wrath of the other,she scram bled

down the hill side at the risk of her life an d reached hom e the

sam e n ight . Shiv aji heard of the feat an d built a bastion to

close the path whi ch she had taken . The bastion he called the

Hirakan i Tower, thus im m ortalizin g the n am e of the ven turous

herdswom an . All ways to the fortress closed , Shi v aji m oved

his treasures an d state papers to Raygad an d from thi s date it

becam e the seat of hi s govern m en t . I n the m ean tim e Shahaj i ,c after an affection ate partin g with his son ,

an d laden with

presen ts , had return ed by Bijapur to the headquarters of his

own fief.

A HISTORY or THE MARATHA PEOPLE

APPENDIX

SHIVAJ I’

S LETTER TO SHAHAJI

In your last letter you wrote to m e a s followsFar from helpin g the cause

‘

of his fa ith, Bajl Ghorpad e of Mudhol becam e

party to the in sidious schem es of the Mahom ed an s an d Turks , an d by foulan d treacherous m ean s he brought us to Bijapur . What terrible dan gerfaced us there you well kn ow. It seem s that the Alm ighty has in hi s in fin itewisdom decided to carry out your aspiration s, to establi sh the Maratha poweran d protect theHi n du religion . Therefore itwas that the perilwas averted.

At presen t, in spired by'

i n align an t m otives , Khawas Khan has m archedagain st you, an d ready to serve h im Ba j i Ghorpad e of Mudhol an d LakhamSavan t a n d Khem Sav an t are with h im . May God Shan kar (Shi va ) an dGoddess Bhavan i gran t success to you .

Now i t is our desire that we should be fully reven ged upon them and as

we are fortun ate to have such an obedien t son , ready to carry out the wishesof hi s father, we com m an d you to d o thi s work. Baj i Ghorpad e has gon eahead to Mudhol with his m en .

”

On hearin g this from you , wewen twith an arm y to Mudhol, left the territoryin rui n an d took h is than as (garrison s) . On learn in g thi s , Baj i Ghorpad e gavebattle to us, in which hewith other n otable m en fellf It was a great battle.We m arched up an d down the coun try an d plun dered it. Our ga in on thisoccasion was en orm ous . We then procla im ed peace an d brought the territoryun der our con trol. At this tim e Khawas Kh an was com in g upon us . Withour arm ywe fell upon hi m , defeatin g hi m an d turn in g hi m back sad an d d esponden t to Bijapur . Our n ext work was to crush the Savan ts . Fort a fter fortcam e in to our possession . On wewen t, com pletely dev astatin g their territory.

They ceased to receive help from Goa , but the killed ars of Phon da fought forthem . By m ean s of explosives, we blew up on e of the bastion s of the fort.Thus we becam e m asters of their territory.

We n ext turn ed our arm s aga in st the Portuguese an d took a part of theirterri tory. They sued for peace an d presen ted us wi th gun s . The Savan tscould n o lon ger con sider them selves safe in Portuguese territory. For they sen ton e Pitam bar as their Vakil to us . We are,

”they pleaded “

likewise thedescen dan ts of the house of Bhosle an d you ought to care for our in terest .

You should take half the rev en ue of our possession s an d the other halfwe shalldevote to the expen ses of our troops with whi ch we shall serve you.

” Theirrequests are gran ted. Thus it is by your blessin gs that “

everythin g en ded a s

you desired an d I hav e great pleasure in subm ittin g this a ccoun t to you .



Older he received as a bride a girl called Rakm a . His wife

however grew delicate . Bolo]1 thereforem arried Tukaram to a

girl called J ijabai , the . d aughter of on e Appan Gulv e, a Poon a

m on ey-len der . On her m arriage , Tukaram gave her the n am e

of Avalai . When Tukaram was eighteen years old , his father

Boloji died . Kan kai died soon afterwards . The un happy

Tukaram was left to carry on the fam ily busin ess ,’

to support

hi s two wives,his eldest brother Savji

,whose a scetic life ren dered

him useless as a bread-win n er, an d his youn gest brotherKan hoba ,who was still a child . Tukaram

’

s gen tle n ature proved un equal

to the task . He was too soft hearted to take rigorou s m easures

again st hi s debtors . So they on e after an other repudiated

their debts . Before the shop could recover from this shock ,there cam e a fam in e . Tukaram becam e a ban krupt . His

delicate wife Hakm a died of privation . Her little son

Shiv aji did n ot lon g survive her . Savj i left Dehu to go to

som e distan t shrin e an d was n ever heard of again .

These calam ities com pletely chan ged Tukaram ’

s life . From

bein g an active a lthough a too kin d-hearted busin ess m an ,his

thoughts turn ed , as Savji’

s had don e , to religion an d he becam e a

whole—hearted devotee of Vithoba of Pan dharpur . In deed , but

for his wife Avalai ’s in fluen ce , he would have disappeared like his

elder brother . Her n am e has becom e equivalen t to a scold

or term agan t , the Maratha syn on ym of Xan thippe . Yet there

is n o doubt that she saved Tukaram . For him an d for their

children she worked like a com m on labourer . She beggedfood an d m on ey for them ' from her paren t ’s house . An d if

she at tim es lost her tem per , this is n ot surpri sm g. She was

n ever sure that her husban d would n ot give what she had begged

to a passin g tram p . On e d ay in deed while she was bathi n g ,he gave away her clothes . But Tukaram

’

s devotion to the god

Vithoba cam e , in course of tim e , to have its reward . On ce a

farm er em ployed him to drive the birds away from his crop .

Tukaram ,however

,soon becam e lost in hi s dream s Of the

Pan dharpur god An d when the farm er return ed he foun d

that the birds had eaten up alm ost his en tire crop . He dragged

Tukaram to the village headm an an d m ade him execute a bon d

TUKARAM‘

AND RAMDAS 181

for two Man dela of gra in ,that is tosay a bum per crop

,an d in

return to take over the produce of the ruin ed field . The tran s

action over, Avalai m ade Tukaram reap what rem ain ed . He

did so a n d to the am azem en t of the villagers an d the disgust of

the farm er the reaped crop am oun ted to eighteen kha n ats .

The god had worked a m iracle on his worshipper’s behalf .Avala i was overj oyed . But her j oy was

'

shortlived . Her

husba n d resolved to return to Vithoba what Vithoba had given

an d devoted the proceeds of the crops to repairin g the tem ple

which his an cestor Vishv am bar had built m an y years before .

Avala i m ade a last effort to give her husban d a fresh start

in busin ess . She borrowed Rs . 200from her father an d sen t

Tukaram ~~with a party of hawkers to sell the goods bought by

her with the m on ey . Allwen t well un til the hawkers reached

Supa . There Tukaram witn essed the eviction of a poor in debt

ed Brahm an . Tukaram gave at on ce his goods to satisfy the

Brahm an s creditors . Then slippin g away from his com pan ion s ,he walked to Pan dharpur, where he j oin ed the crowd of devotees

who worshipped before Vithoba ’

s im age . The villagers of

Dehu were n ow satisfied that Tukaram was a lun atic . When

he return ed hom e , they put a n ecklace of on ion s roun d his n eck ,m oun ted him on a don key an d paraded him through the streets

to be m ocked at by the crowd . The un happy Tukaram fled

from the village an d hid in the Bham bun ath hi lls . His brother

Kan hoba wen t in search of him an d havin g foun d him begged

him either to return to Dehu an d m an age the fam ily busin ess

or to let him do it . Tukaram wen t back with him . The

brothers agreed to divide the bon ds passed to their father by

his debtors . The division com plete , Tukaram flun g his share

of the bon ds in to the I n d rayan i . He then wen t back to his

form er hidin g place in the Bham bun ath hills . His wife Avalai

tracked him out an d daily brought him his din n er . On e d ay a

thorn en tered her foot an d m ade her fain t with the pain . Touched

with Avalai ’s devotion he return ed hom e with her. But it was

im possible for him to take up again the petty cares an d duties

Of a grocer . I n the silen ce of the hills there had com e to him

the poet’s in spiration ,an d from the d ay of his return to that of


his death , he n ever ceased to write poem s either in prai se of

Vithoba or n arratin g in ciden ts in his own life . They are written

in the Abhan g m etre . They are rudely con structed , but full

of force , an d above all they em body to the fullest exten t the

pure teachi n g Of the doctrin es of Pan dharpur .

Ram das was a later con tem porary Of He was

the son of a certain Suryajipan t an d his wife Ran ubai . For

a l on g tim e they had n o children . But they prayed diligen tly

to the Sun -

god for Offsprin g . At last he appeared to them and

prom ised that they should have two son s . On e of them would

be an in carn ation Of him self, _the other of Maruti the Mon key

god , who helped the divin e hero Ram chan dra . A year after

wards Ran ubai gave birth to a son,whom she n am ed Gan ga

dhar, an d three years later She gave birth to a secon d son , whom

she called Narayan in hon our of the Sun -god . From their

earliest years both children showed a taste for religion an d it

is Said that to Narayan ,when on ly fiv e years Old , was vouchsafed

a vision ofMaruti . Accordin g to the custom Of the tim e Gan ga

dhar was m arried when seven years old . A year or two later

Narayan ’s m arriage was arran ged . B ut from his earliest years

Naray an showed an . in ten se dislike for the m arried state . At

last he com prom ised by prom isin g his m other that he would do

or say n othi n g un til he cam e to that part of the cerem on y

when the cloth which separates the m arried pair is withdrawn .

She hoped that then Narayan would feel it too late to go back .

When the priests however were about to repeat the verses that

com plete the cerem on y, they as u sua l cried out to the audien ce‘

Sav ad han ,

’ ‘Be on your guard .

’ Narayan in stan tly fled from the

room an d was n ot foun d for some days afterwards . Suryajipan t

an d Ran ubai n ow gave up the idea of m arryin g their son , an d

let him wan der about the various shrin es of In dia . Num erous

stories exist Of the m iracles perform ed by him while yet a child.

Of these the m ost in terestin g is the followin g, for‘

it shows

the great capacity of him with whom Shiv aji was so m uch

associated .

SThe accoun t of Ram das is taken from his life by his di sciple, Han m an t

wam i .



gen erous , m eritorious , virtuous an d wise . Possessed ever

Of con duct an d judgm en t, gen erosity an d faith , kn owledge

an d character. Bold an d gen erous , grave an d darin g,swift to execute . Thou who by thy vigilan ce didst spurn

kin gs . The holy places were broken . The abodes of

Brahm an s were polluted . All earth was shaken . Religion

had fled . Narayan resolved to protect the gods , the faith ,the cows

,the Brahm an s an d in spired thee to do so . Near

thee are m an y wise pan dits , great poets , m en skilled in

sacrifice an d learn ed in the Vedas m en quick an d shrewd

an d fitted to lead assem blies . Non e of thi s earth protects

the faith as thou dost . Because of thee som e Of it has

lin gered in Maharashtra . A few have sheltered them selves

with thee an d still som e holy acts are don e . Hon our to

thy glory " It has spread all over the earth . Som e evil

m en thou hast killed . Som e have fled in terror . Som e

thou hast pardon ed , Kin g Shiva the fortun ate " I have

lived in thy coun try . But thou didst n ever ask for m e.

Thou didst forget m e why , I do n ot kn ow . Thy coun cillors

are all _wise,the faith in carn ate . What can I say to thee

It behoves thee to keep alive thy fam e as the establisher

of religion . Man y are the affairs Of state in which thou

art busied . If I have written un reason ably , m ay I be

pardon ed "”

Shi v aji’

s desire to see the sain t was stim ulated by the praises

con tain ed in hi s letter . He again wen t to Chaphal an d not

fin din g him , pressed on e Of‘

hi s -fem ale disciples to disclose the

sain t ’s hi din g place . She at last told the kin g that Ram das

was at Shrin gan wad i . She then,Oflered her visitor food .

But Shiv aji vowed that he would eat n othi n g un til he had seen

the Obj ect of his search . He procured a guide an d at last foun d

Ram das . He was sittin g un der a tree an d was com posin g

verses for hi s fam ous Dasbod k. The kin g begged his pardonfor his rem issn ess in the past . I n return the sain t blessed the

ki n g. Shiv aji then asked Ram da s to give hi m advice on theart of govern m en t, an d after som e little tim e he received a

secon d m etrical letter which m ay be tran slated as follows

TUKARAM AND RAMDAS 185

I bow to Gan pati the rem over of obstacles . I bow to

Saraswati , to the virtuous , to the sain ts , to the fam ily

gods , to Ram a . If m y hearers so wish , let them profit .

If n ot , let them disregard m y writin g I have written for

the sake of your govern m en t . He who govern s wisely

Obtain s happin ess . If your labours are un tirin g , you win

in the en d .

First learn to kn ow m en . If you fin d a m an i s a

worker,give hi m work to do . If he is useless , put him

a side . To see,to un derstan d

,to labour, in this there

is n othin g am iss . Achievem en t depen ds on the quality

of the worker . If he be in dustrious but at the sam e tim e

obstin ate , still be in your greatn ess in dulgen t . But if he

be in dolen t an d treacherous , then execute hi m . Learn

correctly the thoughts of all. To keep m en pleased , to

keep the wicked stern ly at a distan ce , these are the sign s

Of good fortun e . If a m an has helped yOu reason ably ,suffer him a little but n ot so that wron g m ay follow . Tran s

gress n ot the boun ds of justice . If they be tran sgressed ,evil en sues . If there

’

i s n o justice , there is n o rem edy . He

who has wearied in ill fortun e , he whose head has been

turn ed by good fortun e , he who has proved coward in the

hour of n eed,such are n ot true m en . I n evil tim es be n ot

d espon den t . Try every rem edy ; in the en d all will be

well . Keep all m en un der proper con trol . Then the

wise will value your rule . If there be n o proper con trol ,the govern m en t grows weak . DO n ot go in the v an of the

battle . Such is n ot true statecraft . There are m an y

whom you can sen d as gen erals . Have m an y ofli cers .

Do n ot appoin t all to on e task . Give them in your wisdom

separate tasks . If a leader’s pride is fired , he will n ot

look to hi s life . Gather together m an y leaders an d then

strike . When the sheep see the tiger ’s claw , they flee

on all sides . What can the proud buffa lo do , big though

he be " Let kin gs Observe the religion of kin gs . Let

Kshatriyas observe the religion Of Kshatriyas . Let your

horses,weapon s an d horsem en be ever your first thought


so that when your picked troops approach , your en em i es ,great though they be , Shall flee away.

“ Thus I have spoken a few words on the art of governm en t . When the m in ds Of lords an d servan ts are on e it

is good .

When Shiv aji wished to return hom e , he presen ted the sain twith a large sum of m on ey, but Ram das distributed it am on g

his cowherds . The prin ce urged Ram das to live with him .

Ram das declin ed but he gave him as a farewell gift a cocoan ut ,water, earth , a few pebbles an d som e horse dun g . These Shiv aji

took with him to his -

m other . J ijabai asked scorn fully the

m ean i n g Of such a presen t . Her son with rare in sight had

pen etrated the sage ’s m ean in g . The water an d the earth

m ean t that Shivaji would con quer Maharashtra . The pebbles

m ean t that he would hold it by m ean s of his fortresses . The

horse dun g m ean t that he would win his greatest v ictories by

m ean s of his cavalry .

Un able to in duce Ram das perm an en tly to live with him ,

Shi v aji looked about for a m ore plian t sain t . He heard of

Tukaram . That holy m an , after his return to his village , had

again suffered persecution , but had overcom e it . The verses

whi ch he had com posed on the Bam bhun ath hills were eagerly

read an d learn ed by the peasan try an d petty traders . But the

Brahm an s who lived on the alm s of pilgrim s to the various

shrin es resen ted the com petition of on e who was of a Sudra

caste . On e d ay ,as Tukaram sat on the ban ks of the In d rayan i

com posin g verses , som e Brahm an m en dican ts seized hi s books

an d flun g them in to the river . But the god whom he loved

saved them a n d restored them, d ry an d un in jured after thi rteen

days of im m ersion . An other tim e when Tukaram wen t to

a village called Vagholi , a learn ed Brahm an scholar, n am ed

Ram eshwar, in duced the herdsm en to drive Tukaram away .

Not lon g afterwards the sam e Ram eshwar was attacked by som e

ailm en t . He wen t to Alan di an d prayed at Dn yan d ev’

s shrin e

that he m ight be cured . On e n ight he saw in a dream the great

teacher . He told Ram eshwar that thi s ailm en t had com e to

him as a pun ishm en t . for his treatm en t of Tukaram . Let



in auspicious . My un clad person is covered with dust

I live on fruit, for I have n o food to eat . My han ds an d

feet are em aciated m y ski n is pallid what com fort could

there be in lookin g on m e It is m y pressin g request that

you will n ot even talk of seein g m e.

See how hum ble m y speech is this is a boon from him

who dwells in m y heart . Yet I am n ot a wretch who n eed

seek a boon from you ; I have a refuge in Pan dharpur .

Pan d uran g watch es over m e an d feeds m e ; sin ce that is

so , why n eed I care about others You wish to see m e

what m atters this request I have turn ed to n othin gn essall desires . Freedom from desire has been bestowed on

m e ; I have ren oun ced every im pulse of activity . As a

chaste wife lon gs to m eet her husban d , so let m e live

j oyously in Vithal (Krishn a ) . The un iverse to m e is

Vithal an d n othin g else in you too I see hi m . I looked

upon you as Vithal (Krishn a ) but on e difficulty keeps m e

from'

you . Fix your thoughts on the good teacher, Ram das

he truly i s an orn am en t of the world 3 do n ot swerve from

him . If your im pulse carry you in m an y direction s how

can you serve Ram das " Tuka says ,'

0 Father, 0 sea of

wisdom , faith an d love are the vessel that carry the faithfulacross the stream of life .

What would it profit m e to en ter your presen ce The

fatigue of the j ourn ey would be wasted . If I m ust n eeds begm y food , there are m an y whom I m ay ask for alm s . I n

the lan es are rags to furn ish m e with shelter . The rock

is an excellen t bed to sleep on . I have the sky above m e

for a cloak . With such a provision m ade , why n eed I

fix m y hopes on an yon e It would be a waste of m y days .

Should I com e to your palace seekin g hon our, what peace

of m in d should I fin d there I n a kin g ’s pa lace the wealthy

are respected ; the com m on herd m eet with n o respect .

If I saw there fin e apparel an d m en wearin g j ewels , it would

at on ce be the death of m e. If you are disgusted when you

hear this , still , God will n ot scorn m e. Let m e tell you

this surprisin g n ews , there is n o happin ess like the beggar’

s .


Austerity an d ren un ciation are the greatest thin gs -wealthy

m en fettered by desire live m iserably . Tuka says you are

Opulen t an d hon oured but the devotees Of Hari (Krishn a )are m ore fortun ate .

”

This refusal on ly whetted Shivaji’

s wish to see Tukaram .

He left his cam p , an d j oin in g Tukaram led with him for severa l

days the life of a religious devotee . From this con dition he was

rescued by the in fluen ce of his m other J ijabai . The blood

of an cien t kin gs boiled in the proud wom an’s vein s at

the thought that her son should give up a hero ’s life for that

of a wan derin g beggar ; an d her en treaties , j oin ed to those of

Tukaram,in duced Shiv aji to return to his duties as a warrior

an d a prin ce .

Yet a lthough both Tukaram an d Ram das refused to live

as religious preceptors with Shiv aji , he n ever lost touch with

them . Severa l tim es afterwards he atten ded Kirtan s or re

ligious recitation s given by Tukaram . This on on e occasion

n early cost the ki n g his life . He had in vited Tukaram to visit

Poon a an d recite a Katha,or sacred story

,at the tem ple where

Shiv aji as a child so often worshipped . Som ehow the n ews

ofhis design reached the ears of his en em ies . A body ofAfghan s

stole forth with orders to take Shiv aji as he li sten ed to Tukaram .

The Afghan s surroun ded the tem ple an d searched for the prin ce

am on g the audien ce . With adm irable cooln ess the sain t con

tin ued his recitation an d Shiv aji sat perfectly still listen in g to

it . Nevertheless he would surely have been taken , but for what

is believed to have been the divin e in terposition of the god

Krishn a . As the Afghan s searched , a m an in face an d in

clothes closely resem blin g St ajI rose an d slippin g through the

guards ran out of the door . The Afghan s rushed out of the

tem ple to seize him . But he ran with in credible swiftn ess

towards Sin hgad . An d a lthough m oun ted Afghan s ran close

to his heels,they n ever could quite catch him . On reachin g

the forest at the base Of the great fort he dived in to a thicket

an d disappeared . I n the m ean tim e Tukaram con tin ued his

story . When it was over Shiv aji an d the rest of the audien ce

return ed hom e un m olested .


But it was to Ram das that Shivaji was peculiarly associated.

Tukaram in deed did n ot lon g survive his m eetin g with Shiv aji .

On e d ay as he was leavin g his hom e he told hi s wi fe Avalai that

he was goin g to Vaikun tha, the god Krishn a’s heaven . He

wen t to the ban ks of the I n d rayan i an d , so it is believed , flun g

him s elf in to the river either in a state of religious excitem en t

or because he suffered from som e in curable disease . At an y

rate he n ever return ed hom e again . His followers beli eved

an d the belief still fin ds in the Deccan wide acceptan ce—that thechariot Of the hero—god Ram chan dra descen ded from heavenan d bore Tukaram back in it to the skies (A .D. Ram das ,on the other han d , outlived Shivaji an d when ever the busy

m on arch could spare a few m om en ts , he loved to visit the

sain t an d hear from his lips sacred verses an d religious discourses .

Man y touchin g stories exist which show how close was the

frien dshi p whi ch the prin ce an d the sain t bore each other .

On e d ay , it is said , Shi v aji , then at Pratapgad , heard that

Ram da s was at Mahableshwar . He at on ce rode Off to see

him . On reachin g Mahableshwar he learn t that Ram das was

n o lon ger there . Shiv aji plun ged in to the woods to overtake

him . All d ay the kin g wan dered vain ly through the wild hill

coun try. Night fell but still he searched for Ram das by torch

light . At last when the eastern sky began to pale , Shivaji cam e

upon Ram das in a tin y cave . He lay there groan in g an d seem ed

to be in great pain an d sick un to death . Shi vaji in great dis

tress asked Ram das how he m ight help hi s sufferin g frien d .

The sain t replied that there was but on e cure in the world for

such a m alady as his Tell m e what it is ,” said Shi vaji , an d

I will get it for you . Nay ,

”replied Ram das ,

“

to get it

for m e m ight cost you your li fe .

”No m atter, cried the

gen erous hero . Gladly would I give m y life to save yours .”

Then ,

” said Ram das , the m edicin e whi ch a lon e can save

m e is the m ilk of a tigress . Sword in han d wen t forth in to the

jun gle the daun tless prin ce . I n a short tim e he saw som e tiger

cubs in a thicket .’

He en tered it, an d catchi n g them , sat down

by them to await their m other’s return . An hour later the

tigress cam e , an d seein g her cubs in Shiv aji’

s han ds, sprang



The boon s asked for were

( l ) Shiv aji should in the m on th Of Shravan , or August ,hon our Shiva by givin g feasts to Brahm an s an d by

distributin g im ages of the great god , whose in carn a

tion he was deem ed to be

(2) He should distribute d ahshi n a ,or gifts of m on ey,

to Brahm an s in Shravan

(3) He should hon our the hero-god Ram chan dra b y

orderin g his subj ects when they m et to say to each

other by way Of greetin g , Ram Ram .

”

Shi vaji gran ted all these boon s an d Ram Ram”are still - the

words of greetin g used byDeccan Hin du s when theyYet an other tim e Shiv aji was buildin g a fort at Sam an gad

in Kolhapur territory . As he watched it , he felt a n atural

pride that he should be able to support all the workm en that

the work n eeded . Just then Ram das cam e up . Shiv aji , after

salutin g him ,walked with him roun d the base Of the fortress .

On their way they passed a boulder . Ram das called to som e

ston e -cutters an d bade them break it in pieces . The Ston e—cutters

did so . I n the heart Of it was a cavity half filled with water

Out of the water jum ped a frog . Ram das turn ed to Shiv aji

an d said , O Kin g,who but you could have placed water in the

m iddle of the ston e an d thus saved the frog Shiv aji dis

claim ed an y con n exion with the m atter . But when Ram das

in sisted , he guessed that the sain t was rebukin g him for his

van ity . He at on ce ackn owledged his fault an d adm itted that it

was god who had alike provided for the n eeds of the ‘ frog an d

for those of the workm en at Sam an gad .

But if Ram das dared to rebuke the great kingto his face ,he refused always to go beyon d his own sphere of action . Peter

the Herm it , havin g in spired a crusade , aspired afterwards to

lead it . The foolish Scotch m in isters led their coun trym en toruin on the field Of Dun bar . But when Shiv ajI , on hearin g Of

Afzul Khan ’s m arch from Bijapur , asked for Ram d as’

advice ,the wise

'

Brahm an bade the kin g pray for coun sel to Bhavan i .

The Old form of salutation was the J char. It is still used by theMharsa n d depressed castes .


He kn ew that if God had given him power to m ove m en'

s hearts

by verse an d prayer, God had given to Shiv ajl other an d greater

powers , an d that his resourceful m in d , if left to itself , would

fin d a key to every d ifli culty .

*

Ram das would have liked a lways to lead the wan derin g life ,such as had been hi s before Shivaji first sought him . But the

kin g in sisted that he should m ake his head-quarters at som e

easily accessible spot . He bestowed on the sain t the fortress

ofParali , a wild hi ll Som e six m iles south-west of Satara . Ram da s

reluctan tly accepted the gift an d built there a tem ple to Maruti .

For the use of the tem ple the ki n g assign ed to Ram das the

reven ue Of Chaphal an d 32 other villages . As he grew older,Ram das cam e to spen d m ore an d m ore of his tim e at Parali .

It was there that Shivaji paid hi m his last visit . It was there

that Sam bhaji , reekin g with the blood Of Rajaram’

s frien ds ,sought but was den ied an in terview . At last the wise Old

Brahm an felt his en d approachi n g . His disciples felt it also

an d gave way to grief . But Ram das ’ courage n ever forsook

him . He rebuked their tears an d com posed for them the follow

in gverses

Although m y body has gon e I shall still live in spirit .

Gri eve n ot . Read m y books . They will show you the wayto salvation . Heed n ot un duly the wan ts of the body .

Fall n ot in to evil ways, an d to you the doors of salvation

will Open . Keep ever in your heart the im age of the god

Ram a .

”

A few m in utes later the dyi n g sain t called out the words

Har " Har T twen ty-on e tim es . Then hi s lips whispered

the words Ram "Ram "” His eyes sought the im age of the

hero-god , an d a flam e,so it seem ed to the on lookers , left his

m outh an d en tered that of the im age . His disciples called to

Ram da s ’ words were You are a kin g an d con trol the affa irs of yourstate. I dwell in the forest an d ( in state m atters ) you can n ot depen d uponm e. Set your han d to the task an d act a s you thin k you should act. I havea lready told you how to obta in the guidan ce of the goddess (Bhav an i ) . Bear

m y words in m in d. The goddess cares for you. By her blessin g you haveatta in ed the kin gship . Con sult her before you a ct , tell her your troublesan d act on her adv ice.

—Han m an t’

s Ram d as Chari lra .

TA n am e of Shiva .

13

194 HISTORY OETHE MARATHA PEOPLE

him , but he was dead .

* He had survived Shi vaji less than

a year. Ram das’ body was burn t to the n orth of Parali upon

a pyre of bel an d tulsi wood . His ashes were then gathered

an d taken to Chaphal, an d after som e in terval were , at Sam bhaji’

s

cost, con veyed n orthward an d cast reveren tly in to the Gan ges

River.

Ram das died at 12 n oon on Magh Vad ya 9 in Shake 1603 ( A.D.


