An Approach To Indian History -Prof. Kittu Reddy

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SHIVAJI

As already mentioned in the previous chapter, Aurangzeb was a religious bigot who had totally alienated the Hindu population. Indeed, the majority of people looked upon him as a misguided fanatic His Empire was shaken by a series of revolts by the Sikhs, the Rajputs and the Mahrattas led by Shivaji. In this chapter we shall study the exploits of Shivaji.

Shivaji was born in the hill fort of Shivner near Junner in 1630. He lived with his mother Jija Bai, a lady of virtuous temperament and extraordinary intellect. She infused into her child's mind high and soaring ideals by reciting stories of heroism, spirituality and chivalry in past ages and stimulated his zeal in defence of religion. His early intimacy with the hillmen of the Maval community along the Western Ghats was of immense value to him in his subsequent years. Through his mother he was descended from the Yadava rulers of Devagiri, and on his father's side he claimed descent from the brave soldiers of Mewar. Thus, the sentiment of glorious heredity and the influence of early training and environment, combined to rouse in the young Maratha soldier aspirations for founding an independent kingdom.

The growing weakness of the Deccan Sultanate and the prolonged campaigns of the Moghuls in the north, favoured the rise of the Mahratta power.

He first came into conflict with the Moghuls in 1657 and raided Ahmadnagar and Junnar. Shivaji next captured Kalyan, Bhiwandi and Mahuli. It was then that the Sultan of Bijapur decided to destroy Shivaji. Afzal Khan was sent to bring back the rebel Shivaji from his stronghold; failing to do that, he opened negotiations and invited him to a conference. Shivaji came to know through his sources that the Bijapur general had mischief in his mind; this put him on the alert and he went to the conference apparently unarmed but clad in armour and with concealed weapons.  The Muslim general embraced Shivaji and then held his neck with an iron grip and tried to thrust a dagger into the body of Shivaji. The hidden armour of Shivaji protected him and Shivaji immediately killed him. With the help of his troops who were lying in ambush, he defeated the leaderless Bijapur troops and plundered their camp.

Shivaji next confronted Shaista Khan, the new Moghul governor of the Deccan. He entered Poona and secretly entered the apartments of Shaista Khan with some attendants; he surprised and wounded the Moghul viceroy in his very bedchamber, slew his son and a captain and went to the neighbouring stronghold of Singhargarh. The Moghul viceroy lost his thumb and barely escaped with his life. Shivaji then attacked Surat, the richest seaport in the West without hindrance as the governor had taken to his heels.

Indignant at these repeated reverses, Aurangzeb sent Jay Singh, Raja of Amber to the Deccan with a force to punish Shivaji. After a prolonged battle near Purandhar, a treaty was concluded with Jai Singh. Jai Singh then persuaded Shivaji to visit the imperial court of Aurangzeb; he assured him of full protection and that he would be treated with dignity and honour.  However, when Shivaji reached the imperial court he was received coldly and taken prisoner. Shivaji felt cheated but did not give way to despair. Instead he resorted to a stratagem. Pretending to recover from his feigning illness, he began sending out baskets of fruits and sweetmeats for the Brahmins and nobles as thanksgiving for his recovery. After a few days when the guards had relaxed their vigil, Shivaji and his son Shambhuji concealed themselves in two baskets and slipped out of Agra. He eluded all the spies of Aurangzeb and finally reached home, in the guise of a mendicant. For the next few years, Shivaji was at peace with the Moghul king and recovered almost all the forts he had surrendered previously. On the 16th June 1674, he formally crowned himself king at Raigarh with great pomp and splendour and assumed the title of Chhatrapati. 

 Shivaji's kingdom extended roughly along the entire Western coast from Ramnagar in the north to Karwar in the South and included the Portuguese and English territories. On the east, its boundary ran in irregular line from Bagtara in the north, through Nasik and Poona districts and round the whole of Satara, to Kolhapur in the south. The later conquests brought within the limits of his dominions the Western Carnatic, including Belgaum, the Bellary district and parts of Mysore.  In the words of RC Mazumdar:

The most brilliant of his achievements was the welding together of the Maratha race into a mighty nation in the teeth of opposition of great powers like the Mughal Empire and the Portuguese. The Maratha nation that he built up defied the Moghul empire during and after Aurangzeb's reign and remained the dominant power in India during the 18th century, so that a descendant of Aurangzeb became the virtual puppet of a Maratha chief, Mahadaji Scindia. The Maratha power also competed with the English for supremacy in India till it was finally crushed in the time of Lord Hastings.

