The Maratha War of Independence

 The Maratha War of Independence

After the death of Shivaji Maharaj , the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb invaded the Deccan . The Marathas , under the leadership of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj , Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj and Maharani Tarabai , fought fiercely against the Mughals in defence of the Swaraj . This is known as the Maratha war of independence . Despite enormous difficulties , the Marathas emerged victorious in this struggle . This war is a thrilling and glorious chapter in the history of the Marathas . We are going to study the same in this lesson .

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj : 

After Shivaji Maharaj , Sambhaji Maharaj became the Chhatrapati . At this time , the Marathas were struggling against the Mughals . Prince Akbar , son of Aurangzeb , rebelled against his father . The Emperor crushed this rebellion . Then , Akbar came to the Deccan to take shelter with Sambhaji Maharaj . Aurangzeb descended on the South in AD 1682 to vanquish Akbar . He had with him a huge army and a powerful artillery . The Emperor asked the Siddi of Janjira to undertake an expedition against the Marathas . He also won over the Portuguese to his side . Consequently , Sambhaji Maharaj had to face many adversaries at one and the same time .

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj 

Campaign against the Siddi and the Portuguese :

 The Siddi of Janjira used to harass the people in the Maratha territory . Sambhaji Maharaj opened a campaign against him . The Marathas laid siege to his fort of Dandarajpuri and battered the fort of Janjira with their artillery . At this very time , the Mughal army invaded the Swaraj . Therefore , Sambhaji Maharaj was forced to abandon the Janjira campaig. 

The Portuguese of God had joined hands with the Mughal Emperor against Sambhaji Maharaj . Sambhaji Maharaj decided to teach the Portuguese a lesson . He attacked the Portuguese port of Chaul . In retaliation , the Portuguese laid siege to the Maratha fort of Fonda on the Goa border . The Marathas broke through the siege . They attacked Goa . The Portuguese were in great trouble . At this time , Sambhaji Maharaj received the news of the Mughal invasion of South Konkan . He therefore had to abandon the conquest Goa which he had nearly achieved , and go back in order to confront the Mughals .

End of the Adilshahi and Qutubshahi rules :

 Aurangzeb could not succeed in his campaign against the Marathas . He suspended the campaign against the Marathas . He turned to the Adilshahi and Qutubshahi kingdoms and conquered them .

The Mughal position was strengthened by the acquisition of the wealth and the army of the Adilshahi and Qutubshahi kingdoms . The Emperor , then , concentrated all his might against the Marathas . He attacked the Maratha territory from all sides . Hambirrao Mohite , the Maratha General , was killed in an encounter with the Mughal army . The military strength of Sambhaji Maharaj was weakened due to this .

Death of Sambhaji Maharaj :

 Aurangzeb had placed Mukarabkhan in charge of the Kolhapur province . When Mukarabkhan learnt the news that Sambhaji was at Sangameshwar in Konkan , he raided the place and captured Sambhaji Maharaj . By the order of the Emperor , Sambhaji Maharaj was brutally put to death on 11 March 1689. The Maratha Chhatrapati faced death very bravely . and nobly without compromising his self - respect in any way . Sambhaji Maharaj had great courage and valour . He wrote a book titled " Budhbhushan ' in Sanskrit on polity . He fought the formidable Mughal power for nine years under the most adverse circumstances .

Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj :

 After the death of Sambhaji Maharaj , Aurangzeb hoped that his dream of conquering the Maratha kingdom would materialise . However , the brutal execution of Sambhaji Maharaj by the Emperor incited the Marathas to greater action . They put Rajaram Maharaj , the younger brother of Sambhaji Maharaj , on the throne and readied themselves for a fierce fight against the Mughals .

The Emperor sent Zulfikarkhan to besiege Raigad . At this time , Rajaram Maharaj and Maharani Tarabai , Sambhaji Maharaj's wife Maharani Yesubai and son Shahu were in the fort . It was not safe for all the royal family to stay together at one place . It was decided that Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj should secure his escape from Raigad and if necessary should go to far off Jinji . It was also decided that the fight to defend Raigad should continue under the leadership of Maharani Yesubai .

Rajaram Maharaj leaves for Jinji : 

With a few of his associates , Rajaram Maharaj escaped from the besieged Raigad fort on 5 April 1689. He decided to go to Jinji in the south . Jinji is in the present state of Tamilnadu . The fort of Jinji was impregnable . It was difficult for the Mughals to capture this fort . With trusted men like Pralhad Niraji , Khando Ballal and Rupaji Bhosale , Rajaram Maharaj reached Jinji . Thus , the war of independence spread over an extensive area right up to Jinji .

Siege of Jinji : 

Once Raigad was captured , the Emperor sent Zulfikarkhan to the South on the campaign of Jinji . He laid siege to the fort of Jinji . The Marathas defended the fort bravely for nearly eight years . The Mughal forces engaged in the siege were fiercely attacked from outside by Santaji and Dhanaji . Rajaram Maharaj escaped through the siege , after which Zulfikarkhan captured the fort of Jinji . 

The return of Rajaram Maharaj to Maharashtra gave a boost to the Maratha activity . The Marathas attacked the Mughal territories of Khandesh , Varhad and Baglan . Rajaram Maharaj died after a short illness at Sinhagad in March 1700 .

Maharani Tarabai :

 Aurangzeb felt that the war with the Marathas would end after the death of Rajaram Maharaj . But Maharani Tarabai , the capable wife of Rajaram Maharaj , continued the war of independence with the help of her Sardars with determination . The battle that Maharani Tarabai fought against the mighty power of the Mughals is inspiring . Contemporary Mughal historian Khafikhan describes her as an intelligent and knowledgeable woman . Devdatta , a contemporary Marathi poet , describes her valour in the words : ferent झाली दीनवाणी । दिल्लीशाचे गेले पाणी । ताराबाई रामराणी । भद्रकाली कोपली ।। ' ( Delhi was humbled , the Emperor of Delhi lost face : such was the wrath of the great queen Tarabai . ) Thus , Maharani Tarabai kept up the tradition of valour inherited from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ,

Khanderao Dabhade defeated the Mughals and dashed up to Ahmadabad in Gujarat . Nemaji Shinde crossed the Narmada and penetrated into Malwa , thereby exhausting the Mughals . Due to these forceful campaigns of the Marathas , Emperor Aurangzeb was frustrated . The Mughal - Maratha conflict had continued for twenty - five long years . The Mughals could not subdue the Marathas . In these circumstances , Aurangzeb died at Ahmadnagar in 1707 . With his death ended 

the Maratha war of independence . The Maratha war of independence constitutes an important phase in the history of India . It was a fight between the imperialistic greed of the Mughals and the love of freedom of the Marathas . The Marathas emerged victorious in it .