Sambhaji Raje Bhosle (lang-mr|) (14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689) was the eldest son of the
Maratha EmpireThe Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was a Hindu state located in present-day India. It existed from 1674 to 1818...
founder
ShivajiShivaji Raje Bhosle , popularly known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj laid the foundations of the Maratha Empire. Shivaji Maharaj was younger of the two sons of Shahaji Bhosle and Jijabai...
, and succeeded him as the
ChhatrapatiChhatrapati is an honorific or an imperial title for an Indian ruler. It is the Indian counterpart of shah, padishah or pasha and also written as kshetra-pati, the lord, ruler of a domain and therefor can be compared with the European count...
or the High Protector of the
Maratha EmpireThe Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was a Hindu state located in present-day India. It existed from 1674 to 1818...
.
Early life
Sambhaji was born on
Purandar fortPurandar fort figures repeatedly in the rising of Shivaji against the Bijapur kingdom and the Mughals. Purandhar fort stands 4,472 ft. above the sea in the Western Ghats, 20 miles southeast of Pune. It actually consists of two forts - Purandar and Vajragad...
A scholar of Sanskrit and seven other languages, Sambhaji quickly gained a firm political standing in the Maratha kingdom and, by the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji's coronation in 1674, he was able to impress visiting dignitaries with his acumen, intelligence, personality and, most important of all, modesty. Unfortunately, within two weeks after Chhatrapati Shivaji's coronation, his grandmother Jijabai died and Sambhaji was left with nobody to nurture him. And the fact that Shivaji was too busy with the affairs of the state did not help.
In a political marriage, Sambhaji was married to minor Jivubai, renamed to Yesubai, daughter of Pillajirao Shirke. Pillajirao was a powerful deshmukh in the court of Bijapur state in the "Tal-Konkani" area and provided Shivaji access to Konkan belt.
About Sambhaji
Chhatrapati Sambhaji wrote several poems including a highly prestigious Sanskrit poem book “Budh bhushan” it describes few principles of
political sciencePolitical science is a social science concerned with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. It is often described as the pragmatic application of the art and science of politics defined as "who gets what, when and how",...
and It also had descriptions about
RaigadRaigad is a hill fortress situated in the modern day Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Maratha king Shivaji made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire eventually covering majority of modern day India.The...
fort.He even composed poems in
HindiStandard Hindi, also known as High Hindi, Nagari Hindi or Literary Hindi is a standardised register of Hindi. It is one of the 22 languages with official status in India, and is used, along with English, for administration of the central government.Standard Hindi is a sanskritised register derived...
language like 'Nakhashikha'.
Sambhaji was a Fair, handsome 6'3" man. He was a powerful, courageous man. His personality, attitude, intelligence and qualities had gained him the respect and appreciation of everyone who visited the Maratha Darbar. He was a staunch
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
, evident from his efforts to stop conversions at
RaigadRaigad is a hill fortress situated in the modern day Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Maratha king Shivaji made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire eventually covering majority of modern day India.The...
district (Performed by the Siddis) and in Goa (Performed by the Portuguese), he was follower of Shakt sect.
Sambhaji is also known for his political acumen. He had given shelter to
Sultan Muhammad AkbarMuhammad Akbar was the fourth son of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. He led a rebellion against his father and fled the Deccan after the failure of that venture. He later went into exile to Persia, where he died...
, the fourth son of
AurangzebMuhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb Muhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb Muhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb ( (full title: Al-Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan...
, to cause widespread revolt against Aurangzeb.
Estrangement and reconciliation with father
Interestingly enough, Sambhaji joined forces with
AurangzebMuhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb Muhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb Muhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb ( (full title: Al-Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan...
for almost a year. Shivaji had gone further south for his campaign to capture the forts of
Adil ShahAdil Shah Afshar or Ali Qoli was Shah of Persia from 1747 until 1748. Subsequent to the assassination of Nadir in Fathabad , his nephew declared himself Adil Shah , and shah of Persia...
leaving Deccan in charge of Sambhaji. In the meantime,
AurangzebMuhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb Muhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb Muhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb ( (full title: Al-Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan...
, realising the opportunity to finish off the Maratha empire in the absence of Shivaji ordered his commander Diler Khan to lead a large army to attack Sambhaji.
Owing to a series of misunderstandings between
ShivajiShivaji Raje Bhosle , popularly known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj laid the foundations of the Maratha Empire. Shivaji Maharaj was younger of the two sons of Shahaji Bhosle and Jijabai...
and Sambhaji, where Sambhaji's actions were misrepresented by conspiring members of Shivaji's court and
SoyarabaiSoyarabai was the second wife of Shivaji, founder of Maratha empire in western India. She was mother of second of Shivaji's son, Raja Ram.-Early life:...
