Shivaji - Meeting with Afzal Khan

Shivaji was born on February 19, 1630 at Shivneri fort, Junnar, about 60 kilometers north of Pune. His mother Jijabai named him Shiva after the Goddess Shivai. At this time the major players in the Deccan were the Nizamshahs of Ahmednagar, Mughals of Delhi and the Adilshah of Bijapur. Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor attacked Nizamshah. Nizamshah was defeated and the war weakened the Ahmednagar kingdom. Shahaji tried to raise the banner of his independence but was crushed by the combined forces of Mughals and Adilshahi. After the defeat, he was inducted into the Adilshahi and was allowed to keep his old land tenures around Pune. Shivaji was born during these turbulent times. At the age of 17, Shivaji carried his first attack on Bijapur and captured the Torana fort in 1645. By 1647, he captured Rajgadh and Kondana forts and had complete control of Pune region. Of all his exploits my favorite has always been the Battle of Pratapgadh when he defeated and killed Afzal Khan.

The Adilshah’s of Bijapur considered Shivaji’s exploits at Torana, Kondana and Rajgadh as regional revolt. To crush this revolt, the kingdom of Bijapur sent the seasoned commander Afzal Khan to defeat Shivaji.

Battle of Pratapgadh

Shivaji had a small and nimble army which served him to a great advantage with the battles in the mountainous terrains of Wester Ghats or the Sahyadri Mountain Range. Afzal Khan knew this and wanted Shivaji to come out in the open and fight him in the plains where the large cavalry and the elephants in his armed forces gave him the advantage. So, first he desecrated the temples of Bhavani in Tuljapur and the temples of Pundharpur. Shivaji worshipped the Bhavani at Tuljapur and Afzal Khan expected Shivaji to attack him all roiled up. Instead Shivaji sent Afzal Khan a letter saying how he did not want to confront him and instead wanted some kind of understanding between the two. He decided to meet him in the foot hills of Fort Pratapgadh. Afzal Khan was delighted at this opportunity. He plotted to kill Shivaji during this meeting.

Having marched from Bijapur through Tuljapur and Pundharpur without any resistance, Afzal Khan’s army had become complacent. As they settled at the foothills of Pratapgadh waiting for a diplomatic solution, Shivaji and his maratha mavalas had other design. Etiquettes for the meeting were set. Both Afzal Khan and Shivaji would have no weapons on them when they met. Each could bring two bodyguards to the meeting. The bodyguards themselves would carry no weapons. The etiquettes for the meeting immediately aroused suspicion and Shivaji knew Afzal Khan would do some foul play. Afzal Khan was bringing in Krishnaji Bhaskar Kulkarni and Syed Banda as his body guards. Shivaji decided to take Jiva Mahal and Sambhaji Kavji.