Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj - The Valiant Defender
It was due to the efforts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that Hindvi Swarajya was established. Unfortunately, Maharaj died soon after his coronation and a power vacuum was formed. Maharaj was succeeded by his eldest and most capable son, Chhatrapati Sambhaji raje. Here we will learn more about his life and his achievements.
Sambhajiraje was born on 14 May, 1654 on the fortress of Purandar. His mother was Saibaisaheb, the chief queen of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Unfortunately, Shambhuraje lost his mother when he was just two years old. We cannot imagine the sorrow he went through during this phase. During those troubled times, a woman named Dharau became the foster mother of Shambhuraje. She fed him her own milk and looked after him as if he was her own child. Shambhuraje was a loving child and was doted upon by the other queens of Shivajiraje. His education was overseen by Rajmata Jijau saheb. Teachers were invited from various parts of the country to teach the young prince. Soon enough, he became proficient in the arts of warfare and civil administration.
When Shambhuraje was just 9 years old, a disaster took place! Mirza Raje Jai Singh and Dilerkhan Pathan attacked swarajya and led siege to Purandar. The commander of the fort, Murarbaji, was killed in the fight that happened. To save his people from further bloodshed, Shivajiraje agreed to surrender to the Mughals. Accorsing to the treaty of Purandar, Raje had to surrender 23 forts and pay a tribute of one lakh gold coins (hon) to the Mughals. The most disturbing clause however was that Shambhuraje be made a Mansabdar and sent to live in the camp of Mirzaraje. I can only imagine the pain and trouble Maharaj experienced on hearing this clause. But the 9 year old braveheart stood firm and agreed to go to the enemy camp for the safety of Swarajya. On reaching the enemy camp, Shambhuraje won over Mirza Raje Jaisingh with his respectful and kind behaviour.
In accordance with the treaty, Maharaj and Shambhuraje had to go to Agra to meet and pledge their allegiance to the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. Maharaj arrived at Agra with Shambhuraje and some selected ministers but was insulted from the minute he arrived in the city. He was so furious that he threw away the gifts given by Aurangzeb in the durbar and stormed out. Aurangzeb could not suffer the insult in silence and ordered that Maharaj be kept under house arrest. However, Maharaj somehow managed to escape from Agra by hiding in boxes meant to carry sweets. To ensure that Shambhuraje remained safe, Maharaj kept him at Mathura with the relatives of Peshwa Moropant Pingle. It was no easy task for a young prince to stay away from his homeland for a long time. But Shambhuraje managed to do this too. He knew that Swarajya cannot be made without sacrifices and he was willing to make any sacrifice to make the dream come true.
On reaching Rajgad, Maharaj spread the news that Shambhuraje had died on the return journey. The entire family was drowned in sorrow. But to their delight, Shambhuraje returned after a few months accompanied by his caretakers.
The years after that were relatively peaceful for Shambhuraje. He gave the proof of his literary skills by composing Budhabhushan, a sanskrit text which deals with administrative skills. He was only 16 at that time. Yuvraj was an expert not only in Marathi and Sanskrit but also in many other languages including English. He would have heated discussions with the various scholars who would arrive at the court and this used to be a sight to behold.
After a long struggle, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was coronated at the Ruler of Swarajya on 6 June, 1674 at the capital of Raigad. Shambhuraje was announced as the Yuvraj and the heir apparent. This announcement was not well received by some ministers. The most prominent of them was Annaji Datto. He wasn't in favour of Shambhuraje as the latter had pointed out the corrupt practices of Annajipant. These ministers used various dirty tricks to insult the character of Shambhuraje. He was accused of misbehaving with Godavari (the daughter/niece of Annajipant). The accusation was based on no evidence and was made just out of anger. Maharaj himself was ashamed of this incident and put Shambhuraje on trial. He came out innocent when Godavari herself came and told the truth that not such incident had happened. But the ministers did not stop there.
