by Ranjit Desai
‘Shall I send word to Netaji?’
‘No,’ Raje said. ‘It will take time for Khavas Khan to cross Konkan—we are prepared.’
However, Shivaji was shocked to find out that the Adil Shahi sardar accompanying Khavas Khan was none other than his younger brother, Ekoji Raje Bhosale! Baji Ghorpade was in Mudhol and had not yet joined them.
Shivaji said, ‘Yesaji, my own brother is marching against me. The Kudal Sawants, Baji Ghorpade and we are of the same caste but we all behave differently. I tried bringing the Sawants into our fold but they rush to betray us at the earliest opportunity. It was Baji Ghorpade who ensured that Maharaj saheb was arrested. Ghorpade is now resting, let us make help rest forever! We need to reach Mudhol at the earliest!’
Raje and his men reached Mudhol before sunset. The village slept peacefully that night, unware of Shivaji’s presence. One of Raje’s men knocked on the door of Baji’s haveli. Before the servant could react, the men had entered. Baji Ghorpade sat up wide-eyed as Shivaji entered his room.
‘Who are you?’ he asked.
‘Don’t you recognize me? People call me Shivaji.’
‘Shivaji?’
‘Yes, son of Shahaji Raje.’
Baji could sense his death approaching and he tried to get up when a sword pushed him back. Baji said, trying to gather some courage, ‘It is not honourable to kill a sleeping enemy. Give me time to get up and fight.’
‘You ungrateful traitor! Do you dare tell me the rules of a fight? Did you not remember these rules while arresting Farzand Shahaji Raje? You traitor! Did you not arrest Maharaj saheb while he was sleeping? He was hurt and fell unconscious in the scuffle, but you did not hesitate to handcuff him. Are you now teaching me the rules?’
Baji was mortally afraid and crouched on the floor.
Shivaji looked at him with disgust and said, ‘Baji, I am waiting for you downstairs. Pick up a sword and come face me. I will be waiting.’
Baji emerged from his room, a sword in his hand. He was an expert swordsman, and Raje knew he was taking a risk. The two men sparred for a while, and Shivaji was only waiting for an opportune moment. Soon Baji was on the ground, Bhawani having pierced his chest. He was dead before his body touched the floor. Shivaji said, ‘Destroy the village. I don’t want this treacherous man’s memories lingering here.’
Night turned into day as the flames from the burning houses reached the skies and three thousand people were massacred in Mudhol. It was sheer good luck for Baji’s wife, who had left the previous day for her village Dahir with her sons Maloji and Shankarji. Raje had not only managed to avenge insults to his father but also fulfilled Jijabai’s desire.
#
Raje reached Kudal where Khavas Khan waited, unaware of the attack on Baji. Raje descended on Khavas Khan’s troops as soon as they reached Kudal. Encamped in a narrow area, the troops were quickly surrounded. Khavas Khan had not expected to be attacked in the dead of the night. He had heard of Shivaji’s cunning ways and believed him to be the devil and was seeing the devil in action now! Soon, Khan was looking for ways to escape rather than fight, and the moment he heard about Baji’s death, he ran for his life.
Lakham Sawant lost his nerve on hearing of Khavas Khan’s escape. He managed to collect his personal belongings and his family and escaped from Kudal to take shelter with the Portuguese. But the firangis were not willing to give him refuge, which left Sawant no option but to surrender to Raje. He reminded Raje of their common caste while pleading for his life and wrote:
‘You are a Sawant too—we share the same Bhosale gotra. We are like your children!’
Raje’s temper cooled down a bit. Sawant had surrendered to Raje earlier and had helped him in the early days of his expansion. Raje could not forget that he had been a traitor but still managed to get him back into his fold. The Sawants promised their loyalty once again and the episode was over. The territory of Konkan was free but Raje knew he had to increase his naval capabilities and so, he paid a visit to the Malvan region.
#
Raje stood at the edge of the ocean, at the harbour city of Malvan, watching the ocean, and Tanaji and Manaji More stood nearby. Raje was overwhelmed at seeing the waves crashing on to the shore, the water spraying like a shower of pearls as it dashed on the rocks. Raje saluted the setting sun and said, ‘Manaji, there is no guru like this ocean. My mind expands when I come here, thoughts erupting and crashing on the shore of my mind. We should be like the ocean—it knows that it can’t erode away the shore but it hasn’t stopped trying. It does not concede defeat and continues relentlessly whether it is day or night, high tide or low tide.’
