Rajaram, Chhatrapati
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Shrimant Rajaram Shivaji Raje Bhonsle Chhatrapati Maharaj (1670- March 2, 1700 Sinhagad
) was the younger son of the first Chhatrapati Shivaji, stepbrother of the second Chhatrapati Sambhaji
, and took over the Maratha Empire
as its third Chhatrapati after his brother's death at the hands of the Mughal
Emperor, Aurangzeb
in 1689. He had a very short reign, during which he was engaged in a struggle with the Mughals.
. He was declared Chhatrapati at the age of 10 (on April 21, 1680) by a faction of the court after Shivaji's death. However, Sambhaji prevailed and assumed the throne. Sambhaji put others to death but brought up his brother as a prince.
, Rani Yesubai
and her minister Ramchandra Pant Amatya
sent young Rajaram to the stronghold of Pratapgad
through Kavlya ghat. The Maratha army fought with the Mughals and led the new Maratha King, Rajaram to escape through Kavlya ghat to the fort of Jinji
in present day state of Tamil Nadu
via Pratapgad and Vishalgad forts, where he reached after a month and a half long journey on November 1, 1689. Details of this escape are known from the incomplete poetical biography of Rajaram, the Rajaramacharita written by his Rajpurohit Keshav Pandit
in Sanskrit
.
deputed Ghazi-ud-din Firoze Jung
against the Marathas in the Deccan, and specially sent Zulfiqar Khan to capture the Jingi Fort
. He laid siege to it in September, 1690. After three failed attempts, it was finally captured after seven years on January 8, 1698. Rajaram, however, escaped and fled first to Vellore
and later to Vishalgarh. Rajaram tried to counter with a siege of the town of Berar
, but was checked by Prince Bedarbakht and Zulfiqar Khan had to return.
and Dhanaji Jadhav
continued to counter the Mughal army through guerrilla tactics. Kafi Khan wrote that whenever Mughal horses used to refuse to go to the water to drink water, it was feared they had seen Santaji and Dhanaji.
Santaji Ghorpade whose father Senapati Maloji Ghorpade died in the battle of Sangameshwar
along with Sambhaji, was directed by Sambhaji to Raigad to rescue the queen and Rajaram. He secured the release of Rajaram from the siege of Raigad. At this stage, the Marathas were nearly defeated. But Santaji managed to ford the River Bhima despite floods, and attacked the Mughal camp. Aurangzeb, however, survived.
Santaji is credited with the defeat of at least three major Mughal chiefs. One Mughal general Kasim Khan was driven to suicide . Later, however, he fell out with Rajaram and Dhanaji Jadhav. He was killed while taking a bath by Nagoji Mane. The severed head of Santaji was presented to Aurangzeb for reward.
near Pune
in Maharashtra
. Thereafter the Maratha empire suffered a power vacuum until the release of his nephew, Shahuji
in 1707. In the interim, Rajaram's wife, Tarabai
ruled the empire as regent for her young son, Shivaji II. Eventually, Shahuji succeeded Rajaram as the fourth Chattrapati in 1708.
Sinhagad
Sinhagad, Sinhgarh, or Sinhgad , is a fortress located roughly 30 kilometres southwest of the city of Pune, India. Previously called Kondhana , the fort has been the site of many important battles, most notably the battle of Sinhagad in 1670...
) was the younger son of the first Chhatrapati Shivaji, stepbrother of the second Chhatrapati Sambhaji
Sambhaji
Sambhaji Raje Bhosle was the eldest son and successor to Emporer Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire.- Early life :...
, and took over the Maratha Empire
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
as its third Chhatrapati after his brother's death at the hands of the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor, Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
in 1689. He had a very short reign, during which he was engaged in a struggle with the Mughals.
Early life
He was brought up by his mother SoyarabaiSoyarabai
Soyarabai was the second wife of Shivaji, founder of Maratha empire in western India. She was mother of Shivaji's second son, Raja Ram & younger sister of Maratha army chief HAMBIRRAO MOHITE PATIL.-Early life:...
. He was declared Chhatrapati at the age of 10 (on April 21, 1680) by a faction of the court after Shivaji's death. However, Sambhaji prevailed and assumed the throne. Sambhaji put others to death but brought up his brother as a prince.
Coronation and escape to Jinji
After the death of Sambhaji, Rajaram was crowned at Raigad on March 12, 1689. As the Mughals started laying siege to the region around Raigad on March 25, 1689, the widow of SambhajiSambhaji
Sambhaji Raje Bhosle was the eldest son and successor to Emporer Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire.- Early life :...
, Rani Yesubai
Yesubai
Yesubai was the wife of the Maratha emperor Sambhaji.Yesubai was the daughter of Pilajirao Shirke, an illustrious Maratha sardar , who was in the services of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Yesubai was by various accounts extremely beautiful, wise and prudent. She was fiercely loyal to the goals of her...
and her minister Ramchandra Pant Amatya
Ramchandra Pant Amatya
Ramchandra Neelkanth Bahutkar , also known as Ramchandra Pant Amatya, was the youngest member of the Council of Ministers to Emperor Shivaji dating from 1674 to 1680. He also served as the Imperial Regent to Chhatrapati Sambhaji, Rajaram, Shivaji II and Sambhaji II...
sent young Rajaram to the stronghold of Pratapgad
Pratapgad
Pratapgad is a large fort located in Satara district, in the state of Maharashtra in India. Significant as the site of the Battle of Pratapgad, the fort is now a popular tourist destination.-Geography:...
through Kavlya ghat. The Maratha army fought with the Mughals and led the new Maratha King, Rajaram to escape through Kavlya ghat to the fort of Jinji
Gingee
Gingee is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The nearest town with a railway station is Tindivanam, 28 km away....
in present day state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
via Pratapgad and Vishalgad forts, where he reached after a month and a half long journey on November 1, 1689. Details of this escape are known from the incomplete poetical biography of Rajaram, the Rajaramacharita written by his Rajpurohit Keshav Pandit
Keshav Pandit
Keshav Swami Purohit , also known as Keshav Pandit or Keshav Bhat Pandit, was Chhatrapati Shivaji’s Rajpurohit and a Sanskrit scholar and poet of his times. He was also the ‘Rajpurohit’ and Danadhyaksha of Chhatrapati Sambhaji and Chhatrapati Rajaram...
in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
.
