Seldom has a war that went on for so long, been spoken of so little. How many Indians have heard of a war that went on for 27 years, claimed millions of lives, and ended with the humiliation of one of the greatest Empires of its times? The Maratha War of Independence, or the Mughal-Maratha War, certainly deserves a mention in the chronicles of Indian history. For it was not a war of one feuding kingdom against another. It was a war between a mighty Empire and a powerful Ideal- the Ideal of Hindavi Swarajya, or independence of the Indian people. And in the end, the Ideal won.
The Setting
1681. The Lion of the Deccan, the Sun of the Swarajya, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had passed away a year earlier. His son Sambhaji Maharaj now ruled from Raigad as the Chhatrapati of the fledgling Maratha Empire. Despite intrigue from within his own family and his father’s council of ministers, who had tried to use his adolescent half-brother Rajaram against him; Sambhaji Maharaj had outwitted them and ascended to his birthright. A mighty warrior as well as a scholar, the young king knew he had a difficult task ahead of him. And his apprehension was proved right.
In Delhi, young Prince Akbar II had rebelled against his father, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, in outrage over his ill-treatment of the Rajputs of Marwar, but lost. The rebels had scattered, with the Mughals hunting them one-by-one. Where could he go to seek refuge from his father’s wrath? The Rajputs had an answer: the hill-forts of the Deccan, under the protection of the Maratha Chhatrapati! With the famed Rajput hero Durgadas Rathore protecting him, Akbar II journeyed south and was given asylum.
When Aurangzeb Alamgir heard, he was furious! That Sambhaji, son of his most implacable adversary, could defy him so openly! Aurangzeb had long dreamt of bringing the Deccan to heel, and conquering all of South India. Gathering an army of more than half a million men from all corners of the Mughal Empire, he left Delhi in September 1681 in a splendor worthy of one of the richest empires in the world. As Stanley Wolpert writes, “Aurangzeb’s encampment was like a moving capital – a city of tents 30 miles in circumference, with some 250 bazaars, with a half million camp followers, 50,000 camels and 30,000 elephants.” The stage was set for his supposedly grand conquest of the Deccan.
He never returned.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj- Rudra Personified
Chhatrapati Sambhaji was campaigning with the majority of his army against the Siddis harassing his coast when he heard of the Mughals moving towards his capital Raigad. Moving swiftly, he defeated the Mughal contingent and drove it back towards Ahmednagar. He returned to Raigad and took command of the defenses, supported by his advisor and close friend the poet Kavi Kalash, his capable wife Maharani Yesubai, his veteran Army Commander-in-Chief or Senapati, Hambirrao Mohite, and other Ministers. Aurangzeb had by then established his encampment at Aurangabad, and his armies now moved to besiege several Maratha forts. The Marathas on their part ably defended their fortresses and denied the Mughals any headway in the campaign.
Aurangzeb attempted to strike a deal with the Portuguese to allow his ships to harbor in Goa, giving him another supply route through the sea. His spies informed him of this, so Sambhaji Maharaj preemptively struck at the northern Portuguese territories. He pushed them back to the Goa coast with such ferocity, that the Viceroy could barely defend the Portuguese headquarters. At the same time, Senapati Hambirrao engaged the army contingents under the Mughal Princes in guerrilla warfare and defeated them. But news came of a huge Mughal army and navy assembling at the borders of the Deccan in early 1684, and the Chhatrapati had to turn back from Goa to secure his territory. Both sides were now slowly coming to a terrible realization: the war was only just beginning.
A Change of Strategies
The enterprising Chhatrapati then signed a defensive treaty with the British, thus procuring artillery and explosives which he used to conquer several forts from the Mughals. Enraged, Aurangzeb sent his general to take Raigad in late 1684, but the Senapati defeated and forced him to retreat.
Realizing the futility of his plans, Alamgir also changed his strategies. In April 1685, he attacked the Sultanates of Bijapur and Golconda. These crumbling Sultanates subdued by the Marathas, had signed a peace treaty with the Mughals. However, defeating them would give the Emperor a greater hold over the Deccan. Within the next two years, Aurangzeb managed to destroy them and replenished his supplies and manpower, as many of the noblemen from the sultanates joined his armies. Chikkadevraja of Mysore who had been paying tribute to the Marathas, ceased to do so out of fear of the Mughals. With renewed vigor, Aurangzeb returned to what had now become his primary objective- defeating the Marathas.
