A Man In A Hurry - Shivaji’s campaigns from 1659 to 1666

By Ritesh Shirpurkar

   Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s achievements are as such extra-ordinary, if all the tales of his valour are recollected. The decisive victory over Afzal Khan, the escape from Panhala, the surprise night attack on Shaista Khan, the Mughal viceroy of Deccan and the loot of Surat being a few and important such instances. 

     By their very nature, these acts were extra-ordinary, there being no parallel in the then contemporary India. All these acts of valour were executed with a lot of grit, determination, raw courage and at a great personal risk. They demanded a lot of planning, ground work and a great self-belief in executing them flawlessly, as they eventually were. They also demanded a lot of sacrifice from his men. That he could motivate them to accomplish these extra-ordinary feats is a testament to this leadership qualities. That they were executed against a much superior enemy, both in terms of men and material, added to him an aura of invincibility. 

   However, what stands out most and is often not spoken of, is the speed with which he executed these feats, one after the other and succeeding in almost all of them. It appears as if he was a man in a hurry. From the year 1659 CE to the year 1666 CE, the Marathas, under his leadership fought scores of battles, both major and minor ones, against more than one adversary. All these 7 years he was continuously campaigning, at times even during the monsoon season. It is difficult to even estimate the total number of battles, large and small, that Marathas fought during this period. Suffice to say that they were in a continuous state of war. The remarkable feature was that many of these campaigns were offensive rather than defensive, planned in great detail and executed with precision. The speed at which they were conducted was breakneck. Sample this -

The death of Afzal Khan and the comprehensive defeat of his Bijapuri forces took place on 10^th November, 1659 at Pratapgad (present day Mahabaleshwar in Satara district). Without waiting to celebrate much this first important milestone of his nascent career, in December, 1659 CE, the very next month, Shivaji raided Kolhapur district, captured the important fort of Panhala by defeating another Bijapuri army and made extensive conquests, not only in that district but also in South Konkan, by pouring down the ghats to the west and south-west of Kolhapur. He accomplished all this in just three months. By February, 1660 all the above mentioned territory was under his sway. 

In the very next month (March, 1660) however, the Mughals and Bijapur launched a combined attack on him from North (Mughals from Ahmednagar, north west of Pune) and south (Bijapuri forces in Kolhapur) of his territory, simultaneously. In fact, in the south, in the first week of March, 1660 itself (2^nd March, 1660 to be precise) he himself was besieged in Panhala fort at Kolhapur by a 15,000 strong Bijapuri force under Siddi Jauhar, an Abyssinian general of Bijapur. The siege lasted for the next five months with all roads to and from the fort completely blocked.  Shivaji could escape only because of the bravery and sacrifice of his soldiers gallantly led by man-in-charge of the situation, Bajiprabhu Deshpande, who held the 15,000 strong force for five hours at the mouth of a narrow ravine till his master reached safely at Vishalgad, a fort further west of Panhala at the edge of western ghats.

 In the north of his small kingdom, Shaista Khan left Ahmednagar on 25^th February, 1660 with a large army. He marched southwards along the eastern border of Pune district, methodically capturing and garrisoning all the strongholds that guarded the approaches to Pune on the east and south. His army conquered Supa and Baramati (50-60 miles south-east of Pune) and reached Shirwal (about 40 miles south of Pune) by April, 1660 and Pune by May of that year (9^th May, 1660). A month later, on 19^th June, he laid siege to the fort of Chakan, to the north of Pune. Shivaji could not himself come to rescue Chakan, he himself being stuck 120 miles down south in Panhala. To Firangji Narsala, the old officer in-charge of Chakan fort, he had instructed to hold the fort as long as possible, but to surrender when it was no longer possible to continue any further. This brave officer held on for two months, fighting for every inch bravely and surrendering only when he saw no point in further fight. Rainy season forced Shaista Khan to remain in Pune. 