Shivaji was not merely a daring soldier and a successful military conqueror, but also an enlightened ruler of his people. His system was an autocracy of which he himself was the supreme head. But in the actual discharge of state business he was helped by a council of eight ministers - the ashtapradhan - whose functions were chiefly advisory.

Shivaji divided his kingdom into a number of provinces each being placed under a viceroy, who held office at the king's pleasure and was assisted like him by a staff of eight chief ministers. For purposes of revenue collection and administration, Shivaji's kingdom was divided into a number of pranths or provinces. Each pranth was subdivided into parganas and tarfs, and the village formed the lowest unit. The cultivators knew the definite amount of their dues, which they could pay without any oppression, in cash or in kind.   The State encouraged agriculture by granting loans to the ryots for the purchase of seed and cattle and the latter repaid them by easy annual instalments.

The organisation of the Maratha army by Shivaji on a new model is a brilliant proof of his military genius. Previously the Maratha fighting forces consisted mostly of cavalry, who worked half the year in fields and engaged themselves during the dry season in active service. Shivaji introduced a regular standing army. The strength of his force rose from thirty to forty thousand cavalry and ten thousand infantry. He maintained an elephant corps of about 1260 and a camel corps of around 300.  Shivaji also built a considerable fleet. Although the achievements of the Maratha navy under Shivaji were not remarkable, the Martha fleet gave considerable trouble in later times to the English. Though regular and generous in making payments and giving rewards to the soldiers, Shivaji did not forget to enforce strict discipline on them. Shivaji's ideal was the restoration of an indigenous empire in his country and he pursued it with a singleness of purpose. But he had no time to work it out in full.

In his private life, Shivaji remained immune from the prevalent vices of the time and his moral virtues were exceptionally high. Deeply spiritual from his early life, he did not forget the lofty ideals with which his mother and his guru Ramdas had inspired him, in the midst of his political and military duties. He sought to make religion and spirituality a vital force in the uplifting of the Maratha nation and always extended his patronage to Indian religion and learning. Tolerant of other faiths, he deeply venerated Muslim saints and granted rent-free lands to meet the expenses of illumination of Muslim shrines and mosques and his conduct towards the Christian fathers was always respectful.

His successful career came to a close with his premature death at the age of 53 on the 14th of April 1680.

Tanaji Malsure

One of the outstanding qualities of Shivaji was in making a correct estimation of men. He seldom made mistakes in the choice of his lieutenants. Among the men whom he selected as his lieutenants, two stand out; they were Baji Prabhu and Tanaji Malsure.

Baji Prabhu gave his life in order to save Shivaji in the famous battle of Rangana Ghat; he did this in order to give Shivaji time to retreat. He lost his life in the engagement but his was the death of a hero. His heroic stand is rightly compared to the famous battle of Thermopylae.

Tanaji Malsure has also achieved legendary fame; this man from the Konkan was among Shivaji's earliest companions. He was not a military genius but was a lion-hearted man. He was his master's inseparable companion and confidant. His personal courage, his integrity and resourcefulness in the face of danger were in themselves the best recommendation for his close companionship with Shivaji.

Tanaji's name has become memorable not because of his closeness to Shivaji, but because he gave his life in circumstances which were both tragic and grand. Even today the Ballad of Sinhagad is sung in every home in Maharashtra.

Sinhagad or Kondhana, as it was originally called, is situated on the eastern side of the great Sahayadri range and is twelve miles from Poona. It communicates with the Purandhar hill on the east and west by very high, narrow ridges, while on the north and south it presents a huge rugged mountain with a very steep ascent of nearly half a mile. From the slope rises a great wall of black rock more than forty feet high, crowned by fortifications of Sinhagad. The fortifications consist of a strong stonewall flanked with towers and enclose a nearly triangular space about two miles round. The exterior presents on all sides a stupendous barrier so that, except by the gates, access to the fort is almost impossible.

