Notes-Class 7-History-Chapter 6-Conflict With The Mughals-Maharashtra Board

Shivaji Maharaj took aggressive stand against the Mughals :

• Although Shivaji Maharaj had defeated the Adilshahi, a battle with the Mughals was unavoidable if the Swaraj were to grow.
• Even as the Swaraj started to grow, the Mughals remained a serious threat. Maharaj also defeated this challenge. He expelled the Mughals from his forts and territories.
• He achieved himself a crown. He began a Southern campaign.

Shaistakhan’s Invasion

• Shaistakhan left from Ahmadnagar entered Pune province in’ February 1660.
• He overcame the resistance of Firangoji Narsala and captured Chakian fort
• While he camped in Lal Mahal at Pune, his forces looted the people in the regions around Pune for two years.
• Shaistakhan lost his fingers, when Shivaji Mahara secretly raided Lal Mahal on 5^th April, 1663.
• After this humiliation, Shaistakhan shifted his camp to Aurangabad.
• The displeased Aurangzeb transferred him to the province of Bengal.

The Surat Campaign :

• Surat was a major trading centre, port, and prosperous city under Mughal administration.
• Surat was home to factories owned by the British, Dutch, and French.
• Shivaji Maharaj chose to invade Surat in order to recover his losses from the invasion of Shaistakhan and to teach the Mughals a lesson.
• Surat's Subhedar, Inayatkhan, was powerless to resist.
• Without worrying the regular people, Maharaj gained vast wealth in Surat.
• This was a devastating blow to Emperor Aurangzeb's reputation.

Jaisingh’s Invasion

• Mirzaraja Jaisingh was an experienced and powerful Rajput Sardar. He was sent to Pune by Aurangzeb to curb the activities of Shivaji Maharaj.
• Jaisingsh rallied all the anti-Shivaji Maharaj forces.
• He with help of the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British and the Siddis suggested to start a naval campaign against Maharaj.
• Jaisingh and Dilerkhan laid siege to the fort of Purandar, while the Mughal army ravaged the territories of the Swaraj.
• The heroic death of Murarbaji Deshpande, while defending Purandar, made Shivaji Maharaj realise the seriousness of the situation,
• Thereafter, he met Jaisingh personally and signed the Treaty of Purandar.
• Jaisingh secured twenty-three forts and the adjoining territories yielding an annual revenue of four lakh hons. He also assured the Mughals of help against Adilshah.

Agra visit and escape :

• Jaisingh and Aurangzeb felt that Shivaji Maharaj ought to be kept away from Deccan politics for a while.
• Jaisingh proposed that Maharaj should visit Agra and meet the Emperor.
• Shivaji Maharaj along with Prince Sambhaji and few trusted people, agreed to visit Agra on the guarantee of safety given by Jaisingh.
• Shivaji Maharaj gave vent to his rage as he was not treated him with due honour by Aurangzeb.
• Shivaji Maharaj was placed under house imprisonment by the Emperor.
• Maharaj deftly escaped from Agra and arrived in Rajgad.
• Prince Sambhaji Raje who was left by Maharaj at Mathura, was later safe brought to Rajgad.
• In the absence of Shivaji Maharaj, Jijamata and her associates looked after Swaraj.

On the offensive against Mughals :

• The Maharaj did not desire any war with the Mughals after returning from Agra. However, he devised a thorough strategy to reclaim the forts and lands ceded to the Mughals by the Treaty of Purandar.
• He sent a well-equipped army to capture the forts.
• Maharaj destabilised the Mughals by attacking the Deccan provinces under their authority, recapturing several forts including as Sinhgad, Purandar, Lohagad, Mahuli, Karnala, and Rohida.
• Maharaj attacked Surat for the second time and on way back, defeated Mughal Sardar Daudkhan at Vani-Dindori in Nashik district.
• Maharaj was successful in the offensives, with the help of many sardars against the Mughals.
• Within four months, he had taken as many as 27 forts.

Coronation :

• Coronation of Shivaji Maharaj was necessary to gain general recognition as sovereign independent state.
• Shivaji Maharaj was formally crowned, according to the vedic rituals, by Gagabhatt at Raigad on 6 June, 1674,
• Maharaj ascended the throne of the Swaraj and became Chhatrapati of the Swaraj.
• As a symbol of sovereignty the Rajyabhisheka Shaka, the Coronation Era, was started.
• On the occasion coronation, a gold coin called Hon and copper coin called Shivrai were minted, with the legend ‘Shri Raja Shivachhatrapati’ inscribed on them.
• All royal correspondence, at the coronation, was carried with the words ‘Kshatriyakulaavantansa Shri Raja Shivchhatrapati’.
• The coronation of Shivaji Maharaj was a revolutionary event in the history of Medieval India.
• Gosavi of Nischalpuri performed tantric ritual coronation alongside vedic ceremony on September 24, 1674.
• Maharaj honored both the Vedic and Tantric traditions and had two coronation ceremonies performed.

The Campaign of the South :

• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj undertook his campaign of the South in
• October, 1677.
• He entered into a treaty of friendship with Qutubshah of Golconda.
• He tried to convince, without success, his half-brother Vyankoji, the ruler of Thanjavur to participate in the activities of the Swaraj.
• He conquered Bengaluru and Hoskote in Karnataka, Jinji and Vellore forts and some parts of Adilshahi kingdom.
• He appointed Raghunath Narayan Hanamante to look after these conquered territories and returned to Swaraj after two years.
• Shivaji Maharaj also annexed the fort of Jinji which proved to be of great importance in later years.
• Soon after the victorious campaign of the south, Shivaji Maharaj passed away on Raigad on 3 April 1680.