The reverses at Chakan and Panhala was followed by a lull in the war on both fronts (north and south of his territory) for the last three months of 1660. These three months which Shivaji spent at Raigad, he used for planning to compensate his losses at the above two places. He did this by transferring the war to Konkan, which was a Bijapuri territory. In early 1661 (February) he descended on the coastal strip to the west of Sahyadris, easily capturing city after city till all the coastal strip from Danda-Rajapur (near Murud, 15 miles south of Alibaug) to Kharepatan (near Ratnagiri) was commanded by him. His movements were so rapid that no resistance was offered at many places. The ferocity, valour, and rapidity of movements of the Marathas spread a wild terror among the local rulers. 

He however lost Kalyan (in north Konkan) to Mughals in 1661. Pen (North Konkan) was disputed throughout the first half of 1661, till Marathas wrested it in August that year. There was again that ferocious monsoon followed by a period of lull for the remaining of the year, with Mughals occupying Pune and North Konkan (Kalyan). Throughout the year 1662 and first half of 1663, Mughals had some success against Marathas, maintaining a huge force of 20,000 horse. There were many small and large skirmishes between Marathas and Mughals during this period, in many of which, Mughals had their fair share of success. In April, 1663 Shivaji’s master-of-horse, Netaji Palkar barely escaped with his life and with a loss of his soldiers. 

And then within a month of this reverse, Shivaji delt a big blow to the Mughals. He attacked and injured the Shaista Khan (who lost his thumb), the Mughal Viceroy of Deccan, in the heart of his camp, in his very bed, within the inner ring of his body guards and surrounded by a 10,000 strong cavalry outside. The attack took place on 5^th April, 1663. By December, 1663, Shaista Khan was transferred to Bengal by Aurangzeb.

While this change of governors for Deccan was going on for the Mughals, Shivaji performed a feat of even greater audacity. From 6^th to 10^th January, 1664, he looted the city of Surat, the richest port on the west coast. 

Maharaja Jaswant Singh, the general to Prince Muazzam, the new Mughal viceroy at Aurangabad, besieged Kondana in November, 1663. The siege lasted for 6 months with no success. Jaswant Singh retreated to Aurangabad in May, 1664 after a failed attempt to raid the fort in which he lost many men. With the field now clear, Shivaji, in spite of the heavy monsoon, raided Ahmednagar in August, 1664. At the end on monsoon in 1664, he burst into Karnataka. 

On 30^th September, 1664, on his birthday, Aurangzeb appointed Mirza Rajah Jai Singh for Deccan campaign against Shivaji. By March, 1665, Jaisingh had reached Pune and by the end of May that year he was on the verge of capturing Purandar, an impregnable fort to the south-east of Pune. In June, 1665 Shivaji surrendered the fort and signed the treaty of Purandar. 

After the monsoon, in November 1665, Shivaji accompanied Jaisingh to defeat Adil Shah of Bijapur. After two months of campaign and reaching within ten miles of the capital, the mission failed. In Jan, 1666 Shivaji tried to wrest Panhala from Bijapur, but did not succeed. 

At the beginning of March, 1666, convinced by Jaisingh, Shivaji left for Agra to meet Aurangzeb. He reached there in the middle of May and was immediately put under house arrest. He remained confined for the next three months. Shivaji escaped from Agra on 19^th August, 1666.  He reached Raigad on 12^th September, 1666. He covered over 1000 miles in less than a month by travelling approximately 40 miles a day, travelling with breathless speed, by rough jungle tracks, without stopping anywhere sufficiently long for rest. This journey thoroughly impaired his health. 

For the next three years, finally, he did not carry out any expedition on any front. This period he, however, wisely utilized in setting up his territories on a sound administrative footing. It was only in 1670 C.E., after this work was over, that he burst forth on all fronts.

Mentioned below is the chronology of events from 1659 to 1666 highlighting dates of battles, large and small and troop movements during this period.

10^th November, 1659 - Death of Afzal Khan and defeat of Bijapuri forces at Pratapgad

Dec 1659 - Feb 1660 - Captured the important fort of Panhala by defeating another Bijapuri army  

                                        and made extensive conquests, not only in that district but also in South 

                                        Konkan

25^th February, 1660 - Shaista Khan leaves Ahmednagar with a large army to attack Shivaji from north

2^nd March, 1660 - Shivaji besieged in Panhala fort in south by a 15,000 strong Bijapur force under Siddi  

                                Jauhar

April, 1660 - Shaista Khan captures Supa and Shirwal

9^th May, 1660 - Shaista Khan captures Pune

19^th June, 1660 - Shaista Khan lays siege to the fort of Chakan, to the north of Pune. Takes 2 months to 

                              capture it.