It was this fort of singular strength that Tanaji was commissioned to capture. It had been surrendered to the Moghuls and was now under the command of a very able Rajput soldier, Udai Bhan, who guarded it with a picked body of troops. The loss of Sinhagad, the pride of Maharashtra, had made Shivaji's spirited mother disconsolate. She feared that the tender plant of Swaraj reared by her son would not grow in safety unless the fort was wrested from the Moghuls. One morning, while Jijabai was combing her hair, she suddenly saw through the window of her palace the Lion's fort. The poignant thought that the fort did not belong to her son made her unhappy.

"Ride to Rajgad" she ordered her servant,  "and bring my son to me". Shivaji responded to her summons, though puzzled by its peremptoriness. When he came, Jijabai lured him artfully to a game of chess, which he lost. She demanded the restoration of Sinhagad to Maharashtra as a reward for her victory. Shivaji was amazed and disheartened at this request. In vain, did he plead with his mother that the fort was being manned by one of the ablest generals in India. But the queen mother was adamant. Shivaji could not ignore her behest. The adventure of capturing the fort, he knew, was hazardous in the extreme. He thought deeply over his dilemma and finally resolved to put his favourite Tanaji on the mission. He alone, among the brave barons could fulfil the heart's desire of  the Queen Mother. Had he not performed in the past prodigies of valour? With the blessings of Goddess Bhavani and Jijabai, this devoted servant of Swaraj might achieve even the impossible. 

An order was accordingly sent to Umrathe in Konkan, where Tanaji lived, asking him to hasten to Rajgad with his armed retainers. Although he was preparing for his son's wedding, he hastened to go and his men rode  post-haste to Rajgad and presented themselves before the great chief. Shivaji cordially received him and took him to his mother by whom the summons had been sent. Tanaji learnt of his mission from Jijabai and then set off for his prey. He was accompanied by one thousand seasoned Mavlis. They secretly assembled at the foot of the fort for the escalade. It was a clear, moonless night, the ninth of the dark fortnight of the month of Magh, and it was cold and still. Choosing the sheer southwest gorge, as the part least likely to be guarded, Tanaji tied a cord to the waist of Shivaji's famous Ghorpad, Yeshwanti, and bade it run up the cliff. The creature fled to the top and there fixing its talons firmly in the heath, helped the Mavlis to clamber up the cliff. Hardly had three hundred men  entered the fort, when something caused a commotion, which drew the atentionof, the sentries to the quarter where the Marathas were ascending. The sentries were killed, but not before the garrison had been roused. Seven hundred of Tanaji's soldiers were still below, while in the fort there were one thousand veteran fighters, consisting of Arabs, Afghans, Rajputs and Pathans. Tanaji gave the order to charge. Thoough overwhelmed by numbers, the Marathas fought with desperate valour and in the melee that ensued their leader fell. It is said that Chandravally, the manslaying elephant charged at Tanaji who jumped on its back and chopped off its trunk with his sword, reducing it to a lump of bleeding clay. Then came Udai Bhan's twelve sons who fell upon him. The valiant Maratha killed them all with terrific blows of his ruthless sword.

As everything seemed lost, Udai Bhan rushed to the battlefield, leaving his wine cups and the embraces of his winsome ladies. The result was a fierce  encounter between the two great swordsmen. It seemed as if lightning was flashing and thunder clouds were roaring; finally the blow came and Tanaji Malasure the Lion fell cloven to the waist.

The death of their leader unnerved the Marathas who began to retreat, but before all was lost Tanaji's brother appeared on the scene with his reserves. He rallied them and shouting their war cry, "Har Har Mahadev", fell upon the enemy with renewed energy. Their attack was irresistible and the garrison was routed and several hundreds to save themselves from the fury of the invaders ventured over the rock and were dashed to pieces in the attempt. Udai Bhan the mighty Rajput warrior was also slain in the battle.

It was a great victory for the Marathas but there was no elation in the camp. Shivaji came to congratulate his comrade and as he rode through the Kalyan Gate, he beheld seated on the cot the corpse of his faithful Tanaji. His grief was tremendous. He refused to be felicitated and exclaimed: "I have got the fort but I have lost the lion".

Thus ended the career of a man whose single-minded devotion to duty, whose unswerving loyalty to his friend and master and whose undaunted courage will always stand out as a conspicuous example for his countrymen to emulate. Sinhagad is now in ruins but the glorious episode of Tanaji's victory in death will remain imperishable. The National Defence Academy is situated in the vicinity of this area. Let the cadets of NDA draw their inspiration from the hallowed memory of this great soldier of India.

 

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