Siege of Jinji
AurangzebAurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
deputed Ghazi-ud-din Firoze Jung
Ghazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung I
Mir Shahâb ud-Din Siddiqi titled Farzand-i-Arjumand, Nawab Ghazi ud-din Khan Siddiqi Bahadur, Feroze Jung, Sipah Salar was the son of Kilich Khan II Khwaja Abid Siddiqi the Sadr us Sudur of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and was raised to the rank of an Amir with the initial titles of Ghazi ud-Din...
against the Marathas in the Deccan, and specially sent Zulfiqar Khan to capture the Jingi Fort
Gingee Fort
Gingee Fort also known as Chenji or Jinji in Tamil Nadu, India is one of the few surviving forts in Tamil Nadu, India. It lies in Villupuram District, from the state capital, Chennai, and is close to the Union Territory of Pondicherry...
. He laid siege to it in September, 1690. After three failed attempts, it was finally captured after seven years on January 8, 1698. Rajaram, however, escaped and fled first to Vellore
Vellore
Vellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...
and later to Vishalgarh. Rajaram tried to counter with a siege of the town of Berar
Berar
Berar may refer to:*Berar Sultanate, a Deccan sultanate established 1490*Berar Subah, a Subah of the Mughal empire from 1596 to 1724*Berar Province, a province of British India*Berar , a sailing ship built in 1863-See also:...
, but was checked by Prince Bedarbakht and Zulfiqar Khan had to return.
Santaji and Dhanaji
Though Rajaram was not able to move out of Jinji, his young generals Santaji GhorpadeSantaji Ghorpade
Santaji Mhaloji Ghorpade, popularly known as ‘Santaji’ or ‘Santaji Ghorpade’, was one of the greatest warriors and the chief General of the Maratha Empire during Chhatrapati Rajaram’s regime. His guerrilla technique of war is supposed to be the best besides that of Shivaji and Bajirao...
and Dhanaji Jadhav
Dhanaji Jadhav
Dhanaji Shambhusinha Jadhav , popularly known as Dhanaji Jadhav, was one of the great warriors of the Maratha Empire. His name became inseparable from the name of Santaji Ghorpade with whom he made terrifying campaigns against Mughal Army continuously from 1689 to 1696...
continued to counter the Mughal army through guerrilla tactics. Kafi Khan wrote that whenever Mughal horses used to refuse to go to the water to drink water, it was feared they had seen Santaji and Dhanaji.
Santaji Ghorpade whose father Senapati Maloji Ghorpade died in the battle of Sangameshwar
Sangameshwar
Sangameshwar is a tehsil in Ratnagiri subdivision of Ratnagiri district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Sangmeshwar is situated at the confluence of the two rivers Sonavi and Shastri. In fact, the very meaning of Sangama in Marathi is confluence, and so the name Sangmeshwar...
along with Sambhaji, was directed by Sambhaji to Raigad to rescue the queen and Rajaram. He secured the release of Rajaram from the siege of Raigad. At this stage, the Marathas were nearly defeated. But Santaji managed to ford the River Bhima despite floods, and attacked the Mughal camp. Aurangzeb, however, survived.
Santaji is credited with the defeat of at least three major Mughal chiefs. One Mughal general Kasim Khan was driven to suicide . Later, however, he fell out with Rajaram and Dhanaji Jadhav. He was killed while taking a bath by Nagoji Mane. The severed head of Santaji was presented to Aurangzeb for reward.
Death
Rajaram died of an unspecified illness in 1700 at SinhagadSinhagad
Sinhagad, Sinhgarh, or Sinhgad , is a fortress located roughly 30 kilometres southwest of the city of Pune, India. Previously called Kondhana , the fort has been the site of many important battles, most notably the battle of Sinhagad in 1670...
near Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. Thereafter the Maratha empire suffered a power vacuum until the release of his nephew, Shahuji
Shahuji
Shahu Sambhaji Raje Bhosale Chhatrapati Maharaj was the fourth ruler of the Maratha Empire created by his grandfather, Chhatrapati Shivaji, and was officially the Raja of Satara...
in 1707. In the interim, Rajaram's wife, Tarabai
Tarabai
Tarabai was a queen of the Maratha Empire in India. Her husband was Chhatrapati Rajaram, son of Shivaji. Tarabai was the daughter of the famed Maratha general Hambirao Mohite...
ruled the empire as regent for her young son, Shivaji II. Eventually, Shahuji succeeded Rajaram as the fourth Chattrapati in 1708.
See also
- ChhatrapatiChhatrapatiChhatrapati is the Indian honorific title equivalent to the European Emperor. It is more formally written as Kshetrapati, from the Sanskrit kshetra- and -pati...
- Maratha EmpireMaratha EmpireThe Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
- Bhonsle family ancestryBhonsleThe Bhonsle were a prominent clan within the Maratha clan system who served as rulers of several states in India.The most prominent member of the clan was Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire...
- Khando BallalKhando BallalKhanderao Ballal Chitnis, popularaly known as ‘Khando Ballal’, was a diplomat in Maharashtra during the late 17th century and the early 18th century. He was also the Personal Assistant of Chhatrapati Sambhaji, Rajaram and Shahu...