A Reversal of Fortunes
With diminishing supplies and allies, Sambhaji was no longer able to support Prince Akbar, but helped him escape to Persia. Aurangzeb’s army attacked Satara, but Senapati Hambirrao and his contingent managed to draw the Mughals into the dense jungles of Wai and Mahabaleshwar. The fierce Battle of Wai ensued; the Marathas won but lost their Commander, Hambirrao in the process.
The veteran Commander’s death was a serious blow to the Chhatrapati’s strength and prestige. In addition, political clashes broke out between different factions. Chhatrapati Shivaji’s far-sighted policy of not giving land or ‘watans’ to the noblemen but making them salaried employees, continued by Sambhaji Maharaj, led to some chieftains defecting to the Mughals for selfish gain. As many began to defect, including one of Sambhaji’s brothers-in-law, the situation grew dire. The Chhatrapati called a Council meeting at Sangameshwar to discuss further plans. But his position being betrayed by the defectors, Mughal General Muqarrab Khan led a heavy force and surrounded them. Some leaders having gone ahead, the remaining Marathas fought fearsomely and the new Senapati, Mhaloji Ghorpade died defending his king. But alas! Sambhaji Maharaj and Kavi Kalash were captured and taken to the Mughal camp via secret routes.
A Last Roar of Defiance
The Mughal camp at Bahadurgad was rejoicing at the capture of the Chhatrapati. Sambhaji Maharaj and Kavi Kalash were brought to the camp, made to wear the clothes of prisoners and jesters, and paraded around on camels. The jeers and taunts of the Mughals were worse than any torture for the proud king.
After some more torture, the soldiers brought them before the Emperor in chains. Aurangzeb expected them to submit, but to his astonishment Sambhaji refused to even bow to him! The ‘Chhava’ or ‘Young Lion’ stood erect, boldly daring to look into Aurangzeb’s eyes! According to Mughal customs, this was an insult to the Emperor. Angered, he demanded that Sambhaji turn over his treasuries, as well as the names of his informers, and accept the suzerainty of the Mughals. The Maratha Chhatrapati proudly declined, while Kavi Kalash began to recite poetry praising his king and taunting the Emperor.
Accounts of the torture that followed vary in the description, but not in the horror. The Masir-i-Alamgiri eyewitness chronicles state that Sambhaji’s eyes were put out that same night, and Kavi Kalash deprived of his tongue. The next day, both of them were put to the sword. The Futuh’at-i-Alamgiri further narrates that even after losing his eyes, Sambhaji refused to accept a morsel of food from his captors, or to divulge any information. Other accounts state that his captors repeatedly pressed him to convert to Islam, but he staunchly refused. He was then taken away along with Kavi Kalash, and their limbs were hacked off one by one until death. Their executors threw the pieces of their bodies into the river at Tulapur.
Thus was Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj martyred on 11th March 1689, and the Maratha Empire plunged into darkness.
The Fall of Raigad and its Aftermath
During these events, Mughal General Zulfiqar Khan had besieged the Maratha capital, and Sambhaji’s capture lowered the defenders’ morale. In this crucial hour, the widowed Maharani Yesubai took charge. She brought forth Sambhaji’s half-brother Rajaram and asked him to take over the duties of the Chhatrapati, as her own son Shivaji II was but 7 years old. As circumstances worsened, she arranged Rajaram’s escape to Vishalgad fort along with some ministers, and remained behind to defend Raigad. But Raigad fell to the Mughals, betrayed by disgruntled sardars. Yesubai, her son Shivaji II, and many members of the royal family fell into Mughal hands. The Mughal camps erupted in jubilant celebration, for Aurangzeb believed the war finally over.
But he was wrong. The brutal murder of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj would turn out to be Aurangzeb’s greatest mistake. It horrified the Maratha people, and rekindled the fire of freedom in their hearts. Chhatrapati Sambhaji’s sacrifice seemed to transform every blade of grass into a sword, every boulder into a fortress, and every man, woman and child into a warrior. The embers of Maratha self-esteem had received the sacrifice of their king’s blood, and they flared brighter than ever before. It had now truly become a war of the people. The newly-crowned Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj and his Council of Ministers resolved to avenge this sacrifice, and continue the war at any cost.
So how did the Marathas fight back in their darkest hour? Were they able to avenge their fallen King? Find out in Part 2 of this article, coming up soon.
Endnote
Here, let us stop for now, and reflect for a moment on this tremendous sacrifice. Is there an ideal, a purpose, a noble goal in our lives for which we would be willing to stand up and make sacrifices? It is a question worth pondering, as we wait for Part 2 of the Maratha War of Independence.
– Ashutosh Dixit