Battle of Pratapgad

The Battle of Pratapgad was a battle fought on 10 November 1659, at the fort of Pratapgad, near the town of Satara, Maharashtra, India, between the forces of the Marathas under Chhatrapati Shivaji and the Adilshahi troops under the Adilshahi general Afzal Khan. The Marathas defeated the Adilshahi forces. It was their first significant military victory against a major regional power.

Background

Shivaji raje held a commendable position in parts of Maval. The Adilshahi court wanted to curb his activities. Afzal Khan, a renowned general of Bijapur who had previously killed Shivaji raje's elder brother Sambhaji in a battle, was selected to lead an assault against Shivaji raje. He started from Bijapur in 1659. Shivaji raje met Afzal Khan on 10 November 1659 and killed him in a truce negotiation. Shivaji raje's forces then routed the scattered Adilshahi army.

Combat of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Afzal Khan

Shivaji raje sent an emissary to Afzal Khan, stating that he did not want to fight and was ready for peace. A meeting was arranged between Shivaji raje and Afzal Khan at a shamiyana (highly decorated tent) at the foothills of Pratapgad. It was agreed that they would each bring only ten personal bodyguards with them. All the ten bodyguards would remain 'one arrow-shot' away from the pair. Shivaji raje chose Sambhaji Kondhalkar, Jiva Mahala, Siddi Ibrahim, Kataji Ingle, Kondaji Kank, Yesaji Kank, Krishnaji Gaikwad, Surji Katake, Visaji Murambak & Sambhaji Karvar for the meet. Afzal Khan hid a katyar (a small dagger) in his coat, and Shivaji raje wore armour underneath his clothes and carried a concealed '' wagh nakha'' in one hand.

As the two men entered the tent, the 6'7" tall Afzal Khan embraced Shivaji raje. He then tried to strangle Shivaji raje in his vice-like grip and pierced his dagger in Shivaji raje. But the armour under Shivaji raje's clothes saved him. Shivaji raje retaliated by using his "wagh nakh" (tiger claws) to slash Khan's stomach and disemboweled Khan. Thereupon, Afzal Khan's bodyguard Bada Sayyed attacked Shivaji raje with a sword but Shivaji raje's personal bodyguard, Jiva Mahala, fatally struck him down. Also the lawyer of Afzal Khan, Krishna Bhaskar Kulkarni attacked Shivaji raje. Shivaji raje killed Krishna Kulkarni with his sword.
Afzal Khan managed to hold his gushing entrails and hurtled, fainting and bleeding, outside the tent and threw himself into his palanquin. The bearers hastily lifted their charge and began moving rapidly away down the slope. Sambhaji Kavji Kondhalkar, Shivaji raje's lieutenant and one of the accompanying guards, gave chase and beheaded Afzal Khan.
The severed head was later sent to Rajgad to be shown to Shivaji's mother, Jijabai. She had long wanted vengeance for the deliberate maltreatment of Shahaji raje (Shivaji raje's father) while a captive of Afzal Khan, and for his role in the death of her elder son, Sambhaji Shahaji Raje Bhosle. Shivaji raje sped up the slope towards the fortress and his lieutenants ordered cannons to be fired. It was a signal to his infantry, hidden in the densely forested valley, to raid the Adilshahi forces.

Hand-to-hand combat of the forces

Maratha troops commanded by Shivaji raje's captain Kanhoji Jedhe, swept down on Afzal Khan's 1,500 soldiers; resulting in a complete rout at the foothills of the fort. Then in a rapid march, a section of Adilshahi forces commanded by Musekhan was attacked. Musekhan, Afzal Khan's lieutenant, was wounded and subsequently fled the field.

Meanwhile, Moropant Pingle led the Maratha infantry toward the left flank of Adilshahi troops. The suddenness of this attack on Afzal Khan's artillery at close quarters made them ineffective in providing artillery cover for the main portion of their troops. And as a result of this the rest of their troops rapidly succumbed to an all out Maratha attack. Simultaneously Shivaji raje's Sardar (captain), Ragho Atre's cavalry units swooped down and attacked the large but unprepared Adilshahi cavalry before they were able to be fully geared up for battle and succeeded in completely routing them in short order.

The Maratha cavalry under Netaji Palkar pursued the retreating Adilshahi forces, who were attempting to join up with the part of their reserve forces stationed in the nearby village of Wai. They were engaged in battle before they could regroup and were defeated prior to reaching Wai. The Adilshahi forces not withstanding the onslaught of the Marathas started retreating towards Bijapur. The Maratha army chased the retreating army and on their way captured 23 Adilshahi forts. In fact, the Adilshahi ''Killedar'' of the Kolhapur fort himself handed over the keys to the Marathas.

Aftermath

Adilshahi forces lost their artillery, 65 elephants, 4000 horses, 1200 camels, jewels worth 300,000 Rupees, 1,000,000 Rupees, heaps of precious clothes and tents to the Marathas. They also lost their money and grain stored at Wai.

5,000 Adilshahi soldiers were killed and many others were wounded. 3,000 soldiers were imprisoned, and the remainder were allowed to go home in defeat. The Marathas lost 1,734 soldiers, while 420 soldiers were wounded.

Some of the defeated Adilshahi generals like Siddi Hilal changed their loyalties and joined the Marathas to serve under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Two of Afzal Khan's sons were captured by the Marathas but were let off by the Shivaji raje. Fazal khan (son of Afzal Khan) and the Adilshahi soldiers with him who were badly injured were shown a safe passage out of the forest of Jawli by Prataprao More.
Shivaji raje also buried Afzal Khan as per Islamic customs and built his tomb near Pratapgarh, as per his philosophy of ‘once the enemy is dead, the enmity is dead too’.

The sword of honour was presented to Kanhoji Jedhe for his invaluable and outstanding performance of service to Shivaji raje. The relatives of the killed soldiers were offered service in the Maratha army. Families without any male left alive to support, the family were awarded pensions. Heroes of the war were rewarded with medals, kada (bracelets) and horses.

Khan's death dealt the Adilshah's rule a severe blow. A quarter of his territory, forts and a fifth of his army were captured or destroyed, while Shivaji doubled his territory, losing a tenth of his army, within fifteen days of the Battle of Pratapgadh. Shivaji raje maintained his momentum, sending cavalry towards Kolhapur, which succeeded in capturing seventeen forts, including the prestigious fort of Panhala. Cavalry was also sent towards Dabhol and Rajapur under the command of Doroji Patil, which was successful in capturing forts in the southern Konkan.

This remarkable victory made Chhatrapati Shivaji a hero of Maratha folklore and a legendary figure among his people. Having established military dominance and successfully beaten back a major attack by a powerful empire, Shivaji raje had founded the nucleus of what would become the Maratha Empire.

See also

* List of Battles of Marthas
* List of wars faught by Marath empire

Sources

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*Major Joshi Mukund – ''Battle of Pratapgarh – a new perspective''
*Commandant Kasar, D.B. – ''Rigveda to Raigarh making of Shivaji the great''

References

{{coord missing, Maharashtra

1659 in India
Pratapgad 1659
Pratapgarh
Pratapgarh
Shivaji
Karnataka