Battle of Purandar
| Battle of Purandar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mughal conquests and The Maratha rebellion | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Maratha kingdom | Mughal Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Shivaji Murarbaji † |
Jai Singh Diler Khan | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | 12,000[1] | ||||||||
The Battle of Purandar was fought between the Mughal Empire and the Marathas in 1665.
Background
[edit]The Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, appointed Jai Singh to lead a 12,000-man army against Maratha king Shivaji. Shaista Khan and Muazzam were both replaced by Jai Singh after their failure against Shivaji. Jai Singh was given full military power and made viceroy of Deccan by the Mughal Emperor.[1]
Siege
[edit]
Jai Singh started his campaign by isolating Shivaji; he persuaded some Maratha nobles to join him and offered to reduce the tribute of the Bijapur Sultanate if they joined him. Jai Singh then besieged Purandar and beat off all Maratha attempts to relieve the fort. In 1665, Shivaji sued for peace.[3] Shivaji is noted to have said when receiving Jai Singh "I have come as a guilty slave to seek forgiveness, and it is for you to pardon or kill me at your pleasure." [4]
Aftermath
[edit]In the Treaty of Purandar, signed by Shivaji and Jai Singh on 11 June 1665, Shivaji agreed to give up 23 of his forts, keeping 12 for himself, and pay compensation of 400,000 gold hun to the Mughals.[5] Shivaji agreed to become a vassal of the Mughal empire, and to send his son Sambhaji, along with 5,000 horsemen, to fight for the Mughals in the Deccan, as a mansabdar.[6][7]
Sambhaji was taken as a political prisoner to ensure compliance with the treaty. Shivaji himself wished to be excused from attending the court but agreed to send his son Sambhaji. [8] To this end, he wrote letters to Aurangzeb, requesting forgiveness for his actions and security for himself along with a robe of honour. He also requested Jai Singh to support him in getting his crimes pardoned by the emperor, stating "Now you are protector and a father to me, so I beg you to fulfil the ambition of your son."[9][10] On September 15, 1665, Aurangzeb granted his request and sent him a letter and a firman along with a robe of honor. Shivaji responded with a letter thanking the emperor:[4]
Shiva, the meanest of life-devoting slaves who wears the ring of servitude in his ear and the carpet of obedience on his shoulder—like an atom ... [acknowledges] the goodnews of his eternal happiness, namely favours from the Emperor ... This sinner and evil-doer did not deserve that his offences should be forgiven or his faults covered up. But the grace and favour of the Emperor have conferred on him a new life and unimaginable honour ...
In the treaty, Shivaji also agreed to help the Mughals against Bijapur,[8] by sending some Maratha officers with Jai Singh against Bijapur. After the failed campaign against Bijapur, Jai Singh arranged a meeting between Aurangzeb and Shivaji, which proved to be a disaster, allowing Shivaji to escape and a renewal of the war between the Mughals and the Marathas.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Chandra, Satish (2005). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part - II. Har Anand Publications. p. 316. ISBN 9788124110669.
After the disgrace of Shaista Khan and Shivaji's raid on Surat....Aurangzeb appointed Mirza Raja Jai Singh, who was one of his trusted noble...he was given an army of 12,000.....Jai Singh was not only given full military authority....he was made the viceroy of the Deccan in place of Prince Muazzam...in order to isolate Shivaji, and even tried to win over the Sultan of Bijapur....he also induced some of the Maratha deshmukhs...marching to Pune, Jai Singh decided to strike at the heart of Shivaji's territories....Jai Singh closely besieged Purandar, (1665) beating off all Maratha attempts to relieve it. With the fall of the fort in sight, and no relief likely from any quarter, Shivaji opened negotiations with Jai Singh.
- ^ Jacques, Tony (30 November 2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 825. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.
- ^ a b Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal (1964). The Mughal Empire, 1526-1803 A.D. Shiva Lal Agarwala. pp. 376–379.
After Jai Singh had promised him a safe conduct Shivaji proceeded on the morning of 24th June 1665, to meet the R^put general in his camp. Jai Singh, however, sent word that unless Shivaji agreed to hand over all his forts, he need not come for an interview. Shivaji agreed and proceeded on and was welcomed at the door of the tents by Jai Singh's Bakhshi. Jai Singh biznself advanced a few steps, embraced Shivaji, and seated him by his side. Jai Singh had instructed Diler Khan and Kirat Singh to bunch an attack on Purandar, while Shivaji was with him so as to convince the latter of the hopelessness of the Maratha position.
- ^ a b Eraly, Abraham (2007). "The Maratha Nemesis". Emperors Of The Peacock Throne The Saga of the Great Moghuls. Penguin Books Limited. p. 661.
- ^ Haig & Burn, The Mughal Period 1960, p. 258.
- ^ Sarkar, History of Aurangzib 1920, p. 77.
- ^ Gordon 1993, p. 74.
- ^ a b Mehta, Jaswant Lal (2005-01-01). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-932705-54-6.
- ^ Wink, André (2007-12-03). "Brahman,king and emperor". Land and Sovereignty in India - Agrarian Society and Politics under the Eighteenth-Century Maratha Svarājya. Volume 36 of University of Cambridge Oriental Publications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-521-05180-4.
- ^ Mahendra Pratap Singh (2001). Shivaji, Bhakha Sources and Nationalism. Books India International. p. 201.
Sources
[edit]- Gordon, Stewart (1993), The Marathas 1600–1818, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-26883-7
- Haig, Wolseley; Burn, Richard (1960) [first published 1937], The Cambridge History of India, Volume IV: The Mughal Period, Cambridge University Press
- Sarkar, Jadunath (1920), History of Aurangzib: Based on Original Sources, Longmans, Green and Company
