अफजलखानवधाचा परिणाम

The downfall of Afzal Khan stands as a towering feat of Shivaji's cunning and daring — a fierce contest between brute strength and intellect, in which mere physical might proved powerless before the force of a superior mind. The belief spread on every side that God himself stood by this man, that whatever he set his mind to he would bring to pass, and that no one could hope to prevail against him. From this point the Bijapur kingdom's decline had visibly begun. Until now, Shivaji had maintained the pretense of being Bijapur's humble servant, working only for the good of its subjects; that pretense was now at an end.

स्वराज्याची वाढ

To the very degree that Bijapur's power waned, Shivaji's swarajya grew in strength, and the excesses of Muslim rule in Maharashtra were curbed. Emboldened by his example, every one of Shivaji's associates now began, in similar fashion, to build up independent power of his own.

पन्हाळा, विशाळगड, रांगणा काबीज

Yet this was not the end of Bijapur's resistance. Afzal Khan's son, Fazal Khan, who had escaped with his life, went to Bijapur and set about seeking revenge on Shivaji for his father's death. Word of this reached Shivaji too, and understanding that the conflict was bound to grow further, he made ready for it. He struck first: within eighteen days of Afzal Khan's death he seized Panhala, Bijapur's great and formidable western fort, thereby ending Bijapur's power in that quarter altogether. Within a month he had pushed his raids as far as Belgaum and Dharwad, gathering much plunder — an opportunity he exploited to the full without pausing to rest even a moment. Within two or three months of Khan's death he had plundered and overrun the kingdom's ghat territory and its Konkan lands, and, along with Panhala, had seized the strong forts of Vishalgad and Rangana as well. Meanwhile, Ali Adilshah took the reins of Bijapur's government out of his mother's hands, and charged one of his officers in Karnataka, Siddi Johar, with the task of bringing Shivaji to heel.

पन्हाळगडास सिद्दी जौहरचा वेढा

For his part, Shivaji enlarged his army and sent his commanders in various directions into Adilshahi territory, so that the struggle took on real intensity. To confront the Bijapur forces directly, Shivaji himself went to stay at Panhalgad fort in the month of Magh. Siddi Johar came up and laid siege to Panhala. The commanders Netaji Palkar, Moropant Pingle, and Pratap Rao Gujar mounted attacks on the besieging Bijapuri army from outside. Shivaji himself went up to Panhala on the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa to personally direct the defense, but found himself trapped within the siege. For three or four months a fierce struggle raged around Panhala. Day by day the blockade tightened, until at last grain, fodder, and munitions could no longer reach the fort at all from outside.

जिजाबाईंची चिंता व हताश नेताजी

Jijabai, remaining at Shivapattan, kept anxious watch for news of the war but could learn nothing of Shivaji's fate. She summoned Netaji Palkar and consulted with him over what could be done, but even he had grown despairing. Within the fort, the defenders faced starvation. If the fort were surrendered, Shivaji himself would fall into enemy hands — and once the Bijapuris had him in their grip, they would certainly not let him go without exacting revenge for Afzal Khan's death. Matters stood thus until the monsoon set in and military operations slackened somewhat; seeing this, Shivaji, purely through the brilliance of his own intellect, worked a feat that left friend and foe alike utterly bewildered.

शरणागतीचे नाटक

When the siege pressed hardest, Shivaji sent envoys to Salabat Khan with the message: "I have no recourse left; if you grant me my life, I will surrender the fort to you." To have this promise confirmed, the Khan invited Shivaji to a personal meeting. After solemn oaths that there would be no treachery, Shivaji went and met the Khan, told him he would surrender the very next day, and returned to the fort. That night the siege relaxed. Since it was now settled that the fort, and Shivaji with it, would fall into their hands the next morning, the besieging soldiers abandoned their usual watchfulness and grew careless about guarding the approaches.

पन्हाळ्यावरून रात्रीचे निसटणे

On 13 July 1660 — Ashadh Vadya Pratipada — a day of driving wind and rain, Khan's men, believing that peace had been struck, went carelessly off to sleep. Since Shivaji knew every hidden turning of the fort intimately, after midnight he slipped out unnoticed, along with ten or twelve of his most trusted companions, by a difficult path. This small band then ran hard through the night, covering some thirty miles, and by daybreak had reached the vicinity of Vishalgad. But before they could reach safety, news of the escape reached the Khan, who dispatched a swift detachment of cavalry in pursuit. Riding hard, these horsemen caught up with Shivaji's party near Vishalgad.

घोडखिंडीत बाजीप्रभूंचें प्राणार्पण

A narrow pass called Ghodkhind leads into Vishalgad, and in that pass stood Shivaji's trusted retainer, Baji Prabhu. Together with his companions, he signaled to Shivaji: "I will hold these pursuers here in this narrow defile — you save yourself, get to the fort, and bar the gates." The fort itself was none too easy of access. Baji Prabhu fought with utter resolve and held the enemy at bay for a full watch, thereby securing Shivaji's escape. But then still more enemy troops fell upon him; fighting them to the last, that valiant hero fell dead upon the field, giving up his life in the noble conviction that he had saved Shivaji. It was because Shivaji found servants capable of such self-sacrifice, Sardesai observes, that he achieved the greatness he did.

कोंकण मोहीम - राजापूरचे इंग्रज

As soon as the Panhala affair was settled, Shivaji at once launched a campaign into Bijapur's Konkan territory and brought it under his own control — Dabhol, Chiplun, Sangameshwar, Rajapur, and Sawantwadi, this entire prosperous region, all came into Shivaji's hands. The Surve family of Shringarpur, the English of Rajapur, and the Sawant-Bhosale lords of Sawantwadi, among various others, were all brought under Shivaji's authority — episodes all reckoned significant in his rise. Among them, the events at Rajapur became especially memorable for a particular reason. This busy trading port, thronged with goods, was at that time strategically convenient for both military and administrative purposes, and it held a large warehouse of the English Company. These Englishmen were foreign traders who had no proper business meddling in the political affairs of the country, yet during the siege of Panhala they had supplied Salabat Khan with cannon and gunpowder, causing Shivaji considerable loss. Shivaji could not forget this injury. On reaching Rajapur, he invited the English to a meeting; Revington and six other Englishmen went to meet him, whereupon Shivaji had them all arrested and confined in an unfamiliar fort — though he kept their food and lodging arrangements excellent throughout. After two years he released them. Shivaji's terror was by now firmly established.

औरंगजेबाशी खरा सामना

Since this part of the Konkan, together with the western portion of the Maval region, lay within the Adilshahi kingdom, Shivaji had, in the beginning, to contend chiefly with Bijapur alone. But his true adversary was to be the emperor at Delhi, Aurangzeb, and it was in the struggle against him thereafter that Shivaji's life would find its full realization. As for Bijapur, in later years Shivaji would even take up its cause and defend it. It was destiny that brought forth these two famed figures, Aurangzeb and Shivaji, and in doing so shaped the history of Maharashtra. To understand how this great conflict came about is itself the foremost purpose of our history.