When Maharaj was setting off for his conquest of the southern provinces, he sent Shambhuraje to Shringarpur to keep an eye on the Mughals. Shambhuraje raised a cavalry force of 4000 soldiers while he was there to counter the Mughals. It appeared that Dilerkhan was going to attack the Maratha lands. In accordance with the plan, Shambhuraje and his wife joined the Mughal camp to divert the attention of the Mighals towards the North. And this was the opportunity the ministers were looking for! They spread word that Shambhuraje was a traitor and tarnished his image. The fort of Bhupalgad was captured by the Mughals but the garrison was allowed to leave due to the intervention of Shambhuraje. Later when he got wind of Dilerkhan planning to kill or arrest him, he left the camp with the assistance of some loyalists and returned back to Panhala. Babaji Dhamdhere and Janardanpant were at the fort at that time. Janardan pant was not favorably disposed towards Shambhuraje.
Dark times followed soon and on 3 April, 1680, Maharaj left us for our heavenly abode. The saviour of thousands left the world forever. But the crafty ministers capitalized on this too. They ensured that the news didn't reach Panhala and decided to make Rajaram as the Chhatrapati. Hiroji Farzand, Somaji Datto, Annaji Datto, Mal Sawant, Moropant Pingle, Rahuji Somnath and Annaji Datto assembled together and managed to get Maharani Soyrabai on their side. This way they would manage to keep the strings of the empire in their hands. And for this they had to get rid of Sambhajiraje. They sent Niraji Raoji and Hambirrao Mohite, the Senapati who was also the brother of Soyrabai, to arrest Sambhajiraje. But Hambirrao was more loyal to Swarajya than the familial relations. Instead of arresting Sambhajiraje, he allied with him and marched on to Raigad. The traitorous ministers were arrested and Shambhuraje was to be coronated. On 20 July, 1680, Shambhuraje was crowned as the second Chhatrapati of Swarajya. Hambirmama himself held the canopy above the throne and Kavi Kalash was given the honour of sitting at the steps of the throne. Old feuds were forgiven and an opportunity to start fresh was given. A few months after the coronation, Peshwa Moropant Pingle passed away. He hadn't been able to free himself from the guilt and died with it. Kavi Kalash was appointed as the Chandogamatya (छंदोगमात्य). Nilopant Pingle, the son of Moropant was appointed the new Peshwa. Balaji Avaji was the Chitnis, Prahlad Niraji was the Chief Justice, Janardanpant was appointed as Dabir, Moreshwar pant as Panditrao, Abaji Sondev as Sumant, Dattajipant as Vakanvis and Annaji Datto as Muzumdar. Soon after the coronation, Maharaj launched a raid on Burhanpur along with Hambirrao Mohite. The great city was looted and Maharaj returned with a great loot.
At the same time, the son of Aurangzeb, Prince Akbar had rebelled against his father. He and Durgadas Rathod came to Swarajya to get help from Sambhaji Maharaj against the Emperor. Annaji Datto and Somaji Datto again tried to rebel against Maharaj and planned to give Swarajya to Prince Akbar. But Akbar knew the capabilities of Maharaj and revealed the plot to him. This infuriated Sambhajiraje and he sentenced Annaji Datto, Somaji Datto, Janardantpant, Balaji Chitnis to death. They were crushed under the feet of an elephant.
The greatest threat to Swarajya on the Western Coast was the Siddi of Janjira. The Siddi used to carry out naval raids and harass people in the Konkan region. Maharaj decided to send Kondaji Farzand as a defector to the Siddi. Tha plan was to destroy the gunpowder stock of the Siddi upon which the Maratha navy would throw itself at Janjira and seize the fort. But the plan was defeated when news of this reached the Siddi. He beheaded Kondaji Farzand and sent his head back to Shambhuraje. Shambhuraje was devastated at his death and was now hell bent on crushing the Siddi. He ordered the construction of a bridge through the sea just like the one Shree Ram had constructed to attack Lanka. But the timely intervention of the Mughals saved the Siddi from Maharaj's fury.
In 1682, the Mughal forces under the command of Shahabuddin Khan besieged Ramshej fort. But the garrison of 600 soldiers held the entire army at bay. Inspite of repeated assaults, the Maratha garrison commander held strong and kept the fort in fighting form. In 1683, Sambhajiraje attacked Goa. A large portion and forts were captured and the Portuguese would have been evacuated from Goa had it not been for another Mughal invasion. The Portuguese were spared this time as Maharaj turned his attention to the Mughals. In 1686, an expedition was launched against Chikkadevaraya, the ruler of Mysore. The archers of Mysore kept the Maratha forces at bay for some time but in the end they were pushed back by the Maratha forces. Chikkadevaraya was forced to sue for peace.
