Khemirao Sarnaik ( Hi: खेमीराव सरनाईक) also known as Kheni Sirnayak was a

Koli Koli may refer to: Places * Koli, Finland, a hill in Finland * Koli National Park, a national park in Finland * Koli, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Koli Airfield, a former airfield in the South Pacific Other uses * Koli peopl ...

Deshmukh Deshmukh (IAST:Dēśamukh), is a historical title conferred to the rulers of a . It is used as a surname in certain regions of India, specifically in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh whose family received it as a ...

of the

Maval Maval is a tehsil in a subdivision of the same name, in the Pune district of Maharashtra, India. Description The word Maval is derived from a Marathi word ''Maval'', meaning the direction in which the sun sets. This region is towards the west ...

region in 1640s and had taken up arms against Mughal governor, Aurangzeb and abolished Jizya. he belongs to the Thorat clan of Mahadev Kolis of Maharashtra. When shivaji began his revolts in following decades, the kolis were amongst the first to join shivaji under Khemirao Sarnaik. The

community made a substantial contribution to the success of the Swarajya movement of

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 Adil ...

under Khemirao Sarnaik and shaked the Mughal rule. Aurangzeb put down the revolt mercilessly and made a pile of the heads cut off. The 'Koli Chabutra' in Purandar fort still stands as a monument to the Kolis' love of independence and their excitable temper. According to historian Govind Sadasiva Ghurye, the main reason for the rebellion was the imposition of land tax (Jaziya) by Sultan Aurangzeb. The Koli Zamidars had taken up arms against the Sultan Aurangzeb under the leadership of Khemirao Sarnaik, as well as with the sympathy of Shivaji as it was a great benefit to Shivaji. Khemrao assembled all the Koli naiks and promised that he would get rid of Mughal rule in a single rise. Aurangzeb sent the

Mughal army The Army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 15th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselves, ...

from the hilly areas to suppress the Koli rebellion, but the battle was very fierce in which thousands of Kolis were killed and the Mughal soldiers also. The Koli rebellion shook Aurangzeb. Sarnaik applied for help from Shivaji but Shivaji was unable to help Kolis because of their political matters and sarnaik was refused. The Khemirao Sarnaik fighting in this battle was killed by Mughal commander Nerrulaa, but the Koli rebellion was so intense that Aurangzeb got compelled to think. after the rebellion was crushed, the Kolis were treated with kindness by Aurangzeb and than Kolis achieve the high reputation under

Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later ...

for their daring and taking hill forts such as

Kanhoji Angre Kanhoji Angre (Marathi: कान्होजी आंग्रे, anʱod͡ʒiː aːŋɡɾe, also known as Conajee Angria or Sarkhel Angré (August 1669 – 4 July 1729) was a chief of the Maratha Navy in present-day India. Kanhoji became k ...

and

Tanaji Malusare Tanaji Malusare was a warrior and commander of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. A local poet Tulsidas, wrote a powada describing Tanaji's heroics and sacrifice of life in the Battle of Sinhagad, which has since made him a popular figure in Indian f ...

Cause of rebel

The reason for the Koli revolt was Aurangzeb's imposition of Jiziya (tax on the land of Hindus) on

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

. After which Sarnaik, fed up with Jiziya, united the people of his caste (Mahadev Koli) and planned a revolt against the Sultan. But a lot of power was required to fight Aurangzeb for which Sarnaik Khemirao went to Shivaji Raje

Bhosle The Bhonsle (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle) are a prominent group within the Maratha clan system of kunbi origin. They claimed descent from the Sisodia Rajputs but were likely Kunbi tiller-plainsmen. History Earliest members The earliest a ...

as Sarnaik believed that Shivaji would accompany him in the fight against Aurangzeb as the Kolis fought for Shivaji against the

Bijapur Sultanate The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi, was a Shia,Salma Ahmed Farooqui, ''A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century'', (Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd., 2011), 174. and later Sunni Muslim,Muhammad Qasim Firishta's T ...

. Anyway, Shivaji was to benefit from the Mahadev Koli rebellion against Aurangzeb. At the same time Sarnaik also sought help from the king of princely state of

Jawhar Jawhar is a city and a municipal council in Palghar district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division of India. Jawhar was a capital city of the erstwhile Koli princely state of Jawhar. Situated in the ranges of the Western Ghats, Jawhar is ...

because the king of

also belonged to the Koli caste, after which Khemirao Sarnaik revolted against Aurangzeb, the Sultan of the Mughal Empire.

Clash of clan

After the death of Khemirao Sarnaik, Aurangzeb killed the family and relatives of the Thorat clan of Khemirao Sarnaik and also started killing the other Kolis of the Thorat clan so that no one could revolt the Koli of Thorat clan again. Aurangzeb started searching for the Kollis of the Thorat clan in hilly, sandy and forest areas so that they could be put to death. After which Aurangzeb took the Kolis to Junnar and beheaded everyone at the

Shivneri Shivneri Fort (Marathi pronunciation: �iʋneɾiː is a 17th-century military fortification located near Junnar in Pune district in Maharashtra, India. It is the birthplace of Shivaji, the emperor and founder of Maratha Empire. History Shivneri ...

Fort, but later Sultan Aurangzeb built a monument at the same place known as Koli Chabutara to pay respect to the martyred Kolis and Aurangzeb reputed the kolis in his territory for their love to country.{{Cite book, last=Gāre, first=Govinda, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vZciAAAAMAAJ, title=Tribals in an Urban Setting: A Study of Socio-economic Impact of Poona City on the Mahadeo Kolis, date=1976, publisher=Shubhada Saraswat, year=1976, location=India, pages=25, language=en

Titles

* Naik - Khemirao was the Naik or chief of

Mahadev Kolis Mahadev may refer to: *Shiva, a primary Hindu deity **Parashiva, a form of Shiva **Parameshwara (god), a form of Shiva *Mahadev, Nepal *Mahadev Peak, a mountain peak in Kashmir Valley *Kailashnath Mahadev Statue in Nepal * Para Brahman, a Hindu dei ...

of Thorat clan who used to deal with social problems and maintain order in the Koli of Thorat clanship. *

Sarnaik Sarnaik is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Arun Sarnaik (1935–1984), Indian actor and singer * Khemirao Sarnaik (1605–1650), Indian warrior *Pratap Sarnaik Pratap Sarnaik is a politician from Thane, Maharashtra, India ...

- Khemirao was conferred with the title of Sarnaik before the rebellion by koli chiefs and other hindu

Sardars Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been ...

for assembling the koli Naiks of other clans and leading the rebellion. *

- Khemirao was Deshmukh of

region (52 valleys or Bavan Mavals) as independent ruler and known as

Mavala The Mavala is a Title used for the Kolis of Maval region. Most of the inhabitants of maval region were Mahadeo Kolis. Maval region, also known as Bavan Mavals (52 valley), was known as Koli country and each Mavals were under the control of K ...

References

Indian warriors Maratha Light Infantry officers Shivaji Koli people Year of birth unknown 1650 deaths Indian independence movement Indian independence activists

Cause of rebel

Clash of clan

Titles

See also

References