New History of the Marathas v1.c12.42

v1.c12.42

Soon after the battle of Salher Pratāp Rāo Gujar once more threatened Surat, but stayed his attack owing to other engagements. He, however, wrote a singular letter to the merchants and other people of Surat, which received an equally audacious reply from the Governor. These need not be repeated here : they show the pitch which the Mughal-Maratha antipathy had then reached.⁸ Bahadur Khan and Dilir Khan informed the Emperor that Shivaji had sent them his own trusted ambassador Qazi Haidar for effecting an amicable settlement. But the Emperor would not think of making peace with Shivaji and ordered that the ambassador should be kept in confinement. He was then detained at Parenda, but soon effected his escape and returned to Shivaji’s service. Obviously Shivaji intended to have his independent status formally recognized by the Emperor. As this effort failed he had to declare his independence to the world by a formal ceremony of coronation which soon after took place. By employing Qazi Haidar a Muslim Official for the delicate task of conducting peace negotiations, Shivaji showed that he entertained no class or religious prejudice, and that the Muslims loved him as much as the Hindus.