3^rd March – 12^th July, 1660 – Shivaji besieged in Panhala (for 5 months)

13^th July, 1660 – Battle of Pawankhind, death of Baji Prabhu, Shivaji reaches to Vishalgad.

Aug – Dec 1660 – Lull in war on both fronts. Shivaji at Rajgad (planning his next move, of course!)

February 2, 1661 – Battle of Umberkhind. Shivaji defeated the Mughal general Kartalab Khan. 

Feb, 1661 – Shivaji descends on Konkan, capturing city after city till all the coastal strip from Danda-

                      Rajapur (near Murud) to Kharepatan (near Ratnagiri) is commanded by him

Aug, 1661 – Captures Pen in northern Konkan after many battles with Mughals. But loses Kalyan-Thane in    

                      extreme north of Konkan.

Aug – Dec, 1661 – A ferocious monsoon followed by a period of lull.

1662 – Many small and large battles with Mughals to reclaim northern part of Shivaji’s territory lost to them.

Jan – Mar, 1663 – The battles continue without any side emerging a clear-cut winner.

Apr, 1663 – Netaji Palkar defeated and barely escapes with his life

5^th April, 1663 – Shiva attacks and injures Shaista Khan (loses his thumb), the Mughal Viceroy of Deccan, in 

                              the heart of his camp.

Dec, 1663 - Shaista Khan transferred to Bengal by Aurangzeb

6^th to 10^th Feb, 1664 – Raids and loots the city of Surat, the richest port on the west coast.

Sept, 1664 – Bursts into Karnataka

30^th Sept, 1664 – Aurangzeb appoints Mirza Raje Jaisingh to put down Shivaji

9^th Jan, 1665 – Jaisingh crosses Narmada

10^th Feb, 1665 – Jaisingh reaches Aurangabad

3^rd March, 1665 – Jaisingh arrives in Pune

14^th March, 1665 – Jaisingh marches out of Pune to besiege Purandar, south-east of Pune

29^th March, 1665 – Jaisingh reaches Saswad, at the base of Purandar fort

30^th March, 1665 – Jaisingh’s army encamps in front of Purandar

14^th April, 1665 – Jaisingh captures Vajragad (sister fort of Purandar)

30^th May, 1665 – Outworks of Purandar stormed

11^th June, 1665 – Shivaji meets Jaisingh and signs the treaty of Purandar

20^th Nov, 1665 – Jaisingh, along with Shivaji marches for invading Bijapur after monsoon

29^th Dec, 1665 – Jaisingh reaches within 10 miles of Bijapur. Fails to capture Bijapur

11^th Jan, 1666 – Shivaji attacks Panhala, but fails to take the fort. 

5^th March, 1666 – Shivaji leaves for Agra

12^th May, 1666 – Shivaji reaches Agra. Put under house arrest.

19^th Aug, 1666 – Shivaji escapes from Agra

12^th Sept, 1666 – Reaches Rajgad covering over 1000 miles in less than a month by travelling 40 miles a 

                               day.

As can be seen from this chronology, this phase of his career from 1659 to 1666, a period of 7 years, was one of continuous and strenuous warfare. He suffered reverses, but he emerged victorious in all major engagements against much superior enemies. The English acknowledged this as much, as is seen from their correspondence. On 26^th June, 1664 the English factor at Surat wrote – “Reports have made him an airy body, and added wings, or else it was impossible that he could be at so many places as he is said to be, all at one time……They ascribe to him to perform more than a herculean labor that he has become the talk of the town.” Again, on 26^th November, 1664 – “Shivaji reigns victoriously and uncontrolled, that he is a terror to all kings and Princes. He is very nimble and active, imposing strange labor upon himself that he may endure hardship, and also motivates his chiefest men so that he flies to and fro with incredible dexterity.” 

He was indeed a man in a hurry.

By Ritesh Shirpurkar