Maratha Sardar - Bhosale's dutiful family

Period of Unrest :

As the saints preached devotion to God , the brave Maratha Sardars started a tradition of bravery .

This was a period of great unrest . The two Sultans , the Adilshah of Bijapur and the Nizamshah of Ahmadnagar were constantly at war with each other . They made use of the armies of Maratha Sardars in these wars .

The Brave Maratha Sardars 

The Marathas were both brave and tough . They were also fearless and loyal to their masters . They were very proud of their achievements on the battlefield . The brave Maratha soldier with a spear in hand and a sword at the side would ride in his Sardar's cavalry . All the Maratha Sardars had their own private armies . If such a Sardar went to the Sultan with his army , the Sultan gave him employment , made him a Sardar of his kingdom and sometimes conferred a Jagir upon him . The Sardar who received such a Jagir considered himself a Raja .

There were many famous Maratha Sardars at the Courts of Ahmadnagar and Bijapur . The more famous among them were the Jadhavs of Sindkhed , Nimbalkars of Phaltan , Ghorpades of Mudhol , Moreys of Javali , Bhonsales of Verul . The Sindkhed Jadhavs claimed descent from the Yadavs of Devgiri . Jijabai , Shivaji's mother , was the daughter of Lakhujirao Jadhav of Sindkhed .

Tradition of Valour 

All these Sardars were brave but sworn enemies of one another . They never thought that they should unite and do something for their own people . So all their valour and bravery served the interests of others . Even so , they kept alive the warlike spirit , especially among the young . Many famous soldiers were born in their families who kept alive the tradition of valour . Among the famous families , the Bhonsales of Verul showed great bravery and enterprise .

The Temple of Ghrushneshwar 

It was about four hundred years ago . The temple of Ghrushneshwar near the Verul caves was falling to pieces . The walls had developed cracks . The priest also had deserted the temple . Thus the temple which was built in honour of a great god was totally neglected . All the devotees who came there mourned over the sorry state of the temple , but no one thought of repairing it .

A great devotee of Shiva visited the temple regularly . He would put flowers and ' bel ' on the ' lingam ' and express his innermost thoughts to the God . He carried out extensive repairs to the temple and restored it to its original condition . He also made arrangements for the proper maintenance of the temple . Now there were lights both inside and outside the temple and the lost grandeur of Ghrushneshwar was restored . Who was this devotee who did all this ? He was Maloii Raie Bhonsale

The Bhonsales of Verul 

Maloji Raje Bhonsale, the patil of Verul, was a great devotee of Shiva. Babaji Raje had two sons. Maloji Raje was the elder, and Vithoji Raje the younger. Babaji Raje Bhonsale had the rights of a patil in the Verul village

Maloji Raje and Vithoji Raje were both brave and enterprising . They had in their service many armed Maratha troops . It was a period of great unrest . The Moghul emperor from Delhi had attacked the Kingdom of Nizamshah . Daulatabad was then the capital of Nizamshah . Malik Amber was his Vazir or Chief Minister . Malik Ambar was able and wise . The two capable and brave brothers from Verul soon caught his attention . On his recommendation , the Shah conferred on Maloji Raje the Jagir of Pune and Supe Parganas .

So the Bhonsales became rich and powerful . Maloji Raje's wife was Umabai . She came from the House of the Nimbalkars of Phaltan . They had two sons , Shahaji and Sharifji . Maloji Raje was killed in a battle at Indapur . At that time Shahaji was only five years old . Then Vithoji Raje looked after the children and the Jagir . Later , he asked in marriage for Shahaji , the daughter of Lakhujirao Jadhav . Jijabai , the daughter of Lakhujirao , was well favoured by the gods . Lakhujirao accepted Vithoji Raje's proposal . Lakhujirao was a brave and valiant Sardar in the court of Nizamshah . He kept a large army of his own . He commanded great respect and honour at the court of Nizamshah . He celebrated the wedding of Shahaji Raje and Jijabai with great pomp . Jijabai became the Fortune of the Bhonsale family

Shahaji raje

Nizamshah transferred to Shahaji Raje the Jagir he had conferred on Maloji Raje . Shahaji Raje was a brave and capable man held in great respect at the court of Nizamshah . The Moghul Emperor decided to conquer the Kingdom of Nizamshah . For this , he made an alliance with the Adilshah of Bijapur . Malik Amber and Shahaji Raje fought bravely to save Nizamshahi . They defeated both the armies . This battle took place at Bhatawadi near Ahmadnagar . Sharifji was killed in the battle . Shahaji Raje displayed great valour . He was praised everywhere as a brave General . His reputation in the court was so enhanced that even Malik Amber began to feel jealous of him . This gradually led to antagonism between them . As a result , Shahaji Raje left Nizamshahi and joined the court of Adilshah at Bijapur . Adilshah honoured him with the title of ' Sar Lashkar ' ( Chief of Army ) . Later , there were many developments in Nizamshahi . The Vazir Malik Amber died . His scheming son Fattekhan became the Vazir of Nizamshahi . During his period , the Nizamshahi began to decline . At about the same time , there was a threat of Moghul aggression . So , Nizamshah's mother appealed to Shahaji Raje to return to Nizamshahi and save it . Therefore , Shahaji Raje left Adilshahi and returned to Nizamshahi .