Kavi Kalash (died March 1689 CE,
Tulapur
Tulapur is a village in Pune district, Maharashtra, India, associated with the last moments of Sambhaji Maharaj, second Chatrapati of Hindavi Swarajya and son of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
History
Tulapur has great significance in Mara ...
) was a poet, a close friend and advisor to
Maratha king (Chatrapati) 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 ...
who reigned 1680-1689.
Early life
A Kanyakubja Brahmin by birth ,
Kalash dev was an able administrator as well as a warrior, who accompanied Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in many of his campaigns. He is known to have defeated Shahabuddin Khan in a fierce battle near Raigad in 1684. He was given the title of ''Chandogamatya'' by Sambhaji. He was born in Unnao district and was instrumental in Agra escape plan .
Death
In March 1689, Kavi Kalash was captured, along with King Sambhaji, by the Mughal army under
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
Sangameshwar
Sangameshwar Taluka is a taluka in Ratnagiri subdivision of Ratnagiri district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The headquarters for the taluka is the town of Devrukh.The headquarters was moved from the village of Sangameshwar to Devrukh in 1 ...
, and was tortured to convert to Islam and to influence Sambhaji maharaj to do the same. It is said that Aurangzeb got down from the throne to pray and thank Allah for the victory on seeing captured Sambhaji maharaj. Taking that opportunity Kavi Kalash, who was also captured, made an instant poetry:
यावन रावन की सभा संभू बंन्ध्यो बजरंग ।
लहू लसत सिंदूर सम खूब खेल्यो रनरंग ।।
ज्यो रबि छबि लखतही नथीत होत बदरंग ।
त्यो तव तेज निहारके तखत त्यजो अवरंग ।।
which translates to:
Sambhaji (maharaj) has been tied like Hanuman in the court of Islami ravan (i.e., Aurangzeb)
Maharaj looking red because of wounds and blood from the great war he fought
The way fireflies loose their glow after sunrise,
Seeing your effulgence, Aurangzeb (also lost his glow and) gave up his thrown.
Listening to the poem, enraged Aurangzeb ordered Kavi Kalash's tongue be cut/plucked.
Eventually Sambhaji Maharaj and Kavi Kalash were paraded as clowns and, according to some accounts, killed using tiger claws for a slow death.
He was given a jagir of three villages near pune which was upgraded to 18 villages in Bundelkhand by Peshwa NanaSaheb .
References
People of the Maratha Empire
People executed by the Mughal Empire
1689 deaths
Year of birth missing
Executed Indian people
17th-century executions in India
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