Shivaji: Encyclopedia - Shivaji

Shivaji

Shivaji Bhonsle, also known as Chhatrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj (Marathi शिवाजीराजे भोसले)(February 19, 1630 - April 3, 1680) was the founder of the Maratha empire in western India in 1674 and one of the greatest Indian Kings.

Using guerrilla tactics superbly suited to the rugged mountains and valleys of the region, he annexed a portion of the then dominant Mughal empire. He is still considered a hero in the present-day state of Maharashtra, and stories of his exploits have entered into folklore. He was one of the pioneers of commando actions, though the term is modern ^[1].

Shivaji - The political scene before Shivaji

Shivaji started his rise to power in what is now the state of Maharashtra, in the Deccan, closer to the power centres in the south of India. In 1565 the allied Deccan sultanates at Talikota brought an end to the Vijayanagara empire that had dominated the politics in the south of India. By the time of Shivaji, power in the region was vested in the hands of three of them - Bijapur, Ahmednagar and Golconda. These engaged in a continuous game of mutual allignments and aggresions. In the north of India, the Moghuls held sway under the emperor Shah Jahan.

Shivaji - Early life

Shivajiraje was born in 1630, in the Shivneri Fort, 60 km north of Pune. His father, Shahaji raje, was a jagirdar of the sultan of Bijapur in present-day Karnataka. His mother was Jijabai, the daughter of Lakhuji Jadhav from Sindkhedraja in present-day Buldhana district of Maharashtra, one of the most influential amongst the Yadav (respected kshatreeya) rulers.

When the Mughals and Adilshah completed their conquest of the Nizamshahi kingdom of Ahmednagar in 1636, Shahaji was forced to leave the region around Pune. He was inducted by Adilshah and offered a distant jagir, present-day Banglore, so as to dispel from his mind any ambitions he may have entertained about political independence with the help of the rugged, mountainous terrain in and around Pune. But his old land tenures and holdings in the Pune and Supe parganas were allowed to be retained. Shahaji appointed the young Shivaji under the care of his mother Jijabai to manage the Pune holdings, while management of Supe was entrusted to his brother-in-law Mohite. A select staff was appointed to assist Shivaji in the administration and included Dadaji Konddev, Sonopant, Kanhoji Jedhe, Baji Pasalkar, among others. He assumed administrative responsibility and gave himself an official seal in Sanskrit.

With the interlacing of popular lore and history in Shivaji's career, it is not easy to pinpoint the persons or circumstances that influenced him. But his parents must have made an indelible imprint on his impressionable mind. Shahaji's failed attempts at political independence, his exceptional military capabilities and achievements, his knowledge of Sanskrit, Hindu ethos and patronage of the arts, his war strategies and peacetime diplomacy, all must have inspired him. His mother, having lost her father and three brothers to a heinous plot hatched by the Nizamshah, had enough bitter experience of wayward and callous alien rule to instill in Shivaji's mind a natural love for self-determination and aversion for external political domination. Her piety and commitment to indigenous culture made him peerless (as confirmed by even otherwise inimical chroniclers, Khafi Khan especially) in his tolerant attitude towards other religions and treatment of women and non-combatants. And Dadaji Konddev was a trusted advisor who oversaw Shivaji's education and training, while managing the household according to Shahaji's orders.

Shivaji - Confrontation with the local Sultanates

In 1646, when Shivaji was 16, he carried out his first military action by capturing Torna fort, in Bijapur territory. By 1647, he had captured Kondana and Rajgad forts and had complete control of the Pune region. And by 1659 Shivaji had captured some forts in the Western Ghats and along the Konkan coast. In an effort to put down ,what was seen by Bijapur as an revolt, Afzal Khan, Bijapur's finest general, was sent to destroy him.

Shivaji - Afzal Khan

Afzal Khan tried to garner support of local landlords of the mountainous region who nominally acknowledged the sovereignty of Adil Shahi or Nizam Shai but were militarily independent. But the powerful baron Kanhoji Jedhe,as directed by Shahaji, helped Shivaji to counter these moves and attract their support.