, a strong coldness had developed in the relationship between father and son. In a misguided attempt to address the situation, Sambhaji joined forces with Diler Khan. Following this, the joint forces of Sambhaji and Diler Khan attacked several forts in the Maratha empire. On one such occasion, the commander of a fort chose to surrender to Sambhaji rather than fight with Shivaji's son. Sambhaji ordered the amputation of the limbs of all the soldiers within that fort. During this period of Sambhaji's collaboration with Diler Khan, Shivaji made several attempts to bring his son back.
Finally, upon hearing of a conspiracy by Diler Khan to assassinate him, Sambhaji saw the light and chose to return to the Maratha empire and Shivaji.
Coronation
Annaji Datto, Somaji Datto and some others in Shivaji's court wanted to oust Sambhaji so that they could get to play a bigger role in the affairs of the state and use it to their advantage. They even poisoned Sambhaji's food, but, Sambhaji was fortunately saved. Their plot was uncovered the first time around, however, Sambhaji forgave them. Still, they conspired the second time too and wanted to arrest Sambhaji at the
Panhala FortPanhala fort , also known as Panhalgad, Pahalla and Panalla , is located in Panhala, 20 kilometres northwest of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India. It is strategically located looking over a pass in the Sahyadri mountain range which was a major trade route from Bijapur in the interior of Maharashtra to...
, where he was staying at the time of Shivaji's death. They wanted to crown
RajaramShrimant Rajaram Shivaji Raje Bhonsle Chhatrapati Maharaj was the younger son of the first Chhatrapati Shivaji, stepbrother of the second Chhatrapati Sambhaji, and took over the Maratha Empire as the third Chhatrapati after his brother was tortured and killed by the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb in 1689...
in opposition to Sambhaji as Maratha emperor. They forcefully involved Moropant Trimbak Pingle, Balaji Awji Chitnis and Chitnis's son in their treachery. Soyarabai, mother of Rajaram was also a part of this plan. However Sarnobat, the then Supreme Commander of Maratha forces, Hambirrao Mohite, Rajaram's uncle ( Mother's brother) supported Sambhaji since he was the rightful heir to the throne. At the time of Shivaji's death, there was news of impending attack of Aurangzeb's army on Marathas and at such a crucial juncture, a strong leader like Sambhaji was the need of the hour. Therefore, Hambirrao did not support his own sister and sided with Sambhaji. It was chiefly because of Hambirrao Mohite's support that Sambhaji was able to ascend to his rightful place on the Maratha throne in 1681. However Sambhaji pardoned Moropant Pingale and again re-appointed him on the post of “Peshwa”. Later on there were no differences between Sambhaji and Moropant Pingale as they together participated in the 1681 Burhanpur war. Soyrabai (stepmother of Sambhaji) also felt guilty about what she had done and later died heart-broken. The rest of those who were guilty were either crushed under elephant's leg or thrown down the Raigad fort.
Attack on Burhanpur
Bahadurkhan Kokaltash, a relative of Aurangzeb was in charge of Burhanpur, a Mughal stronghold. He left Burhanpur to attend a wedding, giving the charge of Burhanpur to Kakarkhan. The careless and bigheaded Bahadurkhan also took with him a territorial army, to showoff at the wedding. Sambhaji had tricked Mughals by making them to think that Marathas were going to attack Surat, which was twice plundered by Shivaji Maharaj in his lifetime.
However, Hambirrao Mohite, the commander-in-chief of the Maratha army was already surrounding Burhanpur. And to his surprise, Sambhaji had also reached Burhanpur in a very short time. Thus, within a fortnight of his coronation, Sambhaji along with Hambirrao attacked Burhanpur. Mughals tried to retaliate but were taken aback by the sudden attack of the Marathas and thus, couldn’t do much to save Burhanpur. The Mughals either hid somewhere or locked themselves up in the fort of Burhanpur. Marathas plundered all the Mughal treasure in Burhanpur. The Mughals were made poorer by about 20
millionOne million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The name is derived from Italian, where mille was 1,000, and 1,000,000 became milione, "a large thousand"....
rupees. Sambhaji also purchased horses from an Arab trader, although the utterly frightened trader, was ready to give away the horses for free. This attack is a perfect example of careful planning, execution, excellent strategic mobility and immense courage of the Marathas under Sambhaji. Marathas safely reached Raigad with all the loot. People of Burhanpur, especially women and children weren’t harmed at all.
