Shivaji and His Times c8.s5: §5. The fighting in 1661-63 and conquest of Ratnagiri district
Shivaji and His Times c8.s5
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§5. The fighting in 1661-63 and conquest of Ratnagiri district
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Shivaji's defeat at Chakan and Panhala was followed by a lull in the war during the last three months of the year 1660, which he spent quietly at Rajgarh, in planning how to compensate himself for these losses in the Desh country by transferring the war to another part of Bijapuri territory, namely Konkan, or the country west of the Sahyadri range, where the government was very weakly exercised by countless petty vassal Rajahs and Bijapuri city-governors. There was in that province no single powerful viceroy with an army of his own, able to unite the local feudatories under one central authority, exact loyal service from them, and thus successfully oppose an invader like Shivaji, who was his own master and could direct all his resources with absolute unity of command and policy.
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Shaista Khan, too, on his return to Puna (end of August 1660) after the capture of Chakan, spent the rainy season there in enforced inactivity. Nor was he eager to lay siege to any more Maratha forts, as even the small and comparatively weak castle of Chakan, situated in the plain, had cost him nearly nine hundred men to take it. He employed his time more usefully in inducing Ghalib, the Bijapuri commandant of Parenda, to surrender that fort to Aurangzib for a high price. The terms were approved by the Emperor, and large Mughal forces were detached from Puna to Parenda to take possession of it (20th November), overawe any opposition that might be made at the last moment, and occupy the district around it.
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At the beginning of next year (1661), Shaista Khan turned his attention to the Kalian district or North Konkan. Here a small Mughal force, only 3,000 strong, under Ismail, had been operating since April last and had occupied a part of the country, though the important cities and forts (like Kalian) remained unconquered. These gains had been placed under a faujdar named Salabat Khan Deccani, with a contingent of friendly Marathas, among whom Babaji Bhonslé, Raghuji, Shambhuji Kavji and Babaji Ram (or Rana) Honap,—a former deshpande of Puna,—are named. [A. N. 584; Malkaré, 42.]
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But local levies could effect little, and it was necessary to complete the Mughal conquest of Konkan and extinguish the last traces of Shivaji's power there by pouring into the country large reinforcements of imperial troops under a high commander. The general chosen for this purpose was Kar Talb Khan, an Uzbak, who had attained to the rank of a 4-hazari as early as the battle of Dharmat (1657), and had recently commanded a division in the Parenda district. With him Shaista Khan sent many of his own Rajput and Muslim subordinates and local allies (such as Rai Baghini, the heroic widow of Udaji Ram, the jagirdar of Mahur in Berar.)
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Marching from Puna by way of Lohgarh, Kar Talb Khan descended into Konkan by a pass a little to the south of the Bhorghat. While his soldiers, encumbered with artillery and baggage, struggled painfully and in alarm through the dense jungles, steep rocks and narrow broken roads on to Umbarkhind (about 15 miles due east of Pen), Shivaji by secret and rapid marches came up with them and cut off their lines of advance and retreat alike. Kar Talb had to offer battle under these adverse conditions and suffered heavy losses. His army seemed doomed to perish from thirst, without the power to move. In despair he gave up all the property in his camp and paid a large ransom to Shivaji and thus bought a safe retreat for his army (3rd February, 1661.)
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The victorious Shivaji now divided his forces; and while one army under Netaji was detached to act against the Mughals, he himself with the other invaded Bijapuri territory in Konkan, "to avenge the loss of Panhala." The Kalian district having been thus freed from the new enemies, Shivaji left it alone, and marched southwards, easily capturing city after city, till all the coast-strip from Danda-Rajpuri to Kharepatan was commanded by him, and the country further south, as far as Goa, seemed to lie at his mercy, when he would renew the campaign next dry season. His movements were so rapid, the local authorities were so divided and unprepared for defence, that no resistance was offered, but the Rajahs and city-governors fled in consternation before the oncoming flood of Maratha invasion. The wiser among them recognized resistance to him as futile and expectation of support from Bijapur vain, and so made their peace with him by offering him obedience and tribute.
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Nizampur (22 miles due east of Janjira) was raided, and then the port of Dabhol belonging to a chieftain surnamed Dalvé was captured and placed under an agent of Shivaji (Feb. 1661.) Jaswant Rao, the Rajah of Pallivana, who had loyally helped Jauhar during the Panhala campaign, took refuge with Surya Rao, the Rajah of Prabhavali, (its chief town being Shringarpur.)* The Muslim governor of Sangameshwar fled away, and so did all the inhabitants who had anything to lose. The town was thrown into the greatest disorder and alarm. Shivaji therefore sent Pilaji Nilkanth and Tanaji Malusaré with a small force to take possession of it, while he ordered Surya Rao to support this detachment. He himself pushed on to Devrukh by way of Chiplun (where he performed the pilgrimage at the shrine of Parashuram and made large gifts to the Brahmans.) His victorious march was continued to Rajapur, which he now sacked for the second time and finally occupied, on 3rd March, [Ch. 14],—and even further south to Kharepatan (on the Vaghotan river, 16.33 N.) Most of the cities of the Ratnagiri district saved themselves from plunder by paying him *chauth*.
