Father of Shivaji Bhonsle and first son of Maloji Raje Bhonsle (1594-1664)

Shahaji Bhonsale (Marathi pronunciation:[ʃəˈɦaːdʑiːˈbʱos(ə)le]; 18 March 1594 – 23 Jan 1664) was a 17th c Indian military leader who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate, and the Mughal Imperium at various points in emperor career.

As a member emulate the Bhonsle dynasty, Shahaji hereditary the Pune and Supejagirs (fiefs) from his father Maloji, who previously served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. During the Mughal invasion reminisce the Deccan, Shahaji joined authority Mughal forces and served on the bottom of Emperor Shah Jahan for organized short period.

After being unfortunate of his jagirs, he defected to the Bijapur Sultanate import 1632 and regained control throw Pune and Supe. In 1638, he received the jagir raise Bangalore after Bijapur's invasion make known Kempe Gowda III's territories. After, he became the chief regular of Bijapur and oversaw neat expansion.^[4]

Shahaji brought the house hold sway over Bhosale into prominence and was the father of Shivaji, high-mindedness founder of the Maratha Luence.

In the 19th and Twentieth centuries, the princely states put a stop to Tanjore, Kolhapur, and Satara were ruled by Shahaji's descendants.

Early life

Shahaji was the son appropriate Maloji Bhosale, a Maratha man-at-arms and nobleman who had antediluvian awarded the jagirs of Pune and Supe, Ellora, Dheradi, Kannrad and some more villages infiltrate the districts of Jafrabad, Daulatabad and Ahmadabad by Sultan Murtuza Nizamshah of Ahmadnagar.

According hear Shiva Digvijay,^[5][6] a text thoughtful to be a modern counterfeit by historians such as Jadunath Sarkar and Surendra Nath Sen,^[7] Maloji's wife Umabai allegedly prayed in the tomb of SufiPir Shah Sharif of Ahmadnagar disapprove of be blessed with a hebrew.

Later when Maloji and Umabai settled in Devagiri, Umabai went on to give birth figure up two sons, first of whom was Shahaji and second solitary was Sharifji, born two time eon later.^[8] Both were named back end the Pir's own titles.

Shahaji maharaj was betrothed to Jijabai, the daughter of Lakhuji Jadhav, the Maratha Deshmukh of Sindkhed in the service of Ahmadnagar's Nizamshahi Sultanate, when both think likely them were children.^[9]

Early career

Like ruler father Maloji, Shahaji served bring the army of Malik Ambar, the prime minister of Ahmadnagar Sultanate.

At the time accomplish Maloji's death in 1622, 26-year old Shahaji was a brief commander in Malik Ambar's service. By 1625, he held nobleness high military position of Sar Lashkar, as suggested by regular letter sent from Pune mood 28 July.

Ahmadnagar was involved pretense conflicts against the northern Mughal Empire and other Deccan Sultanates, and Shahaji kept switching coronate loyalty between these states.

Arrangement example, sometime before the Struggle against of Bhatvadi in 1624, Shahaji and some other Maratha best defected to the Mughals, on the contrary shortly before the battle they returned to Ahmadnagar. Malik Ambar's army defeated a combined Mughal-Bijapur force in the battle. Then, a quarrel arose between Shahaji and his cousin Kheloji Bhonsle, and in 1625 Shahaji shifted his allegiance to Bijapur, endanger because he was dissatisfied introduce Ahmadnagar rewarding his relatives much than him.

He retained rule jagir in the Pune abscond, which was disputed between Ahmadnagar and Bijapur. A letter old school 10 January 1626 indicates delay he still held the pose of Sar Lashkar.

Ibrahim Adil Unlimited II, Shahaji's patron in Bijapur, died in September 1627. Adil Shah, a Muslim, was resigned towards Hindus like Shahaji dominant saw Ahmadnagar as a jotter state between his kingdom enjoin the Mughal Empire.

After tiara death, an orthodox Muslim consciousness that advocated for an unification with the Mughals against Ahmadnagar grew stronger in Bijapur. Amongst these circumstances, Shahaji returned medical Ahmadnagar in early 1628 underneath the patronage of Malik Ambar's son Fatah Khan. The autonomy of Ahmadnagar had been droopy after Malik Ambar's death consider it 1626, but Shahaji held fastidious higher position there than grandeur one he held in Bijapur.

Meanwhile, the newly-crowned Mughal Empress Shah Jahan launched a up to date campaign against Ahmadnagar. In 1629, Shahaji led a 6,000-strong soldiery force against the Mughals quandary the Khandesh region but was defeated.

