Shivaji and His Times c12.s1: §1. The Abyssinians of the West Coast

Shivaji and His Times c12.s1

Language: English

§1. The Abyssinians of the West Coast

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The expansion of Shivaji's rule across the Western Ghats into the coast-district of Konkan brought him into contact with the maritime Powers of our western seaboard. Chief among these were the Siddis or Abyssinians of Janjira, a rocky island 45 miles south of Bombay, and guarding the mouth of the Rajpuri creek. Half a mile east of it, on the mainland stands the town of Rajpuri, and two miles south-east of the latter is Danda on the shore of the creek. But these two towns are regarded as one place and formed the head-quarters of the land-possessions of the Siddis, covering much of the modern district of Kolaba. From this tract were drawn the revenue and provisions that nourished the Government of Janjira.

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An Abyssinian colony had settled here in the 15th century. One of them secured the governorship of Danda-Rajpuri under the Sultans of Ahmadnagar. But the dissolution of that monarchy and the situation of the district on the extreme frontier of the State beyond the Western Ghats, made it easy for the Siddi to establish himself in practical independence of the central authority, so that, when the partition treaty of 1636 gave the west coast to Bijapur, that Government recognized the Siddi chief as its representative in the district, gave him the title of a *wazir*, and added to his charge the whole seaboard from Nagothna to Bankot, on condition of his protecting Bijapur trade and Mecca pilgrims at sea.

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As the Siddis formed a small military aristocracy dominating a vast alien population, their constitution provided for the rule of the ablest, and on the death of a chief not his son but the first officer of the fleet succeeded to the governorship. The Abyssinians were hardy, skilful and daring mariners and the most efficient fighters at sea among the Muslim races, while their courage and energy, joined to coolness and power of command, made them enjoy a high estimation as soldiers and administrators.

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The Siddi chief of Janjira maintained an efficient fleet, and throughout the 17th century he was officially recognized as the admiral, at first of Bijapur and latterly of the Mughal empire. There was no native Power on the west coast that could make a stand against him at sea. (Bom. Gaz. xi. 434, 416.)

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To the owner of Konkan it was essential that the Siddi should be either made an ally or rendered powerless for mischief. Shivaji found that unless he created a strong navy, his foreign trade would be lost, and his subjects on the sea-coast and for some distance inland would remain liable to constant plunder, enslavement, outrage, and slaughter at the will of a band of pirates alien by race, creed and language. The innumerable creeks and navigable rivers of the west coast, while they naturally fostered the growth of rich ports and trade centres, made it imperatively necessary for their protection that their owner should rule the sea. On the other hand, the possession of Danda-Rajpuri and its adjacent district was necessary to the owner of Janjira for his very existence. The political separation of the two made war against the mainland an economic necessity to him.

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§2. Maratha conquests from the Abyssinians, up to 1661.

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Shivaji had early captured the eastern part of the Kolaba district adjoining the Siddi's territory, but the latter still held Danda-Rajpuri and much of the neighbouring land. There were constant skirmishes between the two Powers thus occupying the eastern and western portions of the Kolaba district, but no record of them has come down to us. The Siddi had too small an army to defy the regular Maratha forces on land, and he seems to have confined himself to making raids by surprise and doing petty acts of mischief to Shivaji's villages in that region, as is clear from the Maratha chronicler's description of the Siddi as "an enemy like the mice in a house." (Sabh. 67.)

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Very little activity was probably shown by Yusuf Khan who ruled Janjira from 1642 to 1655.

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But his successor Fath Khan was a brave active and able leader. In 1659, when Afzal Khan was advancing against Shivaji from the east, Fath Khan seized the opportunity of trying to recover his own. But, on hearing of the destruction of the Bijapur army (November), he retired in haste. Next year, when Ali Adil Shah II. opened a campaign against Shivaji, who was invested in Panhala fort, Fath Khan renewed his invasion of Konkan. The Kay Savant, a loyal vassal of Bijapur, co-operated with the Siddi. After an obstinate battle both the Savant and Baji Rao Pasalkar (Shivaji's general) fell in a single combat, and both parties retreated to their bases. (Sabh. 66.)*

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∗ The dates relating to the struggle with the Siddis given in this section are very doubtful, as Sabhasad is never accurate in his order of events and there is no independent check on his statements here. The Shivapur Daftar Yadi says that in July 1657, Raghunath was sent to Rajpuri. This date cannot be reconciled with the other narratives, and is unsupported by Jedhe. The meaning also is not clear. An English Factory letter (1659) states, "Those that inhabit Danda-Rajpuri are pirates and rogues, and maintain vessels abroad to rob all that they master." (Foster, 214.)

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To retrieve the position, Shivaji next sent a larger force, five to seven thousand strong, under Raghunath Ballal Korde, who beat the Siddi forces, captured Tala, Ghonsala, and other forts, and wrested the sea-coast up to Danda. The Marathas continued the campaign even during the rains, and after a long siege captured the fort of Danda, and following up their success opened batteries against Janjira itself. But their weakness in artillery defeated their attempt on this sea-girt rock. Hopeless of relief from Bijapur, the Siddi came to terms with Shivaji and formally ceded Danda-Rajpuri. Thus, no stronghold was left to the Siddi on the mainland. (Sabh. 67.)

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But this peace could not possibly last long. To the Siddi the loss of the Kolaba territory meant starvation, and, on the other hand, it was Shiva's "lifelong ambition to capture Janjira" and make his hold on the west coast absolutely secure. Hostilities soon broke out again. The Siddis resumed their depredations on the coast, while Shiva fired upon Janjira every year during the dry season, without being able to take that island-fortress.

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The Maratha gains on the Kolaba coast were now organized into a province, and placed under an able viceroy, Vyankoji Datto, with a permanent contingent of 5 to 7 thousand men (Sabh. 68.) He defeated the Siddis in a great land-battle, totally excluded them from the mainland, improved the defences of Danda-Rajpuri by fortifying a hill that commanded it, and built a chain of forts (such as Birwadi and Lingana) which effectually prevented Siddi depredations in that quarter. At this the Siddis, in order to "fill their stomachs," had to direct their piracy against the villages and ports further south, in the Ratnagiri district, which had now come under Shiva's sway. The Maratha chief, therefore, realized that he must create a formidable navy and set up fortified bases along the coast, if he was to ensure the protection of his seaside districts and the conquest of Janjira which would continue as a thorn in his side if left in enemy hands. (Sabh. 68.)

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∗ The English merchants of Rajapur write on 10 Dec. 1659, of "Shivaji having already taken the town of Danda-Rajpuri, but not the castle." (F. R. Rajapur.)