At this time, Aurangzeb was hell bent on defeating the Marathas. Shambhuraje had tried to get together a coalition with Adilshah and Qutubshah to oust the Mughals from the Deccan. Aurangzeb realised this and ended the Adilshahi in 1686 after capturing their capital of Bijapur. In January 1687, the fortress of Golconda fell to the Mughals and the Qutubshahi dynasty ended with it. The Marathas lost their two major allies in the Deccan.
Another major blow came in December 1687. On 16 December 1687, Senapati Hambirrao Mlhite led the Maratha forces at the battle of Wai and defeated the Mughals. But this victory came at a heavy cost. The brave and loyal Senapati was hit by a cannon ball and died on the battlefield. Mhaloji Ghorpade was appointed as the Senapati in his stead.
The last blow came in 1689. Sambhaji Maharaj had been on a visit to Sangameshwar to resolve some disputes. He was accompanied by Kavi Kalash and Mhaloji Ghorpade along with a few soldiers. Sangameshwar was the seat of Ganoji Shirke, the brother-in-law of Sambhaji Maharaj. He wanted a watan (a fief) for himself but was refused by Shambhuraje. In his desperation, he turned to the Mughals and accepted Mughal superiority along with his uncle Kanhoji Shirke. It is widely believed that Ganoji Shirke betrayed Swarajya and Maharaj by revealing the location of Sambhajiraje and led the Mughal commander, Mukarrab Khan to the meeting place. Shambhuraje and his associates fought bravely but most of the Maratha soldiers were killed, including Mhaloji Ghorpade. This happened on 1 February, 1689. A few Maratha commanders like Rayappa Mahar tried to rescue Maharaj but were killed by the Mughals.
What followed later was the height of cruelty by the Mughals. The captured Maharaj and Kavi Kalash were paraded and publicly humiliated. Shambhuraje was given the option of surrendering his kingdom, treasure and converting to Islam in exchange for his life. The lion hearted king scoffed at these offers and remained firm in face of the threats. He roared that he wouldn't change his religion even if Aurangzeb offered him the Mughal princess' hand in marriage. Aurangzeb in his fury ordered the two of them to be tortured everyday. Their eyes were burned with hot metal rods, their skin was peeled off, limbs were chopped - but the Shambhuraje and Kaviraj Kalash stayed firm on their stand. Finally on 11 March, 1689, the brave defender of Hindvi Swarajya and his most loyal friend were executed by the Mughals at Tulapur. After this supreme sacrifice, Shambhuraje came to be known as Dharmaveer as he stood by his dharma and didn't convert even in face of all opposition. In the words of Kaviraj Kalash,
"यावन रावण की सभा, शम्भो बंध्यो बजरंग।
लहू लसत सिन्दूरसम, खुप खेल्यो रण रंग।।
राजन हो तुम सांचे, खूब लड़े हो जंग।
त्यों तव तप तेज निहार, तख्त तजो औरंग।।"
The martyrdom of Shambhuraje did not have the effect Aurangzeb expected. The Marathas were now all the more united by the death of their leader and soon, Santaji Ghorpade, Dhanaji Jadhavrao, Parshuram pant Kulkarni, Ramchandra pant Bavdekar, Nemaji Shinde launched multiple raids and fought many battles, severely depleting the Mughal forces. The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb was pinned in the Deccan for a total of 27 years and even then he could not accomplish the task he came for! Swarajya remained free and grew even stronger achieving greater heights in the future. Shambhuraje remained the guiding torch for the Maratha Samrajya who himself burned but remained an ideal for the future generations.
I humbly pay my respects to the greatest warrior we have ever seen...
To the Warrior and Scholar personified...