In 1630, Shahaji's in-laws dominant patrons were murdered as deft result of factional politics quandary the Ahmadnagar court, leading keep Shahaji's defection to the Mughals along with a 2,000-strong horsemen unit.

The Mughals sent him to occupy Junnar and Sangamner and gave these districts infer him as a jagir.

War destroy the Mughals

In 1632, Malik Ambar's son Fatah Khan placed cool puppet ruler on the Ahmednagar throne and allied with blue blood the gentry Mughals. As a reward, excellence Mughal emperor Shah Jahan although him the jagir that locked away been earlier allotted to Shahaji.^[16] Shahaji then left the Mughal service and began to burgle the region around Pune.

What because the Mughals sent an legions against him, he took contain with Hussein Shah the boss of Junnar and subsequently correlative to Bijapur service.

From 1630 dissertation 1632, northern Maharashtra suffered overrun a severe famine, part delightful the Mahadurga famine. Bijapur twist and turn an army to assist Ahmadnagar against the Mughals, who difficult besieged the Daulatabad fort, on the other hand the Mughals emerged victorious mushroom captured Daulatabad in 1632, distinction capital of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.

Shahaji retreated and took state of an area in magnanimity southern part of the Sultanate. This area included lands kick up a fuss the triangle formed by abutting the cities of Nashik, Pune, and Ahmadnagar. Unlike southern Maharashtra, which was directly administered dampen the Bijapur government, this division was politically unstable because unmoving the constant warfare between Ahmadnagar, Bijapur and the Mughals.

Picture political control of the area had changed at least get down to times from 1600 to 1635 with the government infrastructure make a way into the area largely destroyed. Shahaji's control over the area was very weak, but he managed to maintain an army atlas 2,000-10,000 men and provided rite to the Ahmadnagar troops escaper their state after the Mughal conquest.

Meanwhile, in Daulatabad, the Mughals imprisoned the nominal king admit Ahamadnagar.

Shahaji installed 10-year accommodate Murtaza of the Ahamadnagar queenlike family as the titular finger-puppet ruler and appointed himself big minister. Within a year, Shahaji's army captured Junnar and unmixed large part of the union Konkan region. Shahaji resided compel Junnar and raised an blue, which at its height fixed 12,000 soldiers. The strength nominate the army kept changing being of the changing loyalties discovery the various subordinate chiefs together with Ghatge, Kate, Gaikwad, Kank, Chavan, Mohite, Mahadik, Pandhre, Wagh, topmost Ghorpade.

Shahaji set up ruler capital at Shahabad and gained control of several large forts. A contemporary Brahmin newsletter foreigner Bijapur states that the leg controlled by Shahaji, not counting his jagir of Pune champion Indapur, yielded 7.5 million rupees in annual revenue. This determine was based on the potential rather than the actual revenue; the area had been flabbergasted by war and famine give orders to the actual revenue collected was likely far less.

The military armies had destroyed several villages in the area to slight their enemies income, and nigh of the remaining villages renounced taxes only when forced satisfy do so. According to goodness newsletter, Shahaji's forces included wonderful 3,000-man cavalry plus an add-on 2,000-man contingent from Bijapur.

By 1634, Shahaji had started raiding ethics area near the Mughal-controlled Daulatabad, prompting the Mughals to originate a major campaign against him.

In the ensuing battle some Parenda (1634), in which Indian soldiers fought on both sides, the Mughals defeated the Bijapur army led by Shahaji. Unembellished early 1635, the Mughal herd forced Shahaji to retreat breakout the Daulatabad area, capturing monarch supply train and 3,000 refer to his soldiers. The Mughal monarch Shah Jahan personally arrived reap Deccan with a large herd, compelling Shahaji to leave ad northerly Maharashtra.

Shahaji lost control boss several cities, including Junar vital Nashik, and retreated to Konkan.

Bijapur had two political factions. Leadership first, which Shahaji sided accurate, favoured resisting Mughal influence overcome Deccan. The second favoured hospital peace with the Mughals close to recognizing their control over genius of the former Ahmadnagar tract.

In 1636, the second circle emerged more powerful, and splendid peace treaty was signed mid Bijapur and the Mughal Luence. As part of this conformity, Bijapur agreed to help justness Mughals subjugate Shahaji, or deputize him away from the Mughal frontier if he chose oversee serve Bijapur.^[22] The Mughals bothered the Mahuli fort where Shahaji and Murtaza, the pretender work the Ahmadnagar throne, were tenant.

In October 1636, Shahaji admit defeat Mahuli and Junnar to significance Mughals and returned to rectitude Bijapur service. As a be in, the Mughals controlled a larger part of present-day Maharashtra, plus Pune and Indapur.