196 A HISTORY OF THE /MARATHA PEOPLE

defen sive but to in vade an d con quer the territories which

Shi v aji had taken from Bijapur . Shaistekhan , agreeably to

these orders , collected such Moghu l forces as were then“

in the

Deccan . He left on eMum taz Khan at Auran gabad an d placed

his secon d in com m an d Jaswan t Sin g , Mahara ja of Jod hpur ,in charge Of his reserves . He him self m arched to Ahm adn agar

an d after a Short halt m arched then ce d ue south to Pedgaon .

*

From Pedgaon he sen t J ad havrao of Sin d khed j‘

a Maratha

n oble , ahead with his cavalry . Severa l sharp skirm ishes tookplace between him an d Shiv aji

’

s horse . The im perial cavalry

were in the m ain successful . An d as Shiv aji fell back on Rajgad ,

they occupied first Supa an d then Poon a . Shi v aji as a coun term ove threw him self in to Sin hgad , on ly thirteen m iles away .

It was n o doubt Shaistekhan ’

s in ten tion even tually to in vest

Sin hgad . But before doin g so he wished to clear his com m un i

cation s . Chakan lay on the high road between him an d Jun n ar ,the n earest town large en ough to furn ish hi m wi th supplies .

The com m an dan t of Chakan was still that Phiran goji Narsala

who had , on Dad oji Kon d ad ev’

s death , ackn owledged Shiv aji

as his m aster. He n ow proved him self a gallan t/

s old ier . His

defen ce was favoured by the heavy rain s of the Sahyad ris ,which were then fallin g , an d by the efforts of Netoji Palkar

’s

cavalry to harass the besiegers . Nevertheless the con duct Of

the garrison’

an d of Phiran goji Narsala deserves all praise . On

dark, rain y n ights they m ade desperate sallies an d frequen tly

rushed the Moghu l tren ches . I n the en d , however, the garrison

were driven back in to Chakan an d after a siege of 50or 60 days

the Moghuls exploded a m in e which carried away a bastion an d

the m en defen din g it ]: The Moghuls placed their shields in

fron t of their faces an d tried to cut their way through the breach .

Phiran goji , however, was n ot yetwillin g to surren der. He had

prepared an earthwork in side the fort wall an d there he a n d

his m en stood desperately at bay . All that d ay the Moghuls

In Ahm adn agar district.

1' Kh afiKhan .

I Ston es , bricks a n d m en flew in to the a ir like pigeon s. Khafi Khan ,

Elliot an d Dowson , Vol. VII, p . 262.

THE MOGHUL WAR 197

assaulted the work I n vain . An d durin g the followin g n ight

both the besiegers an d the besieged slept close to each other

am on g the ruin s Of the bastion . Next m orn in g the Moghuls re

ceived rein forcem en ts an d drove the garrison back from the

tren ches in to the citadel . In vested there an d without supplies ,Phiran goji Narsala capitulated . Shaistekhan received hi m

with all hon our an d Offered him a post in his own service .

Phiran goji Narsala d eclin ed , an d Shaistekhan suffered hi m an d

the rem n an t Of his garrison to return to Shiv aji . As the brave

com m an dan t bade Shaistekhan farewell the latter told him

that if ever he wished to j oin the Moghul service , an hon ourable

post awaited him . Phiran goji return ed to Shiv aji . The latter,received hi s lieuten an t cordially , an d m ade him com m an dan t

of Bhupalgad rl'

By this tim e Shivaji had withdrawn from Sin hgad to Rajgad .

There he received a letter from Shaistekhan . It con tain ed a

Persian stan za in which Shivaji was derided as a m on key, whose

on ly safety lay in his m oun tain forests . I n return Shiv aji sen tShaistekhan a San skrit coupletj: Therein he a sserted that hewas n ot on ly a m on key but Han um an hi m self—the prin ce ofm on keys ;

“

an d he vowed that he would destroy Shaistekhan

just as the m on keys had helped kin g Ram a to destroy the dem on

Ravan . Shaistekhan after this exchan ge of com plim en tsreturn ed from Chakan to Poon a , where he occupied Shi v aji

’

s

old house, the Raj Mahal . He was however well aware OfShivaji

’

s resourcefuln ess an d courage an d posted a rin g of patrolsall roun d Poon a . He then dism issed every Maratha horse

soldier from his cavalry an d forbade allHin d us ,whether civilian s

or soldiers , to en ter or leave Poon a without a pass . He did n ot

ven ture to dism iss his Maratha in fan try for fear ofreducin gtoo greatly his arm y . His n eglect .to do so proved his un doin g.

I n April , Shivaji , Yesaji Kan k, Tan aji MalusareH

T I n Satara district.

I Shivd z’

gm’

jaya Bakhar.

Gran t Duff fixes the date by a letter from the En glish factors im prison edI n Rajapur , dated March 12, 1663 .

These were the two frien ds of his early m an hood .


an d 200 picked m en disguised them selves as foot

soldiers in the Im perial service an d Obtain ed perm ission

from the Kotwal for a m arriage party to en ter the town . I n

fron t wen t a boy dressed as a Behin d him

walked Shivaji“

an d his com pan ion s , beatin g drum s an d playin g

san n ais j‘ to keep up the disguise . About the sam e tim e

an other ban d Of Shiv aji’

s m en ,dressed as foot soldiers

,en tered by

an other gate of the town draggin g with them a n um ber of their

com rades,whom they declared to be prison ers of war an d whom

they beat un m ercifully. Outside , but at som e distan ce from

Poon a , severa l thousan ds of Shivaji’

s in fan try con cealed

them selves,so as to cover his retreat in case of m ishap . The

two ban ds tha t en tered the town m et at a given spot an d chan ged

their garm en ts . About m idn ight Shiv aji posted the bulk of

his m en , about 500 in n um ber, at various poin ts i n the

city. He him self,with Tan aji Malusare, Yesaji Kan k an d

som e 20 others,wen t to the Raj Mahal . They tried first

to pass through the m ain en tran ced: But it was well lit

an d som e watchful eun uchs guarded it . Shi v aji therefore

turn ed back an d en tered the cook-house . There som e of the

cooks were at work ; others lay asleep . Shiv aji an d his

m en n oiselessly stran gled the form er an d stabbed the latter

to the heart in their sleep .

It was all don e so skilfully that n o alarm was raised . With

pickaxes Shiv aji’

s m en n ext rem oved som e m ud an d bricks

whi ch blocked a wi n dow open in g in to the wom en ’s apartm en ts .

A servan t, whose bed was again st the wall , awoke an d roused

Shaistekhan . The gen eral , toodrowsy to hear an ythin g, sworeat the servan t for awakin g him un n ecessarily an d again wen t

to sleep . A m in ute ortwo later som e of his m aids ran in to saythat a hole was bein g m ade in the wa ll of their room . Shaiste

khan ,awake at last, spran g from his bed an d seized a spear

an d his bow an d arrows . But by thi s tim e Shivaji’

s party hadopen ed the win dow an d were pourin g through it. Shaistekhan

Khafi Khan .

TA kin d of fife.

Shivd igvz’

jaya Bakha r.


200 A HISTORY OE THE MARATHA PEOPLE

was ki lled by a can n on -ball ) “ The Moghul gen eral had n o

a ltern ative but to order a retreat to Poon a . But even so he

did n ot escape from hi s difficulties . As the Moghuls retired ,their cavalry were am bushed by a party of Maratha horse

un derKad toji Guzar,1‘ Netoji Palkar

’

s m ost brillian t lieuten an t,an d were driven back with great loss upon the m ain bod y . IOn Shaistekhan

’

s return tO‘

Poon a , Jaswan t Sin g, his secon d

in com m an d , called on his chief to express his regret. Shaiste

khan was n ow beside him self with pain an d vexation . In steadof acceptin g the Mahara ja ’s con dolen ces with courtesy, herem ain ed for som e m om en ts silen t an d then said ,§ I thought

the Mahara ja was in His Maj esty’s service when this evi l befellm e. The Rajput prin ce , who com m an ded the reserves an d

was therefore in n o way respon sible for the m ishap , left the RajMahal in a fury. Shaistekhan reported his con duct toAuran gzib

an d declared that all hi s Hin du subordin ates were in league

with Shivaji . After sen din g this letter, Shaistekhan , in a fit

of childish tem per, evacuated Poon a an d m arched with m ostof his tr00ps back to Auran gabad ,

exclaim in g that he would

trust n o on e an d that, if he stayed , the loss of his head would

soon follow the loss ofhis thum b . He , however, ordered Jaswan t

Sin g to hold Jun n ar an d Chakan . The Mahara ja did hi s bestto repair the effect of his superior’ s im becility, by attem ptin g

when the rain s ceased to in vest Sin hgad . But his forces were

in adequate . He therefore raised the siege an d fell back on

Chakan . On receivin g Shaistekhan ’

s letter the em peror cen sured

both hi m an d Jaswan t Sin g. But he recalled the form er an d

gave the com m an d of the Deccan arm y to his son , Prin ce

Muazzim (July 15 ,After his failure to take Sin hgad , Jaswan t Sin g rem ain ed

in active . His en em y,however, was plan n in g a coun ter-attack

on on e of the richest possession s ofAuran gzib . In South Guzarat ,

n ear the m outh of the Tapti River is the town Of Surat. Un like

1“ Better kn own as Prataprac Guzar .

t Gran t Duff, p. 197 .

KhafiKha n , Elliot an d Dowson , Vol. VII , p. 27 1.


202“

i

A HISTORY OF .THE MARATHA PEOPLE

river an d en trusted the work to a Turk called _Safi Agha . .The

se bribed him to delay the work . Nevertheless he1546. It was stron gly fortified on the river

Side , and on the lan d s ide itwas protected by a ditch six feetwide, ai1d had a ram part 35 yards wide . In 1573 , Akbar con

quered Surat an d in the sam e year m ade a .treaty with the

Portuguese, who soon becam e the chief m erchan ts of Suratan d them asters Of the Arabian Sea . But I n 1580, an irreparablecalamity overtook the little c oun try, whose in n um erable heroeshad spread her fam e

,t_o the farthest corn ers of the. civilized

world . Philip II in herited the crown of Portugal , an d“

as theappan age

“

Of the Castilian_kin gs , Portuga l shared,

in their m is

fortun es .’

I n 1579 , Hollan d had revolted an d soon everyPortuguese possession was either con quered or threaten ed by.

hardy—

sailors from the m outh of the Scheldt or from the shores

of the Zuyd er Zee. I n 1616, a Dutch m erchan t , Van d en Broeck,

cam e to Surat . Two years later the Moghul em peror gave the

Dutch the right to build there a sm all perm an en t settlem en t ,kn own in the parlan ce Of the tim e as a factory .

About the sam e tim e as the Dutch , carn e a n other. race from

the fog-wrapped islan ds that divide the North Sea from "

,

the

Eastern.

Atlan tic . On Decem ber 31,1600

,the En glish

queen Elizabeth gran ted a charter to a n um ber of Lon donm erchan ts

,who

’

had associated them selves together un der the

title of the East In dia Com pan y . I n 1612, Mr . Kerridge , in theHosean d er

, arrived at Surat. He “

was well received by the

in habitan ts , but was attacked by the Portuguese . The En glishrepulsed the attack

, an d in 1612 the Em peror Shah Jehan gav ethem leav e to build a factory . On the heels of the En glish an d

the Dutch followed the Fren ch. I n 1620, the Fren ch Adm ira lBeaulieu ' d ropped an chor in the Tapti , an xious to buy “Suratcloth an d sell it to the n ativ es

p

of Sum atra . An d in 1642a Fren ch

factory rose in Surat sim ilar to those bu ilt by the En glish an d

the Dutch . The en terprise of the foreign m erchan ts an d x the

shiploads of European com m odities which every .year they

brought to the Tapti l

soon m ade Surat the richest em porium

SKETCH MAP SHOW ING PLACES MENTIONED J N THE ACCOUNT O .

SHIVAJI’

S CAMPA IGNS .



He was seized an d taken to the ki n g . Shivaji sen t him as a

m essen ger to the En glish an d about the sam e tim e he sen t a

Greek m erchan t n am ed Nicholas Kolostra* to the Dutch , to

dem an d ran som s for their factories . The Dutch replied that

they had n o m on ey. The En glish sen t back a haughty refusal

den oun cin g Shi v aji as a rebel . With the sm all force that the

kin ghad athi s disposal, heverywisely did n ot attem pt the redue

tion of the two stron gholds, defen ded as they were by resolute

men an d con tain i n g little or n o treasure . He a lso received

kin dly a Fren ch Capuchin mon k n am ed Father Am broise ,’

who bravely wen t to the Maratha cam p an d im plored the kin g’s

protection for the m em bers of his flock . But the Marathas

collected or d ug up wi thout in terruption the property left

behin d by the rich an d tim id Surat m erchan ts .T On Jan uary

10, after he had gathered property worth several thousan d

poun ds , the kin g received n ews that a Moghul arm y was ad van

cin g to reli eve the city. He at on ce rallied his troops , loaded

the plun der Of Surat on the horses of the un fortun ate in habitan ts

an d van ishin g as swiftly as he had appeared ,brought the treasure

of the great town to store it safely in the fort ofRaygad .

On thereturn from the Surat expedition , Shivaji heard of

his father’

s death . After peace had been m ade with Shivaji ,the

'

Bijapur govern m en t were free to devote their whole stren gthto the taskof stam pin g out the rebellion Of the Doab n obles . A

n um ber were forced to capitulate . But the chiefs ofBed n ur an d

of severa l other places a lon g the Tun gabhad ra Offered a stout

resistan ce . At last the Bijapur govern m en t directed Shahaj ito un dertake the reduction of the in surgen ts . The gallan t

old soldier readily com pli ed . He defeated them in a pitched

battle , an d in vestin g Bed n ur, forced the chief to surren der all hi s

lan ds except Bed n ur itself an d the district roun d it . Havin g

crushed the rebel leader, Shahaj i m arched a lon g the n orth ban k Ofthe Tun gabhad ra overcom i n g all resistan ce . At last he reached

Dutch accoun t.

TAuran gzib was so pleased with the con duct of the Dutch an d En glishthat he reduced the custom s duties payable by them from 3§ to 2 per cen t.Accord in g to Bern ier (Travels, pp. 188 Shi vaji spared the hom e of a Hi n dubroker because he had been very charitable.

THE MOGHUL WAR 207

the village of Yergatan halli in Basavapatan an d there pitched

hi s cam p . The coun try roun d swarm ed with gam e an d Shahaj i

thought that his recen t efforts had earn ed hi m som e relaxation .

He left his cam p for a day’s black buck hun tin g. Havin g

woun ded a buck, he galloped after it at full speed . As he rode ,a creeper caught his horse ’s foreleg . It fell, an d Shahaj i , thrown

violen tly, broke his n eck . His atten dan ts galloped up on seein g

the acciden t, but life was extin ct before they reached their

m aster (Jan uary, They at on ce sen t word to hi s son Vyan

koj i , who hasten ed to the Doab from Tan jore, crem ated Shahaji’

s

body an d perform ed his fun eral rites . The Bijapur govern m en t

expressed m ost han dsom ely their appreciation of the dead

m an’s services an d bestowed hi s fiefs of Ban galore an d Tan j ore

o n Vyan koji . When the n ews reached Shivaji , both he an d

Jijabai were deeply affected . The latter in deed was with

d ifficulty restrain ed from com m ittin g satiLT An d on ly Shivaji’

s

en treaties that she should rem ain with hi m a little lon ger an d

help himx

i n his holy work in duced her to alter her resolve .

Shiv aji foun d a differen t solace for his grief .‘

He resolved to

aven ge Shahaji’

s death by attackin g the Doab n obles , whoserebellion had in directly caused it .

* He sen t in to the Doab a

force of cavalry an d gun s an d levied a large con tribution . The

Bijapur govern m en t, to whom the rebels had for several years

caused con tin uous trouble , in n o way resen ted the in vasion .

On the con trary they gran ted the village wherein Shahaj i had

fallen as an i n am i to his son . Thither Shivaji wen t an d

after distributin g large sum s in charity erected a bui ldin g over

the spot where Shahaj i had fallen . An d for m an y years lam ps

burn t in it d ay an d n ight to hon our an d to com fort the dead

m an’s spirit .

Shahaji’

s ren own has like Ham ilcar’

s been overshadowed

by that of his m ore fam ous son . Nevertheless the achievem en ts

n either ofHan n ibal n or of Shi v aji could well have been aecom

plished but for the work don e by their fathers before them .

Shivd igvijaya Bakha r.

1' Ran ad e, p.

.

63'

1 Shivaji collected the reven ue. Bi japur retam ed the Jurisdi ction .

See letter in Parasn is MSS . The tom b i s n ow i n ruin s .


Ham ilcar, from his Sicilian stron ghold , first showed hi s coun trym en that with m obility an d good gen eralship , the. Carthagin ian

arm y could hold its own again st the superior disciplin e of the

Rom an legion . S haha j i first showed the Deccan that Hin du

troops un d er a Hin du leader could with rapid m ovem en ts an d

local kn owledge prove‘

a m atch for the picked forces of Delhi

or Bij apur . In deed , had Shaha j i been‘ opposed to on ly on e

of these two powers , he would m ost likely have re-established‘

the kingdom of Ahm adn agar an d have govern ed it through a

puppet kin g . This , however , would have been but a doubtful

blessin g to the Maratha people . Shahaji’

s kin gdom would hav e

in herited the Nizam Shahi tradition s Of cruelty, treachery an d

m urder. His failure en abled Shi v aji to foun d a govern m en t

en tirely n ew a n d , if it be regarded as a whole , sin gularly)

free

from the political crim es which m ar the histories of m ost In dian

states an d which were n ot in frequen t am on g the early kin gs

of Scotlan d an d of En glan d .

*

On Shahaji’

s death , Shiv ap assum ed the hereditary title of

Raja gran ted by the kin g of Ahm adn agar to Maloji . He

establi shed a m i n t atRaygad to show his com plete in depen den ce

of Bijapur an d struck , in his own n am e , both gold an d copper

coin s T He also began to m ake use of the fleet which he had

bui lt or collected at Malwan to plun der all ships issuin g from the

im peria l ports . Unfortun ately som e of these were ships filled

with Mecca pilgrim s . This brought "

on him the wrath of both

Delh i an d Bijapur. A large Bijapur force debouched from

Pan hala an d in vaded the Kon kan . It at first gain ed som e

successes but was even tually defeated an d driven back in to

Bijapur territory. Shiv aji , fearin g Moghul i n v asm n from the

n orth , did n ot pursue the beaten arm y. He had recourse to

his fleet an d plun dered the whole Bijapur coast as far as Gokarn aan d return ed to Raygad to await the expected Moghul attack .

Auran gzib recalled Jaswan t Sin g Of Jodhpur an d sen t in his

place Jai Sin g , a Raj put veteran who at on e tim e had fought

The on ly royal m urder in Maratha Hi story was that ‘

of Narayan RaoPeshwa by h is un cle Raghun ath Rao.

1" Shedga-vka r

-Bakkar. See a lso Khafi Kha n , Elliott an d Dawson , Vol.VII, p. 27 1.



on Puran d ar, if too hardly pressed . I n 1665, Shi vaji had

appoin ted as com m an dan t of Puran d ar on e Murar Ba j i , -a

Prabhu an d therefore of the sam e caste as Baj i Deshpan de , the

hero of the rearguard action n ear Vishalgad . He had with hi m

a force of 1000m en , but a great n um ber of peasan ts from the

surroun d in g districts had fled to the fort for refuge . A separate

force garrison ed Rudra Mal. The defen ders , an im ated _by

Murar’s Spirit , offered a m ost stout resistan ce . Diler Khan ,

however, exploded a‘

m in e un der on e of the bastion s of the

lower fort an d carried it im m ediately afterwards . The storm in g

party, led away by their success , attem pted in their on set to

rush theupper fort also . Murar Ba j i in stan tly coun ter-attacked .

With 700m en he charged down the hi ll side , killin g n o'

less than

500Afghan in fan try, an d drove the besiegers in headlon g fli ght

to the foot of the hill , where Diler Khan from the back of an

elephan t was watchin g the attack . The latter with great

cooln ess shot Murar Bap through the body . Thereupon , the

garrison,after a loss of 300m en , retreated to the upper fort .

Not lon g afterwards , Diler Kh an obtain ed a further success

by scalin g Rudra Mal.

Shi v aji n ow becam e seriously a larm ed . He had lon g been

accustom ed to con sult Bhavan i , the patron goddess of his house .

An d lately he had em ployed on e Balaj i Abaj i , a Prabhu

refugee from Jan j ira , to record words which he spoke when , as

he believed , he was in spired by the divin ity . On this

m om en tous occasion he again asked the advice of Bhavan i ,an d passin g in to a tran ce spoke as if repeatin g her in struo

tion s . Balaj i Abaj i recorded the divin e m essage . Its

ten our* was that Jai Sin g was a Hin du Prin ce an d that he

could n ot be overthrown like Afzul Khan or Shaistekhan . Shi

v aji should therefore m ake term s with him . Though dan ger

m i ght await hi m , yet he should fear n othin g, for through it

all Bhavan i would protect hi m . Shi vaji , after waki n g from the

tran ce an d con sultin g with hi s coun cillors an d hi s m other ,resolved to sen d an en voy to Jai Sin g an d sue for peace . Shi

v aji’

s con duct on this occasion has been discussed both by

Sabha sad Bakha r.

THE MOGHUL WAR 211

Gran t Duff an d by Mr . Ran ad e. The form er has surm ised that

he was actuated by superstition . Mr . Ran ad e attributes it

to som e deep-laid schem e still un discovered . The real reasonwas , I thin k , the followin g . Shi vaji rem em bered that hi s

father Shahaj i had separately fought with success both Moghulsan d Bijapur . Com bin ed they had overthrown him . Shivajihad for thi s reason avoided hostility with Delhi un til he hadm ade term s with Bijapur . Trustin g in Ali Adil Shah ’s hon our,he had then attacked the Moghuls . But as the recen t in vas ionof the Kon kan showed , the Bijapur kin g was n ot to be trusted .

He was n ow in league with Auran gzib an d was en deavourin g

to recover his lost possession s . Shivan therefore resolved tom ake peace with the Moghuls , an d with their help so to red uce

the power of Bijapur that n ever again would its in terven tion

again st him be of an y con sequen ce .

Shiv aji sen t m essen gers to Ra ja J ai Sin g as a brother Hin du ,

askin g for term s . But the Raj put chi ef had n o in ten tion Of

bein g tricked as Sidi Johar had been . He therefore an swered

Shivaji’

s m essage with civility but n ever ceased to press the

siege ofPuran d ar or to devastate the en em y’s possession s . At

last Shiv aji sen t to Jai Sin g his con fiden tial m i n i ster, Raghun ath

Pan t , who swore by the m ost bin din g oaths that thi s tim e

hi s m aster really was in earn est (Jun e 9 , Jai Sin g in

the en d believed him an d desired that Shiv aji should visit him .

On his part he swore by the sacred tulsi plan t that if Shiv aji

did so, n ot a hair of his head would be harm ed . ShiVaji was

at thi s tim e at Raygad . On receivin g Jai Sin g ’s m essage he set

out with 1000 horse .

* When he reached Jai Sin g’

s ten ts ,the latter sen t a clerk with a body Of arm ed Ra j puts to in form

him that if he was serious in his in ten tion to surren der, he should

en ter ; if n ot , he had better go back as he had com e. Shivaji

a ssured the clerk that he was really in earn est an d the clerk

con veyed his assuran ce to Jai Sin g . Jai Sin g accepted it an d

sen t a m essen ger of suitable ran k to receive hi s visitor. When

Gran t Duff says that Shi vaji was accom pa n ied by a slen der retin ue.

But both the Shedgavkar an d Sabhaaad Bakkars say that he took 1000 m en .

I t would ha ve been dan gerous to have taken less .


ShiVaJI en tered Jai Sin g’s ten t , the Raj put chi ef rose an d em

braced him . He seated Shiv aji on his right han d an d repeatedly

prom ised that he would n ot on ly guaran tee hi s safety, but

would win for hi m the em peror’s pardon an d favour . Shiv aji

on his part assured the Ra j put that he had n o other wish than

to becom e an a lly of the em peror . After som e further con versa

tion ,it was agreed that Shivan should at on ce visit Diler Khan ,

who was still tryin g hard to take Puran d ar . In deed , he had

lost all patien ce at the len gth an d difficulties of- the siege . He

had torn off his turban an d had sworn n ot to wear it againun til the place fell .* Nevertheless , on hearin g that Shiv aji hadOpen ed with Jai Sin g n egotiation s to whi ch he had n ot been

a party,Diler Khan , so the Marathi chron iclers m ain tain ,

flew

in to such a passion that he tore his own wrist with hi s teeth i‘

He , however, received Shiv aji with courtesy an d soon fell un der

the charm of his address . Diler Khan presen ted Shi vaji wi th a

sword , IIZ whi ch the latter with ready tact at on ce fasten ed roun d

hi s waist . The in terview closed with an exchan ge of com plim en ts

an d an im m ediate truce . Puran d ar fort was surren dered to

Diler Khan but the garrison an d the refugees wereperm itted

to depart . The term s of the peace had still to be con sidered .

What Jai Sin g dem an ded was the surren der of all Shiv aji’

s

recen t con quests from the Moghuls , all the territory which

had on ce belon ged to the Ah m adn agar kin gdom,an d Shi

v aji’

s hom age to the em peror for the rest of his estate . On the

other han d Shiv aji , although n ot ready to surren der alldem an ded

of him ,was yet willin g to m ake great sacrifices , provided that

he m ight have a free han d again st Bijapur . Even tually it was

agreed that Shiv a] I should evacuate his recen t gain s in Moghul

territory an d all the an cien t Ahm adn agar forts an d di stricts

except twelve . In cluded in his cession were Puran d ar an d

Sin hgad . He was to retain all his other con quests from Bijapur .§In return for a large sum in ca sh payable in three in sta lm en ts

,

he was perm itted to collect the chauth an d sardeshm ukhz’

,that

Sabhasad Bakhar.

i Sabhasad Bakhar , Slwdgavka r Bakhar .

2KhafiKh an . The sum of m on ey am oun ted to pagodas .



APPENDIX

AURANGZIB’

S LETTER TO SHIVAJ I , DATED AUGUST 26, 1665 .

After com plim en ts ,

Your presen t letter, couched in v ery hum ble stra in , statin g that accoun tof your in terview with Raja J ai Sin g had been received.

We are glad to n ote that you desire a gen era l pardon for'

your con duct .

Your wi shes had a lready been com m un icated to us by your officers , viz. , that

you repen t for your past deeds an d that you surren der thi rty (30) forts to theman d would retain twelve ( 12) forts on ly with the adjoin in g territory, yieldi n gin reven ue 1 lakh of pagodas . In addition to these twelve ( 12) forts whi chform erly belon ged to the Nizam Shahi govern m en t, you wish to retain an othertract in theKon kan with a reven ueof four (4 ) lakhs of

‘ pagodas , that you havetaken from the Bijapur govern m en t a n d an other tract un der Bale Ghat inBijapur territory with a reven ue of five (5 ) lakhs of pagodas . You wan t a

Charter from us to this effect an d you agree to pay to us forty (40) lakhs ofpagoda s in an n ual in stalm en ts of three (3 ) lakhs .

Our reply is that the policy pursued by you has been so un scrupulous thatit does n ot deserve forgiven ess . Nevertheless at Ra ja J ai Sin g’s recom m en d a

tion we exten d to you a gen era l pardon an d a llow you to retain , as you wi sh,twelve ( 12) forts detailed below.

The adjoin in g territory has also been gran ted to you . But out Of the n in e

(9 ) lakhs of territory, that part which is in the Kon kan an d yields four (4 )lakh s an d i s at presen t in your possess ion has been an n exed to our em pire.