The Brave Defender of Swarajya,
Dharmaveer Chhatrapati Shree Shree Sambhajiraje Shivajiraje Bhosale
जय भवानी,
जय शिवराय,
जय रौद्र शंभू 🙏🚩
Written by - Sumedhrao Malandkar
Sambhajiraje was born on 14 May, 1654 on the fortress of Purandar. His mother was Saibaisaheb, the chief queen of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Unfortunately, Shambhuraje lost his mother when he was just two years old. We cannot imagine the sorrow he went through during this phase. During those troubled times, a woman named Dharau became the foster mother of Shambhuraje. She fed him her own milk and looked after him as if he was her own child. Shambhuraje was a loving child and was doted upon by the other queens of Shivajiraje. His education was overseen by Rajmata Jijau saheb. Teachers were invited from various parts of the country to teach the young prince. Soon enough, he became proficient in the arts of warfare and civil administration.
When Shambhuraje was just 9 years old, a disaster took place! Mirza Raje Jai Singh and Dilerkhan Pathan attacked swarajya and led siege to Purandar. The commander of the fort, Murarbaji, was killed in the fight that happened. To save his people from further bloodshed, Shivajiraje agreed to surrender to the Mughals. Accorsing to the treaty of Purandar, Raje had to surrender 23 forts and pay a tribute of one lakh gold coins (hon) to the Mughals. The most disturbing clause however was that Shambhuraje be made a Mansabdar and sent to live in the camp of Mirzaraje. I can only imagine the pain and trouble Maharaj experienced on hearing this clause. But the 9 year old braveheart stood firm and agreed to go to the enemy camp for the safety of Swarajya. On reaching the enemy camp, Shambhuraje won over Mirza Raje Jaisingh with his respectful and kind behaviour.
In accordance with the treaty, Maharaj and Shambhuraje had to go to Agra to meet and pledge their allegiance to the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb. Maharaj arrived at Agra with Shambhuraje and some selected ministers but was insulted from the minute he arrived in the city. He was so furious that he threw away the gifts given by Aurangzeb in the durbar and stormed out. Aurangzeb could not suffer the insult in silence and ordered that Maharaj be kept under house arrest. However, Maharaj somehow managed to escape from Agra by hiding in boxes meant to carry sweets. To ensure that Shambhuraje remained safe, Maharaj kept him at Mathura with the relatives of Peshwa Moropant Pingle. It was no easy task for a young prince to stay away from his homeland for a long time. But Shambhuraje managed to do this too. He knew that Swarajya cannot be made without sacrifices and he was willing to make any sacrifice to make the dream come true.
Shambhuraje at the camp.of Mirza Raje Jai Singh
On reaching Rajgad, Maharaj spread the news that Shambhuraje had died on the return journey. The entire family was drowned in sorrow. But to their delight, Shambhuraje returned after a few months accompanied by his caretakers.
The years after that were relatively peaceful for Shambhuraje. He gave the proof of his literary skills by composing Budhabhushan, a sanskrit text which deals with administrative skills. He was only 16 at that time. Yuvraj was an expert not only in Marathi and Sanskrit but also in many other languages including English. He would have heated discussions with the various scholars who would arrive at the court and this used to be a sight to behold.
After a long struggle, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was coronated at the Ruler of Swarajya on 6 June, 1674 at the capital of Raigad. Shambhuraje was announced as the Yuvraj and the heir apparent. This announcement was not well received by some ministers. The most prominent of them was Annaji Datto. He wasn't in favour of Shambhuraje as the latter had pointed out the corrupt practices of Annajipant. These ministers used various dirty tricks to insult the character of Shambhuraje. He was accused of misbehaving with Godavari (the daughter/niece of Annajipant). The accusation was based on no evidence and was made just out of anger. Maharaj himself was ashamed of this incident and put Shambhuraje on trial. He came out innocent when Godavari herself came and told the truth that not such incident had happened. But the ministers did not stop there.
Raj Mudra of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj
When Maharaj was setting off for his conquest of the southern provinces, he sent Shambhuraje to Shringarpur to keep an eye on the Mughals. Shambhuraje raised a cavalry force of 4000 soldiers while he was there to counter the Mughals. It appeared that Dilerkhan was going to attack the Maratha lands. In accordance with the plan, Shambhuraje and his wife joined the Mughal camp to divert the attention of the Mighals towards the North. And this was the opportunity the ministers were looking for! They spread word that Shambhuraje was a traitor and tarnished his image. The fort of Bhupalgad was captured by the Mughals but the garrison was allowed to leave due to the intervention of Shambhuraje. Later when he got wind of Dilerkhan planning to kill or arrest him, he left the camp with the assistance of some loyalists and returned back to Panhala. Babaji Dhamdhere and Janardanpant were at the fort at that time. Janardan pant was not favorably disposed towards Shambhuraje.