War with Mughals
Within a year or so of Sambhaji's coronation,
Sultan Muhammad AkbarMuhammad Akbar was the fourth son of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. He led a rebellion against his father and fled the Deccan after the failure of that venture. He later went into exile to Persia, where he died...
took shelter with him and sought Sambhaji's aid in winning the Mughal throne from his father Aurangzeb.
On hearing about the death of Shivaji Maharaj, Aurangzeb had come to Deccan in 1680 AD to bring down the Maratha Empire. The Mughal army, which came along totaled about 5,00,000-6,00,000 troops and 4,00,000 animals, which, at that time was perhaps the largest army in the world. With the help of such a massive army, he brought the Adilshah (Bijapur) and Qutubshah (Golconda) empires to his feet. Aurangzeb acquired 2 generals namely Mukarrabkhan and Sarjakhan from Qutubshahi and Adilshahi empires respectively. However, he was not able to bring an end to the Maratha Empire. It was to be the final war in his life and lasted all of 27 years until his death at Ahmednagar in 1707.
It was a disproportionate battle in all senses. Aurangzeb's army was at least 8 to 9 times larger than Sambhaji's. His whole empire was around 15 times bigger than Sambhaji's. However, Sambhaji led the fight valiantly and did not let Aurangzeb win even a single major victory. The tenacity and sheer will of the Maratha resistance to the Mughal invasion is best illustrated by the story of the Ramshej fort near
NashikNashik or Nasik ) Nashik or Nasik ) Nashik or Nasik ) ( is a city in Maharashtra, India. Nashik is located in the northwest of Maharashtra, 180 km from Mumbai and 202 km from Pune. Nashik is the administrative headquarters of Nashik District and Nashik Division...
. Aurangzeb's commanders claimed that they would win the fort within hours but the fight for the fort lasted for seven years. Sambhaji utilised the available resources very well and made strategically adroit moves by comprehensively defeating the enemies of his kingdom like Siddi of Janjira, Chikkadev Rai of Mysore and Portuguese of Goa and Bassein (Vasai) before they could turn on him and support Aurangzeb.
The Marathas led by Sambhaji fought single-handedly against all the enemies. To make matters worse, there was a devastating famine in the region for two years in 1686-87.
War with Siddis of Janjira
Janjira was under the Siddis. Janjira was strategically a very important place and a mighty fort in the
Arabian SeaThe Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui, the north-east point of Somalia, Socotra, Kanyakumari in India, and the western coast...
, with cannons embedded all around. It also had high economic importance. Traders had to cough up heavy amounts to bypass this spot. Marathas had earlier tried conquering Janjira, but to no avail. Sambhaji wanted to capture Janjira. Marathas attacked the fort from all sides. Siddis also retaliated with their cannons and ships. However, the force of the Maratha attack was such that defeat was eminent for the Siddis. But still they weren’t giving up. But then, there was a lull in the Maratha camp and Janjira was not attacked, on the orders of Sambhaji Maharaj. Other Maratha chiefs were getting anxious and didn’t know the reason behind this. The reason was that Sambhaji had sent a spy along with some trust-worthy men in the fort of Janjira to deceive the Siddis. Nobody except Sambhaji knew about this. However, the day on which the spy and his Maratha comrades were going to leave Janjira by blowing up the gunpowder and explosives store, they were caught, as a female-servant came to know about this and informed the Siddis. They were all killed and only one managed to escape. Sambhaji got this news and couldn’t believe his misfortune. He now wanted to destroy the fort and came up with a unique idea of building a bridge of stones from the shore leading to the fort. However, the implementation was very risky, difficult and consumed time. When about half of the bridge was built and victory for the Marathas was inevitable, news came that Aurangzeb had sent 100,000 (a lakh) troops to ravage the Maratha kingdom. Thus, Sambhaji had to leave Janjira to counter the
MughalThe Mughal Empire was an Islamic and Persianate imperial power of the Indian subcontinent which began in 1526, invaded and ruled most of Hindustan by the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and ended in the mid-19th century...
army.
War with Chikka Devraja of Mysore
Hearing about the intrusion of
Chikka DevarajaChikka Devaraja was the wodeyar ruler of Mysore from 1673 to 1704. During this time, Mysore saw significant expansion and also recognition by the Mughal empire as a tributary state...
into Maratha territory, Sambhaji had sent his emissary to Chikka Devaraja. But the emissary was insulted in the
MysoreMysore is the second-largest city in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of the Mysore district and the Mysore division and lies about southwest of Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka. The name Mysore is an anglicised version of Mahishūru, which means the abode of Mahisha...