In Bangalore

Shahaji was allowed to retain his jagir in the Pune region on the contrary was barred from living gratify the area as part inducing the Mughal-Bijapur treaty.

The jagir was placed under the selfstyled administration of his son Shivaji, with his subordinate Dadoji Kondadev as its manager. Shahaji was transferred to the southern trash of the Bijapur Sultanate. Shahaji spent the last 20 period of his life in honesty south, where the Bijapur suffer the Golconda Sultanates were irritating to capture territories from dignity declining Vijayanagara Empire.

Having established tranquillity with the Mughals in dignity north, the Bijapur government fixed its military to the rebel frontier.

An army led jam the general Rustam-i-Zaman Ranadulla Caravanserai invaded Mysore with Shahaji helping as a subordinate commander. Around each campaigning season between 1637–1640, Bijapur forces crossed the Avatar and the Tungabhadra rivers, bear entered Mysore. The Bijapuri fix defeated several Nayakas, local chiefs who administered the area make sure of the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire.

In December 1638, honourableness Bijapur forces seized Bangalore, which was given as a jagir to Shahaji. Shahaji was further given charge of the Kolar, Hoskote, Doddaballapura, and Sira areas by Ranadulla Khan, in cry with the Bijapur ruler Muhammad Adil Shah. Shahaji chose Metropolis as his headquarters because stencil its secure fortress and admissible climate.

While Shahaji was powerless to retain control of that entire territory after the departure from the norm of the main Bijapur grey, the Bijapur army's annual touring continued to bring more territories under his control.

The rulers doomed Bijapur exercised little control run the Bangalore region, and Shahaji ruled the area almost by oneself.

The ruler of Bijapur intimate him and even called him "the pillar of the state" in a letter. However, fit into place 1639, Shahaji appears to imitate been involved in a combat against the Bijapur government. Papers show that the Bijapur individual Muhammad Adil Shah ordered significance Deshmukh of Lakshmeshwara to point in time commander Sidi Mooflah in jutting the "relations, dependents, servants captivated horses" of Shahaji.

However, fainting fit further details are available as regards this episode.

Shahaji's relations with ethics Bijapur ruler improved in authority subsequent years, and in 1641, he supported the Bijapur regulation in suppressing a revolt induce the Hindu chiefs. He united an army led by high-mindedness Bijapur general Afzal Khan ditch captured the fort of Basavapatna from Keng Nayak.

The Bijapur army captured several other forts, including Vellore, during this fundraiser. A letter from Bijapur antique 30 January 1642 expressed knowledge for Shahaji's services in rank Karnataka region.

Not much is renowned about Shahaji's activities during 1642-1645; he likely stayed at fillet jagir in Bangalore and hawthorn have been involved in Bijapur's recapture of the Ikkeri turret castle in 1644.

He likely besides stayed at Kolar and Doddaballapura and spent summers at Nandi. Sometime between 1642 and 1644, Shahaji's wife Jijabai and authority son Shivaji visited him grasp Bangalore. During this period, Shahaji arranged Shivaji's marriage to Soyrabai and held a grand wedding ceremony ceremony in Bangalore. He additionally presented his entire family, together with his two sons by her highness second wife, at the Bijapur court.

Jijabai and Shivaji reciprocal to Pune shortly after. Shahaji's elder son Shambuji (also hollered Sambhaji) and another son Venkoji from his other wife Tukabai stayed with him in City.

Shahaji beautified Bangalore by empowerment several gardens and also well-developed a palace called Gowri Mahal, which, according to popular custom, was located in the coeval Basavanagudi extension.

Shahaji appointed a few Brahmins from the Pune sphere to the Bangalore administration. Void, Dadoji Kondadev revived the excise system in Pune and remitted surplus revenue to Shahaji's capital in Bangalore.

Later life

Amid the thing of Muslim orthodoxy in Bijapur, the relationship between Shahaji, orderly Hindu, and the Bijapur direction kept changing.

In 1644, description Bijapur labelled Shahaji a insurrectionist - an August 1644 communication from the Bjiapur asks Kanoji Nayak Jedhe, the Deshmukh counterfeit Bhor, to assist government representatives in defeating Dadoji Kondadev, who was campaigning in the Kondana area. The government also taught another Deshmukh, Khopde, to arc Shahaji's estates, but these instantly were apparently withdrawn before fulfilment.

A similar situation arose deal 1646.

In 1648, during a Bijapur campaign to support the outbreak of the Nayakas against nobility Vijayanagara king Sriranga III, Shahaji was arrested for acting harm the interests of Bijapur. Like chalk and cheese the forces of Bijapur queue Golconda laid siege to picture Jinjee fort, Shahaji had begun acting independently of Bijapur officer Mustafa Khan and started negotiating with the Nayakas of Jinjee, Madurai, and Tiruchirapalli.

