New History of the Marathas v1.c17.68

v1.c17.68

The Portuguese were called upon by the Emperor to wage war against Sambhājī. They dared not remain friends with the Marāthās in the presence of the Mughal might, now directed particularly against Sambhājī’s dominions in the Konkan, as it was here that both Sambhājī and Akbar made their inimical moves against the Emperor. Aurangzeb employed his sons and grand-sons and his best generals to secure the forts and passes in north Konkan and capture both his rebel son and the Marāthā king by all possible means. The British trading establishments at Surat and Bombay, the Dutch factory at Vengurla, the Portuguese strong-holds on the west coast were all cowed into abject submission, thus making Sambhājī’s situation all the more precarious. Although thus hemmed in by enemies all round, Sambhājī continued to resist boldly and conduct a heroic war, so that he for a time kept at bay the bravest generals of Aurangzeb and even threatened his very bases at Ahmednagar and Aurangabad.