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Contents
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Page No.
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Preface
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Introduction
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The Early Years
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1
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It was the month of February. The year was 1630. The Mughal
Empire, steadily expanding under the leadership of Emperor Akbar, had entered
the Deccan and taken possession of Khandesh, Vidarbha and the city of
Ahmadnagar, the latter being the capital of the Nizam Shahi kingdom.
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Shivaji and Afzal Khan
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22
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With Aurangzeb involved in the succession struggle, and his
young son Muazzam holding charge of the Deccan, Bijapur should have realised
that it was a temporary respite. Aurangzeb's conciliatory gesture should have
been understood for what it was in reality.
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Shivaji and Shaista Khan
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31
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Sjivaji captured the strong fortress of Panhala, the pride of
Bijapur, on 28 November 1659.
There was panic in the court of Bijapur. Adil Shah requested the Mughals to
despatch an army to his assistance. He himself assembled a force and sent it
under the command of Rustum Zaman.
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Shivaji and Jai Singh
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48
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Full Records of Jai Singh's campaign against Shivaji are
available. The Alamgirnama, official history of Aurangzeb, the Haft Anjuman
containing the correspondence of Jai Singh with Aurangzeb, the Rajasthani
Records consisting of the correspondence of the Rajput officials under Jai
Singh and other Marathi, British, Portuguese records enable us to have a
clear picture of the campaign.
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Visit to Agra and Escape
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56
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Shivaji left for Agra on 5 March 1666. He stopped at Aurangabad
for a week. Aurangzeb had written to him: "Come here without delay in full
confidence in my grace and perfect composure of mind.
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War with the Mughals
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73
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According to historian Bhimsen Saksena, the confiscation of
Mahals in the jagirs of Samhbaji and the departure of the Marathas from
Aurangabad was the cause of rupture. But according to Shivaji's biographer,
Sabhasad, the cause of the conflict was the suspicious nature of Aurangzeb
and the latter's bid to disarm and imprison men and officers of the Maratha
contingent at Aurangabad.
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The 1673 War
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89
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While the war with the Mughals continued, Ali Adil Shah, the
ruler of Bijapur, died on 24 November 1672. This opened up fresh horizons for
Shivaji's attack on the Mughals was primarily to expel them from swarajya,
his homeland, and defend it against them.
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Coronation and After
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97
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Shivaji's coronation is a landmark in the history of India.
During the period of Mughal supremacy, the Mughal Empire in India was equated
by Indians and foreigners alike with the Government of India. International
treaties and agreements with the Mughals were considered as treaties with
India.
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The Last Two Years
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119
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The war with the Mughals continued. The extent of Shivaji's
kingdom has been noted by Martin who wrote after the fall of Vellore (North
Arcot district, Tamil Nadu) in 1678: "The troops of Shivaji had pushed
their conquest further in other provinces in such a way that we were assured
that there was only a distance of about thirty leagues by road between his
estates on the coast of India and his conquest in these parts."
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Conclusion
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127
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Contrary to rumours, baseless in themselves and originating long
after, Shivaji's death was due to natural causes. An extraordinary career had
come to an end.
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Select Bibliography
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132
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I. SANSKRIT
Bendre, V.S., (Ed.): Sri Shivarajabhishek,
P.P.H. Bookstall, Bombay, 1959.
Hanumante, Raghunath Pant: Rajyavyavaharkosh, ed. By D.V. Apte
and S.M. Divekar, Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, Saka 1847 Poona,
1925.
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