THE TREATY, OF PURANDHAR (1665)

THE TREATY, OF PURANDHAR (1665)

Following terms were agreed upon in the Treaty of Purandhar:

(i) Out of the 35 forts held by Shivaji, he agreed to surrender 23 forts (which yielded four lakh huns every year) to the Mughals. The remaining 12 forts (with annual income of one lakh of huns) were to be left to Shivaji.
(ii) Shivaji agreed to the condition attached with his pos­session of 12 forts-service and loyalty to the Mughal throne.
(iii)Shivaji was allowed to keep possession of the territory worth four lakh huns a year in the Bijapuri Konkan.
(iv)Shivaji was granted the Balaghat territory (of Bijapur).
(v) Shivaji had to pay 40 lakh huns to the Mughals in lieu

POINTS TO REMEMBER

. Shivaji was generally influenced by Dadaji Konda-dev and Guru Ramdas.
. The Sultan of Bijapur ~nt Afzal Khan to capture Shivaji. Shivaji killed Afzal Khan with a weapon called Baghnakh (tiger's claw). . Shivaji was coronated at Raigarh in 1674. . The eight-member council of ministers of Shivaji was called ashtapradlinn.
. The territory directly under the rule of Shivaji was known as swaraj.
. Sardeshmukhi was. an additional levy of 10 per cent on
such lands which formed part of the Mughal empire but on which the Maratha claimed hereditary rights.
. The Treaty of Purandhar in 1665, signed between Shivaji and the Mughal was mediated by Raja Jai Singh of Amber.
. In the post-Shivaji period, Aurangzeb divided the
Marathas into two rival camps-one under Tara Bai and the other under Sahu.
. Saranjam was the letter of authority issued by the Maratha king Sahu to the Maratha sardars which gave the latter the power to collect chauth and sardeshmukhi.
. The first major political victory of Shivaji was the conquest of Javli in 1656 from the Maratha chief, Chandra Rao More.
. Haindava-Dharmoddharak (Protector of the Hindu faith)
was the title adopted by Shivaji.
. Shivaji's last military expedition was the Karnataka
expedition.
. Shivaji built the fort of Jenji where his son Rajaram took refuge following Aurangzeb's all-out war on the Marathas.
. Shivaji's revenue system followed the pattern of Malik
Ambar's system.

SAMBHAJI (1680-1689)

SAMBHAJI (1680-1689)

Shivaji's successor was his son Sambhaji who found in Kanauji a faithful adviser and conferred upon him the title of Kavi-Kalash. Both Sambhaji and Kavi-Kalash were captured and put to death in 1689 by Aurangzeb. Sambhaji was succeeded by Rajaram as his son Sahu was still young. Rajaram with his two able generals, Santaji Ghorpade and Dharaji Jadav began to harass the Mughal army and destroyed many of their outposts. Rajaram died in 1700 and was succeeded by his minor son Shivaji III under the regency of Tara Bai, his mother. Tara Bai directed the conduct of both civil and military affairs with equal success. The final failure of Aurangzeb against the Marathas was largely due to Tara Bai's energy and administrative genius.
The Mughals, however, succeeded in dividing the Marathas into two rival camps-one under Tara Bai and the other under Sambhaji's son, Sahu. Sahu, till now in the Mughal court, was released. He succeeded in deposing Tara Bai with the help of a Chitpavan brahman named Balaji Vishwanath.

SHIVAJI (AD 1627-1680)

SHIVAJI (AD 1627-1680)

Shivaji was born in the hill-fort of Shivner near Junnar in 1627 or as some modern historians assert in 1630. Shahji Bhonsle, the father of Shivaji, was a military officer at first in the state of Ahmadnagar and then, from 1636, in the state of Bijapur, and he owned the territory of Poona as a jagir. His mother was Jija Bai, a very religious lady. Shivaji was brought up at Poona under the careful supervision of his mother and an able brahman Dadaji Konda-dev. Dadaji Konda-dev made Shivaji an expert soldier and an efficient administrator. Shivaji also came under the religious influ­ence of Guru Ramdas, which made him proud of his motherland.

Shivaji began his military career at a young age. He captured the fort of Torna in 1646. Shortly afterwards he built new forts like Raigarh and Pratapgarh. On seeing this, the Sultan of Bijapur was much alarmed and he put Shahji, Shivaji's father in prison. Shivaji proved equal to the occasion and sought the intervention of Shah Jahan OR his father's behalf and thus Shahji was released. Shivaji re­sumed his offensive operations in 1656 and captured the principality of Javli. After some time, Shivaji raided the Bijapur territory and, in 1659, the Sultan of Bijapur sent his general, Afzal Khan, to capture Shivaji. But Shivaji was too clever for him and killed him with a deadly weapon called Baghnakh or tiger's claw. Ultimately, in 1662, the Sultan of Bijapur made peace with Shivaji and acknowledged him as an independent ruler of his conquered territories.

Shivaji now began to ravage the Mughal territories. Aurangzeb sent Shaista Khan, the viceroy of the Deccan, with a big army against Shivaji. Shaista Khan captured Poona. But Shivaji managed to outwit the Mughals in 1663.

He further plundered Surat and carried off an immense booty. Aurangzeb sent his own son, Prince Muazzam, and then, on his failure, Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amber against Shivaji. Raja Jai Singh won a few victories against Shivaji and besieged him in Purandhar (1665) and persuaded him to cede some forts to the Mughills by signing the Treaty of Purandhar and pay a visit to the Mughal court at Agra. But, when Shivaji went there, he was ill-treated and was taken a prisoner. He managed to escape, reaching Raigarhin 1666. From then onwards, he became an avowed enemy of the Mughals. He very soon conquered all the forts which he had surrendered to the Mughals. In 1670, he plundered Surat for the second time.

In 1674, Shivaji made Raigarh his capital and celebrated his coronation, and assumed the title of Chhatrapati. Shortly after this, he made a great expedition into southern India and conquered Jingi, Vellore and many forts in Kamataka. He died at Raigarh in 1680 after ruling for only six years. In this short time he founded the Maratha empire which dominated India for a century and a half.