Shivaji took up a position at Pratapgad which was strategically advantageous for a mountain infantry action. Shivaji and Afzal Khan arranged a meeting at the foothills of the fort. Each had agreed to meet unarmed, but were to bring with him ten personal bodyguards who were to remain at a distance of one 'arrow-shot'. Nevertheless, both men came to the meeting armed. Amongst Shivaji's hidden weaponry was a small but effective weapon called 'wagh nakhi' - the claws of the tiger. It consisted of an iron finger-grip with four curving razor claws which could be concealed in the clenched fist. As the two men embraced one another in traditionally accepted fashion,Then the Maratha passed his arm around the Khan’s waist, he disembowelled the Khan with a a small, sharp dagger called the 'bichwa'. and Shivaji's dozen bodyguards who hid near by pounced on Afzal khan, The Khan's emissary, Krishnaji Bhaskar Kulkarni, then attacked Shivaji with the sword the Khan had handed over to him just before the fatal embrace. Shivaji easily parried the blow and warned Krishnaji to desist as he did not wish to kill a Brahmin. But when Krishnaji tried to strike him again, Shivaji cut him down without further ado. Banda Sayyed, Afzal Khan's bodyguard who had been sent out before the actual meeting and was waiting just outside the shamiyana, upon hearing the commotion, drew his sword and charged towards Shivaji, managing to strike him on the head and cut through the turban, but not penetrating the steel helmet underneath. Nevertheless, Shivaji suffered a cut and blood oozed out drenching a good part of his robe around the shoulders. Before Sayyed could strike again, Shivaji's bodyguard, Jiva Mahala, killed him with a single stroke of his sabre. (The pithy Marathi phrase : ‘Hota Jiva Mhanun Wachala Shiva’ - Because of Jiva, Shivaji survived - owes its origin to this alert act) Afzal Khan managed to hold his gushing entrails and hurtled, faint and bleeding, outside the shamiyana and threw himself into his palanquin. The bearers hastily lifted their charge and began moving rapidly away down the slope when Sambhaji Kavji Kondhalkar went in pursuit, hacked their legs and decapitated the Khan.

Shivaji, who was already speeding up the slope towards the battlements, ordered a bugle to be sounded as a signal for discharging a cannon shot from the fort, the predetermined signal to his infantry, deployed at strategic vantage positions along the valley, to commence attacking and decimating the enemy.

Shivaji arranged for a dignified burial of Afzal Khan's headless body near the site of the meeting, even allotting land for revenue to pay for its upkeep.The same was done for Sayyad Banda i.e. his dignified burial was arranged for. The severed head was sent to Rajgarh to be shown to Jijabai. She had long cherished vengeance for the Khan's deliberate act of maltreatment to Shahaji in his captivity , and also omission in failing to send timely reinforcements to her son Sambhaji, Shivaji's elder brother, and thus causing him to be killed in the Battle of Kanakgiri.

Shivaji - Siddi Jauhar

Now Adil Shah sent an Abyssinian general of repute, Siddi Jauhar 1660. Shivaji took up a position at the fort Panhala, near present day Kolhapur, on the borders of his dominion. Meanwhile mughals also sent their contingents under celebrated Shaista Khan who camped at Poona. Shivaji in a brilliant move decided to break the siege of the fort, so that enemy would scatter. Then war would be fought on a vast territory with an amazing speed. Accordingly on the dead of the full moon night, he passed through the siege. Meanwhile enemy chased and caught some portion of his troops. The caught king turned out to be an imposter of Shivaji. He was a barber, namely Shiva. Again enemy chased him. By that time Shivaji had reached a strategic location, Ghod Khind, a gorge. It was very narrow so as to pass only a few soldiers at a time. Bajiprabhu, a gallant general along with Bandal mavalees took the position to defend the pass till Shivaji reached another fort Vishal Garh.

Shivaji attacked another siege at base of that fort with such a vigour that it was broken. Meanwhile in a heroic manner Baji Prabhu successfully defended the pass with 300 soldiers. He was badly wounded, but he gave up only when he heard the sound of cannons blasted by Shivaji from the fort that he had reached safely. After crossing the pass, enemy attacked Shivaji at the fort. But again they were beaten badly and repulsed with heavy losses. They left the battlefield never to return again. To please Siddi Jauhar, Shivaji vacated the fort, Panhal garh. That said place is called as 'Pavan khind' and even today youths trek on the same route. Distance is around 50 km, almost a Marathon.

Shivaji - Clash with the Moghuls

The Mughals had defeated Shahaji and annexed territories which Shivaji now wanted to recover. He frequently raided the Mughal territory to the north of his small kingdom, carrying out guerilla attacks against an empire at the height of its power.

Shivaji - Shahista Khan

Shahista Khan, Aurangzeb's maternal uncle, seized Pune and the fort of Chakan. His vast army was more than a match for Shivaji's troops and he was an experienced commander, who had defeated Shahaji in this region in 1636. But though he held Pune for almost a year, he had little further success and his troops looted peasants and villages in frustration.

An Uzbek general Kartalab Khan was deputed on a mission to attack and reduce Shivaji's forts in the Konkan. He left Pune with 30,000 troops. This time the Mughals did not march openly, since they wanted to surprise Shivaji. But Shivaji took them by surprise at a pass 'Umber Khind' near present day Pen and attacked them from all sides. They surrendered with their baggage and arms.