Dark times followed soon and on 3 April, 1680, Maharaj left us for our heavenly abode. The saviour of thousands left the world forever. But the crafty ministers capitalized on this too. They ensured that the news didn't reach Panhala and decided to make Rajaram as the Chhatrapati. Hiroji Farzand, Somaji Datto, Annaji Datto, Mal Sawant, Moropant Pingle, Rahuji Somnath and Annaji Datto assembled together and managed to get Maharani Soyrabai on their side. This way they would manage to keep the strings of the empire in their hands. And for this they had to get rid of Sambhajiraje. They sent Niraji Raoji and Hambirrao Mohite, the Senapati who was also the brother of Soyrabai, to arrest Sambhajiraje. But Hambirrao was more loyal to Swarajya than the familial relations. Instead of arresting Sambhajiraje, he allied with him and marched on to Raigad. The traitorous ministers were arrested and Shambhuraje was to be coronated. On 20 July, 1680, Shambhuraje was crowned as the second Chhatrapati of Swarajya. Hambirmama himself held the canopy above the throne and Kavi Kalash was given the honour of sitting at the steps of the throne. Old feuds were forgiven and an opportunity to start fresh was given. A few months after the coronation, Peshwa Moropant Pingle passed away. He hadn't been able to free himself from the guilt and died with it. Kavi Kalash was appointed as the Chandogamatya (छंदोगमात्य). Nilopant Pingle, the son of Moropant was appointed the new Peshwa. Balaji Avaji was the Chitnis, Prahlad Niraji was the Chief Justice, Janardanpant was appointed as Dabir, Moreshwar pant as Panditrao, Abaji Sondev as Sumant, Dattajipant as Vakanvis and Annaji Datto as Muzumdar. Soon after the coronation, Maharaj launched a raid on Burhanpur along with Hambirrao Mohite. The great city was looted and Maharaj returned with a great loot.
At the same time, the son of Aurangzeb, Prince Akbar had rebelled against his father. He and Durgadas Rathod came to Swarajya to get help from Sambhaji Maharaj against the Emperor. Annaji Datto and Somaji Datto again tried to rebel against Maharaj and planned to give Swarajya to Prince Akbar. But Akbar knew the capabilities of Maharaj and revealed the plot to him. This infuriated Sambhajiraje and he sentenced Annaji Datto, Somaji Datto, Janardantpant, Balaji Chitnis to death. They were crushed under the feet of an elephant.
Meeting with Prince Akbar
The greatest threat to Swarajya on the Western Coast was the Siddi of Janjira. The Siddi used to carry out naval raids and harass people in the Konkan region. Maharaj decided to send Kondaji Farzand as a defector to the Siddi. Tha plan was to destroy the gunpowder stock of the Siddi upon which the Maratha navy would throw itself at Janjira and seize the fort. But the plan was defeated when news of this reached the Siddi. He beheaded Kondaji Farzand and sent his head back to Shambhuraje. Shambhuraje was devastated at his death and was now hell bent on crushing the Siddi. He ordered the construction of a bridge through the sea just like the one Shree Ram had constructed to attack Lanka. But the timely intervention of the Mughals saved the Siddi from Maharaj's fury.
In 1682, the Mughal forces under the command of Shahabuddin Khan besieged Ramshej fort. But the garrison of 600 soldiers held the entire army at bay. Inspite of repeated assaults, the Maratha garrison commander held strong and kept the fort in fighting form. In 1683, Sambhajiraje attacked Goa. A large portion and forts were captured and the Portuguese would have been evacuated from Goa had it not been for another Mughal invasion. The Portuguese were spared this time as Maharaj turned his attention to the Mughals. In 1686, an expedition was launched against Chikkadevaraya, the ruler of Mysore. The archers of Mysore kept the Maratha forces at bay for some time but in the end they were pushed back by the Maratha forces. Chikkadevaraya was forced to sue for peace.