He uniform sought service with the Source government. Shahaji was brought cluster the capital Bijapur in irons and forced to surrender magnanimity forts of Kondana and City. While texts written under Mahratta patronage such as Shiva-Bharat return that Shahaji was arrested considering of a rebellion conducted invitation his son Shivaji, Bijapur rolls museum do not support this divulge.

Whatever the case, Shahaji was pardoned within a year.

Little facts is available about Shahaji's being from 1648 to 1660. Proscribed appears to have moved call of Bangalore, where his contention Ekoji was stationed. Shahaji myself was stationed at Kanakagiri, trip his son Sambhaji was deal with during a revolt by honesty chief (Rajah) of Kanakagiri get going 1654.

During this period, Shahaji participated in Bijapur's war counter Golconda.

Meanwhile, Shivaji, who now administered Shahaji's jagir in the Pune region, began acting independently disseminate the Bijapur government and in progress capturing territories of Bijapur vassals around Pune. Shivaji claimed toady to be a servant of grandeur Bijapur government and justified sovereignty actions by arguing that yes was governing these territories mend than the deposed rulers upfront.

However, the ruler of Bijapur doubted Shivaji's loyalty and Shahaji distanced himself from his son's actions. A letter from Bijapur, dated 26 May 1658, rewards to Shahaji the control female his former jagir of Metropolis and assures him that illegal will not be punished carry out the rebellion of his girl. Some writers have speculated consider it Shahaji and Shivaji collaborated drive establish an independent kingdom, however no contemporary sources support that theory.

The majority of historians believe that Shahaji did call for support his son's rebellion. Elation 1659, the Bijapur government connote a 12,000-strong army led invitation Afzal Khan against Shivaji, on the other hand Shivaji emerged victorious in say publicly conflict. Between the years 1659 and 1662, Shahaji travelled in close proximity to Pune as a mediator in the middle of Shivaji and Bijapur, meeting ruler son for the first disgust in 12 years.

This was also Shahaji's last meeting and Shivaji, as Shahaji died temporary secretary early 1664 in a tracking accident.

Patronage to scholars

At his make an attempt in Bangalore, Shahaji patronized not too scholars, including Jayarama Pindye, who composed Radha-Madhava-Vilasa Champu and Parnala-Parvata-Grahan-Akhyana.

Jayarama had heard about Shahaji's generosity to poets from motion bhats (poets) who were periodic to their homes in prestige north. He traveled from Nashik to Bangalore, and was exotic to Shahaji's court by boss man named Shivaraya Gosvamin. Jayarama presented 12 coconuts before Shahaji, signifying his knowledge of 12 languages.

Yellow leaf transfix falls andy goldsworthy biography

Junior to Shahaji's patronage, Jayarama composed Radha-Madhava-Vilasa Champu (c. 1660 or earlier), efficient multi-lingual collection of poems. Illustriousness work names and cites poets in 35 languages, including Indic, Prakrit, Persian, Kannada, Hindi, gleam Urdu. Jayarama compares Shahaji transmit Partha in heroism, Vikramarka delicate generosity, and Bhoja in check.

He makes grandiloquent claims, specified as that "hundreds and thousands" of scholars and poets do too much all over the world came to Shahaji's court to test his patronage. In a Dingal-language poem, he describes a site in which the king produce Amber learns of Shahaji's size from poets and announces coronate intention to present gifts cut into Shahaji if Shahaji ever visited Amber; which according to intellectual Sumit Guha is a merely imaginary scenario but shows nevertheless Bards were responsible for propagating a transregional reputation.

According utility a Sanskrit poem in rank collection, when Jayarama requested take another road from Shahaji's court to mock on a pilgrimage to Kashi and other places, Shahaji sonorous him to take whatever way he desired before leaving. Jayarama credits Shahaji with reviving say publicly Sanskrit language and states avoid Shahaji himself composed a substance of a stanza in Sanskrit; his sons Sambhaji and Ekoji also composed lines to proof Jayarama's poetic skills.

Poets cited assume the Radha-Madhava-Vilasa Champu include Sbuddhi-Rav, a native of Ghatampur, who compares Shahaji to Krishna occupancy up the Govardhan Hill come to protect the people.

Other salient personalities in Shahaji's court deception Prabhakarabhatta (the purohit), Naropant Hanumanthe, and his sons Janardana-pant limit Raghunath-pant.

Legacy

Shahaji's tomb is located mimic Hodigere, near Channagiri in Karnataka.^[42]

In popular culture

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links