Shivaji's next target was the Mughal camp at Poona. In April 1663 he led a small group, in the guise of a marriage party, on a daring attack on the residence of the Khan, who was occupying a small palace Lal Mahal which had been Shivaji's childhood residence. The attack was successful, though the Khan managed to escape with the loss of three fingers, cut off by Shivaji as he jumped out of a window. Shivaji managed to escape, fooling chasing Mughals with torches attached to bulls in the pass 'Katraj Ghat', and beat off an attack at Sinh Garh the following day. The narrow escape made the Khan give up the fight and withdraw from Pune.

Shivaji - Surat

Shivaji's next target was Surat, a wealthy port town and a key Mughal power centre. When Shivaji arrived at Surat he demanded tribute from the Mughal commander and a small army stationed for port security, which was refused. So after Shivaji took the city in 1664 he put it to the sack. Later he had to give up the port without a fight when he found out a bigger Mughal army was in its way to Surat.

Shivaji - Raja Jai Singh

The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was angered by Shivaji's activities, and sent a large army to finish him off for good, led by Raja Jai Singh of Amber. Shivaji's army was crushed badly: he was outnumbered and this time his usual guerilla tactics were successfully countered by the experienced Jai Singh. The commander of the key Purandar fort was killed in its defence (see Murarbaji). Faced with overwhelming force, Shivaji opted for peace and surrendered, accepting in the 1665 Treaty of Purandar the loss of about 90% of his territory and 23 of his forts. He was allowed to retain some strategic forts and accepted a position as a mansabdar in the Mughal military hierarchy, requiring him to pay taxes as the local ruler and to fight for the Mughals.

Shivaji - Trip To Agra and Escape

In 1666, Aurangzeb summoned Shivaji to Agra, along with his six year old son Sambhaji. In Agra, on 12 May 1666 Aurangzeb made Shivaji stand with the lowly commoners in his court, an intentional insult. Deeply offended, Shivaji stormed out of court and was promptly placed under house arrest.

From his spies, Shivaji came to know that Aurangzeb planned to shift him to a secure location from where escape would be impossible. So he feigned sickness and requested to be allowed to send sweets to temples in Agra as an offering. After several days of sending out boxes containing sweets, Shivaji disguised himself as a palanquin bearer and managed to sneak out without being seen. Sambhaji had sneaked out a couple of days earlier, disguised as the son of a brahmin who had come to pray for Shivaji's quick recovery.

The details and mechanism of Shivaji's escape are uncertain, with historians producing different reconstructions.

In the years 1667-69, Shivaji lay low. The Mughals had the impression that he was now a spent force and would not cause them any more trouble. Then in January 1670 Shivaji's forces launched a concerted attack on Mughal garrisons in Maharashtra. The force of the assault was overwhelming and within six months Shivaji had regained most of his old territory. His army was much larger now: about 40 thousand cavalry, backed by 60 thousand infantry. From 1670 to 1674 Shivaji continued to expand his territory at the expanse of the Adilshahi and the Mughals.

Shivaji - Coronation

A thread ceremony (Upanayanam) took place on May 29, 1674, and then a Vratya Stoma ceremony was performed.

Shivaji was formally crowned Chatrapati ("Holder of the Umbrella", representing the protection he bestowed on his people) on June 6, 1674 at the Raigad fort, and given the title, Kshatriya Kulavantas Simhasanadheeshwar Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Pandit Gaga Bhatt, renowned as Vedonarayana (Greatest exponent of Vedic discourse) Brahmin from Varanasi, officially presided over the ceremony and traced Shivaji's roots to Sisodia dynasty of Mewar from Kunwar Ajaysingh ^[2]. Shivaji insisted on an Indrabhishek ritual, which had fallen into disuse since the 9th century. A few days later a second ceremony was carried out, this time according to the Bengal school of Tantricism and presided over by Nischal Puri.

According to some sources, the coronation itself was the subject of controversy among Shivaji's inner circles, because of doubts over his status as a Kshatriya, when only a Kshatriya could be crowned a King ^[3]. Some historians attribute the need for the coronation to resentment by the other Maratha Deccan nobles of Shivaji's success (he being a Bhosle) and his taking a higher seat than them at state dinners ^[4].

Henry Oxinden (later Acting President of the Bombay Presidency) from the British East India Company was present at the ceremony.

Shivaji - Shivaji's rule

After his coronation, Shivaji launched a wave of conquests in southern India with a massive force of 50,000 (30,000 cavalry & 20,000 infantry). He defeated and captured the forts at Vellore and Jinji in modern day Tamilnadu. He also signed a friendship treaty with the Kutubshah of Golconda. Shivaji died in 1680 at Raigad, after running a fever for three weeks.