Durbar. Furious at this, Sambhaji decided to attack Chikka Devaraja. Marathas marched into the Kannadiga state. Chikka Devaraja too prepared to fight and decided to stop the Marathas before they could reach Mysore’s capital. Both the armies were poised for a battle. The Mysore bowmen started striking and the Maratha army was greeted with a heavy shower of arrows. The long-ranged metallic arrows from the Mysore bowmen started inflicting fatal wounds on the Marathas. Thus, realizing the increasing Maratha casualties, Sambhaji retreated for the time being and camped nearby. Sambhaji then ordered all the local cobblers to prepare rubber clothing. These garments were ordered to be laden with
oilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and is hydrophobic but soluble in organic solvents. Oils have a high carbon and hydrogen content and are nonpolar substances. The general definition above includes compound classes with otherwise unrelated chemical structures,...
. Marathas then started making bows and arrows using a local tree. These bows and arrows were ordinary and crude. A piece of cloth was wound at the arrows’ head and it was set on fire using oil. Thus, Sambhaji transformed ordinary
arrowAn arrow is a pointed projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.- Structure :A normal arrow consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other....
s into fiery arrows. The Mysore bowmen had longer, stronger and better quality bows and arrows than the Marathas. Marathas started attacking the forts in Mysore. The bowmen from atop the forts started striking. But, their arrows proved futile, as the oil-laden rubber clothing neutralized the effects of the arrows. To counter them, Maratha bowmen started striking. These arrows would strike the explosives(gunpowder) store and cause explosions. This led to high casualties in the Mysore army. The Marathas pressed on attacking and the forts of Chikka Devraja started falling into the hands of the Marathas one by one. Thus, Chikka Devraja realising the situation he was in sued for peace and agreed to abide by the terms of the Marathas.
War with the Portuguese of Goa
There were chances of Portuguese providing supplies to Mughals and allowing unloading of Mughal ships at the Portuguese ports in Goa. Thus, Sambhaji undertook a campaign against the Portuguese in
GoaGoa is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.Panaji is...
. Portuguese like Chikka Dev Rai, were driven by arrogance. Marathas stormed Goa and started conquering Portuguese territory and forts. Portuguese weren’t able to overcome the Marathas. Common people in Goa rose in rebellion and started thrashing the priests, whom they accused of carrying out forced conversions.Sambhaji controlled the irate people of Goa. Seeing the inevitable, Portuguese ruler Count De Alwore and his ministers even took out the body of St. Xavier and started praying for their safety. And, to their astonishment, Sambhaji had to depart from Goa, as Aurangzeb had again sent about 100,000 (a lakh) troops to run wild in the Maratha kingdom.
Sambhaji warned Siddis, Chikkadev Rai and Portuguese from crossing the path of the Marathas and ordered them to refrain from helping Aurangzeb in any way. In this way, Sambhaji nullified any threat that the Maratha kingdom had from these 3 powers.
Sambhaji also beat back the two Mughal armies of 100,000 (a lakh) troops each, which were sent by Aurangzeb to wreak havoc in the
Maratha Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste or to the Maratha and Kunbi castes together; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people; historically, it describes the Maratha empire...
kingdom. In fact, the second army was so badly thrashed that only a few troops could return to the Mughal camp. Thus, Aurangzeb wanted to somehow arrest Sambhaji by deceit, as he concluded that it wouldn’t be possible for him to annex the Maratha kingdom by force.
Capture and Attempts to rescue
In early 1689, Sambhaji called his commanders for a strategic meeting at Sangameshwar in
KonkanThe Konkan , also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali, is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
to decide on the final blow to oust Aurangzeb from Deccan. In order to execute the plans soon, Sambhaji sent ahead most of his comrades and stayed back with a few of his trustworthy men. In a meticulously planned operation, one of the brother-in-laws of Sambhaji-Ganoji Shirke deceived the Marathas and helped Aurangzeb's commander, Mukarrab Khan to locate, get to and attack Sangameshwar when Sambhaji was in the garden of
SangameshwarSangameshwar is a tehsil in Ratnagiri subdivision of Ratnagiri district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. This is a historical place where Sambhajiraje son of Chhtrapati Shivaji was captured by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. You can also go to Marleshwar Shiv Temple .