Sleep eluded Shivaji that night. He could see the ocean and hear the waves crashing. His kingdom had now expanded and the Konkan coast was under his control. He had the ships to guard the coast but the real ruler of the seas was Siddi Johar in Janjira. He had Danda–Rajpuri and Janjira under his command, giving him a huge advantage in naval terms. Shivaji needed to establish control over some strategic ports to give him absolute control over the waters.
At dawn, he said to the guard standing outside, ‘Ready my horse and send a message to Tanaji, Gangaji Mangaji and Manaji More to come with me for a ride.’
The morning mist was still in the air and the soil was wet with dew as Shivaji stepped out with his soldiers. Raje rode along the shore, the waves crashing noisily on the beach. Tanaji and others followed behind. No one said a word. The rising sun glinted in the waves. Raje suddenly pulled on the reins—he could see a blot on the horizon. He said, pointing in the same direction, ‘What is that?’
Everyone looked to the horizon but no one was able to make out. Tanaji spotted a fisherman and spurred his horse towards him. The fisherman was scared seeing the soldiers riding towards him but Tanaji brought him to Raje.
The fisherman, seeing Raje, bent to touch his forehead to the ground.
‘What is your name?’ Shivaji asked.
‘Savji, sarkar.’
Shivaji pointed in the direction of the spot on the horizon and asked, ‘What is that?’
The fisherman said, following the direction in which Shivaji was pointing, ‘It is the Kurate Island, sarkar.’
‘How big is it?’
‘Quite big.’
‘Can you row to that island?’ He asked Tanaji to inspect the island and report back.
Raje was restless. He could not get the huge black rock jutting out in the ocean out of his mind. It was late afternoon when Tanaji and the others came back. All of them were smiling. Shivaji asked eagerly, ‘Tanaji, what did you see?’
‘Maharaj, the island is fantastic. There is solid black granite everywhere, and the entire area must be around two square kilometres.’
Raje was thrilled. Manaji added, ‘And the beauty of the island is that there is a sweet water spring as well.’
Raje looked at Manaji and asked, ‘Really?’ He could not believe his ears.
‘Yes, Maharaj. We tasted the water. It is a perennial spring and the water is really sweet.’
‘It is God’s grace,’ Raje said. ‘You don’t know the value of what you have done today. I am going to visit the island. Get the men ready and gather as many boats as possible.’
The afternoon sun glinted off the water and the waves continued to rush towards the shore. Raje’s tent at the edge of the shore fluttered in the wind. A dozen fishermen walked proudly behind Raje while Tanaji, Manaji and Gangaji walked along with the soldiers. Raje continued to ask Savji questions. ‘How deep is the water? Do the boulders get covered in a storm? How high is the high tide?’
A few dozen boats waited at the shore for the group, and there were a few canoes too. Raje got in first and was followed by the others. He stood at the edge of the boat as it moved forward, swaying with the waves. The fine ocean spray drenched Raje as he waited eagerly to reach the island. The boats touched the rocky, jagged shore and Raje folded his hands in salute before jumping out of the boat.
Raje was thrilled to see
the huge expanse of boulders and granite. He could now see an unfulfilled dream taking shape. He inspected the area and was happy about drinking the sweet spring water. He said, ‘Tanaji, we had decided to raise a fleet and had control of the coastline from Gokarna to Mahad but we did not have adequate protection. We were afraid of Siddi’s ships or the firangis’ attacks. We have a place to dock our ships now—this is the place.’
Tanaji said, ‘Maharaj, Kurate Island is blessed!’
‘No, on the contrary, we have got this island as a blessing.’
Raje looked around and muttered, ‘We have found a place which has no equal. Siddi will be worried now. We need not pay taxes to the Portuguese, and our ships will be safe here. Tanaji, the day is not far now when we will rule the seas.’
Shivaji seemed filled with a divine energy. He had the look of someone building a nation, someone who would fulfil the promise of a Maratha state. Raje returned to his tent but could not forget the island—he could think of nothing else. He would gather a few fishermen each morning and reach the island. Raje honoured the men for having discovered the island and decided to extend his stay at Malvan.
The local pandit consulted his almanac for an appropriate date for Raje to perform the bhumi puja. He reached the island with hundreds of fishermen and with his sardars and soldiers. He set a gold-crusted coconut adrift in the water and the waves engulfed it in an instant, as if acknowledging the gift with gratitude. Raje folded his hands in prayer to the ocean. Raje laid the foundation of the fort to the chanting of mantras. The entire island reverberated to the sound of trumpets and drums.
