From Shaista Khan entering Pune to Shivaji Mahara\’s escape to Agra, this blog contains the whole journey of the hardships and successes of Shivaji Maharaj.

This is part three of the Shivaji Maharaj trilogy series. 

Check out the other two conversations if you haven’t read them.

Cruelty Of Akbar, The Rise Of Aurangzeb and Invasion Of India By The Mughals

From Shivrai’s Birth to Expanding the Maratha Empire

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Shaista Khan Becoming The Subhedar of Deccan

“Aurangzeb doesn’t want the Maratha to exist, so he chooses Shaista Khan as a Subedar of Deccan and sends him to Aurangabad. It was not the Maratha empire exactly. It was a budding Swaraj. Shivaji’s territory at that time was around Pune, Javali, and Konkan.”

“Shaista Khan comes to Pune with foot soldiers, cavalry, and his wives and children. He knew he can’t fight Shivaji in the mountain, so he just destroyed the villages with all his people. He went on destroying Shivaji Maharaj’s territory. Shivaji Maharaj was staying in Raigad with his family at that time.”  

 

“Shaista Khan starts living in Lal Mahal. He lived there for two years, killed people, and got people to be his slaves. Shivaji had to think outside the box. Shaista Khan didn’t step out of Lal Mahal.”

 

Shivaji Maharaj’s Attack on Shaista Khan

“Shivaji Maharaj thought of a plan that they should go into the house and kill him. Critics do question that it is not right to attack someone like this. But my question to them is it was Shivaji Maharaj’s house, so he has to get Shaista Khan out.”

“It was a midnight attack. Shivaji Maharaj attacked Shaista Khan, but he couldn’t kill him. Jaswant Singh Rathod was posted in the Deccan by the Mughals near Kondana Fort. Shaista Khan blames Jaswant Singh by saying he helped Shivai in planning this attack. Aurangzeb then sent Shaista Khan to Bengal.”

 

Capturing The Fort Of Purandar

“Aurangzeb picks Mirza Raje Jai Singh to Deccan as he had fought battles in the Deccan. Diler Khan was sent to Deccan with Mirza Raje. Mirza Raje and Diler Khan hate each other. Diler Khan wants to go to Konkan, but Mirza Raje disagrees and says they should first attack one of Shivaji Maharaj’s forts. They decide to attack Vajra gad near Purandar. Purandar was guarded by Murarbaji Deshpande.”

“They take over Vajragad and then move towards Purandar. Murarbaji Deshpande fights the Mughals, but in the end, he was killed by Diler Khan.”

 

Purandar Peace Treaty

“Purandar peace treaty happens between Shivaji Maharaj and Mirza Raje Jai Singh. Mirza Raje asks for 23 of Shivrai’s fort that he had acquired from Adilshahi. Shivrai had only 12 forts left. Mirza Raje offers Shivrai to be a mansabdar, but Shivrai says to make his son the mansabdar.”

 

Shivaji’s Visit To Agra

“They wanted to send Shivrai away, so he was invited for the 50th birthday of Aurangzeb. Mirza Raje promised Shivrai that Badshah might make the Mughal Subedar of Deccan if he likes you, and he will help you with the war with the Siddhis.”

 

“Shivrai visited all the twelve forts before leaving and said that if he dies, or if any message comes from Agra to surrender the forts, you should not surrender the forts. Shivrai visited Agra, and the rest is history.”

 

Shivaji Maharaj In House Arrest

“In a Mughal court, where you stand is important. When Shivrai sees Jaswant Singh in front of him, he was disappointed. With the heat and all the surrounding incidents, he walks out of the court. After that, Shivrai was under house arrest. There are many hypotheses on how Shivrai escapes.”

 

“Everybody thinks Shivrai escaped from Agra and went to Deccan within a month. But it is an impossible theory. He did not escape in a sweet box. I have spent around 5-6 years studying this.”

 

“Till Shivrai’s death, it was a budding Swaraj. His mentality was I will lie low and gain the forts back that he lost in the Purandar peace treaty. When Shivrai died, he had around 350 forts.”

 

If you are interested in knowing more about the theories around Shivaji Maharaj’s escape from Agra, let us know in the comments.

 

Thank You for reading.

 

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