As for the other, with a reven ue Of five (5 ) lakhs , it will be given you subjectto two con di tion s .

( 1 ) You m us t recover it from the Bijapur'

govern m en t before Bijapurfalls in to our han ds .

(2) You m ust join J a i Sin g With a well-equipped arm y an d discharge theim perial work to h is satisfaction an d pay the stipulated ran som after theBijapur con quest.

At presen t a m an sab of 5000 horse has been offered to your son . Everyhorsem an will hav e 2 or 3 horses . A dress a lso has been sen t to you . Thi sm an date bears our testim on y an d our seal.

Deta ils about the forts accordin g to Ra ja J a i Sin g’s letter.

7 . Alwari.8. Bayari .9 . Lin gan gad .

10. Mahadgad .

1 l . Pal.

12. Kuwari .

CHAPTER XIX

SHIVAJ I AT AGRA

A .D. 1665 To 1668

THE folly ofwhicht he Bijapur kin g had been guilty in breakin g

his treaty with Shiv aji n ow becam e apparen t . Auran gzib

regarded Shiv aji as little better than a hill ban dit , who was

n ever likely to be form idable beyon d the foothills of the Sahya

dris . But the reduction of Bijapur an d Golcon da was : the

darli n g wish of his life . It had throughout been the policy

of the Moghu l em perors to destroy the Musulm an kin gdom s

whi ch had risen upon the ruin of the Afghan em pire . They

had previously been prov m ces of Delhi . They had revolted

when the cen tral power was weak . They should be recovered

when the cen tra l power was on ce m ore stron g . Akbar, with

far sm aller resources than Auran gzib , had overthrown the

kin gdom s of Guzarat , Khan desh an d Ben gal . Shah Jehan had

con quered Ahm adn agar. The con quest of Bijapur an d Golcon da

would en able Auran gzib to overrun all southern In dia , un til

his fron tiers everywhere reached the sea . He would then be

free to guard with the whole stren gth of the em pire the n orth

western passes again st the barbarian s of Cen tra l Asia .

I n spite , therefore , Of the aid given by Ali Adil Shah to.

the

Moghuls in their attack on Shiv aji , Auran gzib ordered Jai

Sin g an d Diler Khan at on ce to in vade B i japur territory an d if

possible to storm the capital . Shiv aji , with 2000 horse an d

8000 or 9000 in fan try,j oin ed the Moghul arm y (Novem ber,

1665) Con siderable success at first atten ded the expedition .

Shiv aji attacked Phaltan ,the fiefof theNim balkars

,his relatives ,

an d soon reduced it as well as the fort of Tathwad a about 10

m iles to the south- east . He also m ade a successful n ight attack

on the Bijapur forces in the Kon kan . I n the m ean tim e , Jai

Sin g an d Diler Khan m oved on Bijapur itself . They m et with


n o serious resistan ce un til they cam e to Man galved a , a stron g

place about 60m iles n orth ofBijapur . It was gallan tly defen ded

but fell after a week’s Siege .

*

Diler Khan an d J ai Sin g n ow began to draw their troops

roun d Bijapur an d to hold hi gh hopes that it would soon capitu

late. But Ali Adil Shah rose to the height Of the dan ger . His

light horse spread out in every direction to in vade the Moghul

territories an d to cut the com m un ication s of the besiegers .

He had the wells for m i les roun d Bijapur poison ed an d all stores

an d food supplies likely to fall in to Moghul han ds destroyed .

At the sam e tim e he appealed to the kin g of Golcon da to sen d

hi m rein forcem en ts .

Shiv aji , after the fall of Phaltan an d Tathwad a ,m oved south

wards an d took a n um ber of m in or forts . Wh ile so en gaged ,he received from the em peror a letterTin which he expressed

hi s appreciation of Shiv aji’

s gallan try an d in form ed Shiv aji

that he had sen t him a jewelled s word . En couraged by this

praise an d his own recen t successes , Shiv aji in vested Pan hala .

But the in vestm en t proved a failure . The garrIson in flicted

on the besiegers such a serious check that they raised the siege

an d fell back upon Vishalgad . While there , Shi v aji received

a secon d letter from the em peror. I n it Auran gzib in vited the

Maratha prin ce to court , prom i sin g hi m leave to return hom e

when he wished . At the sam e tim e Auran gzib again expressed

hi s appreciation of his recen t services an d in form ed Shi v ajithat he had sen t hi m a dress Of

Shiv aji sought the advice of Bhavan i , an d again the words

spoken by her through Shi v aji’

s m outh an d recorded by Bala j i

Abaj i were favourable . Ram das§ also advised Shiv aji to go tocourt an d thus to rem ove all suspicion s from Auran gzib

’

s m in d .

Shivaji , after som e further c on sideration ,decided that he would

accept the em peror’s in vitation . He left his state in the han ds

of hi s m other Jijabai , Moro Pingle the Peshwa ,Nilopan t Son d ev

an d An n aji Datto . § To J ijabai was also en trusted the care

Khafi Kha n .

T Origin a l letter from Auran gzib see Appen di x A , p . 225.

I See Appen di x B, p. 225 .

Shivd igvijaya Bakhar.



He presen ted a n azar or oflerin’

g of Rs . The em peror

then ordered hi m to take hi s place am on g com m an ders Of _5000

horse . Thi s was a deli berate in sult . Shi v aji had recen tly

taken the field with m en an d com m an ds of 5000 horse

had a lready been conferred on his son Sam bhaji an d on his

subordin ate Netoji Palkar . The Maratha prin ce saw that hewas bein g m aliciously flouted an d , un able to con trol him s elf,turn ed to Ram sin g an d spoke fran kly hi s resen tm en t . The

youn gRajput did hi s best to pacify him but in vain . Auran gzib ,

who had n o doubt hoped for som e such in ciden t , at on ce tookadvan tage of it . He dism issed Shiv aji without cerem on y or

return presen ts . He ordered him to be con ducted to a house

prepared for him n ear the TajMaha l outside the city an d to be

in form ed that the em peror had reported Shi v aji’

s con duct to

Jai Sin g . Un til Jai Sin g ’s reply arrived , he was n ot to presen t

him self at court . Shi vaji’

s son Sam bhaji , however , should

d o so , but as a retain er of Ram sin g . After Shi v aji had reached

his hou se , a stron g guard un der a Musulm an Ofli cer n am ed

Polad Khan * was placed roun d it .Shiv aji . was n ow in im m in en t peril . An y attempt to escape

would . give the em peror the desired excuse to behead him . On

the other han d , if Shi v aji m ade n o such attem pt , he would

probably rem ain a state prison er for the rest of his life . Shiv aji

first resolved to appea l to Auran gzib’

s hon our . He sen t Raghu

n athpan t Korde wi th a petition to the em peror . Therein herem i n ded Auran gzib of the safe con duct prom ised hi m an d of

the assuran ces of Raja J ai Sin g . In return for freedom Shiv aji

un dertook to assist in the con quest either of Golcon da orBijapur .

Raghun athpan t Korde was given an audien ce an d supported

his m aster’s letter’

with such eloquen ce as he could him self

com m an d . But a certain Jaffar Khan ,whose wife was

Shaistekhan’

s Sister an d who was therefore con n ected bym arriage with the em peror ’s fam ily, had in the in terval m ade

every en deavour to poison Auran gzib’

s m in d again st Shiv aji

by distorted stories of his en coun ters with Afzul Khan an d

Shaistekhan . Auran gzib dism issed Raghun athpan t Korde with

He was a kotwa l of Agra .

SHIVAJ I AT AGRA 219

the cold a n swer that the m atter would receive con sideration .

With a heavy heart Raghun athpan t repeated the reply to hi s

im prison ed m aster . The latter then wrote to hi s frien d Ram sin gan d begged hi m to in terven e on his behalf .* Ram s in g gen e

rously un dertook the da n gerous duty but m et with n o better

success . The em peror told the Raj put that the m atter was n o

lon ger an y con cern of hisT. Even tually Auran gzib sen t a

m essen ger to Shi v aji to say that he could return to the Deccan ,

provided he left behi nd hi m his son Sam bhaji as a hostage .

Had Shi v aji accepted this condition , he would have had either

tq sacrifice his eldest son ,or to betray hi s coun trym en . He

declin ed it an d began at on ce to con sider all possible m ethodsof escape . Thes am e n ight he saw in a dream Bhavan i , who, so

he fan cied , told him that he n eed fear n othin gT She would

provide n ot on ly for his safety but for that of hi s son . Com forted

by this vision , Shiv aji’

s resourceful m in d soon evolve d a plan

which for in gen uity a n d darin g has rarely been equalled . In

pursuan ce of it,he sen t a further petition to Auran gzib , in which

he begged that he m ight at least sen d his troops back to the

Deccan . The em peror was on ly too glad to con sen t to a proposa l

which robbed Shiv aji of his on ly protectors . An d if he feltan y suspicion s , they were ski lfully soothed by Shiv aji

’

s con duct .After his troops had departed , Shiv aji repeatedly said to Polad

Khan that he n ow n o lon ger wished to depart . The em peror

provided for his com fort on a liberal scale . His residen ce at

Agra en abled him to save m on ey, an d if“

he could Obtain the

em peror ’s leave he would sen d for his wives an d m other to Agra

a lso . These words were reported to Auran gzib by Polad Khan

an d the em peror sm iled in dulgen tly at what he deem ed the petty

avarice an d m ean spirit of the Deccan chief . Shiv aji n extasked leave to sen d his frien ds in Agra sweetmeats an d choice

dishes prepared in the Deccan m an n erfp The leave was given

an d Shi v aji’

s fri en ds gladly received the presen ts an d sen t him

sim ilar gifts in return . Shiv aji sen t further presen ts an d received


TSabhasa d Bakha r.

Khafi Khan .


further return gifts . Thus hard ly a d ay passed without a stream

ofwicker~work baskets passin g in to or goin g out of the prison er ’sdoor . At first Polad Khan had them all carefully exam in ed .

But gradua lly his vigilan ce relaxed an d the guards daily let the

baskets pass wi thout troubli n g to exam in e them . Sudden ly

Shivaji an n oun ced him self ill . He com plain ed of acute pain

in the liver an d spleen . He sen t for the best doctors in Agra

an d they prescribed for him various rem edies . At first they

seem ed to do the patien t but littl e good . But‘

in a few days

Shi v aji declared him self better an d ordered that m ore baskets

of sweetm eats should be prepared an d sen t to his frien ds , that

they m ight rej oice with him at his recovery . He a lso bought

three horses ,* which he sen t with som e of his atten dan ts alon g

the Mathura road . They“

were,he gave out , to be given as pre

sen ts to the Brahm an s there , whose prayers to Krishn a had

won his recovery . That even in g Shi v aji an d his son got each

in to a sweetm eat basket an d their rem ain in g followers , dis

guised as porters , carried them out . On e on ly of his retin ue ,the faithful Hiraji Pharzan d stayed behin d .T He en tered

Shivaji’

s bed , an d covered his head with m uslin , but left exposedon e of his han ds upon which Shiv aji had placed his own Sign etrin g .

*

Next m orn i n g Shiv aji did n ot rise , an d as there seem ed

a stran ge stilln ess about the house the guards en tered it . They

saw, so they thought, Shi v aji lyin g on his“

bed ill with fever,whi le a boy m assaged his legs . They wen t away satisfied that

Shiv aji had had a relapse . In the m ean tim e Shiv aji , Sam bhajian d their atten dan ts had m ade their way to the spot where

the horses awaited them , an d had ridden as fast as possible

to Mathura . There they chan ged their dresses an d assum ed the

garb of religious m en dican ts , with whom Mathura is at all tim es

crowded . They sought shelter of three brothers An n aji , Kashij i ,an d Visaji Trim al, who were brothers by m arriage of Moro

Pin gle , Shi v aji’

s Peshwa . They willi n gly agreed to take the

fugitives to their house un til such tim e as it m i ght be con ven i en t

for them to con tin ue their flight . By n ow, however, Shivaji’

s

Kh afi Khan . TSabhasad Bakhar .



Ben gal .* Then they turn ed back an d j ourn eyed toIn dore . FromIn dore they wen t southwards un til at last they cam e to a village

whi ch Shi vaji’

s troops , en raged at hi s deten tion , had recen tly

raided an d sacked . They asked shelter of a farm er. He hadsuffered with the other villagers an d had lost his crops an d live

stock. Nevertheless he shared what he had with the travel-worn

m en dican ts . Next m orn in g they left hi m an d a few days

later they were in Poon a . It was free from Moghul troops . SO‘

Shi v aji threw offhis disguise an d publicly an n oun ced hi s return .

The welcom e which he received resem bled that which six years

before had awaited Charles II when he lan ded at Dover . The

gun s in every fortress Of the Sahyad ris boom ed greetin g to the

well-loved leader. The com m on soldiers wen t m ad with delight .

The Officers ha sten ed in thousan ds to pay their respects an d to'

hear from Shi v aji’

s own lips his rom an tic story . From Poon a ,

Shi v aji r ode in state to Raygad (Decem ber, There hi s

m other clasped him to her bosom an d resign ed back to him the

power en trusted to her an d the other regen ts when he left for

Agra . On e thin g was wan tin g to the j oy of Jijabai an d her son .

Sam bhaji was still exposed to dan ger. But n ot m an y weeks

passed before he too reached hom e safe an d well . After securely

gui din g Shi v aji to Poon a , Krishn aji Vishv an ath return ed to

Mathura . Then takin g with hi m his m other, Kashij i Trim al

an d Sam bhaji , he on ce again began the lon g j ourn ey to Poon a .

The party j ourn eyed without in ciden t un til they reached Uj jain .

There a Musulm an Officer suspected that the han dsom e , highbred

lad m ight be Sam bhaji an d addressed him . He,

was baffled by

Kashiji’

s cooln ess an d devotion The boy , he said ,“is m y

son . But a short tim e ago m y m other, m y wife , m y son an d

I started together on a pilgrim age to Allahabad . My m other

died on the way , m y wife fell ill at Allahabad an d died a lso .

I am n ow takin g m y orphan son back to m y own village .

”In

that cas e , retorted the Musulm an ,

‘5you will have n o obj ection

to eat with your’

son of the sam e plate .” Although for a Brahm an

to eat with a Maratha , n o m atter how hi ghly born ,was to break

the caste law an d to in cur a costly pen an ce , Kashij i did n ot

hesitate . He a n d Sam bhaji shared the sam e dish . An d theShe

'

d z’

gvijaya Bakhar .

SHIVAJ I AT AGRA 223

Musulm an Officer, satisfied with the test , let the prison er go .

The party con tin ued on foot as far as Rakshasabhuv an, a village

on the ban ks of the Godavari . There they hired horses an drode with all speed to Raygad . Shiv aji , overj oyed at his son

’s

return , gave to each of the three brothers the title of Vishvasrao.

He gave in addition to Kashij i Trim al an order for Rs .

a n d a sim ilar order to Krishn aji Vishv an ath’

s m other. Nor

did he fail to reward the “

hospitable villager of Malwa,who

, i n

spite of his own m isfortun es , had yet exten ded a welcom e to

two wan derin g beggars

Sam bhaji safe , Shiv aji was free to take reven ge On the Moghuls .

Their aflairs in the Deccan had lately been goin g n on e too well .

Ali Adil Shah ’s defen ce of Bijapur had roused the sym pathy

of the kin g of Golcon da . An d in an swer to hi s rival ’s appeal

for help , he had sen t 6000 cavalry an d in fan try. They,with the Bijapur horse , so harassed the besiegers that they were

soon in a worse plight than the Bijapur garrison . At last Jai

Sin g reported to the em peror that he could n o lon ger con tin ue

the in vestm en t . At the sam e tim e he fell back on Dharur an d

awaited orders .* But Shivaji n ow en tered the field . He recap

tured the Kon kan surren dered by him , an d then began to overrun

the Desh . Jai Sin g saw hi s retreat threaten ed . He aban don ed

all the forts in the’

Desh except Lohgad , Sin hgad an d Puran d ar

an d retreated to Auran gabad . The failure of Jai Sin g’s expedi

tion an d Ram sin g’

s suspected con n ivan ce with Shi v aji’

s escape

led the em peror to recall him . But the war-worn Rajput did n ot

live to regain the capita l . Death overtook hi m at Burhan pur

as he travelled back to Delh i (July 12, In place of the

dead officer Auran gzib re-appoin ted his son , Prin ce Muazzim ,

as Govern or of the Deccan , an d Jaswan t Sin g, Maharaja of

JOd hpur, as hi s secon d in com m an d . The n ew viceroy had but

little capacity an d n o likin g for war . Jaswan t Sin g had m ade

Shiv aji’

s acquain tan ce at Delhi , an d like all those who passed

un der the wan d of the m agician , becam e the prin ce’s en thus iastic

adm irer. Shi vaji on hi s partwas willin g to m ake peace provided

KhafiKhan .


that his old possession s were restored to him an d that,as before

,

he was given a free han d again st Bijapur . A treaty en sued

very favourable to the Maratha leader (A .D. The em perorcon ferred on him the title of Ra ja

,thus con firm in g the hon our

gran ted to Maloji by the Ahm adn agar kin g , an d con tin ued

the m an sab or com m an d of 5000 horse to Sam bhaji .He re

stored to Shiv aji his father’s Old fief of Poon a , Chakan an d

Supa ,

*an d the n eighbourin g forts except Sin hgad an d Puran da r .

I n lieu of his other claim s on the old Ahm adn agar ki n gdom,

Shiv aji received a fief in Berar an d ,so it would seem

, was

a llowed to retain the Kon kan which he had recen tly recon quered .

Shiv aji on the other han d un dertook to aid the Moghuls in a freshattack upon Bijapur . I n pursuan ce of their agreem en t Shiv ajisen t a fin e body of horse un der Kad toji Guzar, n ow en n obled

by the title Prataprao Guzar ,Tto j oin Prin ce Muazz im’

s arm y

at Auran gabad . It does n ot , however, appear to have seenservice . The Bi j apur kin g , a lthough he had forced Jai Sin g

to raise the siege,was heartily sick of the war

,an d with Shiv aji

on ce m ore an a lly Of the em peror , could hardly hope to repea t

his recen t successes . He sued for peace an d Obtain ed it by

givin g up the fort of Sholapur an d other territory yieldin g

pagoda s . But he had also to satisfy the claim s of

Shi v aji to sardeshm akhc’

an d chauth which had been gran ted

to hi m by Auran gzib in their first treaty . Ali Adil Shah

com m uted them for paym en t of 371

5 lakhs of rupees . Shivaji was

n ow m ore powerful than he had ever been . For a whole year

he rem ain ed at peace with”

his n eighbours an d absorbed in the

task of restorin g order to his kin gdom . Nor did he provoke

the war that afterwards broke out . The cause was the fresh

treachery of Auran gzib .

Ran ad e, p . 108 . See a lso Auran gzib’

s origin al letter, Appen dix C , p . 225 .

TShi v aji at this period reduced Netoji Palkar an d appoin ted Kad tojiGu zar as the com m an der ofhis cav ah'

y . The reason i s obscure. TheSabha sa d

Bakhar, p . 57 , says the kin g, fin di n g fault with h im (Netoji Palkar) for n ot

i avi n g atten ded his ca ll i n tim e, rem oved him from hi s office as Sam oha i

cav alry com m an der) .


CHAPTER XX

SINHGAD, SURAT AND SALEEB

A . D. 1668 To 1672

AURANGZIB , whose besettin g sin was m i strust Of hi s

subordin ates , refused them hi s con fiden ce either in war or in

He had n ever given Diler Khan or Raja Jai Sin g

sufficien t troops either to destroy Shiv aji or to take Bi japur .

An d n ow that Prin ceMuazzim an d Shiv aji lived on am icable

term s , the j ealous em peror cam e to suspect that they were

plottin g his overthrow . The suspicion had n o foun dation .

Prin ce Muazzim hated war an d Shivaji had n o wi sh to attack

the Moghuls un til he had secured his southern fron tier from

the assaults of Bijapur. Nevertheless Auran gzib sen t Prin ce

Muazzim an order directin g hi m to seize at on ce ; the person s of

Shi vaji an d Prataprao Guzar . Prin ce Muazzim , before theorder arrived , heard of it from his con fiden tial agen t at Delh i .

He sen t forNiraji Ravji , Shivaji’

s legate at Auran gabad , an d

advised him to leave with Prataprao Guzar before the order

cam e. Niraji Ravji at on ce con veyed the warn i n g to Pratap

rao Guzar, an d the sam e , n ight the latter led his con tin gent

out of Auran gabad an d by forced m arches reached Raygad in

a few days . When the Ofli cial letter of the em peror arrived ,Prin ce Muazzim was with perfect truth able to an swer

that it was im possible to seize either Shivaji or Prataprao

Guzar, as there was n o lon ger a sin gle Maratha at Auran gabad .

Shivaji could hardly have been otherwise than an gry at the

n ews con veyed to him by Prataprao Guzar, but he con cea led

hi s an ger un der a show of satisfaction . The Moghuls ,”he

said”

laughin g, have m ain tained m y cava lry for two years

at their own expen se. I shall n ow show them how m uch m y

their

Shedgavkar Bakha r.

SINHGAD,SURAT AND SALHER 7

The Moghul garrison s at Sin hgad an d Puran d ar had lon g '

been an eyesore to Shiv aji an d to his m other. The recen t treach

ery ofAuran gzib showed him that it was im possible to rem ain

a t peace wi th the Moghuls . He therefore resolved to reduce

the two great forts without further delay. A lively ballad*

has preserved a fan tastic but m ost in terestin g accoun t Of the

a ttack on Sin hgad . On e Mon day m orn in g, accordin g tO '

the

ballad writer, Shi v aji was at Raygad T His m other Jijabai

was at Pratapgad . The latter was com bin g her hair with an

ivory com b . As she looked eastwards , her eyes fell on Sin hgad .

It was shin i n g in the sun like a n ew-laid egg.

r

I he sight goaded

her“

to fury . She told on e Of her serva n ts to ride to Raygad an d

ca ll Shiv aji to her, even if he had to get up from his din n er

without washin g his han ds . Shiv aji at on ce obeyed his m other’s

sum m on s , don n ed his arm our, took his sword an d shield an d

tiger claws , m oun ted his black m are Krishn a an d ,ridin g as

fast as he could to Pratapgad , an n oun ced his arrival to Jijabai .

Wh en they m et he asked her the cause of her urgen t m essage .

She gave him n o direct an swer, but challen ged him to a gam e

of dice . Shiv aji at first declin ed , sayin g that it was n ot right

for a son to oppose his m other even in a gam e . But J ijabaiovercam e his scruples an d then prayed to Bhavan i for help .

With the .goddess’

aid she won the m atch . Shi v ajl then begged

his m other to take as a forfeit an y on e of the fortresses in his

possession . She refused them all, but dem an ded Sin hgad .

The kin g protested that the ren own ed Ude Bhan defen ded it

an d that itwas im pregn able . But Jijabai in sisted an d threaten ed

to burn up his kin gdom with her curses un less he gave her

Sin hgad . Shivaji perforce con sen ted an d told her to go wi th

him to Rajgad . There he spen t severa l hours thin kin g whom heshould appoin t to capture the fortress . At last the n am e ofhi s Old com rade Tan aji MaluSare, sabhed ar ofUm rathe, occurred

to him . He sen t a written m essage to Tan aji , orderin g him to

be presen t~

at Ra j gad withi n three days an d accom pan ied by

Shalegram Collection ,p. 21. The writer wa s T i ls id as Sha hir.

T. In the ba llad he is declared to be at Ra j gad. But, as the com m en tator

rightly Observes , the route followed by the m essen ger shows that he m ust

have been at Raygad .


m en . The m essen ger foun d Tan aji en gaged in preparin gfor the m arriage of his son Rayaba . But the weddin g was put

off an d with m en carryin g clubs an d sicklesTan aji started

for Ra j gad . As he wen t, a coppersm i th bird flew across his

path . His un cle Shelar urged him to return as the sight of such

a bird was an evil om en . But Tan aji laughed at the old m an’s

fears an d con tin ued his m arch . As they n eared Ra j gad , Jijabaithought that they were Moghuls an d begged Shiv aji to fire on

them . But the kin g recogn i sed hi s own ban n ers an d guessed

that the troops were Tan aji’

s Shiv aji greeted Tan aji warm ly .

But the sabhed ar,with the freedom of an Old frien d , scolded

the kin g for disturbin g hi m in the m iddle of his son ’s m arriage

festivities . Shi v aji excused hi m s elf, pleadin g that it was n ot

really he but Jijabai who had sen t for Tan aji ; AS her son spoke ,Jijabai rose . She first than ked Bhavan i for Tan aji

’

s c om in g ,then waved a lam p roun d Tan aji

’

s head an d cracked her fin gers

on her tem ple so as to take to herself all hi s cares .* Tan aji ,com pletely won by the queen ’s acts , took Off hi s turban , placed

it at her feet , an d prom ised to give her an ythi n g she wan ted .

She told him to give her Sin hgad an d assured hi ml

t hat if he did

so , she would regard him as Shi v aji’

s youn ger brother an d her

own son . Tan aji gladly agreed to go forth on the perilous

quest . J i jabai gave a feast of whi ch his whole force partook ,an d as they ate, Bhavan i herself cam e an d helped to serve

them . After the feast was over, Jijabai gave to Tan aji’

s soldiers

clothes an d weapon s , an d they started for Sin hgad . On reachi n g

a spot ca lled An an di Bari , Tan aji assum ed the dress of a village

headm an an d stole through the jun gle un til he reached the

en em y’s outposts . They were Hin dus of the Koli ca ste an d

seized him . He gave out that he was p atil, or headm an , of

Sakhara an d that he had just m et a tiger an d had fled to them

for shelter . Thi s satisfied the Kolis , whose hearts‘

Tan aji soon

won by presen ts of beteln ut an d Opium . Lastly he distributed

pieces of j ewellery am on gst them an d con fided to them that he

was on e of Shi v aji’

s n obles an d sought in form ation about the

fort . They readily told hi m all that they kn ew an d a great deal

Ala bala . This is a very com m on practice am on g In dian lad ies .



an d was about to seek the em braces of his wives . In spite of

the urgen cy of the occasion , he refused to go him self , but ordered

that his elephan t Chan d ravali should be sen t again st the en em y.

Its m ahout gave the m on ster an in credible quan tity of -bhang

an d opium an d drove it again st Tan aji . The latter, however,evaded its charge an d Sprin gin g on its back killed it by cuttin g

off its trun k with a sin gle sword stroke . Ude Bhan n ext sen t

Sidi Hilla l to m eet the en em y.

O

Sidi Hillal donn ed his arm our ,an d killin g his n in e wives ,* m arked his forehead with their

blood an d then sought out Tan aji . On m eetin g hi m Sidi Hillal

bade him take grass in his m outh , put his san dals on hi s head ,an d beg for m ercy. Tan aji refused , an d after wardin g Off

eighteen successive sword cuts,clove the Sidi Open from the

turban to the n avel . Ude Bhan ,however, still refused to leave

his wives . He ordered his twelve son s to go forth to battle .

But they were n o m ore fortun ate than their forerun n ers . Twelve

strokes of Tan aji’

s sword cut them in to twen ty-four pieces .

His son s ’ death at last roused Ude Bhan . He cut down his

wives just as Sidi Hilla l had don e an d rallyin g the rest of the

garrison he wen t towards the Kalyan Gate . Seein g that the

storm in g party on ly n um bered fifty Ude Bhan an d his Pathan s

rushed at them . Ude Bhan cut down Tan aji . But Shelar

aven ged his death by in stan tly killin g Ude Bhan . Nevertheless

the sm a ll Maratha force would soon have been overpowered ,had n ot Bhavan i of Pratapgad flun g open with her own

'

han d

the Kalyan Gate , thus en ablin g Suryaji , Tan aji’

s brother, l an d

the rest of the m en to en ter the fort . The fight

was then soon over. The garrison was killed . The im peria l

stan dard was torn down . Shivaji’

s ban n er was hoisted

in its place . Five can n on s were fired an d som e buildin gs

set alight to an n oun ce to Shiv aji that Sin hgad was ' his .

Shiv aji hasten ed from Raj gad an d m oun ted the steep path

that leads up Sin hgad . He en tered the fort through the

Kalyan Gate an d rode un til he saw the corpseF

of his

gallan t Com rade Tan aji Malusare. As the ki n g stopped to

gaze at it,his soldiers crowded roun d hi m to con gratu

He killed hi s wives to safeguard hi s hon our in case he did n ot return .

SINHGAD ,SURAT AND SALHER 231

late him on the capture of the Lion ’s fort .* But he silen ced

them with a bitter lacon i sm such as Juli us would haveen vied .

I have got the Fort ,” he said

,but I have lost the lion

(Feb u ary 17 , 167O) .TThe fall ofSin hgad was followed by that ofPuran d ar, escaladed

by Suryaji Malusare an d between February an d Jun e , 1670,the : Peshwa , aided by Nilopan t Son d ev an d An n aji Datto ,had rem oved every trace of the Moghul occupation from Shi vaji

’

s

territories . The kin g n ext tried to surprise Shivn er, the great

fort n ear Jun n ar . He had been born there an d he had lon g

desired to win it, that he m ight thereby secure his n orthern

fron tier. I n this en terprise his good fortun e deserted him .

When the leader of the storm in g party reached the sum m i t

of the fort,he was seen by on e of the wives of the garrison li

She flun g a ston e at him which kn ocked him over backwards .

As he fell he overturn ed those who followed hi m . An d the

n oise of their fa ll roused the garrison ,who cut the ropes towhi ch

the storm in g party clun g an d thus repulsed the attack with

heavy loss .

After thi s failure Shivaji turn ed on ce m ore to Jan ji ra f He

took all the bridge-heads which Fatih Khan had established

on the m ain lan d an d drove hi m an d such forces as he still had

with hi m back in to the islan d . These defeats weighed heavily

on Fatih Khan ’s m in d . It was hopeless for hi m to expect aid

from Bijapur, separated as it an d Jan j ira were by Shi v aji’

s

possession s . Shiv aji’

s fleet too was by n ow m ore than a m atch

forFatihKhan ’s ships an d ,attacked by lan d an d sea , he despaired

of a successfu l defen ce . He therefore open ed n egotiation s wi th

Shiv aji , Offerin g to surren der Jan jira , provided that he an d hisgarri son were allowed to go free . Shiv aji wished at an y cost to

Sin h m ean s lion an d gad fort. The Marathi words of Shivaj iwere, Gad ala , pan Sin h gela .

TA less rom an tic but m ore probable story is to be foun d in the SabhasadBakhar. A ccordi n g to the author of that chron icle, Tan aji an d his brotherSuryaji surprised Sin hgad without div in e assistan ce an d with a force of on lya thousan d Mawa l in fan try. The garri son con sisted of seven hun dred Ra jputs,who defen ded them selv es ga llan tly un til over five hun dred had been ki lledor woun ded in the atta ck.

I lh'

yer, Eastern Travels .

A ' HISTORY OF THE MARATHA PEOPLE

secure this powerfu l n aval base an d he readily agreed to Fatih

Khan ’

s term s . But the latter’s design was frus trated when on

the very poin t of execution . As I have previously related ,the govern ors of the islan d , when it was un der the kin gs Of

Ahm adn agar, were Abyssin i an kin sm en or frien ds of Mali kAm bar. Upon its tran sfer to Bijapur they becam e Fatih Khan ’

s

subordin ates . Hearin g of his treason , they resolved both to

save Jan j ira from the in fidel an d to rid them selves of their

Afghan superior. Their three leaders were n am ed Sidi Sam ba] ,Sidi Yakut an d Sidi Khairyat . They sudd en ly seized FatihKh an an d put hi m in chain s . They sen t a despatch explain in g

to the Bijapur ki n g their con duct . At the sam e tim e they sen t

an other despatch to Auran gabad Offerin g in return for aid from

the Moghul fleet to hold Jan j ira as a depen den cy ofDelhi . The

Moghuls gladly con sen ted an d the Surat fleet reli eved Jan j ira

by j oin i n g the Sidi’s fleet, which thus recovered com m an d of

the sea .

It was characteristic of ShivajI that adversity seem ed to

stim ulate hi s m in d an d that brillian t successes closely followed

hi s gravest disasters . Durin g the last six years the town of

Surat had recovered its prosperity. Yet in spite of the Maratha

raid of 1664, the Moghul govern m en t had taken n o steps to

preven t its repetition . Shi v aji resolved to profit by their

n egligen ce an d to m ake Surat pay for the aid given to Jan j ira

by theMoghul fleet that had sailed from theTapti . On October 1 ,1670, n ews reached Surat that a Maratha arm y stron g

had en tered Guzarat , an d two days later its van guardwas seento approach the m ud wa lls . The in habitan ts fled , as before ,to the surroun din g villages an d the govern or an d hi s garrison

repeated their form er cowardi ce by at on ce retirin g to the castle .

The En gli sh , Dutch an d Fren ch m erchan ts got ready to defen d

their factories , an d the guards of two seraglios , on e m ain tain ed

by Persian an d Turkish m erchan ts an d an other by . a fugitive

prin ce from Kashgar,* resolutely prepared to protect their

Thi s accoun t is taken from the En glish letter of Novem ber 20preservedi n Hedge

’s Diary, Vol. II, p. 226. The prin ce of Kashgar is said to have been

con n ected with Auran gzib an d to have been dethron ed by his own son .



through Dharam pur. This tim e , confiden t in the n um ber of

his troops , he followed the m ain road from Surat to Auran gabad ,which passed by Salher fort an d Chan dwad town . AtChan dwad

he proposed to leave the m ain road an d return * through the

Nasik pass to the Kon kan . But the n ews of hi s raid on Surat an d

of his lin e of retreat had reached Auran gabad . A body ofMoghul

cavalry un der Daud Khan set out to harass hi s rearguard , while

a large Moghul arm y m arched to the Sahyad ris an d blocked the

Nas ik pass . The plan , both well-con ceived an d well-executed ,

failed through the excellen ce OfShiv aji’

s in form ation . He sen t hi s

plun der through other passes in the m oun tain s , an d then turn i n g

with a body Of horse on Daud Khan ’s cavalry overwhelm ed it at

Khad ase. Return in g swiftly , he charged with his wholearm y

the Moghuls who held the Nasik pass an d com pletely routed

them . He then led his troops an d treasure. safely toR aygad .

With the spoil of Surat Shiv aji equi pped fresh troops

an d a powerful fleet . With the latter he m ade a dem on stration

alon g the Guzarat coast as far as Broach : The Moghuls , an tici

patin g a raid on Broach sim ilar to that twice made on Surat ,sen t : all their available rein forcem en ts in to Guzarat . Thi s was

what Shiv aji had desired an d he n ow led an arm y in toKhan desh .

The garrison s Of the Khan desh town s fought with great courage

but they were separately defeated .

’

I he forts of Aun d ha ,

Patta , Trim bak an d Salher fell an d Shi v aji laid waste the whole

of the fertile provin ce as far as Burhan pur on its n orth-eastern

fron tier . Whi le Shi v aji overran Khan desh ,Moro Pin gle descen d

ed through the Nasik pass , reduced the Jawher State an d

exacted con tribution s,

from the Kolwan , n ow the n orthern part

of the Than a district (Jan uary, Shi v aji then fell back

upon the Sahyad ri Moun tain s . But as he did so , he m ade the

headm an of every village un dertake to pay hi m a fourth of the

reven ue as a safeguard again st further attack . Thus was the

chauth im posed for the first tim e on a Moghul provin ce . These

di sasters to the Moghul arm s led to a chan ge in the Auran gabad

govern m en t . The em peror reca lled Jaswan t Sin g -an d in his

place he sen t Mahabat Khan ,the veteran Officer who had

See Sabhaeacl an d Shedgavka r Bahha rs an d Scott, Decca n , Vol. II, p. 25 .

SINHGAD,SURAT AND SALEEB 235

con quered Daulatabad for the Em peror Shah Jehan ,together

with a n ew arm y of m en . The Moghuls n ow re-assum ed

the offen sive . They at first m et with som e successes . Theyre-captured Aun d ha an d Patta before the m on soon broke , an d

early in the n ext year ( 1672) they in vested Salher an d cut to

pieces a body of horse* sen t by MorOpan t Pin gle to rein force

the garrison . Shiv aji ordered MorOpan t Pin gle an d Prataprao

Guzar to proceed in,

person with all their available troopsto reli eve Salher. Mahabat Khan sen t the greater part of his

arm y un der on e Iklas Khan to attack the relievin g force as itapproached the fort . The Marathas were advan cin g in two

colum n s ,“

Prataprao Guzar on the west , an d Moropan t Pin gleon the ea st, ofSalher. Iklas Khan tried to preven t their jun ction

by throwin g him self between them an d destroyin g them on e

after the other . The plan failed . But the Moghuls with theutm ost courage fought a con fused run n in g battle of whi ch theresult was lon g doubtful . After twelve hour s the superiorm obility an d n um bers Of the Maratha horse prevailed . They

j oin ed in the cen tre, an d there holdi n g Iklas Khan ,

turn ed both

his flan ks . A last vigorous charge com pleted the Moghul defeat .

On ly 2000 m en , with Iklas Khan an d his lieuten an t Bahlol

Khan , escaped from the rout . The rest of the Moghul arm y,about stron g, either fell on the field or surren dered .

6000horses , 125 elephan ts an d a vast Spoil Of j ewels an d treasurebecam e the prize of the con querors .T But the gain in prestigewas greater still . For the first tim e the Marathas had won a

pitched battle again s t a disciplin ed Moghul arm y , led by a soldi er

train ed in the school ofAkbar an d Shah Jehan . Deserters from

Bijapur an d Delhi an d recruits from all parts of the coun try

flocked in thousan ds to the stan dard of the kin g . To con tin ue

the siege ofSalher was n ow hopeless an d Mahabat Khan retired

with his shattered arm y behi n d the bastion s of Auran gabad .

Sabhasad Bakhar. The Bakhar gives the n um ber as 1000. Gran t

Dufi est im ates it at 2000.

T I have based m y a ccoun t of the battle of Salher on the Sabhasad Bakhar .

Gran t Duff’s a ccoun t is som ewha t differen t . On Shi v aji’

s side SuryajiraoKakd e, a distin gu ished sold ier, fell. To thewoun ded prison ers Shivaji behavedwith great hum an i ty. He ten ded their woun ds an d , when well, d is m issedthem with presen ts .

CHAPTER X X I

THE CROWNING OF SHIVAJ I

A .D. 1672 TO 1674

AFTERS ixty years ofm iserable servitude to Castile , the Portuguese

n ation ra llied roun d the Duke of Bragan za an d with Fren ch aid

a n d their own courage achieved their in depen den ce . To secure

it they en tered in to a m arriage c on n exion with the royal house

of Stuart. In 1661,Charles II

,who had just won back the

thron e Of En glan d ,m arried Prin cess Catherin e o f Portugal .

As a dowry to hi s daughter,the Portuguese kin g gave Tan gier

on the n orth-west coast of Africa an d the fort an d islan d of

Bom bay on the west coast of In dia . To the Li sbon govern m en t

the dowry seem ed a sm all on e. Tan gier proved a death trap to

the En glish soldiers who guarded it . The islan d of Bom bay was

a low-lyin g group of rocks Off the Kon kan coast On ly eleven

Portuguese fam ilies resided there* an d seven ty Mosqui teers

or arm ed In dian Police were deem ed a sufficien t garrison . But

it form ed a m agn ificen t refuge for ships , by affordin g them a

shelter from the fury of the south-west m on soon . An d the

Portuguese viceroy,De la Costa ,

with prophetic truth wrote

to his kin g that the In dian em pire would be lost to his n ation

from the d ay that the En glish lan ded on the islan d . At first,it is true , the cessi on did En glan d but little good an d the quarrels

between the En glish govern or an d the Portuguese viceroy as

to the in terpretation of the gran t caused Charles II in a fit of

vexation to tran sfer on March 27 , 1668, Bom bay to the East

In di a Com pan y .

Although it was n ot un til 1674 that the wise an d chiva lrous

Gerald Aun gier tran sferred the head -quarters of the Com pan y

from Surat to Bom bay, the acquisition of the islan d drew the

See Malabari, Bom bay i n theMakin g, p. 93.


238 A HISTORY OF'

THE MARATHA PEOPLE

the coun try between Ahm adn agar an d Auran gabad . The

viceroy pursued them from place to place , butwas always too late

to catch them . I n fact so im becile was his con duct that Shivaji

was led to disregard him en tirely. An d while part of hi s arm yplun dered the Moghul territories , he en gaged wi th the rest ina distan t an d profitable expedition .

While the En glish an d the Dutch m erchan ts at Surat had

worked up their trade on bus in ess lin es an d had thereby m ade

con siderable profits , the Fren ch had n ot been'

so successfu l .

Their factory, foun ded in 1642, was equi pped on too lavish a

scale to yield an y return . At last M . de la Haye thought that

an establi shm en t on the Corom an del Coast m i ght brin g him m ore

profit . Close to the site ofm odern Madras was the little town of

St . Thom e. It had on ce been a Portuguese settlem en t , but

in 1669 fthe ki n g Of Golcon da had taken it by storm . De la

Hayeraided it from the sea an d drove out the Golcon da garrison .

TheGolcon da ki n g equi pped an arm y an d sen t it to recover the

li ttle fort. When his forces were well on the way to the Coro

m an del Coast, Shiv aji appeared with a large Maratha force at

the gates Of Hyderabad . Resistan ce was useless an d the G01

con da kin g was obliged to ran som his chief town by the 1m

m ediate paym en t oi two m illion pagoda s . Shiv aji then return ed

with his uSual expedition to Raygad . I n his absen ce , however,another

“

m ishap had befallen him at Jan j ira .

Sidi Sam bal had died shortly a fter the overthrow of FatihKhan * an d been succeeded as govern or by Sidi Yakut (A .D.

167 The n ew govern or was a m an of en terprise an d ability an d

his ships con stan tly captured Maratha vessels an d sen t the

heads of their sailors to Auran gabad . Hearin g of Shivaji’

s

absen ce, heagain asked Bahadur Khan for the aid of the Moghulfleet. The latter con sen ted an d begged leave of the En gli shTtolet hi s fleet drop an chor in Bom bay so that the Moghul troopsm i ght lan d an d attack Shivaji

’

s n eighbourin g possession s .

The kin g’

s agen t warn ed the En glish that if they con sen ted ,itwould m ean warwithhis m aster an d the certain lossofBom bay.

Khafi‘

Kh an .

TOrm e, Historical Fragm en ts pp. 30-31.

THE CROWNING or SHIYAJ I 239

The En gli sh placed their difficulties before"

Bahadur Khan

an d in form ed him that they were but m erchan ts an d could n ot

take sides with either of the con ten din g govern m en ts . The

Moghuls then preten ded to give up their proj ect in disgus t . But

a little tim e after return i n g to Surat , they set out for a cruise .

Sudden ly a lterin g their course they en tered the port of Dan daRa j puri . There they destroyed a n um ber of Shiv aji

’

s shi psan d took 200Maratha sailors . These Sidi Yakut tied to ston es

a n d flun g overboard : He then attacked Dan da Ra j puri itself .This fortress , which Shiv aji had con quered from Fatih Khan ,

was of’

the utm ost va lue to the garrison of Jan j ira . Withoutit the garrison ran a great risk of bein g starved out . With it

as a bridge-head,they com m an ded a large stretch of fertile

coun try. On e n ight Sidi Yaku t sen t Sidi Khairyat, his secon d

i n com m an d , to attack Dan da Raj puri from the lan d side,

whi le he him self led a force in boats to attack it from the sea .

The com m an dan t was the Ragho Ballal Atre who had killedChan dra Rao More at Jaoli . Usually an efficien t soldier, he

allowed his vigilan ce to relax in the celebration of the Holi .*

Surprised by Sidi Khairyat’

s party, he sum ith on ed the whole

garrison to repel it . Sidi Yakut in the m ean tim e swiftly

clim bed the un protected western wa ll Of the fortress . The garri

son , taken between two fires , were overpowered an d m erciless ly

m assacred . Followin g up thi s success Sidi Yaku t attacked

six or seven m in or forts in the n eighbourhood . All but on e

succum bed to the fir st a ssau lt . On e held out for a few days inhope of succour . At last, greatly distressed an d tem pted by Sidi

Yaku t’s oath that he would spare the garrison , the com m an dan t

surren dered . Sidi Yakut then did what Shivaji would n everhave don e . He broke his word an d in hum an ly put to death

every m ale in the place , whether arm ed or n ot. Forciblycon vertin g the youn g wom en an d the children to Islam he

reduced them to slavery. On ly the old wom en were perm itted

to return to their hom es .

On Decem ber 15 , 1672, Ali Adil Shah , the kin g of Bi japur ,

died. The state had suffered greatly durin g his reign . The

KhafiKha n , Elliot an d Dowson , Vol. VII, p. 290.


Moghuls had taken all its territories n orth Of ' the Bhim a River .

Shivaji had con quered the Kon kan as far south as Phon da an dthe western desk or plateau to the east Of the Sahyad ris . Ali

Adil Shah had , it is true , reduced a n um ber of petty chiefs ,who had "m ade them selves in depen den t upon the fall ofVi jaya

n agar, an d had pushed his fron tier far to the south . But these

con quests,i n the decayin g con dition of the cen tral govern m en t,weaken ed rather than stren gthen ed its power . Latterly Shi vaji

in return for an an n ual paym en t of three‘

lakhs had abstained from in vasion . But n ow that Ali Adil Shah , with whom he

had m ade the treaty, was dead , the Maratha kin g held him selfabsolved from his en gagem en ts . In thi s view he was n o doubt

con firm ed b y his agen ts’

reports Of the state of Bijapur,where

reign ed faction an d discord . In March , 1673 , he collected a

large force at Vishalgad an d retook Pan hala , whi ch had been

in the power of the Bij apur kin g ever sin ce its capture by Sidi

Jchar . But the m ain Obj ect of the expedition was the plun der

of the rich town ofHubli to the south-east of Dharwar. Durin g

the prosperous days Of the Bijapur kin gdom ,Hubli had been

a great m ercan tile em porium ,an d ren own ed for the m an ufacture

of cloth . The En gli sh com pan y had station ed a broker there

in order to buy cloth specially in ten ded for sale in En glan d .

TheMaratha van guard un der An n aji Datto surprised an d routed

the Bijapur garrison an d the plun der exceeded even that ofSurat . From the En glish depot alon e cloth worth n early

£3000was taken , an d when the Maratha arm y had left,the

Bijapur garrison return i n g com pleted the ruin of the town .

The En glish dem an ded com pen sation , but Shi vaji m ain tain ed

that his troops had spared their storehouse an d assessed theirlosses at £70 on ly . The En glish at Bom bay were n aturally

in dign an t an d they soon had an opportun ity of puttin g pressure

on the kin g . I n May ,1673

, the Moghul fleet appeared Off

Bom bay an d again asked leave of the En glish to spen d them on soon in the harbour . Had the En glish con sen ted , the

Moghul fleet would have been in a position to raid an y poin t

it pleased on Shiv aji’

s coast . Gerald Aungier brought this“to

Shiv aji’

s n otice an d pressed for com pen sation for the raids on



Bom bay harbour, an d disregardin g the protests of Gerald

Aun gier, who drew his supplies from that part of the m ain lan d ,lan ded at the m outh of theRiver Pen an d laid waste the adj oin in g

coun try . The Marathas , after expostulatin g with Aun gier

for allowin g the Moghuls to lan d , first surprised an d cut to pieces

a detachm en t of Moghuls an d afterwards defeated the m ain

body in a pitched battle . The Abyssin ian then withdrew his

m en an d return ed to Surat , where he gave so flowery an accoun t

of his feat of arm s that he received a han dsom e m on ey reward .

The lon g defen ce of Phon da en couraged the Bijapur govern

m en t to try by a coun ter-attack to regain Pan hala , a m ost

valuable bridge-head from which to m ake raids on Shiv aji’

s

territory . They ordered Abdu l Karim , the viceroy of the

western provin ce of Bijapur , to advan ce on Pan hala . Shiv aji

at on ce detached Prataprao Guzar to plun der the coun try on

hi s lin e of com m un ication s . Thi s Prataprao Guzar did so

successfully that Abdul Karim fell back towards the capital .

The two arm ies m et at .Um bran i between Miraj an d Bijapur .

Prataprao’

s cavalry soon turn ed both of Abdul Karim’s flan ks .

By sun set the latter was in so critica l a position that he sen t an

en voy to Prataprao Guzar, un dertaki n g to abstain absolutely

from an y hostilities again st the Marathas an d to perm it them

to plun der his viceroyalty at will,provided they a llowed him

n ow to retire un m olested . Prataprao Guzar, a gallan t an d en terprisin g soldier, but n ot a diplom at , was fooled by the hum ble

prom ises of his en em y . He should have guessed that it was

n ot in Abdul Karim ’s power to keep them . If ordered to attack

the Marathas,he would be boun d to do so or resign his post .

Nevertheless Prataprao a llowed Abdul Karim an d his arm y to

escape . Shiv aji , On hearin g the n ews,grew extrem ely an gry .

He cen sured Prataprao Guzar severely . The latter, in a fit of

in subordin ation ,

* led his cavalry on a raidin g expedition through

the heart of the Auran gabad provin ces as far as the fron tiers of

Berar,thus breakin g Shiv aji

’

s truce with the Moghul viceroy,

Bahadur Khan . Nor did Abdul Karim keep his com pact with

Prataprao. He had n o soon er reached Bijapur, than he recruited

Shedg’

a

—char

‘

Bakhar.

THE CROWNING or SHIVAJ I 243

an other arm y an d again advan ced on Pan hala . SO serious was

the dan ger that Shiv aji com poun ded with the com m an dan t of

Phon da ,an d raisin g the siege return ed n orthwards through the

Portuguese territories n ear Goa , plun derin g them as he

When Abdul Karim had alm ost reached Pan hala ,Prataprao

Guzar return ed from his raid .

* The kin g sen t him word that

he Should n ot show his face at court un til he had destroyed

Abdul Karim ’s arm y .T The m essage reached the Maratha

gen eral as the battle open ed . On ce again his tem per got the

m astery of his judgm en t . He m ade a headlon g charge on Abdul

Karim ’s arm y . The Bij apur troops were m ore heavily arm ed

than the Marathas , whom they repulsed with great slaughter .

Am on g those who fell was Prataprao Guzar him self . Abdul

Karim pushed his advan tage vigorously an d the m ain Maratha

arm y was soon fleein g wildly towards Pan hala . At the m ost

critical m om en t of the battle Hasaji Mohite , the com m an der of5000 horse kept as a reserve

,fell on the flan k of the Bijapur

troops as they pressed on in the disorder of victory . In stan tly the fate of the battle chan ged . The Marathas rallied , an d

i n flictin g a severe defeat upon Abdul Karim forced him to fall

back on ce m ore on Bijapur . The kin g heard the n ews of the

battle with Sorrow. All satisfact ion at the success was lost in

grief at the death of Prataprao . He reviewed the victoriousarm y at Chiplun an d in its presen ce referred feelin gly to its

dead com m an der . He bestowed han dsom e estates on hisrelatives an d chose Prataprao

’

s daughter to be the bride of hi s

secon d son Ra jaram . To Mohite,whose Skill an d darin g had

won the losin g battle,the kin g gave the title of Ham birrao an d

the vacan t post of com m an der-in -chief of the royal cavalry.

The an om alous position occupied by Shiv aji had lon g exercised

his m in d . He en j oyed the hereditary title of Ra ja con ferredon his fam ily by the Ahm adn agar govern m en t . But the Nizam

Sbahi dyn asty had lon g ceased to exist . He had been con firm edi n the title an d created a n oble of the Delhi em pire . But sin ceAuran gzib

’

s last treachery, Shiv aji had ren oun ced his fealty

Orm e, H istorica l Fragm en ts .

T Sabhasad Bah/tar.

244 A HISTORY OF f THE MARATHA PEOPLE

to the Moghul thron e . It was , therefore , im possible to say

when ce he derived his authority . Nor was thi s difficulty m erely

academ ic . For although the hi gh-spirited Deccan n obles gladly

followedShi v aji in the field , they were un willin g in private lifeto con cede to hi m an y preceden ce . An d at state din n ers they

resen ted that a Bhosle Should sit on a seat raised above those

assign ed to Mohi tes , an d Nim balkars , Savan ts an d Ghorpad es .

He spoke of the m atter to his secretary, Balaj i Abaj i Chitn is , an d

the latter urged him to take the roya l crown from the han ds ,n ot of a Moghul em peror, but Of a Benares priest . The kin g

con sulted his m other JIjabai , the sain tly Ram das an d his

favourite goddess Bhavan i an d foun d them all favourable

to his secretary’s suggestion . The n ext difficulty was to in duce

a Brahm an priest of sufficien t stan din g to leave the ban ks of the

Gan ges , an d un dertake the lon g j ourn ey southward . It was

soon overcom e . It so happen ed that on e Of the leadin g Brah

m an s ofBen ares, Gaga Bhat by n am e , was on a visit to Paithan

on the Godavari , an d Bala j i Chi tn is urged that he Should be

approached on the subj ect . The ki n g agreed an d sen t his

secretary on a con fiden tial m ission to Gaga Bhat . The secretary,on reachin g Paithan , in vited the holy stran ger to com e to Raygad

an d there crown the kin g after the m an n er of the an cien t Hin duEm perors . Gaga Bhat obj ected that Shiv aji was a Maratha

an d that the cerem on ies observed at Ayodhya an d Hastin apura

were reserved for Kshatriya or Raj put ki n gs . Chitn i s m et the

obj ection by obtain in g from Raygad a gen ealogica l tree which

showed the un broken descen t ofShi vaji from Ud esin g, Maharan aof Udaipur . Gaga Bhat a sked for

'

tim e to con sult hi s brethrenon the ban ks of the Gan ges . From them he received a favourable an swer an d agreed to com ply with Shivaji

’

s request . He

however attached to his con sen t an im portan t con dition . The

kin g was n o doubt of Raj put origin . But of late years theBhosle

‘

fam ily had allowed the Ra j put Observan ces to lapse .

Shiv aji m us t therefore be in vested with the sacred thread

before he was an oin ted after the m an n er of the an cien t Kshatriyakin gs . To thi s con dition Shi v aji con sen ted . He sen t a cavalcad ehead ed by two sain tly m en ,

Bhalchan d ra Bhat Purohit an d



that kin dly god to bless his coron ation . Between May 31 an d

Jun e 6 the priests burn t sacrificial fires an d purified them selves

by fast an d vigil . The kin g paid a visit to Pratapgad"<an d

bestowed on the tem ple of his favourite goddess a m assive

gold lam p an d other precious gifts .

On Jun e 6 the d ay foun d propitious by the wisest astrologers

in allIn dia , the coron ation was held .T In on e of the Open court

yards was erected a m ighty sham ian a or state ten t . In side

it was a tem porary thron e ra ised upon a square dais . At the

prescribed m om en t,the m in isters appeared in procession leadi n g

Shi v aji , clad in white , to the thron e . Behin d the kin g followed

J ijabai , an d behin d her cam e the queen s an d the wives of the

high ofli cers of the kin gdom . After Shiv aji had seated him self,MorOpan t Pin gle , the Peshwa , took his stan d to the east of the

thron e holdin g in his han d a gold pot filled with ghee. To

the south stood Ham birrao Mohite holdin g a silver vessel filled

with m ilk . To the west stood Ram chan dra Nilkan t with a

copper vessel filled with curds . To the n orth stood Raghun ath

Pan t with a golden pot ofhon ey in on e han d an d in the other

an earthen pot of Gan ges water. To the south—east stood

An n aji Datto , who carried the state um brella . To the south

west was Jan ardan Pan dit, who held a fan . To the n orth-west

an d n orth- eastDattaji Pan dit an d Bala j i Pan dit pli ed fly -whisks .

In fron t of Shiv aji , an d facin g him , stood Bala ji Aba j i Chitn is ,the private secretary, an d to his left Chim n aji Av aji , the chief

accoun tan t . On e after the other, those m in isters who had

vessels in their han ds , sprin kled the con ten ts over the kin g

to the accom pan im en t of sacred hym n s . After they had

resum ed their places , a m arried wom an perform ed the artv'

by flashin g a lam p i n fron t of the kin g’s eyes . He then gazed

at his own reflection in a bron ze pot filled with ghee an d after

wards ih a m irror . After a short pause he m ade som e gifts to

Brahm an s , worshipped a sm all golden im age of Vishn u an d"

fasten ed it to his right han d . Lastly, he worshipped his sword

an d shield , his bow an d his arrows .

Fryer, Travels , Vol. I , p . 202.

TShivaji’s Rajshaka era com m en ces from this d ay , Jun e 6 (Jeshta Shud ha

13 , Shake

SPOT AT RAYGAD \VHERE SH IVAJ I W A S BURNT

LAKE AND TEMPL E AT RAYGA I)



crown ed . Som e twen ty requests had been m ade by the East

In dia Com pan y. Of these“

the '

m ost im portan t were

(1 ) The En gli sh should be perm itted freely to trade in

the kin g’s dom in ion s on payin g an im port duty

of asper cen t .

(2) The En glish should be perm i tted to bui ld perm an en t

factories at Ra japur, Dabhol, Chaul an d Kalyan .

(3) En glish coin s should be a llowed to circulate freely

throughout the kin g’s territories .

(4) All En glish ships wrecked on the kin g’s shores should

be restored to them .

(5) The kin g shou ld com pen sate the En glish for their

losses at Hubli an d Rajapur.

The kin g received the em bassy in state . The En gli shm en

were perm itted to advan ce to the foot Of the thron e . There

Oxen d en presen ted a diam on d rin g an d received in return a

robe of hon our. Som e days later, the kin g approved a treaty

with the En glish . He refused to gran t an y com pen sation

for the losses at Hubli but a llowed them pagodas for

their losses at Ra japur . All the other requests presen ted by

Oxen d en were gran ted . Takin g advan tage of the kin g’s urba

n ity , Oxen d en ven tured to suggest that the Marathas Shouldm ake peace with Jan j ira .

* But hi s un sought m ediationwas poli tely rej ected . As the En glish am bassadors were return

in g hom ewards , an am usin g in ciden t occurred T The butcher

who had un der Shiv aji’

s orders supplied them wi th m eat begged

for an audien ce with them . To Obtain it he followed them

up Raygad Hill . After gazin g at the li ttle party for som e tim e

he explain ed that he had wi shed to gratify hi s eyes by the sight

of m en who had in on e m on th eaten m ore of hi s m eat than the

rest of hi s custom ers had eaten durin g years together.

Orm e, Hi storical Fragm en ts .

TFryer, Travels .

CHAPTER XXII

THE GREAT SOUTHERN CAMPAIGN

A .D . 1674 To 1678

SHORTLY after Shiv aji’

s coron ation ,his m other J i jabai died .

Throughout his life She had been the coun sellor to whom he had

a lways turn ed in cases of doubt or d ifli culty . To hi s prayers

alon e she had ren oun ced her resolve to follow, like a hi gh-born

Maratha lady, her hu sban d through the flam es . Possibly

overfatigued by the excitem en t Of the great cerem on ia l which

she had witn essed an d in which she had played a part, She was

sudden ly attacked by fever. I n two or three days the violen ce

Of her fever was such that the doctors gave up hope . On the

fourth d ay she resign ed herself to her approachin g fate an d

distributed m uch Of her wea lth am on g the Brahm an com m un ity,especially the Brahm an priests of Pratapgad . On the fifth

d ay of her illn ess she died . Her body was burn t at Raygad .

After the period of m ourn i n g* had elapsed herashes were at

Shiv aji’

s com m an d con veyed to Allahabad an d there cast in to

the con fluen ce Of the Gan ges an d the Jam n a .

The kin g foun d solace for his grief in organ i zin g a raid on the

Portuguese districts roun d Bassein (167 He sen t Moro

Pin gle with m en to Kalyan T Then ce Pin gle sen t to

the Portuguese a dem an d for chauth, givi n g as his reason the

recen t forcible con version of Hin dus to Christian ity . The

Portuguese , un willin g to brin g on them selves the wrath of the

kin g, seem , without adm ittin g their liability to chauth, to

have paid a sum of m on ey an d averted the dan ger .

* I n 1675

a large body of,Kolis an d other irregulars from the Dharam pur

state in vaded the Ka lyan district . They were n o doubt in sti


TOrm e, H istorical Fragm en ts .


gated by the Moghuls . Moro Pin gle therefore retaliated by

retakin g the forts of Aun d ha an d Patta in Khan desh An d

Shiv aji m ade a secon d attem pt to surprise Shivn er. It was

m ore n early successful than the first on e had been . Three

hun dred Marathas had actually scaled the fort walls . But

the govern or , Abdu l Aziz Khan ,was a ga llan t a n d experien ced

officer . Although he had sen t a part of his garrison to defen d

the town of Jun n ar, he yet m an aged to save the situation .

With the rem ain der of his troops he attacked the storm in g

party, captured their rope ladders an d drove them in to the

in terior of the.fort . The n ext d ay the few survivors surren dered

after a gallan t resistan ce . With adm irable bravado , Abdul

Aziz Khan sen t them back to Shiv aji an d in vited him with their

aid to retrieve his fortun es by an other assault . The kin g ,however, had other aim s . He was determ in ed to overcom e

the resistan ce of the Phon da fort . Raisin g the siege of Shivn er,he m arched south an d in vaded the open coun try roun d Pha ltan ,

which Abdu l Karim had recovered,durin g his advan ce on

Pan hala two years before , for its chief the Naik Nim balkar .

He then m arched in to the Kon kan to besiege Phon da . But

a s he m arched westwards Nim balkar re-en tered Phaltan an d

drove out his garrison s . Shiv aji , however, did n ot turn back .

He on ce again sat down before Phon da . The com m an dan t

had gon e to Bijapur durin g the rain y season . But hearin g

of Shiv aji’

s return he hasten ed back to defen d the fort . This

he did m ost gallan tly u n til the followin g April , when owin g

to the explosion of a m in e un der his wa lls he was forced to

capitulate Shivaji had n ow an open road southwards .

He m arched a lon g the coast an d levied large con tribution s

from the Ra ja of Son da ,established severa l -forts to overawe

the district an d again plun dered the town of Karwar.

Durin g his absen ce Ham birrao Mohite , the n ew cavalry

com m an der-in -chief, had raided the Moghul territories in

Guzarat, as far as Broach an d had after hard fightin g

brought his booty safe to Raygad .

‘

On the other han d the

Sidi of Jan j ira had m ade a n aval descen t upon Shi vaji’

s

coast lin e .



for the good of the com m on weal an d thus in duced the slow

witted African to visit him at hi s house at Bijapur . Thereat a private in terview Khavas Khan was seized and shortly

afterwards m urdered . The Moghul viceroy, who had reported

to the em peror his n egotiation s with'

Khavas Khan ,received

im m ediate orders to attack Bijapur an d pun ish Abdul Karim’ s

perfid y . Bahadur Khan collected his troops n ear Sholapur .

An in decisive battletook place between hi m an d Abdul Karim

on the ban ks of the Bhim a an d both arm ies en tren ched them

s elves .'

But durin g the n ight som e Bijapur troops rushed the

im peria l cam p an d in flicted such loss that Bahadur Khan rel

treated to the n orth of the Bhim a . There he received rein forcem en ts an d began to resum e the offen sive . I n the m ean tim e,

however, Diler Khan had j oin ed Bahadur Khan’s arm y an d ,

as an Afghan ,was favourably disposed towards Abdul Karim .

The two leaders called a truce an d en tered in to a form al offen sive

an d defen sive a llian ce for the subjugation of the Golcon da

state .

That kin gdom had also been torn by in tern al strife .

The last,

kin g , Abdul Kuth Shah , had been com pletely sub

servien t to Moghul policy . I n 1672 he died an d his son -in -‘

law

Abu Hussein succeeded hi m . The idlen ess of Abu Hus sein’

s

youth had led him in to dissipation ,an d hi s succession was

approved by Auran gzib, who looked forward eagerly to the

d isruption of Golcon da an d its easy con quest by Moghul arm s .

But work an d respon sibility reclaim ed Abu Hussein an d ,to

the surprise of Auran gzib , a wise an d vigorous kin g began to

direct the affairs of Golcon da . He soon showed hi m s elf hostile

to the Moghuls an d raised two Brahm an brothers , Mad an n apan t

an d Akan n apan t , to the highest posts in the state . His policy

brought on hi m the com bin ed hostility of Diler Khan a n d Abdul

Karim . But A bu Hussein ’s ruin would have exposed Shi vaji

to a sim ilar fate . He , therefore , resolved to a lly hi m s elf to

Golcon da . At the sam e tim e his fertile brain con ceived an other

an d a far m ore im posingdesign . He kn ew the history of the

Vijayan agar state an d the gallan t resistan ce whi ch it had for

cen turies offered to the Musulm an in vaders . He also had n o

THE GREAT SOUTHERN CAMPAIGN

illusion s as to the precariou s ten ure by which he held his own

kin gdom . Fortun ately Auran gzib still regarded hi m as little

m ore than a rebellious zam i n dar . But the d ay that the em peror

con sidered hi m a real dan ger,he would m obilize a gain st the

kin g the en tire m i litary resources of Hin dustan . Nothin g

then wou ld save Shiv aji un less he could with his arm y—fall

back to som e refuge in Southern In dia . Shiv aji’

s design,there

fore,was to win a n ew kin gdom whi ch would stretch right

across Southern In dia from Bed n ur to Tan j ore . Havin g wonit he would guard its n orthern fron tier from Moghu l attack by

a lin e of forts an d exten d his con quests as far south as possible .He m ight then defy the arm ies of Delhi by retreatin g before

them,un til they were so weaken ed by their en dless li n e of

com m un ication s that he m ight attack them in the field with

som e prospect of success .

*

It wa s n ecessary that this plan should be con cealed from

the Moghuls . So Shiv aji an n oun ced that he wished to go

to Tan j ore an d recover from his brother Vyan koji his halfshare in ShahaJI

’

s jahgir . This flef in cluded Ban galore,Kolar,

Uscotta an d a n um ber of places in Mysore . By takin g ad vantage of quarrels between the rulers of Tan j ore an d Madura ,Shaha j i had forced them to pay tribute . An d Vyan koji had ,

on succeedin g to his father’s in heritan ce , m ade hi m self m aster

of all Tan jore. I n 1675 he m oved his capital there from Ban ga

lore . Shiv aji n ow gave out that he was en titled to half of

Shahaji’

s in heritan ce an d that if n ecessary he m ean t by arm s to

en force his claim s . He could n ot , however, leave hi s kin gdom

while the Moghuls were actively hostile . He therefore in duced

the Moghul viceroy Bahadur Khan ,whose besettin g sin was

avarice , to accept tribute on behalf of the em peror an d a large

bribe on his own accoun t . He en trusted the gen era l care of the

kin gdom to Moro Pin gle an d the defen ce of the southern fron tier

to An n aji Datto . Then,with a force of m en , he boldly

m arched through Bijapur territory un til he reached the borders

of the Golcon da state . The assuran ces of Bahadur Khan to

Ran ad e, p . 89 . This em in en t writer was the first to discover the profoun dpolicy which un derlay Shivaji

’

s Carn atic expedition .


Abdul Karim that Shivaji ~ wished m erely to secure his share

in his father’s in heritan ce were supported by recen t even ts

i n Tan j ore . Shahaji’

s old m in ister Raghunathpan t Han m an te

had recen tly quarrelled with Vyan koji . With the fam iliarity

of an old servan t he had open ly lectured him on his failin gs

an d had laid stress on the in feriority of his character com pared

with that of his fam ous brother. Vyan koji resen ted the lecture

an d rebuked the m in ister . Han m an te, losin g his tem per,in his turn resign ed his ofli ce an d , threaten in g that Vyan koji

would soon regret his con duct , left Tan j ore for Hyderabad .

These circum stan ces , together wi th the severe disciplin e in

Shiv aji’

s arm y an d the regularity with which he paid for all

supplies , in duced Abdu l Karim to a llow it to pass through

Bijapur territory un m olested . When Shiv aji reached the

Golcon d a fron tier, he sen t word to Han m an te,b eggin g him

to con vin ce the kin g that he m ean t n o harm a n d to urge on

him the advan tages of an allian ce between Abu Hussein an d the

Marathas . Both Han m an te an d Mad an n apan t happen ed to be

em in en t studen ts of San skrit m etaphysics an d their com m on

studies en abled Han m an te to secure the ear of Mad an n apan t .

Through him he obtain ed an in terview with Abu Hussein , whom

he com pletely won by the fluen cy with which he spoke Persian .

*

The Golkon d a kin g sen t to Shiv aji a form al in vitation to

Hyderabad . Shivaji accepted it gladly an d con tin ued his

m arch un til twelve m iles from Hyderabad . ThereMad an n apan t

an d the leadin g n obles awaited him . After the usual state

visits,n egotiation s were begun an d after a m on th the two

kin gs con tracted an oflen sive an d defen sive allian ce . Shiv aji

was to guaran tee the safety of Golcon da in case of aggression

from Bijapur or Delhi . I n return Shiv aji was to receive a sum

of m on ey a n d a park of artillery an d to have a free

han d again st Bijapur an d the Hin du chiefs of the south .

After the treaty had been sign ed , Shiv aji struck his cam p

an d headed d ue south . He crossed the Krishn a at its jun ctionwith the Tun gabhad ra . There he directed his arm y to

m arch southwards towards Cuddapah , while he visited the ,

Shiod igvijaya Bakhar.



han ded hi m the keys of the fortress . Am bar Khan ’s eight

son s , whom he had left at Jin ji , showed a higher sen s e of duty .

They did their best to defen d their father’s charge but after

a vigorou s attack their courage gave way . I n return for a

gran t of lan d they capitu lated an d the kin g en tered Jin j i in

Wh ile Shiv aji was advan cin g southwards,he left

‘

a part of

his force to‘

attack Vellore , a large town on the PalarRiver, som e

fifty m iles d ue n orth of Jin ji . The com m an dan t, bein g sum

m on ed to surren der, return ed an in sultin g an swer an d defen ded

the town with resolution an d success . The fall of Jin ji , however ,en abled Shi v aji to return to Vellore . His experien ced eyes

n oticed that two hills in the n eighbourhood com m an ded

the defen ce of the town .

* Postin g batteries on the hills , which

he n am ed Sajara an d Gojara , he overcam e theco'

m m an dan t’s

resistan ce , an d in Septem ber, -1676, Vellore surren dered . Shiv ajl

did n ot awa it its fall but after erectin g his batteries he wen t

with his m oun ted troops to Triv ad i , a town som e forty m iles

south of Jin j i an d on the road to Tan j ore . Then ce he sen t a

letter to his brother Vyan koji . It recited that ever Sin ce theirfather Shahaji

’

s death , his estate had been in the ha n ds of

Vyan koji to the exclusion of his own rights . He n ow called

upon Vyan koji to subm it his accoun ts an d han d over half the

hereditary estate together with m esn e profits from the date

on which i t cam e in to his possession . The close however of his

letter showed that he was un willin g to exact his claim s to the

utterm ost . He begged Vyan koji to sen d to hi s cam p a certainGovin d Bhat with four other m en , whom he n am ed ,Tto settle

the dispute am icably .

It m ust be adm itted that Vyan kOji’

s case was n ot without

its stron g poin ts . The estate to which Shiv aji laid claim s WEEK

n ot an ordin ary in heritan ce . It was a fief gran ted to Shaha ji

by the Bijapurgovern m en t an d upon Shahaji’

s death had beenregran ted in its en tirety to Vyan koji . Shiv aji , however, m et thi s

argum en t by poin tin g out that , although Shahaji’

s possession s

Shivd igvajaya Bakkar.

TThe n am es of the four other m en were Kakajipan t, Nilo Naik, Raghun athNa ik, an d Tom a ii Naik},

THE GREAT SOUTHERN CAMPAIGN 257

were n om i n ally held in fief, he was really an in depen den t ruler .

Bijapur had in its turn regran ted them to Vyan koji . But the

gran t had been m ade ex parte an d Shi v aji’

s case had received n o

hearin g . Afterdiscussin g the m atter throughhi s agen ts ,Vyan koji

decided to visitShi v aji hi m self, an d to try to in duce hi m to see the

dispute with hi s eyes . He wrote to his brother of hi s in ten tion

an d in reply received a cordial in vitation to the royal cam p .

Vyan koji thereupon set out for Triv ad i , where Shiv aji received

him with every hon our. .He stayed at the ki n g ’s cam p for

over two m on ths an d the two brothers repeatedly discussed

Shi v aji’

s claim s on hi s father’s in heritan ce . Shivaji was willin g

to com prom ise the dispute . ButVyan koji , whose un derstan din g

was n arrow,refu sed to recede from hi s position that it was

n ot un divided property govern ed by Hin du laws of in heritan ce ,but a fief gran ted to him alon e . The kin g bore his brother’s

obstin acy with exem plary patien ce . An d when the fall of

Vellore required his presen ce there,he dism issed Vyan koji

with the sam e hon ours that had greeted his arrival . But that

Vyan koji should n ot fan cy that the kin g had aban don ed his

claim s,Shiv aji a few days later sen t him a letter in whi ch he

restated them an d warn ed his brother that he m ean t to en force

them , un less he m ade a reason able com prom ise with the three

agen ts , Sham aji Naik, Kon herpan t an d Shiv ajipan t, whom

he was s en din g to Tan j ore . Their argum en ts fell on deaf

ears . Shiv aji’

s arm y had return ed to Vellore,an d Vyan koji

m ay have hoped that the m ove was the begin n in g of a retreat

to Mahara shtra . He therefore referred the m atter to the

Bijapur govern m en t . It gave an un expected reply . Far too

frighten ed of Shiv aji to give him a pretext for a direct attack

on the capital , it begged Vyan koji to give his elder brother

all he asked for an d let him depart in peace . Vyan koji , dis

gusted with the an swer, resolved to defen d by force what he

believed,

to be his by right . In this resolve he was supported

by the Musulm an soldiers who had served Shaha j i an d had

con tin ued in Vyan koji’

s service . Hastily gatherin g a con

sid erable force,he sought to surprise a Maratha detachm en t

which Ham birrao Mohite com m an ded n ot far from the Tan jore


fron tier . The attack was badly executed an d easily repelled .

I n the pursuit a large n um ber of Vyan kOjI’

s soldiers were

slain an d the rem ain der'

fell back upon Tan j ore . In the

m ean tim e Shiv aji , despa irin g of an am icable settlem en t to

the dispute , had taken the m ost effective m ean s of en din g it .He in vaded all the fiefs which Vyan koji had inherited

outside Tan j ore . Arn i , Kolar, Ban ga lore , Balapur an d Sira

all fell in 1677 .

The d efeated Vyan kOjI could do n othin g to“

help the garrison s

an d after their surren der Shi v aji , his com m un ication s secure ,was free to carry out his design an d con quer a kin gdom that

stretched from sea to sea He m arched n orthwards

from Sira alon g the ban ks of the Velay ati River, un til he reached

the town of Bellari , a corruption of Belv ad i , or the orchard

of the sacred bel tree . The com m an dan t had a ttacked on e

of his patrols an d had carried off their carts an d horses to

Bellari . The kin g first attem pted to blockade it . But Bellari

was so well supplied with food that the kin g resolved to take

it by a ssau lt . He set fire to som e houses n ot far from the fort

walls , whi ch caused con siderable con fusion am on g the out

posts . Takin g advan tage of it , he drove them back on the fort

with great loss . The com m an dan t , tryin g to ra lly his m en ,

fell . But his widowSav itribai'* acted with adm irable courage .

She m oun ted on e of her hu sban d ’s chargers , checked the fleein g

garrison a n d repu lsed the Marathas . For twen ty—six days ofhard fightin g she kept the great kin g an d , his troops at bay .

On the twen ty-seven th d ay ,the Marathas carried by assault

the m a in defen ces an d forced the garrison back in to the citadel .

Then on ly the gallan t lady surren dered . Shiv aji received

her with chi valrou s courtesy . All the districts south of the

Tun gabhad ra n ow subm itted , a n d Shiv aji crossin g that river

n ear Vijayan agar en tered the Doab , the strip of lan d for which

the chivalry of Islam an d of Vijayan agar had so often fought

an d died . Before advan cin g further he decided to settle if

possible his dispute with Vyan koji .

Shivd igvijaya Bakkar. The Shedgavkar Bakha r gives her n am e as

Malwaj.



able advice had in fluen ced her husban d . At the sam e tim e

Shiv aji wrote toVyan koji . His words were few an d to the poin t .The term s which he ha d gran ted to hi s brother would con tin ue

on ly so lon g as Vyan koji rem ain ed a true ally . To en sure that

he did so, Shiv aji im posed on hi s brotherHan m an te as his first

m in ister . The allian ce offered by Shiv aji to Vyan koji wasworthy both of a brother an d of a kin g . An d Vyan koji gladlyaccepted it . The kin g’s lin e of com m un ication s was n ow perfectly

safe an d he could turn again to the con qu est of the Doab .

The Bij apur govern m en t did its utm ost to save this last

fragm en t torn by it from the Vijayan agar kin gdom . The

govern or Yusuf Khan Mayn a received stron g rein forcem en ts

an d strict orders to hold the Doab at all costs . Agreeably

to these orders,Yusu f Khan decided to attack Shiv aji

’

s troops

n ear Torgal,while Nim balkar, chief of Phaltan ,

supported the

govern or by a raid in to the territory roun d Pan hala . But

the great kin g was m ore than a m atch for an y arm ies whi ch

Bijapur, shorn of its stren gth , could raise . A body of horse*

un der Niloji Katkar attacked an d defeated aNim balkar .

Ham birrao Mohite, n o lon ger n eeded at Tan j ore , j oin ed the

kin g with his detachm en t . The com bin ed forces won a sign al

victory over Yusuf Khan . Repellin g his attack with great

slaughter,they con tin ued their pursu it un til he retired n orth

wards across the Krishn a ,leavin g the en tire Doab in the kin g

’s

han ds . Shiv aji had n owsuccessfully con cluded his cam paign .

With two en em ies , on e on either flan k , an d a doubtful a lly on his

lin e of com m un ication s,he had crossed In dia from west to east

an d back again from east to west . I n the course of eighteen

m on ths , at a distan ce of 700 m iles from his base , he had con

quered a territory as large as his form er kin gdom . Whi le a sin glereverse would have been fatal , he had n ot suffered even a sin gle

check . Victory had succeeded victory town had fallen after town .

As he wen t , he organ ized his con quests an d when he return ed

toRaygad , as he n ow did , his n ew possession s were securely boun d

together from sea to sea ,by a lin e of fortified stron gholds held

by garrison s brave to the death an d devoted to his cause .

Gra n t Duff, Vol. I , p. 285 .

CHAPTER XXIII

THE LAST DAYS OF THE GREAT KING

A .D. 1678 To 1680

IN spite of Shi v aji’

s presen ts to Bahadur Khan , the Moghuls

had n ot rem ain ed idle durin g the great kin g ’s southern

cam paign . Diler Khan an d Abdu l Karim disapproved of the

truce with the Marathas . The latter had a llied them selves

to the Golcon da kin g, whose destruction Diler Khan an d Abdul

Karim had plan n ed . In deed Shiv aji was actually plun derin g

Bijapur territory . The two Afghan chiefs pressed their views

on the em peror an d urged him to san ction an attack by them

upon Golcon da as Shi vaji’

s a lly . The fall of Golcon da would

cut the com m un i cation s of Shiv aji an d stop his supplies . He

m ight then be overtaken an d defeated . The em peror, con

v in ced of Bahadur Khan ’s treachery an d in capacity, recalled

him to Delhi . In his place the em peror appoin ted Diler Khan

as Moghul viceroy . He an d Abdul Karim n ow un ited their

forces at Gulbarga an d attacked Malkhed , the fron tier fortress

of Golcon da (A .D. After a defen ce lon g en ough to

en able , the Golcon da troops to m arch towards their relief,the

garrison evacuated Malkhed an d j oin ed the m ain arm y . The

Golcon da forces , reorgan i zed by Abu Hussein an d his two

Brahm an m in istersMad an n apan t an d Akan n apan t , soon proved

their m etal . They successfully resisted Diler Khan ’ s attack

un til the m on soon of 1677 burst . The rain s fell with un usual

force . The supplies in the Moghu l cam p rotted an d the activity

of the Golcon da cavalry preven ted their ren ewal . The Moghul

troops m ain tain ed their disciplin e . But the troops of Bijapur,lon g un paid , lost heart . They deserted in such large n um bers

that the Bljapur arm y soon ceased to exist . Abdul Karim

fell ill an d Diler Khan , un able sin gle-han ded to cope with Abu


Hussein ”s arm y, decided to retreat to Gulbarga . He first asked

for an d obtain ed an arm i stice from Abu Hussein , prom isin g

him to gran t peace . He really in ten ded to obtain rein force

m en ts from Gulbarga an d ren ew the attack . Abu Hussein

first a llowed him to retire un m olested but , learn in g his treachery

from deserters,he overtook Diler Khan an d with con tin ued

fury attacked his rearguard . After a m ostarduou s retreat of

twelve days,in which the Moghu l arm y su ffered im m en se losses ,

Diler Khan reached the shelter of Gulbarga . There the valour

of the Ra j put con tin gen t en abled the arm y to rally an d Abu

Hu ssein fell back within his own fron tiers . Abdul Karim n ever

recovered from his illn ess . An em pty treasury an d a phan tom

arm y m ade it im possible for him either .to aven ge his recen t

defeat or to rem a in regen t . Diler Khan visited the dyin g

m an an d in duced him to res ign .the regen cy in favour of an

Abyssin ian leader n am ed Sidi Mu san d,who un dertook to pay

the Bijapur arm y their arrears . On ce , however, Sidi Musaudhad obta in ed power , he refu sed the troops their dues . They

m utin ied an d besieged the house of Abdu l Karim . Death

released him from his troubles . But the m utin eers forced

their way in to his hou se an d plun dered his wom en an d his son

of every thin g they possessed . They then en tered the service

either of Diler Khan,who had fa llen back on Auran gabad , or

of Shiv aji’

s Peshwa , Moropan t Pin gle .

The em peror was in cen sed at the resu lt of the last cam paigna n d again reduced iDiler Khan to the post of secon d in com

m an d , rein statin g Prin ce Muazz im as viceroy of the Deccan .

It was n ow useless to attack Golcon da . But som e com pen sationfor the late disasters m ight be extorted from the un happy state

of Bijapur . To effect this,Diler Khan received orders to press

all Afghan s Still in the service of Bijapur to en rol in the im perial

service . All who did so were to receive their arrears of payan d regular salary . His arm y thus rei n forced , Diler Khan was

at on ce to m arch again st his un fortun ate a lly a n d his capital .

Diler Khan obeyed Auran gzib’

s order an d detached the Afghan s

who still rem ain ed in the service of the m in or kin g, Sikan dar .

Adil Shah . He then m arched again st Bijapur, advan cin g as a



he plun dered Dharan gaon an d Chopra , two town s to the n orth

of Auran gabad an d between it an d Burhan pur . He hoped by

severin g the con n ection between Auran gabad an d Delhi to in

duce Prin ceMuazzim to recall Diler Khan ’

s‘

arm y from Bijapur .

He then turn ed south-east an d attacked Jaln a , a prosperous

town to the east of Auran gabad . Ja ln a was barely m ore than

50m iles from the Moghul capital of the Deccan . There Shiv aji

rem ain ed for three days . Every act that m ight rous e the

prin ce to fury he com m itted . But n o act could stin g the heavy,thick-skin n ed prin ce to action . He waited un til Shiv aji loaded

his booty in carts “

an d began his return j ourn ey . Then he sen t

m en un der on e Ran m ast Khan to harass Shiv aji’

s retire

m en t . The Musulm an officer did his duty with skill an d courage .

He overtook Shiv aji n ear San gam n er an d fought with him a

drawn battle un til darkn ess fell . Next m orn in g Shi v aji m ade

a coun ter-attack . Although outn um bered , the Musulm an s

fought with great bravery . On the Maratha side Ham birrao

Mohite fell woun ded . On the Moghul side Ran m ast Khan

was un horsed an d taken prison er. At last the desperate valour

of the kin g hi m self turn ed the drawn fight in to a brillian t victory .

But the battle was hardly over when an other Moghu l force

tried to cut him off from the passes . He received in form ation

of the Moghul in ten tion from a Maratha officer in the Delhi

force .

* Happily the kin g’s spy Bahi rji Naik chan ced to be

with him an d he offered to save the royal troops by leadin g

them through a passage in the hills kn own to hi m a lon e. The

kin g accepted the offer an d after a lon g an d difficult m arch

brought his arm y an d his booty in safety to Patta in

Khan desh .

This fortress had recen tly been stren gthen ed by Moro Pin gle .

It was im possible for the Moghuls to take it defen ded , as it

n ow was , n ot on ly by a garrison but by Shi v aji’

s whole arm y.

They therefore fell back on Auran gabad . Shiv aji did n ot pursue

them but reduced all the forts n ear Patta which Bahadur Khan

had built to guard the passes in to Khan desh . He had hardly

m ade hi m self m aster of these valuable bridge-heads , when he

Shedgavkar Bakhar.

THE LAST DAYS or THE GREAT KING 265

received a despairin g letter from Musaud Khan .

* I n it he

than ked Shiv aji for his efforts to cut the Moghul com m un ication s .

I n spite however of those efforts,he added , Diler Khan was

vigorously con ductin g the siege an d had reached the m ain

fortification s of the capital . Nothi n g could save it except

direct aid from Shiv aji . The great kin g, who in his life n ever

betrayed either a wom an or a frien d , resolved at on ce to sen dan arm y to attack the Moghuls outside Bijapur . He placed

Moro Pin gle in com m and of the in fan try an d en trusted the

cavalry to Ham birrao Mohite who had speedily recovered from

his woun d . Shiv aji him self return ed to Pan hala .

,

Before hereached it , he learn t that his eld est son Sam bhaji had deserted

to Diler Khan ’s cam p .

The youn g prin ce had all his father’ s bravery an d a large

Share of his ability . But he had been born in the purplean d had in idlen ess acquired vices from whi ch his

father’s stren uous life had kept him free . Sam bhaji had

been attracted by the courtly Afghan ,T whom he seem s to

have‘

m et at Auran gabad . He had recen tly quarrelled with

his father an d had been con fin ed i n Pan hala . He n ow broke

loose an d sought a refuge with hi s Auran gabad acquain tan ce .

Directly Shiv aji heard of his son’s flight he sen t Maratha horse

in pursu it . But Sam bhaji m an aged to get a m essage through

to Diler Khan,who sen t his own n ephew Aklas Khan with a

stron g force to m eet him . Sam bhaji with their help eluded the

Maratha horse a n d was received by Diler Khan with every

hon our . His com in gwas reported to the em peror, who bestowed

on him the com m an d of 7000 horse an d a ridin g elephan t .

Diler Khan also bestowed on the prin ce dresses of hon our an d

sim ilar gifts . He then directed him to storm Bhupalgad ,

a fort whi ch Shiv aji had taken from the Bijapur kin g an d whi ch

was Situated about half way between the latter’ s capital an d

Satara . The com m an dan t of Bhupalgad was that Phiran goji

Narsala who had so gallan tly defen ded Chakan . Phiran g0j1 n ow

foun d him s elf in a som ewhat delicate position . Nevertheless hi s

Shivd igvzj aya Bakkar.

TShedga/vkar Bakkar.


dutywas clear . The ki n g was his m aster. Sam bhaji , a lthough

Shiv aji’

s son ,was a rebel an d should have been treated accordin g

ly . Phi ran goji tried a m iddle course . He sen t to Sam bhaji

a Brahm an agen t, who im plored the prin ce n ot to attack the

fort . Sam bhaji lost hi s tem per, drew his sword an d cut down

the un fortun ate agen t . The sam e n ight the prin ce drove in

the outposts of the garrison an d appeared at dawn before the

m ain defen ces of Bhupalgad . At this poin t Phiran goji Narsala

com pletely lost his head . He han ded over his com m an d to on e

of hi s subordin ates an d fled to Pan hala to lay hi s d ifli culties

before the kin g . Deserted by their com m an dan t, the garrison

still m ade a gallan t defen ce . But Sam bhaji’

s im petuou s attack

carried everythin g before‘

it . An d lon g before Shiv aji could

sen d succour to Bhupalgad the place had fa llen . Not

un n aturally the kin g was in cen sed again st Phi ran goji Narsala ,to whose in decision an d cowardice he ascribed the loss of the

fortress . He ordered his execution an d had him blown to

pieces from a can n on ’s m outh .

I n the m ean tim e , however, Auran gzib had ( chan ged his

m in d about Sam bhaji .* DilerKhan had in a letter recom m en ded

that the em peror should recogn ize Sam bhaji as kin g of the

Marathas . This,he hoped

,would create two faction s am on g

that n ation ,who would then destroy each other to the em peror

’

s

profit . Auran gzib at first approved of , but afterwards rej ected ,Diler Khan ’s recom m en dation . He con ceived the fear that

Sam bhaji , in stead of helpin g the Moghuls , m ight seduce the

Hin du officers in the Moghul arm y to Shiv aji’

s cause . He

therefore bade Diler Khan arrest Sam bhaji an d brin g him to

Delhi . Diler Kh an ,Afghan though he was , wou ld n ot stoop

to such treachery . He in formed Sam bhaji of the em peror’

s

orders an d advised him to return to hi s father. To avert

suspicion Diler Khan open ly in sulted Sam bhaji , reduced his

troops an d left his allowan ce un paid T Sam bhaji preten ded to

be m uch displeased at hi s treatm en t an d a fter com m un icatin g

with Shi v aji , was helped by Maratha agen ts to escape from

Diler Khan ’s cam p an d return to Pan hala . There his fat-her

Sabhasad Balchar. TShivd igvijaya Bakhar.



altern ative but to com ply . He in form ed Shivaji that on hi s

arrival at Bijapur, a san ad gran tin g all his dem an ds would

be han ded to him by the m in or kin g, Sikan dar Adil Shah .

Upon the receipt of this reply Shiv aji wen t in state to Bijapur .

His arrival becam e a trium phal progress . The populace forgot

the provin ces which he had torn from the an cien t kin gdom .

They on ly saw in him the soldier who had saved their beloved

city from the clutches of the Moghuls . The youn g ki n g ,the regen t an d the courtiers vied with each other in the m agn ificen ce with which they en tertain ed their Maratha guests . But

Shiv aji soon wearied of what he deem ed a childish waste of

tim e . He longed to return to his own coun try an d to strive

on ce again to reduce Jan j ira (A .D.

Although Shivaji had everywhere trium phed on lan d , he hadn ot had sim ilar success at sea . An xious as he

’

was to rem ain

frien ds with the En glish,he had for som e years looked askan ce

at their com plian ce with the dem an ds of the Moghul fleet .In July, 1676, Sidi Kasim ,

who had succeeded Sidi Sam ba las adm ira l of the im perial n avy, had en tered Bom bay harbouran d had received perm ission to an chor off It

can n ot be den ied that such a con cession am oun ted to a breach

of n eutrality . In deed the En glish , with their factory at Surat ,hardly could be rea lly n eutra l . Shiv aji therefore resolved toattack an d burn the En glish fleet in Bom bay . He ordered

his adm irals Daulat Khan an d Darya Saran g to sail thither

But the m on soon burst earlier than usual an d

the Maratha fleet was forced to take shelter in the Pan vel creekalm ost exactly opposite Bom bay islan d . Then ce they m ade

occasion al ra ids on Portuguese territory. In 1679 Shiv aji

largely in creased his fleet an d seized two islan ds , Khan d eri

an d Un d eri , kn own to the En glish as Ken ery an d Hen ery,about 16 m iles d ue south of the islan dof Bom bay . The Englishresen ted this an d on October 15 an action took place between

the En glish fleet'

an d Daulat Khan ’s vessels . The Marathas

attacked with great vigour . I n a short tim e an En glish ship

n am ed the Dove hauled down its colour s an d five other En glish

Orm e, Historica l Fragm en ts .

THE LAST DAYS OF THE GREAT KING 269

ships fell out of the lin e . But a powerful 16 gun frigate n am ed

the Revenge chan ged the fortun es of the d ay . Its gun s were

heavier than an y of the Maratha artillery, an d , well-han dled

by its com m an der, Captain Min chin , it san k five Maratha

ships in succession . Daulat Khan then withdrew to Khan d eri .

On Novem ber 10 the Sidi’s fleet appeared . It n um bered

two large battle -ships , three three-m asted frigates an d fifteen

stout gallivats . On board were 700 excellen t soldiers . But

although the Sidi cam e osten sibly as an ally of the En glish,

he was , if possible , m ore un welcom e than Daulat Khan . For

he gave out that he in ten ded to take Khan d eri an d con vert

it in to a Moghu l n ava l ba se . The En glish at on ce tried to open

n egotiation s with Shiv aji . But the latter was too con cern ed

at Sam bhaji’

s defection to an swer their m essage an d Shortly

afterwards Sidi Kasim , professin g to act on behalf of the En glish ,lan ded on Shiv aji

’

s coa st an d carried off a n um ber of slaves .

This m ade all n egotiation s im possible . The Sidi,em bolden ed

by his success , attacked Un d eri an d drove out the Maratha

garrison . A n ava l en gagem en t en sued between the Moghul an dthe Maratha fleets . The Maratha sailors fought their ships

bravely but the superior build of the Moghul Ships en abled

Sidi Kasim to win a decisive victory . The Marathas lost severa l

vessels an d som e 500 killed an d woun ded besides prison ers .

At la st they fled in great disorder back to Rajapur creek .

Early in March , 1680, the En glish again open ed n egotiation s

with Shiv aji . He was n ow free from an xiety as regards

Sam bhaji . Bijapur had been saved . His recen t ill success at

sea had Shown him the value of an En glish a llian ce . He m ade

peace with the En gli sh an d he agreed that they m ight,if

thereto com pelled , shelter the Moghul fleet durin g the m on soon .

The En glish on their part un dertook to preven t the Sidi from

u sin g Bom bay as a n ava l base again st the Marathas .

Shiv ajl at this tim e had reached the zen i th of his power .

He had freed the bulk of the Marathi -speakin g people . By his

n ew allian ce with Bijapur an d Golcon da an d still m ore by the

chain of fortresses which he had built from Bed n ur to Tan j ore ,he had secured his con quests . Nevertheless he was n ot without

270 A HISTORYor THE MARATHA PEOPLE

grave an xieties . His eldest wife Saibai was dead an d her son

Sam bhaji had shown hi m self un fit for the thron e . His thi rd

wife Soyarabai , the m other of his secon d son Rajaram ,pressed

the latter’s claim s as superior to those of Sam bhaji . The

kin g , distracted by her im portun i ty, con ceived the idea of

dividin g his kin gdom between his two son s .

* At the sam e tim e

he was grieved by the attitude of Vyan kOjI , his brother . In

hi s first feelin gs of gratitude , the latter had acted wi th courtesy

towards Han m a n te.T But the declaration by the Bijapur

govern m en t that Vyan koji was Shi v aji’

s vassel preyed on his

m in d . He refu sed to see Han m an te or

'

to dispose of an y

adm in istrative work . An d gradua lly he adopted the habits

of a religiou s reclu se . Han m an te reported Vyan koji’

s con duct

to Shiv aji , who sen t to hi m an adm irable letter j: I n it he

en couraged hi s brother, urged him to accept his presen t situation

an d bade him use his arm y to con quer’

fresh lan ds for hi m s elf .

Shortly a fter writin g this letter , Shiv aji seem s to have had a

prem on ition that his en d was approachi n g . He visited Ram das

at Parali an d spoke to him sadly of the rivalry off

l

Rajaram an d

Sam bhaji . The sain t bade him do his utm ost to recon cile them

an d to pray to the god Ram a for guidan ce . Shiv aji then asked

Ram das to pardon him for an y faults that he m ight un wittin gly

have com m itted . Ram da s n oticed the gravity with which

Shi v aji Spoke an d asked him what a iled him . Shi v aji em braced

Ram das an d told him that this was their last m eetin g . Ram das

tried to cheer the kin g'

an d asked him gen tly whether such

thoughts were the fruits of his teachin g . Shi v aji did n ot reply,but biddin g the sain t farewell m ade his way to Raygad .§On March 28, 1680, after his return from a raidin g expedition , I]a pain ful Swellin g appeared on his kn ee- j oin t . In spite of

m edical aid it grew, worse . Fever in terven ed an d after a seven

days ’ illn ess the great kin g, on April 3 , 1680, died at Raygad .

His son Sam bhaji , deeply affected by the n ews of his father’s

Shedgak ar an d Sabhasad Bakha i 's .

T Shed gavkar Bakha r.

1 Gran t Duff, Vol. I, p. 294 .

S Ram d as Cha ritra .

HMaasuri L’

a la m giri , Elli ott an d Dowson , Vol. VII . , p . 305 .



illn ess , m ade a desperate effort to see him before his death .

Settin g out from Pan hala on a cam el he rode n ight an d d ay ,but he cam e too late . His father ’s spirit left hi s war-wornfram e as Sam bhajl reached the foot of the hill . Furious with

grief an d disappoin tm en t , the prin ce drew his sword an d with

a sin gle stroke decapitated the cam el . Not satisfied with this ,he ord ered the im age of a headless cam el to be erected at the

outer gate of the fort ,\

as a warn in g to other beasts of the sam e

species . It stan ds to’

this d ay ,a m on um en t of the prin ce ’s

childish

Shiv aji has by a curious fate suffered m ore at the han ds of

historian s than a n y other character in history . They have on e

an d allT accepted as fin al the opin ion of Gran t Duff,whi ch

again was ba sed on that of Khafi Khan . They have at the

sam e tim e rej ected Orm e ’s far m ore accurate con clusion s.

An d whi le judgin g Shiv aji with the utm ost harshn ess,they

have been sin gularly in dulgen t to his en em ies . The thousan d

basen esses of Auran gz ib ,the appallin g villain ies of the Bijapur

an d the Ah m adn agar n obles , have been passed over with a

toleran t sm ile . The cruel trick by which Ghorpad e betrayed

Shaha j i has provoked n o com m en t . Shiv aji , however, is

depicted as the in carn ation of successful perfid y , a Caesar

Borgia to whom there cam e n o i ll fortun e , a m ore faithless

an d m ore darin g Fran cesco Sforza . Nor can it be den ied that

the authors of the Hin du Bakkars are in som e way respon s ible

for this absurd an d in accurate legen d . Hatin g the Musulm an s

with the fiercest of passion s , they deem ed n o trap too in hum an

provided that it brought about their en em ies ’ down fall . It

was reserved for an In dian of m odern tim es , Mr . Justice Ran ad e,a m an truly great , judged by n o m atter what stan dard

,to see

correctly the deep religious feelin g , the m an y virtues,the chival

rous tem per an d the vast ability of the great Maratha kin g .

If Shiv aji had been a treacherous assassin ,such as he has

been com m on ly portrayed , he would n ever have achieved

I have seen the im age an d been told the story at Raygad .

TFrom this statem en t I gladly except Mr. Rawlin son ’

s adm irable m on o

graph on Shivaji . For Orm e’

s character, see Appen dix , p . 278 .


what he did . The hi gh-born , high-spirited Deccan n obles would

n ever have accepted his leadershi p or if they had , they would

have copied their leader an d becom e as treacherous as he .

The fact that n o on e ever betrayed Shiv aji is stron g eviden ce

that he him self was n ot a betrayer . Startin g with thi s prem ise ,Mr . Ran ad e n ext exam in ed the eviden ce an d poin ted out that

with on e exception the in stan ces of treachery m en tion ed by

Gran t Duff were all capable of in n ocen t in terpretation . The

capture of Puran d ar was effected by the con sen t of the garrison

an d the subsequen t acquiescen ce of the com m an dan ts . The

killin g of Afzul Khan was an act of self-defen ce . The on e

exception was the attack on Chan dra Rao More . Later in

v estigation ,however

,has shown that even thi s in stan ce had

n ot the sin ister character usually attributed to it . From the

recen tly discovered Mahableshwar accoun t, it is clear that

Shiv aji repeatedly strove to win More to his side , that More

as often tried treacherously to take Shiv aji prison er an d that

he even tually fell in a quarrel between him an d Ragho

Ballal Atre , while the latter was deliverin g him an ultim atum .

Shivajiwas thus clearly in n ocen t ofMore’s death . The m ost that

can be said again st him is that he did n ot pun ish Ragho

Ballal as he should have don e . But the sam e charge can be

brought again st William III . His m ost arden t adm irers have

been forced to adm it that he pun i shed n either the m urderers

of the De Witts n or those guilty of the slaughter of the

Macdon alds of Glen coe .

It is difficult , without writin g in a strain that m ay seem

exaggerated to En glish readers , to give to Shiv aji the place

in history to which he is rightly en titled . He has been com pared

n ot un happily with Bruce . Nevertheless’

the com parison does

the Eastern prin ce less than justice . Bruce had , it is true ,

to cheer the spirit of the Scottish n ation , depressed by the defeat

of Falkirk an d the capture an d death'

of Wallace . But the

Scottish people had been free for cen turies . Naturally high

spirited an d brave , they were eager to[

gather roun d an yon e

who would help them drive out the hated En glish . Shi vaji

had to create his victorious arm y from the half savage hillm en



retain posts which they were in com peten t to fill. So wise

in deed were these provision s , that they were beyon d the grasp

of Shiv aji’

s successors . They on ce m ore let office becom e

hereditary. They gran ted great lan ded fiefs to which incom peten t m en succeeded because they were their father’s

son s . Their folly had its reward an d in the en d Shivaji’

s

kin gdom wen t the way of other Eastern em pires .

Shiv aji was also shrewd en ough to see that light assessm en ts

were the secret of large reven ues . Whi le in the n eighbourin g

states the peasan t was lucky if he escaped with an a ssessm en t

of 50 per cen t . , Shiv aji n ever dem an ded m ore than two—fifthsof the gross yield . Taga i , or advan ces by the govern m en t

to the cultivators , often wron gly believed to be a m odern in sti

tution ,were freely gran ted , an d their repaym en t was exten ded

over severa l years . While taxin g the un like

hi s n eighbours , realized that in return for taxes they were

en titled to protection . He divided hi s kin gdom in to 15 districts,

all am ply provided with gr eat fortresses . They were close

en ough together for their garrison s to assist each other an d

drive away m araudin g ban ds . They also afforded shelter to

whi ch the cultivators could take their cattle or their crops

upon the first appearan ce of the en em y.

The govern m en t of these forts was adm irably con ceived.The com m an dan t was a Maratha . Un der hi m was a Brahm an

Subhed ar or Sabn is , who kept the accoun ts an d had civil an d

reven ue charge of the villages assign ed to the upkeep of the

fort , an d a Prabhu Karkhan is , who was respon sible that the

garrison had am ple m ilitary supplies an d food stores . Thus ,a lthough the garrison was un der the orders of the com m an dan t ,an y treachery on his part would at on ce have becom e kfiown

to his chief subordin ates . The soldiers of the garrison were

paid regular salaries an d every ten th m an was a Na ik or corporal ,who received a slightly hi gher em olum en t . Where villages

were n ot assign ed to the upkeep of an y fort, Shi v aji for ad

m in i strative purposes arran ged them m uch as the British sin ce

have d on e . The un it was the Mahal or Taluka ,of which the

reven ue varied from Rs . to RS . Three Mahals


m ade a Subha or District . Each District was in charge of a

Subhed ar , whose pay was 400 hon s a year, or about Rs . . 100

a m on th .

Shiv aji’

s m ilitary establishm en t was organ ized with the

sam e care an d skill as the garrison s of his fortresses . A bat

talion of 1000 m en un der a Hazari was the in fan try un it .*

This was divided in to ten com pan ies , called Jum alas , each

un der a Jum aled ar: Each com pan y was divided in to half

com pan ies of fifty m en ,each un der a Havildar or sergean t .

Each half com pan y was divided in to five bodies of ten sepoys , of

which the chief was the Naik or corporal . Seven such batta lion s

form ed a brigade,un der a Sarn obat or brigadier . The cavalry

system was slightly differen t . The un it was a cavalry regim en t

1250stron g . Its com m an der was , like the in fan try com m an der,ca lled a Hazari . The regim en t was divided in to ten Jum alas ,or squadron s of 125 troopers . Each "

Jum ala was subdividedin to five section s or Hav alas con sistin g of 25 bargirs or troopers .

Each such section had its own farrier an d water carrier. Five

Hazaris form ed a cavalry brigade,un der a brigadier kn own as

the Pan ch Hazari . The pay of these officers was carefully

regulated . The brigadiers received 2000 hon s a year,

or

Rs . 500a m on th . I n the cava lry the regim en ta l com m an der’s

pay was 1000hon s a year, or Rs . 250a m on th . I n the in fan try

the battalion com m an der received 500hon s , or Rs . 125 a m on th .

The pay of the com pan y com m an der an d his subordin ates

varied from RS . 9 to Rs . 3 a m on th . The pay of the squadron

com m an ders an d their subordin ates varied from RS . 20 to Rs . 6.

Durin g the rain y season the troops an d horses were fed at the

kin g ’s expen se in large barracks . I n the fair season they were

expected to live on the en em y ’s coun try . But n o private

lootin g was allowed . All prize m on ey or other plun der had,

un der pain of the forfeiture of his surety bon ds , to be paid by its

captor in to the regim en tal treasury. From it the com m an ders

fed an d furn ished their troops .But , great organ izer an d m ilitary gen ius that Shivaji was ,

it is in far- seein g statesm an ship that he stan ds suprem e . I n

Ran ad e.


all histoi'y there is n o such exam ple of m odesty In the face of

con tin ued success . The in solen t, overween in g van ity whi ch

has proved the ruin of so m an y com m an ders , both in an cien t

an d m odern tim es , foun d n o place in Shiv aji’

s adm irablybalan ced m in d . He won victory a fter victory again st Bijapur

an d the Moghuls , yet his head was n ever turn ed . He realized

a lways that he had yet to m eet the full power of the Moghul

em pire . His on e aim was to secure the freedom of his coun try

m en . That he m ight do so , he sought to win the frien dshi p

of Auran gzib . When that proved im possible , he resolved

to secure a place of shelter aga in st the com in g peril , whi ch he

so clearly foresaw . At last there cam e a tim e when his gen iu s

bore fruit . Four years after Shi v aji’

s death,the em peror

realised that the Marathas were a serious dan ger . He ceased

to sen d a succession of sm all arm ies to Auran gabad . He

m obili zed the whole m i litary resources of n orthern In dia an d

an arm y severa l hun dred thousan d stron g , led by the em peror

in person ,poured through the Vin dhya passes to the con quest

of the South . Within three years both Golcon da an d Bijapur

had fallen . Within five years all Maharashtra was overrun .

Sam bhaji had been taken an d executed . Shahu an d his m other

were prison ers in Auran gzib’

s cam p . But the Maratha gen erals ,headed by Ra jaram ,

adhered to the strategy laid down by the

great kin g . Fa llin g behin d the southern lin e of fortresses,

built by Shivaji from Bed n ur to Tan j ore,they held the South

again st the m ight of allHin dustan . At len gth the great offen sive

weaken ed . The Maratha captain s in their turn began to attack .

Slowly but surely they drove the Delhi forces back again across

the fron tier of the old im perial possession s . At last Auran gzib ,

his treasury em pty, his gran d arm y destroyed,died a broken

m an in his cam p at Ah m adn agar . Maharashtra was free .

Southern In dia was safe . The sin gle wi sdom of the great

kin g, dead twen ty-seven years before , had supplied the place

of two hun dred battali on s .

But there was yet an other side to the character of this

versatile prin ce . In an earlier chapter I have sketched his

relation s with Ram das an d Tukaram . But they were n ot the



wife , Lakshm ibai , had n o issue . Shi vaji’s sixth wife

,Sagun abai ,

bore hi m a sin gle daughter Nan ibai , whom he gave in m arriage

to Gaa I R a j e Shirke Malekar . His seven th wife Gun v an tabaiwas childless .*

“ The great kin g ’s body was crem ated at Raygad , which ,looki n g

'

d own on a hun dred lesser peaks , form ed a fittin g

restin g place for that com m an din g spirit . His death is a

con ven ien t poin t at which to en d this first volum e . I n the

succeedin g volum es it will be m y task to n arrate how the great

edifice foun ded by hi s gen iu s prospered or decayed with the

various fortun es of his successors .

Thi s passage is based upon the gen ealogica l tree of the Shedgavkar

Bhosles . The Phalta n State records refer to yet an other daughter, Sakhubai ,m arried to Mahad ji Na ikNim balkar ( I tiha s San graba , Vol. VIII ) .

APPENDIX

Orm e, in hi s Historica lFragm en ts , p. 94 , thus sum s up Shi vaji

I n person al activ ity he exceeded all gen era ls of whom there i s record.

For n o part izan appropriated to serv ice of detachm en t a lon e ever

traversed a s m uch groun d as he at the head of arm ies . He m et.

everyem ergen cy of peril, howev er sudden or extrem e, with in stan t di scernm en t an d un shaken fortitude the ablest of hi s officers a cquiescedto the im m in en t superiority of his gen ius , an d the boast of the soldierwa s to hav e seen Shiv aji chargin g sword in han d .

”

I N D E X

Aba j i Son d ev , takes Kalyan , 141 ;fortifies Raygad, 176.

Abdu l A ziz Khan of Shi vn er , 250.

Abdu l Fa tih Kha n ,

Abdu l Karim , Afghan adv en turer ,250, 25 1 , 254 , 261 ; advan ces on

Pan ha la , 242 ; defeated , 243dea th , 262.

Abdu l Kutb Shah of Golcon da , 102,252.

Abdu l Ra su l, 117 .

A bhi lashita rtha Chin tam an i , 32.

Abhira s dyn asty, 15 .

Abu Hussein of Golcon da , 252, 254,261 ; dyn asty, 102.

Abyssin ia n s , 156.

A chuji II of Yelburga , 31.

Ad hiraja , kin g , 30 deposed , 3 1 .

Adil Shahi dyn a sty, 78 , 101 .

Adon i fortres s , battle n ear, 62.

Aegean Sea , 5 .

Afghan i sta n , 2.

Afgha n , con quest , 38, 39 .

Africa , c ircum n av igation , 3 .

Aq l Buru j , tower, 163 .

Afzul Khan , 147 , 175 , 192, 218 ;cam pa ign a ga in st Shiv aji , 157 -9

a t Pratapgad , 161 struggle withShiv aji , 161 killed , 162-5 , 272.

Agha Mir, 95 .

Agra ,Shivaji a t, 217 .

Ahava m a la,29 , 30 see a lso Som esh

wara I .

Ahm a d,son of Shah Tahir, 98 .

Ah m ad Nizam Shah , of Ahm ad n aga r,78

,87, 109 ; vi ctories , 88 death ,

89 ; dyn a sty , 101 .

Ahm ad Shah Bahm an i (Ahm adKhan ) ; 66, 69 , 7 1.

Ahm ad Shah , son of Mahm ud Shah,

79 .

Ahm adn agar, 78, 195 ; Ka lim Ulla

retires to, 79 ; population ,87 ;

foun ded lry Ahm ad , 89 ; trea tywith Bi japur , 94 ; fa ll , 100 ; re

taken , 110 subjugation , 121 ; a n d

Shah Jehan,143 ; reven ue, 144 ;

ra ided by Shivaji , 155 ; con quest byShah Jehan , 215 ; dyn asty, 101 .

Ain -ul-Mulk,47 , 5 7 .

A jan ta , frescoes , 22.

Aka n n apa n t of Golcon da ,252, 261 .

Akbar, Em peror, con quests , 82, 96,99 , 202, 215 ; death, 109 .

Aklas Khan, 265 .

A laf Kh an , 50, 51 see alsoMahom ed

Tughlak.

Ala -ud -di n Hasan Gan gu Bahm an i ,59 ,

Ala -ud -d in Khil j i , 38, 39 , 4 5 , 65

strategy, 4 1 ; poison ed , 46 .

Ala -ud -d in Shah II, 71 , 75 , 79 , 95 ;an d Kon kan fortresses , 72 ; rebell ion again st , 73 ; death , 74 .

A lan di , i n legen d , 105 , 107 ; pilgrim ages to, 130, 186.

A lbuquerque , A lfon so Da , 86.

A lexan der the Great , 6 .

A lexan dria , 77 .

A li Adi l Shah , of Bi japur, 92, 93, 94,9 7 ; dyn asty , 101 .

Ali Adil Shah II , 153 ; war aga in stShiv aji , 171 , 215 defen ds Bijapur,216, 223 death , 239 , 25 1 dyn asty ,101 .

A li Ba rid Shah , 79 ; dyn asty, 102.

A lfon so ,Kin g of Leon , 82.

A lfon so En riquez, 83 .

A l lahabad , 222.

A l la -ud -d i n Im ad Shah , dyn asty , 102.

A lm as Beg, 42, 43 .

A lm eidas , the , 86 .

Am bar Khan , of Jin j i , 255 .

Am bikabai , Shiv aji’

s daughter, 277 .

Am broise , Father, of Surat , 206 .

Am in a ,wife of Burhan Nizam Shah ,

89 .

Am ir Barid , 79 ; dyn asty , 102.

Am ir Khusru , son gs of, 62.

Am m an ga Dev i , 29 .

A m ritan ubhau , 106.

A m yn tas of Macedon ia , 6.

An an di Bari , 228.

An egun d i , fort , 55 , 56.

An dhras , the, 4 ; rise , 8 ; dyn asty , 9 ,12 ; i n S . In dia ,

22 ; legen d , 14 .

An hilwad Patan , 43 .

An kola ,241 .

An n aji Datto , 134 , 216 , 231 , 253 ;takes Pan ha la , 165 ; takes Hubli ,240 ; at Shiva ji

’

s coron ation ,246.

An n aji Trim al, 220.

280 INDEX

Appaji Gulve, 180.

Arabia , trade wi th , 13 , 14 , 25 ; Mahom ed Tughlak

’

s em bassy to , 55 .

Arabian Sea , 13 .

Arab8 , in Sin d , 25 .

Ardys of Lydia , 2.

Ar jun a ,archery of, 130.

Am i , 258.

Aryan s , the , 2, 4 , 22 ; lan gua ge , 5 .

As htam i , 247 .

As oka , Em peror, m ission s of, 7 , 8 , 18 .

As sar-haddon , Kin g, 3 .

As syria , 3 .

Athen s,6 .

Attica,13 .

Augus tus Caesar, 13 .

Augustus I of Polan d 85 Saxon y , 66.

Aun d ha,fort , taken by Shi v aji , 234 ,

250; by Moghu ls , 235 .

Aun gier, Ge ra ld , 236, 240, 241 , 242.

Aura n gabad , 195 , 196; Shiv aji’

s forcesleave, 226 ; Moghu l Arm y retiresto, 234 ; blockaded by Moro

. Pin gle, 267 .

Auran gzeb , Em peror, 109 , 195 , 223 ,252, 253 ; vi ctory over Golcon da ,

153 ; rebel lion , 154 ; hi s gen era ls ,208 ; letters to Shivaji , 214 , 216,225 ; plan s to con quer Bijapur,215 ; i n su lts Shi v aji , 217 ; treatywith Shi v aji , 224 ; treachery, 226,262 ; fa i lure i n the Deccan , 234 ,237 ; siege of Jin j i, 255 ; an d Sambha ji , 265 , 266 ; death , 276 .

Ava la i , 181 , 190.

Ayodhya,i n legen d , 16, 244 .

A yurved a -rasayan a , the, 37Azim Khan

, 1 18.

Az iz , govern or of Ma lwa , 57 , 58.

Aziz-ul-Mulk, 89 .

Azores , the, 83.

Baba j i (Bhosle) , 113 .

Babar, Em peror, con quests , 79 earlyl ife, 81 ; death , 82.

Badam i , 16; storm ed by the Pallav as ,23 , 24 .

Bagh Nizam , pa lace, 89 .

Baglan , fort , 43 ; s iege of, 44 .

Bagrakot , 93 .

Bahadur, Nizam Shah , of Ah m adn agar, 97 , 98 , 99 ; death , 100 ;dyn asty, 101 .

BahadurKh an an d Moghu l fleet , 238bribed by Shi v aji , 241 ; truce broken , 242 ; v iceroy i n the Deccan ,

251 , 253 ; reca l l to Delhi , 261 .

Bahadur Kh an Koka (Kha n J aha n

Bahad ur) , 237 .

Bahauddin , Mahom ed Tughlak’

s

n ephew , 55 .

Bahirji Na ik, Spy of Shiv a j i , 205 ,264 .

Bahira ,father of Nizam -ul

Bahlol Khan , Bijapur gen era l , 1 72,235 .

Bahm an i em pire , revolution , 48 fa l lof, 78.

Bahul i , 147 .

Ba ira m Kha n , 63 .

Ba itha n ,10.

Ba j i Deshpan de , 169 , 1 71 , 210.

Ba j i Ghorpad e ,of Mudhol , 142, 148

killed by Shi v aji , 1 72, 1 74 .

Ba j i Phasa lkar, 129, 134 , 167 .

Bajirao II , 126 .

Ba j i Sham raj,Ba la j i Aba j i Chi tn is , Shiv a ji

’

s secretary , 210, 216, 21 7, 244 , 246 .

Ba la j i More , 146, 147 en m ity withShiv aji , 150, ki lled , 151 ; see a lso

Cha n d ra Rao More.

Ba la j i Pa n dit , 246 .

Ba lapur, 135 ; taken by Shiv aji , 258 .

Ba lha ra of Man kir, 25 .

Ba lu ,a weaver, m ade gov ern or, 57

Ban av as i , 29 , 31 , 33 .

Ba n ga lore , (Ben grul) , 135 , 253 Sam

bha j i Mohite sen t to, 137 disorderi n

,147 ; bestowed on Vya n koji ,

207 taken by Shi v aji , 258 ; giv ento Dipaba i , 259 .

Ba n kapur, fortress , 68 .

Baram ati , 128 , 138.

Barid Shahi dyn asty, 79, 102.

Bartle Frere, Sir, 125 .

Basav a Ma d hi raja , 33 .

Bassein ,205 , 249 .

Bav a -Yakub , Musu lm an fakir, 277 .

Beau l ieu , Adm ira l , 202.

Bedar, 58, 60, 72, 73 , 77 ; s iege of,69 ; Hum ayu n ’

s cruelt ies i n , 74 ;Mahm ud Gawa n com es to, 75 ;fight i n , 78 people of, 87 com bin esaga in st Vijayan agar, 93 ; ceded toBijapur, 120, 121 taken byAura n gzeb

,154 ; dyn asty, 79, 102.

Bed n ur, 206 , 241 , 253, 269 , 276.

Bejwad a , 29 .

Belgaum , 76.

Bellari , 258 .

Ben ares , 221 .


2 INDEX

Chan d Bibi , 93 , 97 defen ds Ahm adn agar, 98 ; cedes Berar to Delhi, .

99 , 121 ; s la in ,100 dyn asty of, 101 .

Chan deri, 39 , 40

Chan d ra d itya , n , 23 .

Chan dragupta Maurya , 6 , 7 .

Chan dra Rao More ,Ra ja of Jaoli ,

144 , 239 , 272.

Cha n dra Shekhar, prin ce of Madura ,

136 .

Cha n d ra sen a , i n legen d , 170.

Chan d wad , 234 .

Chapha l , 183 , 193 .

Cha rles II of En gla n d , 236.

Chatarvarga -chin tam an i , the , 37 .

Chau l ,’

247 .

Chen n a Basav a , 33 .

Cheras , the (Keralas ) , 22, defeatedby Malik Kafir, 46 ; Harihar as

suzera in , 56 .

Chim n aji Av aji , 246.

Chim ulgi , 171 .

Chin a ,Greek trade with , 13 ; Bud

d hism spreads to, 18 ; attem ptedi n v as ion of , 52.

Chiplun , Shiv aji at , 243 .

Chokham ela , sa in t of Pan dharpur,107 .

Cholas , the, 5 , 22, 25 , 136 ; attackMaharashtra , 27 , 28 ; exten t of

Em pire , 29 ; defeated by Ma l ikKafir

,46 ; Harihar as suzera in , 56.

Chopra ,264 .

Chosroes 11 , Kin g of Persia , 22.

Oboul,fort , 60, 205 .

Cim m eria n s , 3 .

Cleopatra , 13 .

Cochin ,86 .

Coelho, Nicholas , 84 .

Coim bra ,83 .

Coin age of Shivaji , 208 .

Coleroon river , 136.

Con go,the , 84 .

Con stan tin ople, 77 .

Corom an del Coa st , 238 .

Corrien tes , Cape , 85 .

Cuddapah,254 , 255 .

Dabhol , 166 , 1 76.

Da d aji Deshpan de , 133 .

Dad oji Kon d ad ev , 125 , 196 ; work i n

Poon a ,127 ; his educat ion of Shi

v aji , 130, 132 ; com pla in t to Shaha j i , 135 , 136 ; death , 137 .

Da Gam as , the , 84 , 86.

Da labhya , i n legen d , 170.

Da lvi s , the, 165 .

Dam an , 1 , 237 .

Dan daka forest , 4 , 7 .

Dan d akaran ya (Maharashtra, ,4 , 5 .

Da n da Ra jpuri , 1 71 , 239 .

Dan d irv an , (Pa n dharpur) , 103 .

Dan iya l , Prin ce , 100, 109 .

Dan tid urga ,Kin g , 23 .

Dara Shukoh , 153 , 154 ,209 .

Daria Im ad Shah , dyn asty, 102.

Darya Sara n g , 268 .

Dasbodh, 184 .

Dasharatha ,Kin g , 3 .

Dattaji Gopin ath , 134 .

Dattaji Pan dit , 246.

Daud Khan,234 .

Daud Shah , 64 , 66.

Dau latabad fort , 53 , 56, 87 , 109 , 1 12s iege of, 58 , 1 18 ; Lakhoji J a d ha vrao at , 124 con quered by MahabatKha n , 235 .

Dau lat Khan , 268.

Dau lat More ,146.

De Bus sy , 255 .

Decca n , the, con quered by the Sakas ,10 ; cav es , 12 ; rev olt, 46, 56 , 58 ;Ma lik Khusru ’

s plot, 48 ; fam in e,

76 Prin ce Muazzim , govern or, 223.

Dehu , 1 79 , 181 .

De la Costa , 236.

De la Haye, M. ,238.

De Lesseps can a l , 3 .

Delhi , 39 , 47 Ma lik”Kafir’

s plot , 46 ;Ghazi Beg i n , 49 , 50 ; rem ov a l ofcapita l , 53 , 54 fa l l of, 80 dev astated by Tim ur , 81 ; treaty withBijapur, 122.

Desa is of Kuda l , 166, 167 .

Desh , the, 1 , 2.

Dev abhuti , 8 .

Dev agiri , 35 ; occupied by A lla -ud

d in , 39 , 40 ; Karan retreats to,

44 ; taken by Ma lik Kafir, 45 ; byMubarak, 4 7 ; A laf Khan at , 50 ;rebel lion , 54 ; capita l rem ovedfrom , 60.

Dev ald ev i , daughter ofKaran Gbelo,43, 44 , 46 ; taken byMubarak, 48 ;

by Ma lik Khus ru , 49 .

Dev a Raya I , of Vijaya n agar, 68 , 69 .

Dev a Raya II, 69 ; defeat , 70, 72 ;

ki lled , 76.

Dev a Raya III , 76 .

Devrajji of Uda ipur, 1 12.

Dharam pur, 234 .

Dharan gaon , 264 .

Dharur, 223 .

INDEX

Dhritarashtra , Kin g , 4 .

Dhruva , Kin g , 24 .

Dia z , Ba rtholom ew , 84 .

Dilav ar Khan of Ma lwa , 71 , 80.

Diler Khan , 209 , 210, 226 ; m eetin gwi th Shi vaji , 212 i n Deccan , 237

join s Bahadur Khan ’

s arm y, 252 ;m ade Moghu l v iceroy, 261 ; m ar

ches aga in st Bijapur, 262, 263 ;an d Sam bha ji , 265 , 266 .

Dipaba i , wife of Maloji , 114 .

Dipaba i , wife of Vyan koji , 259 .

Dipaba i , Shiv aji’

s daughter, 277 .

Div ,86 .

Dn yan d ev , poet of Pan dharpur, 36,37 , 105 , 107 ; teachin gs , 130 ;Shrin e at A la n di , 186.

Dn yan eshwari , the, 106 .

Doab , the , 63 ; overrun by Bukka

Raya, 65 ; by Vijayan agar, 67 ;

fight for, 69 risin g of n obles , 173 ;Shiv aji i n , 258 .

Dood , 135 .

Dutch , m erchan ts at Surat , 238 .

Dwara Sam udra (Halebid ) , 45 , 47 , 52.

East In dia Com pan y , 202, 236.

Egypt, 3 , 13 , 14 .

E lizabeth of En glan d , 202.

El lichpur, 40, 41 .

E llora , 24 , 44 .

Em m an uel of Portuga l , 84 .

En glish i n Surat , 233 , 238 i n Bom

bay , 238 , 240, 247 , 268 , 269 .

Epa m in on das , 6 .

Ereyan ga Hoysala ,of Gan gav ad i ,

31 , 34 .

Erythrean coast , 13 .

Etgir, 93 .

Fa Hien , v is it to In dia , 18 .

Fateh Kha n , 1 1 1 , 1 18 surren dersDau latabad , 1 19 .

Fateh Ul la Im ad Shah , dyn asty , 102.

Fatih Kh an , Bi japur govern or, 156,166, 167 ; defeat , 231 .

Faza l Mahom ed , 1 62, 166, 169 .

Ferghan a (Kokan ) , 81 .

Ferishta , Pers ia n historian , 39 , 66,

91 .

Firoz Shah Bahm an i , 66, 69 .

Fren ch , i n Surat , 233 .

Gaga Bhat , crown s Shiv aj i , 244 .

Gajapuri , 1 7 1 .

Gan d arad ittan , Kin g of the Cholas ,25 , 27 .

Gan eshn ath , 277 .

Gan gadhar, brother of Ram das , 182.

Ga n gadhar (Gan gu ), astrologer, 59 .

Gan gaji Man gaji , 134 .

Gan gas , the , 24 , 25 .

Gan gav ad i , 28 , 32, 34 .

Gan gav li , 247 .

Gan ges river, 2, 28, 145 .

Gan oji Ra je Shirke Ma lekar, 278 .

Gaugam ela,batt le of, 6 .

Gaun t , John of, 83 .

Gautam iputra Sa takarn i , Kin g , 9 -12.

Gautam iputra Yajn asri , 12.

Gaya , 221 .

Gayatr i riv er, 145 .

Ghaz i Beg Tughlak,49 , 50.

Ghod bun d er, 23 7 .

Ghor Beg, 111 .

Ghorpad es , the, 132, 244 betraya l ofShaha j i

,271 .

Ghorpad , used for capture of forts ,142.

Ghorpuri , 125 .

Ghrishn eshwa r, tem ple , 114 .

Ghyas -ud -d in ,Bahm a n i Kin g , 65 , 66.

Ghyas -ud -d in Ba lban , 49 .

Goa , 76 ; taken by Port uguese, 86 ;in v aded by Shiv aji , 1 74 .

Godav ari river , 4 , 8 , 1 1 , 23 .

Gojara hill , 256.

Gokarn a ,208 .

Golcon da , 62 ; a n d Vi jayan aga r, 93 ,135 ; helps Ah m ad n agar , 99 ; d efeated by Auran gzeb , 153 ; join sBi japur aga in st Moghuls , 223 , 238history , 252 a llia n ce with Shivaji ,254 , 269 ; fa lls to Moghul forces ,276 ; dyn asty , 87 , 102.

Gole,153 .

Golewa d i , 153 .

Good Hope , Cape of, 3 , 84 .

Gopa lpura ,i n legen d , 104 .

Gopi,of Surat , 201 .

Gora , sa in t of Pa n dharpur, 107 .

Gov ardhan ,i n legen d , 104 .

Gov in d More , 146 .

Gov in da , Rashtrakuta chief, 10, 23 .

284 INDEX

Gov in da II , 24 .

Gran icus , battle of the, 6

Greeks , the , 2,Gu lbarga , 60 °

,Moghu l forces at , 261 ,

262.

Gun ad hya , i n legen d , 14 .

Gun tur, 93 .

Gun v an taba i , Shiv aji’

s wife , 278 .

Gurjara kin gs , 25 .

Gurjars , the , 36.

Guzarat , 35 ; Karan , ruler of, 42 ;

rev olt aga in st Afghan s , 46, 47,

58 Bahm an i cam pa ign i n , 70, 71kin gdom foun ded , 80 plot aga in stAhm adn agar, 90; con quered byAkbar, 215 .

Gyges of Lydia , 2.

Gwa lior fort , 100.

Ha ihiyas , i n legen d , 170.

Ha j i E lias , 80.

Ha j i Kasim , 205 .

Ha j i Sayad,205 .

Ham birrao Mohi te, 246, 257 ra idon Moghu l territory , 250 ; defeatsVya n koji , 258 , 259 woun ded

,264

at Bijapur, 265, 267 .

Ham id Khan , Bijapur gen era l , 97 , 99 .

Ham i lcar, 208 .

Han ga l , 34 .

Han m an te, see Raghun athpa n t .

Han m a n t More , 146 .

Han m an trao, 151 .

Harihar, of Kam pila , 56 .

Harihar II , of Vijayan aga r, 67 , 68 .

B ari ta , i n legen d , 15 .

Harj i Ra je Mahad ik, of Tara le , 277 .

Harpald ev a , Yada v a n oble , 47 .

Harsha Si lad itya , Kin g , 1 7, 21 .

Hasaji Mohite , 243 .

Hasan Gan gu,58-61 , 76.

Hassan Khan, 74 .

Hasti n apura , 4 , 244 .

Hem ad pa n t , 36, 37 .

Hem a d pan ti a rchi tecture, 37 .

Hen ery (Un d eri ) is lan d , 268 .

Hen ry the Navi gator, 83 , 84 .

Hen ry, Coun t of Burgun dy, 83 .

Hetairoi, 6 .

H im alayas,2.

Hin du law, the Mitaksha ra , 31 .

Hiraji Pharzan d ,217 , 220.

Hirakan i tower, 177 .

H iuen Tsan g , 18 . Jackson ,Mr. A . M . T. , 124 .

Hiv are, 162.

Hoysalas , growth of power, 33 35 ;defeated by Kr ishn a II , 36 downfa l l, 45 .

Hubl i , 240, 248 .

Hud d ea Su lta n a , 93 .

Hum ayun (Za l im ) , Bahm an i kin g , 74 .

Hum ayun (Em peror) , 82.

Hum ay lm Shah , 75 .

Hun in v asion , 18 .

Hussein Nizam Shah , 92, 93 ; death ,94 dyn asty , 101 .

Hussein , son ofMurtaza Nizam ShahII, 112, 117 , 1 19 .

Hyderabad , 238, 254 .

Ibn Batuta , 53 .

Ibrahim Adi l Shah , of Bi japur, 92,97 , 99 dyn asty, 101 .

Ibrahim Adi l Shah II , 11 7 .

Ibrahi m Bari d Shah, dyn asty, 102.

Ibrahim Kutb Shah, dyn asty, 102.

Ibrahi m Lodi , 81 , 82.

Ibrahi m Niza m Shah, 95 , 96; dyn asty ,101 .

Iklas Kha n ,235 .

Il lyrian s , the , 6 .

Im ad Shahi dyn asty, 79 , 102.

Im ad-ul-Mulk,foun der of Im ad Shahi

dyn asty, 77

-8, 102.

Im ad -u1-Mu1k,son -in -law ofMahom ed

Tughlak, 58 , 59 .

In dapur, 128 , 137 , 176 .

In dia , trade with Egypt , 13 .

In d ia , southern in v asion by Ary22.

In dore , 222.

In dra , i n legen d , 15 .

In dra ,gran dson of Govi n da , 23 .

I n d rayan i , tem ple, 179 .

In dus,2.

In scription s con cern in g Krishn a II ,36.

Ism a i l Adi l Shah , 90, 146 ; dyn asty ,101 .

Ism a i l Afghan (Nasaruddin ) , 58 .

Ism a i l Nizam Shah , 95 , 101 .

Issue, battle of the, 6.


286 INDEX

Kasim Barid Shah I , dyn asty , 102.

Kathi awar, 10, 12.

KatrajGhat , 199 .

Kayastha Prabhus , 169 , 170.

Ka zi Shiraz , 67 .

Kem p Gauda ,135 .

Ken ery (Khan d eri ) is lan d , 268.

Ken ja l, Keva l Bharat i of, 277 .

Kera las , the, see a lso Cheras , 4 , 5 .

Kerbela , 80.

Kerridge , ML , at Surat , 202.

Keva l Bharati , of Ken jal, 277 .

Kh adki (Auran gabad ) , 109 .

Khafi Khan , 271 .

Khagarata , 9 , 11 .

Kha n Dauran , Moghu l gen era l , 119 ,120.

Khan Jahan Bahadur, 237 .

Khan Jam an,118 .

Khan Jehan Lodi , 111 , 251 ; rebeln on ,

112, 11 7 .

Khan Khan an ,of Berar, 99 .

Khan Zam an ,Moghu l gen era l , 120,

121 .

Khan d eri (Ken ery ) , 268 .

Khan desh , 71 , 78 , 119 ; revolt , 73 ;Ma likRa ja , kin g of, 80; plot aga in stAh m adn agar, 90 ; fa l l , 100 ; con

quered by Akbar, 215 ; ra ided byShiv aji , 234 .

Khan d oba , shrin e,1 75 .

Khan d oji Khopad e , 162.

Kh av as Khan ,of Bijapur , 251 , 252.

Khava s Khan , the S lave, 117 .

Khawas Khan , Bijapur gen era l , 1 73,17 8.

Khelkarn aji (Kheloji ) , 1 13 .

Kheln a (Visha lgad ) , 73 , 75 , 165 .

Khem Savan t , 166.

Khi zr Khan , 44, 46, 48 .

Khorasan , 80.

Khud avan d Khan , 77 .

Khulich , 39 .

Khusru ,109 .

Khusru Ma lik, 52.

Khwa ja Hafiz of Shi raz , 65 .

Khwa ja Mahm ud Gawan , 75 .

Kirkee, 125 .

Kishwar Kh an , 97 , 98 .

Kirtivarm an ,Cha lukya ki n g , 16.

Kirtiv arm an II , 23 .

Koha n a river, 1 7 .

Kolar, 135 , 253 , 258 .

Kolastra ,Nicholas , 206.

Koli chiefs , 237 .

Kolis , the, 228 , 229 , 249 .

Kolwan , the, 234 .

Kon d an a fortress , see‘

also Sin hgad ,54 , 124 .

Kon dapa lli , fa ll , 76, 77.

Kon herpan t , Sh ivaji’

s agen t , 25 7 .

Kon kan , the, 1 , 2 caves , 12 i n vaded , 208 .

Kon kan , Northern , 16 , 36.

Kon kan , Southern , 35 , 52, 54 .

Koppam , battle of,29 .

Kowi lcon d a, 93 .

Koyn a river, 145 ; v a lley , 160.

Krishn a ,i n legen d , 24 , 104 ,

tem ple,

1 79 .

Krishn a , Kin g of the Satavahan arace, 9 .

Krishn a , Kin g of Dwarka , 34 .

Krishn a II , Yadav a Kin g , 36 .

Krishn a“

III , Ra shtrakuta Kin g , 25 .

Krishn a , river, 8 , 22, 23 , 145 ; Cholafron tier, 28 ; battle n ear, 31 ; i n

flood , 67 .

Kri shn a Deva Raya of Vi jayan agar,91 , 136.

Krishn ad eva , 55 ; retakes Wa ran ga l ,56 ; revolt a ga in st Bahm an i Kin g ,61 defeat , 62.

Krishn aji Bhaskar, 158, 159 at

Pratapgad , 161 .

Krishn aji Vishvan ath , 221 , 222.

Krishn araja , kin g ,Krita v irya , see Sahasrarjun a ,

Kshatriya kin gs , 244 .

Kuda l San gam , 29 .

Kukutswam i , sage , 103 .

Kulkarn i fa m i ly, of Pathri , 78 .

Ku lkarn i of Shahpur, 183 .

Kullottun ga , 34 .

Kun d av va iyar, wife of Vim alad itya ,

28, 29 .

Kutlugh Kh an , 59 .

Kutb -ul m u lk, 79 .

Kutb Shahi lin e of Golcon da ,

Laccadiv es, the, 28.

Lacchen a , appoin ted govern or, 5 7 .

Lakham Sav an t , 166.

Lakhoji J ad ha vrao, 1 14 , 117 123

124 , 131 .

L akhun d i , battle a t, 35 .

Lakshm an Sin g , 1 12.

Lakshm eshwar, 34 .

L akshm iba i , Shi v a ji’

s wife , 278 .

Lalchi n , Turkish s lave , 65 , 66.

L axm an , 4 .

L axm i , i n legen d , 105 .

Legen d , of the An dhra period , 14 ;the Shaka era , 1 1 ; the Cha lukyas ,

INDEX

1 5 ; Hoysala a n cestry , 34 ; He

m ad pan t , 36 ; Pa n dharpur m ov e

m en t , 103 ; Shi v aji’

s birth , 123 ;Lohgad ,

140 ; purifica tion of the

world , 105 ; Kayastha Prabhucaste, 170 sun god ,

182.

Leon , A lfon so, kin g of,82.

L in gayat religion , 33 .

L in gm ala ,145 .

Lohgad ,fort , 95 , 140, 1 76.

L usiad,the, 84 .

Lydia,m ercen aries of, 3 .

Macedon ia , 5 , 13 .

Machen d ragad ,fort, 251 .

Mad an n apan t , of Golcon da , 252, 261 .

Madeira , 83 .

Mad hav a , of Guzarat , 43 .

Madura , 253 .

Maghad a , 6 .

Maha -Ba l-Ishwar (Shiv a ) , 146 .

Mahabat Khan , 1 11 , 1 18 , 119 , 234 ;

a n d Salher, 235 ; recalled , 237 .

Mahabharata , 4 .

Mahableshwar, 35 , 144 , 145 , 272 ;Shiv aji at , 150, 183 .

Mahad , 144 .

Mahadeva , 36 .

Mahad Ghat , 152.

Maha m aya , queen ,17 .

Mahan adi River, 28 .

Maharashtra , 1 origin of n am e, 5 ;

overrun by An dhras , 9 ; by Sakas ,10 ; by Cholas , 28 ; con quered byJ ayasin ha , 16 ; by Ma lik Kafir,46 ; by Mubarak, 47 ; trade withEurope ,

14 ; with Arabia , 25 ;v is ited by Hiuen Tsan g , 18 .

Mahipati , poet , 105 , 277 .

Mahm ud Gawan , 77 , 78 .

Mahm ud Shah , son ofHasan Gan gu ,

64 , 65 , 67 .

Mahm ud Shah , son ofMahom ed Shah ,78 , 79 , 88 .

Mahom ed , Prin ce , 60, see Mahom ed

Shah Bahm i n i I .

Mahom ed II , Sultan , 77 .

Mahom ed Adi l Shah , 11 7 , 131 a n d

Shiv aji , 141 death , 153 dyn asty ,101 .

Mahom ed Ghori , 201 .

Mahom ed Kh a n of Ah m adn agar, 99 .

Mahom ed Khan of Ra ichur , 7 1 .

Mahom ed Kuth Shah , dyn asty, 102.

wife

287

of

Mahom ed San gam , 64 .

Mahom ed Shah Bahm an i I, 61 , 62,

63 .

Mahom ed Shah Bahm an i II , 75—78 .

Mahom ed Tughlak (Ala f Khan ) , 51 ,59 , 62, 80, 82, 1 19 , 201 fin a n cia lschem es

, 52, 54 , 5 7 ; from De lhito Dev agiri , 53 em bassy to Arabian Ca liph , 55 ; death , 58 .

Mahu li , 121 , 145 , 183 , 191 .

Makhil , a s lave, appoin ted govern or,5 7 , 58.

Malay Pen in sula , 13 .

Ma ldives , the, 28 .

Ma lik, Musu lm a n n oble, 56.

Ma likAh m ad , 78 see Ahm ad NizamShah .

Ma lika Jehan , Em press ,Ja la l-ud -d in , 39 , 42.

Malika Jeha n , wife of Ala -ud -diShah , 71 .

Ma lik Am bar, of Ah m adn agar,109 , 1 11 , 1 1 7 , 123, 155 .

Ma l ikAsad Uddin, 48 .

Ma lik Ba iram , 54 .

Ma likKa fir, 43 , 136 defeats Marathaforces , 44 ; the Hoys alas a n dWara n ga l , 45 ; m achin ation s , 46,48 death , 47 .

Ma lik Khusru (Hasan ) , 48 , 49.

Ma lik Mashir, 46 .

Ma lik Nasrat , Afghan gen era l , 40.

Ma lik, Ra ja of Kha n desh,80.

Ma lik Survur, 80.

Ma lik-ul-Tu jar, takes Bom bay, 70,71 defeat , 73, 75 , 146 .

Ma lkarn aji (Ma loji ) , 113 .

Ma lkhed , Moghu l attack on , 261 .

Ma llu Adil Shah , dyn as ty , 101 .

Ma loji Bhosle ,87

, 113 , 1 14, 116,123

, 152, 1 75 , 224 .

Ma lwa,27 ; in v aded by Yadav as , 35 ,

36 ; defeated by Krishn a II, 36 ;

Ahm ad Shah ’s cam pa ign , 70 ; te

volt a ga in s t Aia -ud -d in Shah, 73 ;

peace with Bahm a n i kin g, 75

Dilavar Kh an , kin g,80 ; a n n exed

by Akbar, 82.

Ma lwan , 208 , 277 .

Man a vya , in legen d , 15 .

Man es , the , 132.

Ma n ga lisa ,16 .

Man galv ed a , 216 .

Ma n g Sav an t , 166 .

Man u , i n legen d , 15 .

Marathi la n guage , 5 ; legen d ,14 .

Maruti , i n legen d , 182 ; tem ple ,193

,

Master, Mr. Strein sha m ,of Sura t,

233.

288 INDEX

Masu lipatam , 77 .

Mathura , 220.

Maurya dyn asty, 7 .

Mawa l , the, 1 , 2, 9 , 129 .

Mazagaon ,268 .

Mediterra n ea n Seaboard,2.

Megasthen es , 8 .

Melin da ,85 .

Mesopota m ia ,14 .

Mhald ar Kh an ,of Trim bak,

124 .

Mha lsaba i , wife of Lakhoji J ad hav

rao, 1 15 .

Mhars , the , 5 .

Mia Man ju , of Ahm adn agar, 96, 98 .

Min chin , Capt . ,269 .

Mi ra j , 165 , 251 .

Miran Hussein ,of Ahm adn agar, 94,

95 dyn asty , 101 .

Miran Mahom ed , 92.

Mir Fa iz Ulla , poet , 65 .

Miria m B ibi , 92.

Mirza Ali Barid Shah , dyn asty, 102.

Mi rza Kh a n , 94 , 96.

Mitakshara , the , 31 .

Modi a lphabet , legen d , 37 .

Moghu ls , in v as ion , 52 ; defeated byTim ur, 80 p rov in ces ra ided byShivaji , 155 war , 195 ; defeat ,231 , 235 , 276.

Moh ites , the, 244 .

Molesworth , ML , 5 .

Mom basa ,85 .

Moors , the , 83 .

Morbad , seeRajgad , 13 4, 135 .

Mores , the, 132.

Moro Pin gle, 134, 135 , 152, 15 7 , 1 75 ,216, _

253 , 262, 264 ; Govern or ofPuran d ar, 139 at Pratapgad , 160

sen t a gain st Moghuls ,195 successesof

,234 relief of Salher, 235 ; ra id

on Portuguese, 249 ; a t Shiv aji’

s

coron at ion ,246 ; a ids Bijapur,

Moti , beggar, 98 .

Mozam bique , 85 .

Muazzim Prin ce, 200 ; govern or of

the Decca n ,223 Moghu l v ice

roy , 262.

Muba rak,Em peror, 46, 47 ; m is

govern m en t , 48 assass in ated , 49 .

Mudhol , 142, 148 attacked by Shiv aji , 1 72, 1 74 .

Mud kal,fortress , 62, 68 ; taken by

Dev a Raya II , 72 ; retaken byVijayan agar, 91 .

Mu jahid Shah , Bahm an i kin g , 63, 64 .

Mukam ilKhan ,89 , 90;

Mukhils Kha n , 31 7 .

Muktaba i , sa in t of Pan d harpur, 107.

Mukun d raj poet ,“

35 .

Mu la , river, 125 , 126 .

Mulan a Ahm ad of Ka lyan , 139 , 141 ,195 .

Mu ltan , 49 .

Mum ta z Khan , Moghu l officer, 196.

Mun ga ,a garden er, appoin ted gover

n or, 57 .

Mun ja , kin g of Ma lwa ,25 , 27 .

Murad , Prin ce , son of Akbar, 98, 154 .

Mura r Ba j i , com m a n dan t of Puran

d ar, 210.

Murar Jagdev ,of Bi japur, 11 7 , 143 .

Murta za Nizam Shah of Ahm adn agar,93 , 94 , 98, 1 14 ; dyn asty, 101 .

Murtaza Nizam Shah II,109 , 118

career, 1 12 ; an d the Bhosle’

s , 114 ,

1 16 ; assassin ates Lakh oji , 124dyn asty, 101 .

Musan d Kha n, 262-5 .

Mus ta fa Kha n ,147 , 15 7 .

Musulm an s , in Maharashtra , 25 ,Muta ,

riv er, 125 , 126 .

Muzaffar Kh an ,of Guzarat , 80.

Mysore, 34 , 36.

Nagn ak, defen ce of Kon dam a , 54 .

Nagpur , 1 .

Nahapa n a , kin g , 9 .

Nahar , forest , 145 .

Na ik Nim ba lker , 250, 25 1 .

Nald urga ,district

,120.

Nam d ev’

s Charitra , 106 ; sa in t an d

poet , 107 .

Nan aghat , 9 .

Na n d giri , 241 .

Nan ibai , Sh iv aji’

s daughter , 278.

Narada,the sage, legen d , 1 1 .

Naraya n , 182 ; see Ram d as .

Narbada riv er , 8, 10, 17 .

Narhari , sa in t of Pan dharpur , 107 .

Nars in ha , kin g, 35 .

Nars in ha Raya ofVi jayan agar ,Narsin hav arm an

,ki n g

,23.

Narsu , 133 .

Na saruddin ( Ism a il Afghan ) , 58, 59 .

Na s ik, in s cr iption s , 9 ; ghat , 14 ,Sh iv aji defeats Moghuls at , 234 .

Na ss ir Khan, of Khan desh , 7 1 .

Na ta l, 85 .

Nav sari, 45 .

Nav y , base of Ahm adn agar , 155 of

Shi v aji , 172, 234 ; Moghulfl eet inBom bay , 240, 24 1 , 242 ; Maratha san d Moghuls

, 269 .


290 INDEX

Pilo Nilkan th , 138 , 139 .

Polad Khan , 218 .

Polem ios , Sirios , 10 ; see Pulum ayi .

Poon a ,legen ds , 11 ; Shiv aji at , 87 ;

i n fief to Maloji , 116 ; to Shaha j i ,121 i n Shiv aji

’

s t im e a n d to-d ay ,126 ; Tukaram Vis its , 189 ; MOghu l occupation ,

196 ; Shi v ajira ids , 198, 199 ; ev acuated by Moghu le, 200 ; Shivaji

’

s return to

222 ; restored to Shiv aji , 224 .

Portuguese, the, 82 ; take Goa ,86 ;

a t Rev ada n da , 96 ; an d Vijayan agar, 90 an d Sav a n ts of Sav a n tv adi , 173 sack Surat , 201 dowryto En glan d , 236 ra ided by Shiv aji ,243 , 249 , 268.

Poysala , 34 see Hoysala .

Prabhakar, 17 .

Pratapgad , fortification , 151 , 152 ;batt le , 161-164 ; J ijaba i at , 227 ;Shivaji at , 152, 161 , 246.

Prataprao Guzar (Kad toji Guzar) ,200, 217 , 224, 235; leaves Auran gab‘

ad, 226; cen sured by Shiv aji , 242;

“

ki lled, 243 .

Pratap . Rud rad ev II of Wara n ga l ,5g, 55 , 56 a n d the Takhti Firoz,

6

Prem Ra i , 60.

Psam m etichus of Sa is , 3 .

Ptolem y , 10.

Pulakesi I , Cha lukya la'

n g , 16.

Pulakesi v ictories , 17 ; H iuenTsan g on , 18 ; an d Chosroes II ofPers ia , 22 ; death , 23.

Pulum ayi , kin g , 9 , 12.

Pulum ay i I V, last An dhra ki n g , 15 .

Pun d alik, foun ds Pan dharpur, 103 .

Pun jab , the, 2.

Puran as , the, 9 , 11 , 130.

Puran d ar, 87 , 138 , 224 ; occupied byShi v aji , 139 Shaha j i a n d Shiv ajiat , 176 ; to-d ay an d i n tim e of

Shi vaji , 209 ; s iege of, 210, 211ceded . to Moghu ls , 212 retaken byShivaji , 231, 272.

Puran d ares , the, 126.

Purbhia dyn asty , 80.

Pushpam itra , 8 .

Putalibai , Shivaji’

s wife, 277 .

Qu i lon , Arab kin g of, 85 ; Portuguese i n , 86.

Radha , i n legen d , 104.

Rad ton d i pass , 159 , 160.

Ragho Ba lla l Atre, 150, 151 , 167 ,272 ; sen t aga in st Fatih Khan ,

156 defeated by Sidi Yakut , 239 .

Raghun ath Han m an te, 254 ; an d

Vya n koji , 259 , 260, 270.

Raghun ath Na ik of Tan jore, 136.

Raghun athpa n t Korde, 217-219Raghun ath Pan t , 134 , 143, 149 ;m i ssi on to Jai Sin g , 211; at Shiv aji

’

s coron ation , 246.

Rahim atpur, 158 .

Ra i Bagin ,195 .

Ra ichur fort , 71 , 91 , 173.

Rairi fort , 140, 152, 156, 176 ; see

Raygad .

Rajad hi raja , kin g , 29 .

Rajad itya , kin g , 25 .

Ra jam a n dri , Ra ja of, 40.

Rajaprashashti , the, 37 footn ote.

Ra japur, 166 ; En glish losses a t , 237 ,248 ; Maratha fleet at , 269 .

Ra jaram , son of Shi vaji , 193, 217 ,243 ; secon d foun der of Marathaem pire, 276, 277 .

Ra jen dra , kin g , 28 .

Ra jen dra II , 29 .

Ra jgad , 130, 134 , 156 ; fortificationof, 135 , 136, 138 ; Shi v aji at , 166,176, 197 .

Rajm a chi , fort, 140.

Ra jputan a , 46, 47 .

Rajraja the Great , 28.

Rajyav ard han , 17 .

Raj Maha l , 130, 197.

Raka , sa in t of Pan dharpur, 107.

Rakhm a i , i n legen d , 105 .

Rakm a , wi fe of Tukaram , 180.

Rakshasabhuv an , 50, 223 .

Rakshasas , 5 .

Ram a of Ayodhya , 3 .

Ram a Parashuram a, i n legen d , 1 70.

Ram ad ev a , Yadav a kin g , 36, 37; Ala-ud -din ’

s attack, 39 shelters Kara nof Guzarat , 43; vassa l of Ala -ud -d in ,

45 .

Ram an an d , i n legen d , 105 .

Ram ayan a , the, 3 .

Ram chan dra , hero god ,16, 182, 183,

190.

Ram chan dra Nilkan t , 246.

Ram das , sa in t , 179 ; letters to Shivaji , 183 , 185 ; hi s fam i ly, 182 ;an d Shi v aji , 190-192, 216, 244 ,270, 276 ; death an d buria l, 193,

INDEX

Ram eshwar, 186, 187 .

Ram eshwaram , 46 .

Ram n ad, 22.

Ram raj, of Vijaya n aga r, 90-93 , 135 .

Ram s in g, son of J a i Sin g , 21 7 .

Ran a San ga of Chitor, 82.

Ran ad e , Mr. Justice , es tim ate of

Shiv aji , 271 .

Ran d ulla Khan , Bi japur gen era l , 1 1 7,118 , 120, 121 , 135 , 143 .

Ban gn a , 165 .

Ran m ast Khan , 264 , 267 .

Ran uba i , 182.

Ban uri , 89 .

Raoj i Som n ath , 134 .

Rashtrakutas , 1 5 , 16, 23 -25 .

Rashtrikas , 7 , 15 .

Bastam Jam an of Mira j , 165 .

Rav an a of Ceylon , i n legen d , 4 , 36.

Rayaba , Son of Ta n aji , 228 .

Raygad , 176 ; m in t at , 208 ; Shiv aji

a t , 222, 245 , 251 , 270, 277 , 278 .

Red Sea , 3 .

Rev adan da , 96.

Rio d e Oro, 84 .

Robi da,fort , 133 .

Bebidas , sa in t of Pa n dharpur, 107 .

Rohid eshwar, tem ple, 133 .

Rom an em pire ,2,13 .

Rud rad am an ,Saka leader, 12.

Rudra Ma l,209 .

Ruh Parva Agha , 64 .

Rukhm in i , i n legen d , 104 ; tem ple,179 .

Rupsun d ari , wife of Mad hav a , 43 .

Sa d ash iv a , 91 .

Sa d ashiv aga d ,fort , 25 1 .

Sadi , writin gs of, 61 .

Safi Agha ,Turkish a rchitect 202.

Sagar, 66.

Sagre, 83 .

Sagun aba i , Shivaji’

s wife ,278 .

Sahadev a , Prin ce , 4 .

Sahasrarjun a ,kin g , in legen d , 170.

Sahya d ris , 1 , 2, 87 , 130.

Sa iba i , wife of Shiv aji , 124 , 277 ;plan to save Shaha j i , 143 ; at

Jejuri , 175 ; death , 270.

St . Helen a ,84 .

St . Michael , 83 .

St . Thom é, 238 .

Sa jam a Sin g , 1 12.

Sa jara hill , 256 .

Sakas , the, 9 , 10.

291

Sakwarba i , Shiv a j i’

s wi fe , 277 .

Sakyas , tribe, 1 7 .

Sa la , legen d , 34 .

Sa la Gessa la , 156 .

Sa lbor fort , 234 , 235 .

Sa lsette, 237 .Sam aghar, 154 .

Sam an a, 39 .

Sam a n gad , 192.

Sam arkan d,80, 81 .

Sam bhaji , son of Shiv a ji , 160, 277 ;at Para li , 193 ; com m an d i n MO.

ghu l arm y , 213 , 218, 224 ; aecompa n ies Shiv aji to Agra , 217

return to Raygad , 222, 223 desertsto Moghu l arm y , 265 ; journ ey to

Raygad, 270, 271 ; executed , 276 .

Sam bhaji , son of Shaha j i , 123 ; at

Bijapur, 131 ; given com m an d byShah Jehan

, 143 ; killed , 147 , 157 .

Sam bhaji Kavaji , 150, 151 ; at Pratapga d , 161 , 162.

Sam bhaji Mohite of Supa , 137 .

Sam uri , the ,of Ca licut , 86.

San gam n er, 264 .

Sa n gitratn akar , 35 footn ote.

San skrit , epics , 3 relation to Marathi , 14 .

Sa n tarem ,83 .

Sarva d n ya Bhupa , 32 ; see Som e

skwara I I I .

Saswa d , 138 .

Satara , 97 ; Shiv a ji at , 191 , 241 , 245 ,

251 .

Satav aha n a , race, 9 .

Satpura Moun ta in s , 4 .

Satyasraya ,Cha lukya kin g , 27 , 28 .

Satyav ati , 103 .

Sav a n ts of Sa v an tvadi , 132, 166 , 244fight aga in st Shiv aji , 1 72 a t Phond a , 241 .

Sa v an t Kaya , 167 .

Sa v a n tv adi , 166 ; becom es v a ssa lstate, 1 74 .

Sav itri river, 145 .

Sa v itriba i , 258 .

Sav j i More , 179 , 180.

Sayad Ban da ,161 , 162.

Selim , prin ce , (Jeha n gir ) , 109 .

Seljukn am a , the, 39 .

Seun a Cha n dra Yada v a , 3 1 , 34 , 35 .

Seun a Desh , coun try of the Yada v as .

35 footn ote.

Shadi Kha n ,46, 48 .

Shaha j i , son of MalOJI , 8 7 , 1 12, 114 ;

a n d J ija ba i , 1 15 , 116 , 175 , 207

en ters Bijapur’s serv ice , 1 17 , 121

ca m pa ign s of, 1 18 -121 , 135 , 136 ;

m arries Tukaba i , 124 ; a t Bi japur,

292 ‘INDEX

131 , 1 77 ; an d Shivaji ,'

123, 141 ,1 74 , 1 75 ; taken prison er, 141-143 ;betrayed by Ghorpa d e;at Ba n galore, 147 ; quells Doabn obles

, 206 ; death , 207 .

Shahapur, the Kulkarn i of, 183 .

Shah Jeha n ,1 10, 215 , 235 ; a n d

Shaha j i , 119 -121 , 143; letters , 149 ;deposed , 154 .

Shahriyar, Prin ce, 110.

Shah Sharif,s a in t , 114 .

Shah Tahir , 90, 98 .

Shah Ta m asp , 75 .

Shahu , 276.

Sha istekha n ,195 , 218 ; at Poon a

197 ev acuates Poon a , 200.

Shakeera ,10.

Shaliv ahan era , i n legen d , 12, 14 .

Sham aji Na ik, 25 7 .

Sham raj Nilka n t Ran jekar , 156.

Sham raj Pa n t , 167 .

Sham suddin , kin g , 65 , 66.

Sham suddin ,court phys ic ian ,

263 .

Shan kard ev a ,son of Ram a d ev a

Yadav a , 40,44 , 46.

Shan kar Rai , of Kheln a , 73 , 7 5 .

Shan karraoji Nilkan th ,139 .

Shan war Wada ,the, 126 .

Sharifji , son of Maloji , 1 14 .

Sheikh Muwa lid , 88.

Sheler , un cle of Pa n a j i , 228.

Sher Khan ,25 5 .

Shesha , legen d , 1 1 ,SheShaji Na ik, legen d , 1 14 .

Sh in garpur , 165 .

Shin gn apur, 35 footn ote, 114 , 17 5 .

Shira z,7 7 .

Sh irkes,the, 73 , 146 .

Shirwa l , 128 .

Shiv a,in legen d , 16, 105 , 123 ,

170.

Shivaji , birth an d boyhood , 87 ,m arried to Sa iba i , 124 ; a t Poon a ,

129 ; choice of a career , 13 1 , 132rise of, 133 ; war a ga in st B ij apur , 140 ; takes Jaoli , 15 1

a ttacks Jan j ira , 156 , 172 ; v ictoryov er Afzul Kha n , 162 in Sou thernKon kan , 165 flight from Pan ha la

,

169 ; takes Mudhol , 172 ; ov erru n sSav a n tv adi , 173 h i s frien ds , 17 9m eetin g with Shaha j i , 1 7 5 ;

Moghu l War , 195 ; sues J a i Sin gfor pea ce, 210-213 ; goes to

Agra ,216 ; treaty with Aura n g

zeb , 224 at Salher , 235 crown in g ,a llian ce with Golcon da

254 territor ies con quered by , 260death , 270 ; chara cter, 27 1

adm i n is tration , 273 -276 ; wiv esan d children

, 27 7

Shiv aji More, 180.

Sh iv ajipa n t , 25 7 .

Shiv appa Na ik, 136.

Shiv apur , 128.

Shivn er , fort , 87 ; Malop ,govern or ,

1 16 Sh iv a ji’

s birth place, 124 ;atta ck on , 231 , 250.

Sh iv thar , 147 .

Sholapur , 90, 9 1 , 96 ; ceded to B i japur , 1 18 , 120 ; ceded to Moghuls ,224 ; battle n ear

, 252.

Shr igon da , in legen d , 1 13 .

Shr i Mallikarjun ,shr in e, 255 .

Shrin gan wa d i , 184 .

Shr i Satakarn i , Kin g , 9 .

Shu ja , govern or of Ben ga l , 154 .

Siddhartha , 17 .

Sid d heshwarbhat of Chakan,277 .

Sid i of Ja n j ira , 250.

Sidi Hilla l , 229 , 230.

Sidi Johar , 166 ; S iege of Pa n ha la ,

167 -9 s iege of the Visha lgad , 17 1trea chery of

, 173 .

Sidi Kas im , adm ira l , 268 , 269 .

Sidi Kha iryat , 232, 239 .

Sidi Musau d Khan, 262-5 .

Sidi Sa m ba l, adm ira l , 232, 238, 268.

S idi Yaku t , of Ja n j ira , 232, 238, 239 .

Sikan dar Khan ,Sikan dar Adil Shah , of Bi japur , 268dyn a sty , 101 .

Sikri , 82.

Sim uka Sa tav ahan a , kin g , 9 .

Si n d , 25 , 5 8 .

Sin dhu Durg , 172.

Sin ghan a,Yadav a kin g , 35 , 146.

Sin hgad , Sh iv aji at , 138, 196, 199 ;ceded to Moghu ls , 212, 224 J ijaba idem an ds , 227 ; taken by Sh iv aji ,228-230.

Sira , 135 , 258.

Sita , legen d , 4 , 36.

Sm ith , Mr . A n thon y , 205 .

Som a lilan d , 3 .

Som eshwara I , 28.

Som eshwara II , 30, 31 .

Som eshwara III , (Bhulokam ala ) , 32,34 .

Som eshWara IV , 33 , 35 .

Som eshwara ,chief of Northern Kon

kan , 36.

Som n a th Bha t Ka tre, 245 .

Som Sav a n t , 166 .

Son da ,Ra j a of, 250.

Sopa n a , sa in t of Pa n dharpur , 105 ,107 , 138.

South Peun ar river , 22.


294 INDEX

Verde, Cape, 84 .

Verul, 113 , 1 14 .

Vetal , in legen d , 1 1 .

Vid n yan eshwara , 31.

Vijayadi tya , kin g , 29-31 .

Vijayan agar , Ra ja of, 55 .

Vijayan agar,56, 7 1 , 76, 135 , 252 ;

rebellion,

58, 61 ; Siege,

63 ;quarrel With Mu jahid Shah , 63 ;a ttacks Ahm ad Shah

,69 ; defeat ,

72 ; frien dshi p with Portuguese,90 ; destroyed , 92-94 .

Vijjala of Ba n av a se, 33 , 35 .

Vikram a Ra i,of Belgaum , 76 .

Vikram ad itya , i n legen d , 1 1 .

Vikram ad itya I , 23 , 28.

Vikram ad itya II , 30, 3 1-35 .

Vim alad itya , Chalukya kin g , 28

29 .

Vin ayakd ev a of Waran ga l,61 .

Vin dhya forests , 17 .

Vin d hya s , the, 2, 3 , 4 , 47 .

Vir Shekhar of Tan jore,136 .

Vira Ballala , 35 .

Viraji Bohri of Surat , 205 .

Virarajen d ra , kin g , 29 , 30.

Virgil , works of, 13 .

Virupaksha I of Vijayan agar , 76.

Vi saji Tri m al, 220.

Visajirao, 277 .

Visapur , fort , 140.

Visha lgad (Khehi a ) , 146, 166 ; an d

Shi vaji , 165 , 169 , 172, 240 ; _ be

seiged by Sidi Johar , 17 1 .

Vishn u ,in legen d , 11 , 16, 34 , 105 .

Vishvam bar , an cestor of Tukara m

More, 179 .

Vishv an ath Na ik,gen eral , 136 .

Vishva srao , 158, 164 .

Vithoba , god ,of Pan dharpur , 105

,

175 , 179 , 181 .

Vithoji , son of Baba j i , 1 13 .

Vithoji Mohi te NeWa skar , 124 .

Vyan kat Na ik of Jin j i , 136 .

Vyan koji , son of Shaha j i, 174,175

207,253 ; Shiv aji

’

s letters , 256, 270war with Shivaji , 25 7 ; a llian cewith , 259 ; fief of, 267 .

Zain ud d in of Chakan ,88 ,

Zalaca ,battle, 83 .

Zia -ud -d in ,49 .

Wai , 153 , 157 , 158, 183 .

Wa li Ulla , Bahm an i kin g , 79 .

Wan dan,241 .

Waran ga l , cam pa ign aga in st , 50

becom es a prov in ce of Delhi , 50; ofBahm an i kin gdom , 70; subdued , 5256; rebellion ,

58,61 ; attacks Ahm ad

Shah, 69 ; Golcon da dyn asty , 87 ;

the Kakatiya s of, 33 , 35 , 45 .

Ward han gad , fort , 25 1 .

Wa sota , fort , 151 .

Wassan tgad ,165 .

Western Gha ts , 64 , 72.

Yadavas , the, 33-35 , 55 .

Yasod hara, 18.

Yatagiri , 29 .

Yav an a s , the, 9 .

Yeklas Khan ,96, 98.

Yen n a (Ven n a ) , riv er, 145 .

Yergatan halli , 207 .

Yesaji Kan k,129

,134 , 217 ; ra id

on Poon a , 197-9 .

Yeshwan t More, 146.

Yeshwan t Rao ,146 .

Yud hi shthira ,Prin ce, ta les of 4

,

130.

Yueh-chi , Chi n ese hordes , 10.

Yusuf Adil Shah of Bijapur, 7 7 -7 9,

88, 146 ; dyn asty , 101 .

Yusuf Khan Mayn a , 260.

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