The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c9.31

c9.31

It may be mentioned here that a fort could be captured in two ways only — by effecting a breach in the walls by means of mines or cannonade and by escalading by means of rope ladders. Shivaji's men mined the ramparts of Phonda in 1675² and Tanaji recaptured Sinhgad by escalading its steep ramparts under the cover of darkness of night. For this purpose the Marathas sometimes employed an ingenious method. They tamed and trained the big monitor lizard or iguana, called Ghorpad in Marathi, and sent it to climb up the most difficult hillsides or ramparts with a rope round its body. It soon found a convenient cleft whereto it drove its nails and steadfastly clung and enabled a man to climb up the rope that hung loosely down.³ The rest of the operation was comparatively easy unless the intruders were surprised by the watchmen of the place.