The nearset bus stand is...
, resolving some issues and was about to leave the town.
Sambhaji and his Men were surrounded from all sides. Marathas took out their swords, roared ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and pounced upon the numerous Mughals. A bloody skirmish took place. However, owing to the number of Mughal troops, Sambhaji Maharaj and Kavi Kalash were captured on 1 February 1689. Ganoji Shirke who guided Mughals through the thorny, thick forests, high cliffs, steep slopes of the Sahyadri deceived Maratha posts in-between by posing Sambhaji and Kavi Kalash as prisoners arrested for smuggling diamonds. Ganoji told Mukarrab about the possible routes, to get to and capture Sambhaji and then, return back. It was a meticulously planned operation. If not for Ganoji, Mughals could have never laid their hands on Sambhaji.
A learned man and religious judge known as Dixit was a friend of Sambhaji after learning Sambhaji's arrest he gathered soldiers from his village and Panchkroshi. There were small attacks by these people and by Ramdasi people from Battis Shirala's Math (group related to Samartha Ramdas's follower) these attacks were also assisted by local Maratha soldiers but these attacks were unsuccessful and Dixit(Bhat) of
ShiralaShirala also called Battis [32] Shirala is a small town in India, 60 kilometers west of the district headquarters of Sangli and about 350 kilometers from Mumbai, capital of Maharashtra state. It is particularly known for its Hindu festival of the snake god.
and 50 other
Maratha Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste or to the Maratha and Kunbi castes together; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people; historically, it describes the Maratha empire...
soldiers were killed by Moguls while trying to rescue Sambhaji. This incident happened on 3 February 1689. Later with strong army of 20,000 people Julphikarkhan moved towards
KaradKarad is a city and a municipal council in Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It lies at the confluence of Koyna River and the Krishna River, popularly known as 'Preeti Sangam'. The rivers meet exactly headon, thus forming letter "T". The two rivers originate at Mahabaleshwar...
and then
BaramatiBaramati is a city and a municipal council in Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India.Agriculture is the main occupation of the people in Baramati. The main food crops grown include sugarcane, grapes, and cotton. Grapes and sugar are being exported to markets in the Middle East and...
and finally to Bahadurgad near
BhimaIn the Mahābhārata, Bhima was the second of the Pandava brothers. He was son of Kunti by Vayu, but like the other brothers, he was acknowledged son by Pandu . He was distinguished from his brothers by his great stature and strength....
river. It is said that the Mogul army was continiously shifting their base on every day to avoid further attacks and used to travel exclusively from countryside avoiding village routes.
Ganoji’s hunger for Maratha land in the form of
watan led to his enmity with Sambhaji. Sambhaji like his father- Shivaji Maharaj had abolished the custom of giving away
watans, as this led to the people’s suffering, from the hands of the
watandar and there were chances of the watandars assuming kingship or taking possession of their
watans.
Execution
After learning that Sambhaji had been captured and produced before him as a prisoner,
AurangzebMuhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb Muhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb Muhi ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, more commonly known as Aurangzeb ( (full title: Al-Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan...
felt very happy. He stood up from his royal seat and offered prayer to God and bent towards land. Kavi Kulesh captured this scene in a small poem which was still remembered in
MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's third largest state by area and second largest by population....
. It was praise of Sambhaji’s courage and glowing of eyes and face of Sambhaji Raje, Kavi kulesh wanted to say that since Aurangzeb have not ever saw such a sharp and courageous man in his entire life that’s why he acknowledged Sambhaji’s greatness by standing up from his royal seat.
When they were brought face to face with Aurangzeb, the latter offered to let Sambhaji live if he surrendered all the Maratha forts, turn over all his hidden treasures,disclose the names of all the Mughal officers who had helped him and embrace
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
religion. Sambhaji refused to convert, and instead sang praises of Mahadev (Lord Shiva). Aurangzeb ordered him and Kavi Kalash to be tortured to death. On 11 March 1689, Sambhaji was finally killed at Tulapur on the banks of
BhimaIn the Mahābhārata, Bhima was the second of the Pandava brothers. He was son of Kunti by Vayu, but like the other brothers, he was acknowledged son by Pandu . He was distinguished from his brothers by his great stature and strength....
river, near
PunePune , formerly known as Punawadi or Punya-Nagari or Poona, is the eighth largest city in India, and the second largest in the state of Maharashtra, after Mumbai...
.