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∗ I take it that *Pallivana* is the Sanskritized form of *Palavna*, a town (giving its name to a district) situated 12 m.n. of Dapoli, while Mandangarh is 5 m.n. of Palavna. The fort of *Palgarh* (built by Shivaji) is in the Khed sub-division, 6 m. n. of Khed. *Sangameshwar* is a well-known holy city, 10 m.n.w. of Devrukh. *Shringarpur* is 8 m.n.e. of Sangameshwar, and is overlooked by *Prachitgarh*, 2 m. to its east; the Tivra pass being 4 m. s. of it. [Degree sheet 47 G.] *Prabhavali* or Pravanvalli is just below Vishalgarh to the s.w. In old records Dabhol and Prabhavali are coupled together, though the two towns are far apart.
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Meantime, under pressure from his sovereign Adil Shah, the Rajah of Shringarpur had made a night-attack on Shivaji's detachment in Sangameshwar, but had been repulsed by the gallant Tanaji Malusaré. Shivaji now turned back northwards and conquered the Palli-vana State, conciliated and recalled the fugitive population, and restored cultivation and trade. For protecting this conquest, he fortified Chirdurg and named it Mandangarh, and built a second fort, Pálgarh.
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He was now free to settle accounts with Surya Rao, the Rajah of Shringarpur, who had tried to save himself by promising homage to Shivaji ever since the fall of Javli (1656) and repeatedly broken his faith in fear of his Bijapuri master. Punishment swiftly overtook the double-dealer. Shivaji now invaded Shringarpur by such a rapid march from Palli-vana that Surya Rao was taken entirely by surprise; he had not anticipated the blow and made no preparation for defence; even his captains were enjoying leave home! The Rajah had barely time to escape with his life, while Shivaji entered his city in triumph (29th April.) The rest of the small State was easily occupied and placed under Trimbak Bhaskar as governor, while the neighbouring hill-fort of Pratitgarh (=Prachitgarh) was put in repairs to protect the city.[*]
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The ferocity and greed of the Maratha troops, no less than their valour and rapidity of movement, had spread the wildest terror among the people of the invaded districts and all who could had fled away from the path of the invaders. Shivaji now very wisely won over Shirke, the minister and virtual ruler of Shringarpur, enlisted him in his own service, afterwards marrying into his family,—made large gifts to the local Brahmans and thus induced the population to return to their homes and usual occupations and submit to the new government.
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But these successes were chequered by a great defeat. In May 1661 the Mughals wrested Kalian from the Marathas, and though Shivaji mustered an army in Mahad to attempt its recovery, his efforts did not bear fruit and this capital city remained in Mughal hands for nine years more. So, late in June, Shivaji retired to his fort of Wardhangarh, where he spent the entire summer in quiet. The fort of Deiri, in the Pen sub-division, was besieged by a Muslim general named Bulaki, but a Maratha relieving force under Kavji Kodhalkar drove him away after slaying 400 of his men (21 August 1661.)
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∗ Several details of this campaign in the Ratnagiri district have been taken from the *Shiva-bharat*. The dates are from *Jedhe S.*
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Maratha activities were resumed at the beginning of 1662. Shivaji attacked Namdar Khan, at Mira Dongar (6 miles south-east of Pen), and then raided the rich city of Pen. The Mughal defence was obstinate and Shivaji's forces suffered a heavy loss in killed and wounded.
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On the whole, throughout the year 1662 and the first quarter of 1663, some Mughal generals (especially Namdar Khan) showed great activity and success in attacking the Marathas, making reprisals into their territory, and spoiling their raids by close pursuit. In March 1663 we find two large and mobile divisions of Mughal horse,—12,000 and 7,000 strong,—posted at Upper Chaul and Rahamatpur respectively for these duties, while Kalian was held by a permanent garrison too large to be easily attacked.
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The net result of the operations of these two years was that the Mughals kept their grip on the extreme north of Konkan, including the city and district of Kalian,—barring occasional raids into that debatable land the Pen sub-division,—while Shivaji remained master of the southern part, namely the south-eastern corner of the Kolaba district and nearly the whole of the Ratnagiri district, or roughly 18° to 16.30 North latitude.
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In March 1663, the Mughals gave a long and vigorous chase to Netaji, the Master of the Horse in Shiva's army. He had led his cavalry in a raid into the imperial territory, but a Mughal force of 7,000 horse pursued him so closely that "he was fain to travel 45 or 50 miles a day and yet [had] much ado to escape with a small [part of the] booty he had got. They left not the pursuit till they came within five leagues of Bijapur." But Rustam-i-Zaman met the Mughals and induced them to give up the pursuit, "by telling them that the country was dangerous for any strange army to march in and also promising to go himself and follow him, by which deceit Netaji got away, though not without loss of 300 horse and himself wounded." (F. R. Surat, vol. 103, Gyffard to Surat, 30 March, and 8 April 1663.)
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But within a month of meeting with this reverse to him arms, Shivaji dealt a masterly blow at the Mughals, —a blow whose cleverness of design, neatness of execution and completeness of success created in the Mughal Court and camp as much terror of his prowess and belief in his possession of magical powers, as his coup against Afzal Khan had done among the Bijapuris. He surprised and wounded the Mughal viceroy of the Deccan in the heart of his camp, in his very bed-chamber, within the inner ring of his body-guards and female slaves.∗
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∗ Night-attack on Shaista Khan: the earliest records are Gyffard to Surat 12 April, 24 May, 1663 (F. R. Surat, vol. 103) containing Shivaji's own version; Bernier, 187; A. N. 819 (only one sentence!); Storia, ii. 104-106; Sabh. 35-37; Dil. 44-46. Khafi Khan (ii. 172-5) reports the narration of his father, a servant of Shaista Khan, but he wrote after 1730. T. S. 19b-20a, . Jedhe.
Linked texts (1)
- Śivabhārata — Paramānanda, Sanskrit