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Battle of Sinhagad
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The Battle of Sinhagad was a night battle that took place on February 4, 1670 in the fort of Sinhagad, near the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India. It was fought between Tanaji Malusare, a commander of Maratha king Shivaji and Udaybhan Rathod, fortkeeper under Jai Singh I and Ibrahim Adil Shah I. Tanaji's army won the war to hand over control of the fort to the Marathas.
Backdrop
The fort, which was previously known as Kondana, was controlled by Mirza Raja Jai Singh, and was strategically located amidst other forts in the region such as Rajgad, Purandar and Torna.
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Encyclopedia
The Battle of Sinhagad was a night battle that took place on February 4, 1670 in the fort of Sinhagad, near the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India. It was fought between Tanaji Malusare, a commander of Maratha king Shivaji and Udaybhan Rathod, fortkeeper under Jai Singh I and Ibrahim Adil Shah I. Tanaji's army won the war to hand over control of the fort to the Marathas.
Backdrop
The fort, which was previously known as Kondana, was controlled by Mirza Raja Jai Singh, and was strategically located amidst other forts in the region such as Rajgad, Purandar and Torna. The Mughals maintained an army of roughly 5000 men led by Udaybhan, a relative of Jai Singh, and the fort itself was defended by cannons at each turret.
Only one turret was left unguarded as it was at the top of a steep cliff, which was thought impossible to scale. Tanaji was able to infiltrate the fort and carry out a surveillance. He also discovered that there was a party on the night of the battle, so the Mughal soldiers would be off their guard. Tanaji was assisted by his brother Suryaji along with 300 Mavalas, who were light infantry of Maval.
Battle
Tanaji used a ghorpad named Yeshwanti, with a rope tied around its waist for climbing up the steep vertical rock face. Once he had reached the top himself after the giant lizard, up the sheer steep cliff unnoticed, he threw down rope ladders for others to climb.
Once inside, they set upon Udaybhan and his men. Tanaji was killed by Udaybhan in the ensuing skirmish, but his brother Suryaji along with Shelar Mama marshalled the forces to kill Udaybhan and recapture the fort.
Legacy
Upon hearing the news of the capture of the fort at the cost of Tanaji's life, Shivaji was greatly aggrieved and is said to have remarked, "Gadh aala, pan sinha gela" - "The fort is gained but the lion is lost". The fort was renamed from Kondana to Sinhagad, in honor of Tanaji.
Today, there is a monument with a bust of Tanaji in honor of his valour.
See Also
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