Battle of Kolhapur was a battle that took place on 28 December 1659, near the city of

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is ...

, Maharashtra between the

Maratha Army The Maratha Army was the land-based armed forces of the Maratha Empire, which existed from the late 17th to the early 19th centuries in India. 17th century Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Maratha Empire, raised a small yet effective l ...

, led by

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 ...

and the Adilshahi forces, led by Rustam Zaman. The battle is known for brilliant movement of flanks by Shivaji, similar to tactics of Babur against Rana Sanga.

Background

had killed Afzal Khan and routed his army in the battle of Pratapgarh on 10 November 1659. He took advantage of this victory and in a great offensive took a large hilly tract running about 200 km under his command. A number of forts like

Vasota Vasota Fort (also called Vyaghragad (व्याघ्रगड)) is located in Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. History It was famously defended by Tai Telin a mistress of Pant Pratinidhi a killedar of the fort when he was c ...

fell to Marathas. By December 1659, Shivaji appeared near

Panhala Panhala (Pronunciation: ənʱaːɭa is a city and a Hill station Municipal Council (3177 feet above sea level) 18 km northwest of Kolhapur, in Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Panhala is the smallest city in Maharash ...

fort. Rustam Zaman was directed from Bijapur. He arrived near

Miraj Miraj (Pronunciation: iɾəd͡z ) is a city in Sangli District and also in Maharashtra, India, that was founded in the early 10th century. It was an important jagir of the Adil Shahi court of Bijapur. Shivaji Maharaj stayed in Miraj for ...

in the vicinity of

on 27 December 1659.

Battle

Composition of Adilshah’s forces

Rustam Zaman was assisted by other chieftains: Fazal Khan, Malik Itbar, Sadat Khan, Yakub Khan, Aankush Khan, Hasan Khan, Mulla Yahya and Santaji Ghatage. Adilshah's forces were consisted of selected well known cavalry. In addition,

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

s were deployed as first line of defense. The centre was commanded by Rustam Zaman himself, left flank by Fazal Khan, right flank by Malik Itbar. Fateh Khan and Mullah Yahya were on the rear guard. In total Rustam Zaman had an army of 10,000 cavalry.

Composition of Maratha forces

Chatrapati Shivaji was assisted by Maratha Cavalry leaders: Netaji Palkar, Sardar Godaji Jagtap, Hiroji Ingale, Bhimaji Wagh, Sidhoji Pawar Jadhavrao, Hanmantrao Kharate, Pandhare, Siddi Hllal, and Mahadik. Center was commanded by Shivaji himself. Siddi Hilal and Jadhavrao were on left flank. Ingale and Sidhoji Pawar on right flank. Mahadik and Wagh on the rear guard.

Netaji Palkar Netaji Palkar (1620–1681) was a ''Sardar Senapati'' or ''Sarnaubat'' ( Commander-in-Chief) under Chhatrapati Shivaji, founder of the Maratha empire. Family history Netaji Palkar was born in a small village, called Chouk in Khalapur, Maharash ...

was off the centre. In all Shivaji commanded an army of 3,500 light cavalry much less than his rival Rustam's 10,000 cavalry.

Movement and clash of forces

Rustam Zaman was planning to move towards

fort. Shivaji anticipated this movement and in a quick dash, with 3,500 cavalry appeared before the 10,000 strong Adilshahi forces and attacked the enemy in the early morning of 28 December 1659. Shivaji charged the center and instructed his generals to outflank the enemy. Other Maratha commanders attacked their respective flanks, resulting in 2,000 of Rustam Zaman force to be killed. With 20% of their army dead, and Shivaji pressing hard from the center, Rustam's forces started to crumble and ran away from the battle. By afternoon Rustam Zaman had fled the field.

Outcome

Shivaji gained a large territory and secured front of his emerging

empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

. Adilshahi forces lost about 2000 horses and 12 elephants to the Marathas. The Marathas under Shivaji's leadership, continued to conquer more Adilshahi territories. In one of the incidences, Shivaji tried to conquer an Adilshahi fort named ''Khelna'' but the terrain of the fort was difficult; conquering the fort was easier said than done. The Adilshahi garrison at the fort was also defending the fort valiantly. Therefore, Shivaji came up with a plan. Accordingly, a group of Marathas went up to the fort and convinced the Adilshahi chief (''killedar'') at the fort that they were not content with the rule of Shivaji and thus, had come to serve Adilshah. The Marathas were successful and the next day, they revolted and caused total chaos inside the fort. Simultaneously, Shivaji attacked the fort from outside and within no time captured the fort. Shivaji renamed the fort as

Vishalgad Vishalgad (also called Vishalgarh, Khelna or Khilna) was a jagir during the Maratha Empire and then later part of the Deccan States Agency of the British Raj. It was governed by Deshastha Brahmins, who were feudatories of Kolhapur State. Fort ...

References

{{coord missing, Maharashtra 1659 in India Kolhapur 1659 Kolhapur

Shivaji