At this time, Aurangzeb was hell bent on defeating the Marathas. Shambhuraje had tried to get together a coalition with Adilshah and Qutubshah to oust the Mughals from the Deccan. Aurangzeb realised this and ended the Adilshahi in 1686 after capturing their capital of Bijapur. In January 1687, the fortress of Golconda fell to the Mughals and the Qutubshahi dynasty ended with it. The Marathas lost their two major allies in the Deccan.
Another major blow came in December 1687. On 16 December 1687, Senapati Hambirrao Mlhite led the Maratha forces at the battle of Wai and defeated the Mughals. But this victory came at a heavy cost. The brave and loyal Senapati was hit by a cannon ball and died on the battlefield. Mhaloji Ghorpade was appointed as the Senapati in his stead.
The last blow came in 1689. Sambhaji Maharaj had been on a visit to Sangameshwar to resolve some disputes. He was accompanied by Kavi Kalash and Mhaloji Ghorpade along with a few soldiers. Sangameshwar was the seat of Ganoji Shirke, the brother-in-law of Sambhaji Maharaj. He wanted a watan (a fief) for himself but was refused by Shambhuraje. In his desperation, he turned to the Mughals and accepted Mughal superiority along with his uncle Kanhoji Shirke. It is widely believed that Ganoji Shirke betrayed Swarajya and Maharaj by revealing the location of Sambhajiraje and led the Mughal commander, Mukarrab Khan to the meeting place. Shambhuraje and his associates fought bravely but most of the Maratha soldiers were killed, including Mhaloji Ghorpade. This happened on 1 February, 1689. A few Maratha commanders like Rayappa Mahar tried to rescue Maharaj but were killed by the Mughals.
What followed later was the height of cruelty by the Mughals. The captured Maharaj and Kavi Kalash were paraded and publicly humiliated. Shambhuraje was given the option of surrendering his kingdom, treasure and converting to Islam in exchange for his life. The lion hearted king scoffed at these offers and remained firm in face of the threats. He roared that he wouldn't change his religion even if Aurangzeb offered him the Mughal princess' hand in marriage. Aurangzeb in his fury ordered the two of them to be tortured everyday. Their eyes were burned with hot metal rods, their skin was peeled off, limbs were chopped - but the Shambhuraje and Kaviraj Kalash stayed firm on their stand. Finally on 11 March, 1689, the brave defender of Hindvi Swarajya and his most loyal friend were executed by the Mughals at Tulapur. After this supreme sacrifice, Shambhuraje came to be known as Dharmaveer as he stood by his dharma and didn't convert even in face of all opposition. In the words of Kaviraj Kalash,
"यावन रावण की सभा, शम्भो बंध्यो बजरंग।
लहू लसत सिन्दूरसम, खुप खेल्यो रण रंग।।
राजन हो तुम सांचे, खूब लड़े हो जंग।
त्यों तव तप तेज निहार, तख्त तजो औरंग।।"
The martyrdom of Shambhuraje did not have the effect Aurangzeb expected. The Marathas were now all the more united by the death of their leader and soon, Santaji Ghorpade, Dhanaji Jadhavrao, Parshuram pant Kulkarni, Ramchandra pant Bavdekar, Nemaji Shinde launched multiple raids and fought many battles, severely depleting the Mughal forces. The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb was pinned in the Deccan for a total of 27 years and even then he could not accomplish the task he came for! Swarajya remained free and grew even stronger achieving greater heights in the future. Shambhuraje remained the guiding torch for the Maratha Samrajya who himself burned but remained an ideal for the future generations.
Shree Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj
I humbly pay my respects to the greatest warrior we have ever seen...
To the Warrior and Scholar personified...
The Brave Defender of Swarajya,
Dharmaveer Chhatrapati Shree Shree Sambhajiraje Shivajiraje Bhosale
जय भवानी,
जय शिवराय,
जय रौद्र शंभू 🙏🚩
Written by - Sumedhrao Malandkar
Great article 👍💯
ReplyDeleteReally Great job .I am proud of you my son
ReplyDeleteNice...👍👍
ReplyDeleteGreat details, well written!
ReplyDeleteAwesome article ����
ReplyDeleteAwesome👌
ReplyDelete