The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c10.242

c10.242

Before the middle of the seventeenth century Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire, had begun to establish himself in the western hills. In A.D. 1657 he ventured to attack the Mughal territory, and surprised the town of Ahmadnagar. He was driven off, but carried away considerable booty. Profiting by the confusion which ensued on the struggle for power between the sons of Shah Jahan, Shivaji extended his ravages, and scarcely a year passed without incursions into the Ahmadnagar districts. The fort had gained a reputation for strength since its successful defence by Chand Bibi, and the Marathas never ventured to attack it. In A.D. 1664 Shivaji sacked the town and retired with his plunder. After his return from Delhi in A.D. 1666, he began hostilities on a more extended scale. In 1670, after sacking Surat, he retired through Khandesh by the pass near Salher. A few months later he sent Prataprao Gujar into Khandesh, and he for the first time exacted from the village officers promises to pay chauth. At the same time Moro Pant Trimal took the forts of Aundh and Patta in the Akola district and the important fortress of Salher in Baglan, which.