No Widgets found in the Sidebar
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj a Brave Son Of India

A unique brave son whose name was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, in the year 1627, the whole of India was dominated by the Mughal Empire. In the north, Shah Jahan, Sultan of Bijapur, Mohammad Adilshah, and Sultan Abdullah in Golconda, Qutubshah, Sultan of Deccan always preferred Muslim officers for the army. The ports were occupied by the Portuguese and the Mughals controlled the land routes, so it was not possible to bring Muslim officers from North Africa and Central Asia, and the Sultans of the Deccan had to appoint Hindu officers. Shahaji Bhosale was a Maratha army chief in Adil Shah’s army. Shahaji was occupying a high position in the military. In 1630, a son was born to him and Jijabai in the fort of Shivneri near Junnar in Maharashtra. The son was named after the local goddess Shivaay, who later became world-famous as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shivaji’s father had been away from home for a long time. That’s why in childhood he was looked after by his mother Jijabai and Guru Dadoji Kondadev. Dadoji taught him to war, skills, and ethics, while Jijamata taught him Hindu religious stories when Dadoji died in 1647. When this happened, he believed that Shivaji would occupy a high position in Adilshah’s army like his father, but the law allowed something else. At the time 1646, a Hindu ruler could establish his independent state in India. It was necessary to fulfill these three conditions, one that he should be away from the center of powerful empires. The land should be unusable for cultivation and surrounded by forests so that guerilla warfare or guerrilla warfare can be called. These circumstances became favorable for Shivaji in 1646. When he built up his army with the support of the local farmers, the Mawlis. Shivaji was well aware of the importance of forts in establishing any empire. That’s why at the age of only 15, he bribed the Adilshahi officials and got Torna, Chakan, and Kodinar forts under his control. After this, with the help of Abaji Somdev, he snatched the forts of Thana Kalyan and Bhiwandi from Mulla Ahmed and took them under his control. These incidents created a stir in the Adilshahi kingdom. To stop Shivaji, his father was arrested. That’s why Shivaji did not directly attack Adilshah for the next seven years. Shivaji took this time to increase his army and win influential countries’ faces towards him. The forts had also come. To stop Shivaji’s growing influence, in 1659, Bijapur’s Badi Sahiba ordered Afzal Khan to attack Shivaji with 10,000 soldiers. Afzal Khan was known for his brutality and strength. He destroyed many temples and killed many innocent citizens to provoke Shivaji to open war. But Shivaji, introducing cleverness and every skill, continued the war with the guerilla method. At this time he stayed in the Pratapgarh fort which was surrounded by dense forests from all sides. In the end, Afzal Khan conspired to kill Shivaji by deceit. He sent an invitation to meet Shivaji when he met. Afzal Khan tried to kill Shivaji by pressing his strong grip. Shivaji was already ready, he ripped the back of Afzal Khan, who was twice as big as him, with his hidden Bagh Naka. After this, Shivaji defeated Afzal Khan’s army in the Battle of Pratapgarh. The Sultan of Bijapur was stunned by the defeat of the mighty Afzal Khan. This time Rustum Zaman was sent. On December 28, 1659, Shivaji attacked Rustam Saman’s army from the front. At the same time, two more pieces of his army attacked Rustam’s army from both directions. Rustam Zaman fled away from the battlefield in a shameful situation, saving his life. In 1660, Adilshah sent his general Siddi Jauhar to attack Shivaji. Shivaji was in the Panhala fort and Siddi Jauhar’s army surrounded the fort. Shivaji invited Siddi Jauhar to meet him and when he met Adilshah Sent a message that Siddi Johar was betraying him. This led to a fight between Adil Shah and Siddi Johar. Taking advantage of this Shivaji came out of Panhala fort with his 5000 soldiers one night. Baji Prabhu Deshpande not only engaged the enemy army with the soldiers, but Shivaji reached Vishal Ghar safely. Baji Prabhu Deshpande had to lose his life in this fight. He is considered a great warrior in the history of Maharashtra. After this, the elder Begum of Bijapur requested Aurangzeb to capture Shivaji, he sent his maternal uncle Shaista Khan with 1,50,000 soldiers to fight Shivaji. Shaista Khan captured Pune on the strength of his huge army and put his base at Lal Mahal, the residence of Shivaji. Shivaji cleverly entered Pune with his 400 soldiers disguised as wedding processions. At night, he made a dangerous attack directly on Shaista Khan. Khan saved his life by jumping from the khaki, but Shivaji’s sword hit his three fingers and all this again Shivaji captured the Mughal business center in 1664. Attacked Surat and destroyed it. Aurangzeb became enraged and sent 60-year-old Rajput commander Mirza Raja Jaisingh to his 3 lakh soldiers. Sent to fight with Shivaji. Shivaji was defeated in this war and had to give away his 23 forts and 400,000 rupees as indemnity. He had to go to Agra with his nine-year-old son Sambhaji. To keep Shivaji under control, it was first decided that he should be given a position in the Mughal court, but Aurangzeb changed it and ordered Shivaji to be imprisoned in the house. Aurangzeb did not know that this mistake would be very costly. Shivaji feigned illness and expressed his desire to send sweets and gifts daily to sages, saints, and fakirs for their blessings to recover his health. One day he disguised himself as a laborer and came out hiding Sambhaji in a luggage box. He went to Mathura Kashi Gaya Puri and reached Raigarh via Golconda and Bijapur. By 1670, fighting many battles, Shivaji made a large part of his kingdom independent from the Mughals within four months. From 1671 to 1674, Aurangzeb tried his best. To subdue Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj but he completely failed. He sent his best warriors like Dawood Khan and Mohabbat Khan to fight Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, but all of them had to face defeat. With this, Ali Adilshah died in 1672 and Bijapur went into the position of Sultanate. Finally, the day came when Gada Bhat coronated Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Hindu traditions on 6 June 1664 in a full festive atmosphere, he became the king of Maratha.

Read More Article