Shivaji successfully fought the Mughals to create a powerful independent state. During his early career he was only able to defeat small Mughal contingents stationed in villages. Later on he defeated major Mughal armies in the battles of Salher and Vani-Dindori.

Shivaji established an effective civil and military administration. He also built a powerful navy and erected new forts like Sindhudurg and strengthened old ones like Vijaya durg on the west coast. The Maratha navy held its own against the British, Portuguese and Dutch till Maratha internal conflict brought their downfall in 1756.

Shivaji - Shivaji's forts

Shivaji is well known for his forts; he was in possession of around three hundred at the time of his death. Many, like Panhala, existed before him but others like Raigarh (hailed as the 'Gibraltar of the East') and Pratapgarh were built by him from scratch. These forts were central to his empire and their remains are among the foremost sources of information about his rule. The French missionary Father Fryer witnessed the fortifications of Gingee, Madras, built by Shivaji after its conquest, and appreciated his technical knowhow and knowledge.

Shivaji - Shivaji and Sanskrit

Perhaps house of Shivaji was one of the royal families who were well acquainted with Sanskrit and did promote it.The root can be traced from Shahaji who supported Jayram Pindye and many like him.Shivaji's seal was prepared by him .Shivaji inherited this and developed that taste.He named his forts as Sindhdurg,Prachandgarh,Suvarndurg etc.He named Ashtapradhan (council of ministers)as per sanskrit nomenclature viz.Nyayadhiash,Senapati etc.He had kept a provision for learning Vedas.He got Rajya-vavyahar-Kosh ( a political treaty )prepared. After his death Sambhaji who was himself a sanskrit scholar (his verse-budhbhushanam)continued it.His grandson Shahu spent entire childhood in mughal captivity, it did affect his taste.But even then he showered gifts on learned Brahmins.After him ,no figure in maratha history was having any kind of such taste.However ,Tanjavar branch could continue it.SarfojiII printed first book in Marathi Devnagari.

Shivaji - Shivaji and Religion

Shivaji ,rather entire stream of Maratha kings and chieftains professed true secularism.Shahaji had donated a huge peace of land to Shaha-Sharif Durga of Ahmednagar.Shivaji generally did not give land to any particular person except on a rare occasion.However he respected all religions.Kafi Khan, the mughal historian, so also Bernier, a foreign traveller speaks high of his religious policy.He was against forced conversion to which he opposed succesfully.He also broughtback converts like Netaji ,Bajaji in Hinduism .He did not forcefully convert any captive or defeated one.He had prohibited Slavery in his kingdom.

Shivaji - The Epilogue

After his death, his elder son Sambhaji and his step-mother Soyarabai fought for control of the kingdom. After a brief struggle Sambhaji was crowned king. Aurangzeb's son, Prince Akbar, rebelled against his father and was sheltered by Sambhaji. The emperor and his entourage moved to the Deccan in 1681 to coordinate the assault on the Marathas and were intially successful, but they were defeated and withdrew in 1707.

Shivaji - Remembering Shivaji

Because of his struggle against an imperial power, Shivaji became an icon of freedom fighters (along with the Rani of Jhansi) in the Indian independence struggle that followed two centuries later.

He is remembered as a just and wise king and his rule is called one of the six golden pages in Indian history. A political party, the Shiv Sena, claims to draw inspiration from him. School texts in Maharashtra glorify his period. And in recent years organisations such as the Sambhaji Brigade have adopted a new religion known as Shiv Dharma, with Shivaji as its principal deity [5].

Devotional and political approaches to Shivaji have clashed with historical ones. The publication in 2003 of James W. Laine's Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India ^[6] sparked controversy in India, for its inclusion of contemporary speculation allegedly derogatory of Shivaji. In December 2003 one of those thanked by Laine, historian Shrikant Bahulkar, was assaulted and had his face blackened by Shiv Sena activists [7]. And then on 5 January 2004 the Sambhaji Brigade attacked the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune, Maharashtra, doing considerable damage to the holdings [8].

Sahar International Airport in Mumbai was renamed Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Shivaji's honour.

Shivaji - Associates of Shivaji

Some of Shivaji's close associates were also his primary army chieftains, and have entered folklore along with him. These include Baji Pasalkar, Tanaji Malusare, Bajiprabhu, Firangoji Narsala, Murarbaji, Prataprao Gujar, Kanhoji Jedhe, Kondaji Farjand, Balaji Avji Chitnis, Netaji Palkar and Lay Patil Koli.

See also

• Marathas

Categories: Articles containing Indic text | Indian monarchs | Maharashtra | Maratha Empire

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Shivaji", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki