Hambirrao Mohite was the chief military commander of Chattrapati

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adils ...

's army. An able military general, he executed several campaigns for Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj and later served under Chattrapati

Sambhaji Sambhaji Bhosale (14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689) was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing ...

Maharaj.

Early life

Hambirrao was born to Sambhaji Mohite, a military chieftain. He grew up with 2 brothers. Harifrao, Shankarji and 2 sisters named

Soyarabai Soyarabai Bhosale (née Mohite) (died 1681) was one of the eight wives of Shivaji, the founder of Maratha empire in western India. She was mother of Shivaji's second son, Rajaram. She was the younger sister of Maratha army chief Hambirrao Mohi ...

and Annubai. Soyrabai later married chatrapati

maharaj, which made Hambirrao chatrapati shivaji maharaj's brother-in-law. After

Prataprao Gujar Prataprao Gurjar (–24 February 1674) was the Senapati of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's army. He was an aristocratic general who enjoyed the trust of the king and the loyalty of his troops. He defeated a large Mughal Army at the Battle of Sal ...

's death, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj made Hambirrao his Sarsenapati (commander).

Attack on Burhanpur

Burhanpur Burhanpur'' is a historical city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative seat of Burhanpur District. It is situated on the north bank of the Tapti River and northeast of city of Mumbai, southwest of the state's capi ...

was a major trade center connecting southern and northern India and had a total of 17 trade centers in the city. On 30 January 1681, Hambirrao Mohite and

Maharaj suddenly attacked Burhanpur. At that time the Subedar of Burhanpur was Jehan Khan. Only 200 soldiers were positioned in Burhanpur, while Hambirrao had an army of 20,000. The Mughals did not have the strength to oppose Hambirrao's army. Marathas got assets worth more than 1 crore

hons Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, or ...

in this battle. On 17 March 1683, Hambirrao defeated Ranamast Khan, one of the most powerful chieftains of

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

, in a battle at

Kalyan Kalyan (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, əljaːɳ is a city on the banks of Ulhas River in Thane district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It is governed by Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation. Kalyan is a subdivision (Taluka) ...

Bhiwandi Bhiwandi () is a city in the Thane district in Maharashtra, India. It is located northeast of Mumbai and northeast of the city of Thane. The city is a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Bhiwandi is a commercial city and a major trade ce ...

Death

In 1687, in a

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

fought near Wai province, Hambirrao defeated Rustum Khan, but a cannonball hit Hambirrao leading to his death.

In popular culture

The film

Sarsenapati Hambirrao ''Sarsenapati Hambirrao'' (Marathi: ''सरसेनापती हंबीरराव'') is an Indian Marathi-language historical war film written and directed by Pravin Tarde and produced by Sandeep Mohite Patil, Saujanya Nikam and Darmendra ...

is based on his life.

References

{{Maratha Empire People of the Maratha Empire 1687 deaths