Despite the torture, Sambhaji refused to submit to Aurangzeb's conditions. In so doing he earned the title of
Dharmaveer (Protector of the Religion) by which he is known to this day. Aurangzeb ordered to cut Sambhaji's body into pieces and throw it into the river.
Residents of nearby village named 'Vadhu' collected as many pieces of his body as they found, sewed them together and performed the final rites on his body. These villagers later went on to use the surname 'Shivle' or 'Shivale', as per spelling preference, which means sewing in the Marathi language.
Immediate after effects of Sambhaji's execution
With Sambhaji's death, Maratha confederacy was thrown in a disarray. He was succeeded by his younger brother
RajaramRajaram or Raja Ram is one of the Indian names:* Rajaram Chhatrapati, 17th century leader of the Maratha Empire in India* Rajaram College in Kolhapur, named after the Maratha King* N. S. Rajaram, 21st c...
,as leader of the Marathas . The Commander in chief of Maratha army, Mhaloji Ghorpade, who succeeded Hambirrao Mohite, died in the ambush at Sangameshwar. A few days after Sambhaji's death, the capital Raigad fell to the Mughals and Sambhaji's wife and son were captured. However,
RajaramRajaram or Raja Ram is one of the Indian names:* Rajaram Chhatrapati, 17th century leader of the Maratha Empire in India* Rajaram College in Kolhapur, named after the Maratha King* N. S. Rajaram, 21st c...
shifted the Maratha capital to Gingee in deep South. In fact, Marathas under
Santaji GhorpadeSantaji Mhaloji Ghorpade, popularly known as ‘Santaji’ or ‘Santaji Ghorpade’, was one of the greatest warrior 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 JadhavDhanaji 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...
were running riot in the Mughal army!
Sambhaji's torture and heroic death unleashed an unprecedented unity and heroic spirit among the Marathas. Aurangzeb continued his grim war against the Marathas for another 18 years but could not subjugate the Maratha state.
Aurangzeb spent the last 27 years of his life in the Deccan in constant war with the Marathas till his death on 3 March 1707. In 1737, within 50 years of the torture and death of Sambhaji, Maratha Allied armies entered Delhi and had re-established Hindu rule over all of western, central and much of northern India. It was the first time after 1192, when Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated by Mohammed Ghori, that a Hindu army was in control of Delhi except for a brief period by
HemuSamrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, also known as Hem Chandra Bhargava or Hemu Vikramaditya or simply Hemu was a Hindu Emperor of India during the 1500s. He fought Afghan rebels across North India from the Punjab to Bengal and the Mughal forces of Akbar and Humayun in Agra and Delhi, winning 22...
in 1556. The Maratha empire would remain the foremost military power in India till they lost power to the British after 3 Anglo-Maratha wars, the last of which ended in 1818.Internal division among marathas led to defeat against British. Peshwa could not control Maratha knights- Shinde and holkar and this led to weakening of Maratha Empire. Still, British were defeated at first Anglo-Maratha war which was fought by all Maratha sardars unitedly.Marathas and Tipu sultan are the exception in regard that they were only rulers who could defeat British.
Legacy
There is some dispute among historians about Sambhaji's ability as a ruler. Some historians have portrayed him as ineffective and
alcoholicAlcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions. In common and historic usage, alcoholism is any condition that results in the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, despite health problems and negative social consequences...
. This was just a misinformation by the Mughals. Also many who were denied
watans by Sambhaji, deliberately spread these rumours to defame Sambhaji Maharaj. Other historians, notably S.S. Shivade, portray Sambhaji as a capable ruler. But whatever may have been his inadequacies as a ruler, his redemption and symbolism came in his death, and it is for this that he is mostly remembered by the Marathi people to this day.
It is quite interesting to look at his own version. After he assumed the charge of Chhatrapati, he issued a Danapatra which is a eulogy right from his great grandfather Maloji to himself. He writes about him'Balbhavendra prasthadhinathanudnyat mallayudhadatt adnyabhanga:It means he(Aurangzeb) asked me to wrestle before him to which he refused.' This was during his visit along with his father to Aurangzeb's court in Agra.
See also
- Chhatrapati
Chhatrapati is an honorific or an imperial title for an Indian ruler. It is the Indian counterpart of shah, padishah or pasha and also written as kshetra-pati, the lord, ruler of a domain and therefor can be compared with the European count...
- Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was a Hindu state located in present-day India. It existed from 1674 to 1818...
- Bhonsle family ancestry
The Bhonsle or Bhosale were a prominent Maratha clan who served as rulers of several states in India.The most prominent member of the clan was Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire...