Punyashlok ahilyabai holkar

CHAPTER XIV - THE RISE OF SHIVAJI

[A HISTORY OF THE MARATHA PEOPLE
BY
C. A. KINCAID ,, C.V.O. , I.C.S.
Author of The Tale of the Tulsi Plant . The Indi Heroes . Deccan Nursery Tales Tales from the Indian Erics . Ishtur Phakde , etc.
AND
RAO BAHADUR D. B. PARASNIS , Author of The Rani of Jhansi . Mahabaleshwar etc. Editor , Itihas Sangraha . "]
As early as 1643 Shivaji , then only sixteen years old , had begun the work of preparation . In that year he appointed his own nominee as priest in the temple of Rohideshwar near the fort of Rohida in the Mawal , and won over to his side the affections not only of the hillmen of the neighbouring valleys but also of the Bijapuri officer Dadaji Deshpande . By the year 1645 , Shivaji's conduct led the Bijapur vazir to write a sharp letter to Dadaji Deshpande warning him against associating with Shivaji . This letter caused serious alarm to Dadaji's father Narsu , and Dadaji mentioned this a letter to Shivaji . latter in reply disclaimed all disloyalty to Bijapur but announced that the god Shiva , who resided in Rohideshwar , had promised him his help and that with it he would found an independent Hindu monarchy . It was however in the monsoon of 1646 that Shivaji first seriously put his hand to his life worle by the seizure of Torna.§ His choice no doubt fell upon Torna because it lay on the southern frontier of his father's fief . Attack would come probably from that direction . To the north the fief bordered on the Moghul province of Ahmadnagar . The western frontier was guarded by the forests and mountains of the Sahyadri range , through which no army would pass if it could help it . The
( Note: As early as 1639 Shivaji had had a seal prepared with the inscription , " Although the first moon is small , men see that it will grow gradually . This seal befite Shivaji the son of Shahaji . " Rajwade , Marathi Itihasanchi Sadhane , Vol . 16 , p . 437 . t
He took an oath to serve Shivaji . Rajwade , Marathi Itihasanchi Sadhane , Vol . 15 , p . 209 .
Rajwade , ibid , p . 267 .
Rajwade , ibid , p . 269 .)
eastern frontier was no doubt exposed , but to come by an eastern route from Bijapur to Poona was a long way round . The fort of Torna had a commandant and a small garrison . But during the heavy monsoon rains , when no military operation was conducted , it was the custom of the Torna garrison to leave the hill - top and live in the valley . Taking advantage of this circumstance , Shivaji and his three chief companions Yesaji Kank , Tanaji Malusare and Baji Phasalkar , with a following of about a thousand men occupied Torna without bloodshed . There , with the same good fortune that had attended his grand father Maloji , he found , while digging in the fortification , which had fallen into disrepair , a large hidden treasure . The Torna commandant indignantly reported Shivaji's conduct to the Bijapur government . But Shivaji had already made a counter charge . He complained to the king's ministers that the commandant had without leave deserted his post and that they had far better entrust the fort to one as vigilant in the king's interest as Shivaji was . He supported his complaint by a distribution among the ministers of part of the Torna treasure . The commandant's report fell upon deaf ears and instead of satisfaction he received a reprimand * . When Shivaji offered to pay a larger rent than had ever been previously paid for the lands round Torna , it was added to his father's fief . With the remaining treasure Shivaji bought arms , cannon and ammunition , raised a force of hillmen on the same lines as those upon which Dadoji had raised his guards , and fortified another hill about six miles away from Torna . It was then known as Morbad but he changed its name to Rajgad or the king's fort , the name by which it is known to - day .

The boldness of this act attracted all the youth of Poona and the neighbourhood . Among those who now ardently embraced Shivaji's cause were Moro Pingle , Annaji Datto , Niraji Pandit , Raoji Somnath , Dattaji Gopinath , Raghunath Pant and Gangaji Mangaji . They were all Brahmans and were most of them sons of clerks appointed by Dadoji to help him in the management of the estate . But Dadoji Kondadev , whose ambition was that Shivaji should rise to distinction in the Bijapur service and who was at once a loyal servant of Shahaji and a loyal subject of Mahomed Adil Shah , protested vigorously . He maintained that he , and not Shivaji , was the manager of the fief , that Shivaji had acted without his sanction . Had Shivaji sent a written request for leave to occupy Morbad , his father's influence would possibly have secured it . As it was , the king would not fail to punish Shahaji and Dadoji as well . But Shivaji had already considered fully his acts . He believed himself the trustee of a divine task . He had his mother's full support . He bore patiently Dadoji's reproaches . But at the same time he directed Moro Pingle to complete as rapidly as possible the fortifications of Rajgad . Dadoji , finding his own protests unavailing , called round him all the old clerks and servants of the fief and bade them address Shivaji . He paid as little attention to them as to Dadoji . At last the old man wrote a formal letter of complaint to Shahaji at Bijapur .

The latter for the last ten years had troubled little or nothing about his first wife and her son . In 1637 , the year after he joined the service of Bijapur , he was appointed under Randulla Khan second in command of an army collected to subdue the south eastern coast of India . Ever since the battle of Talikota the Golconda and Bijapur kings had tried to extend their power over the territories of Vijayanagar and reduce the petty chiefs and land - holders , who on its destruction had made themselves independent . But the wars with Ahmadnagar had diverted the attention of Bijapur , and the kingdom of Golconda had so far profited most by the fall of Ramraj . In 1637 Bijapur , freed by the destruction of its ancient rival , resolved to conquer as much as it could of southern India . Shahaji and Randulla Khan spent the year 1637 in overcoming the resistance of a powerful chief named Kemp Gauda , whose capital was Bengrul or Bangalore . At the close of the year Randulla Khan was recalled and Shahaji succeeded to the supreme command . The capacity of the veteran general soon made itself felt and the Bijapur army overran Kolar , Dood , Balapur and Sira . These districts were conferred on Shahaji as military fiefs . After he had 13 conquered the whole plateau round Bangalore , he descended the Eastern Ghats to subdue the ancient country of the Cholas .

As already related the invasion of Malik Kafir overthrew all the dynasties of southern India . From this invasion Tanjore never recovered . The rise of Vijayanagar was more fatal to it even than the assaults of Malik Kafir . It lingered on , however , in name until A.D. 1530. At that time the prince of Tanjore , Vir Shekhar , was the deadly enemy of Chandra Shekhar , the prince of Madura . After various turns of fortune Vir Shekhar overthrow his foe and took Madura . Chandra Shekhar , to recover it , called to his help Krishna Raya , king of Vijayanagar . The result was the usual one in such cases . The Vijayanagar army overthrew Vir Shekhar . The king annexed Tanjore and gave it in fief to one Shivappa Naik , one of the royal princes . Chandra Shekhar was for some time allowed to reign in Madura as a puppet king . But before his death Madura had become the fief of 8 certain Vishvanath Naik , a general of Vijayanagar , After Talikota , Tanjore and Madura again became independent principalities . In Shahaji's time Raghunath Naik was chief of Tanjore . He passed his time in fighting with Vyankat Naik , the lord of the great fortress of Jinji , and Trimal Naik , who owned the large town of Trichinopoli to the south of the Coleroon River , the name given to the Caveri before it reaches the sea . Shahaji , taking advantage of their quarrel , reduced all three disputante to a common obedience to the Bijapur government .