Raje got down to the task of assembling the best craftsmen in Malvan. He managed to collect five hundred workers to build roads, a couple of hundred ironsmiths and another three thousand men to work on the island. A small town soon came up as the workers started building the fort. Money poured in to ensure that work was not disrupted.
Tanaji could not hold himself back and asked, ‘Maharaj, are we not spending too much?’
‘Tanaji, we looted crores of gold in Surat. What else should we use the treasury for? A strong fort is our real treasure. Once we secure our kingdom on all fronts, there will be no dearth of money.’
The Portuguese had extended a hand of friendship during the Konkan campaign. Raje decided to test them and asked for their best and most skilled men from Goa to help build the fort. They promptly sent a hundred of their best men. Raje appointed Subedar Govind Vishwanath Prabhuji as chief supervisor.
The work progressed with remarkable speed. Molten lead was used to fortify the foundation. Five hundred Malvan soldiers guarded the island day and night. Raje could now store his ships, cannons and gunpowder without any worry. It was Siddi who was losing sleep now. Raje had ensured that he would not create any mischief and personally supervised the construction for a month before moving out of Malvan. He returned to Rajgad satisfied with the progress of the construction.
#
The temple reverberated to the chanting of the Vedic mantras. The Shiva lingam was consecrated with milk, and Raje performed a puja of the weighing scale. He looked at Soyarabai and she got up, adjusting her pallu. Raje requested Jijabai to move towards the weighing scale. He was barely able to control his excitement. He seated Jijabai on one weighing pan and then went and stood near the empty one. Soyarabai stood near Maa saheb. Putlabai, Sagunabai, Kashibai, Gunwantabai and the others stood close by. The moment had arrived, and all eyes were on Raje now.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Raje looked at Maa saheb as he removed his earrings and dropped them in the pan. He then removed the jewel-encrusted gold leaf and his turban and put them into the tray.
Jijabai could not hold her tears back—she was truly blessed. With a son like Shivaji, she could not have asked for more. Her body trembled with gratitude as she looked at Shivaji. Bereft of all jewellery and with just a bright tilak on his forehead, he looked more handsome than ever before. For a brief moment, Jijabai was happy that he had removed his jewellery. Such a bright star needed no other adornment.
Raje cupped his hands and began pouring coins into the pan. The trays of gold coins were being emptied one after another. Everyone was now eagerly watching the scales and the pan Jijabai sat in kept going up. Raje’s eyes were filled with tears of joy. The crowd could not hold back their tears either. Raje added a few more jewels and soon, the scales were balanced. The crowd cheered and the resonating sound of the trumpets filled the air. The horns and other bugles pierced the skies.
Jijabai’s lips quivered. Her hand shivered as she patted Shivaji’s head as he bent to touch her feet. They hugged each other and could not hold back their tears.
Jijabai said, ‘Raje, I am truly blessed today.’
Raje could not speak. He tried to speak, his hand moving in the air. He managed to mumble, ‘Maa saheb, I am but a poor soul. Who am I to give anything? I tried to weigh a diamond in gold—what is so praiseworthy about this?’
Jijabai was now fully satisfied about the man Raje had become. Sonopant Dabir sat watching them, his eyes filled with tears.
Raje turned towards him and said, ‘Sonopant, please get up.’
Pant was taken aback and asked, ‘What for?’
‘One should not ask questions at such auspicious occasions.’ Taking him gently by the hand, Raje moved towards the weighing scales.
‘Please sit here, Pant.’
The old man, already bent with age, started trembling. He said, ‘Raje, why are you mocking an old man like me?’
‘Sonopant, you have spent your whole life in service to my family, until this body of yours has withered away. If I now want to weigh it in gold coins, can you really object? Please sit down.’
The ceremony was repeated and Raje and Jijabai donated the coins to the poor and needy.
#
A
urangzeb’s anger had many reasons to rise, from the defeat of Shaista Khan and Jaswant Singh to the looting of Surat. While he maintained a cool demeanour, he was furious inside. Shaista Khan had begun the campaign with nearly seventy thousand men. He had spent more than a lakh hons during this time but had returned with nothing. To make matters worse, he had lost a few fingers in the battle. Shivaji’s sacking of Surat had been a big blow to the Mughal foreign trade.
After hearing about Surat, Aurangzeb announced in court, ‘It is no surprise that a cunning and bold enemy like Shivaji is able to loot our territories when we employ foolish sardars like Inayat Khan. I am aware that a lot of people in the durbar sympathize with Shivaji. I would be happy to have an ambitious man like him join us, and would be willing to forgive his past mistakes if he joins my durbar.’
Shivaji’s increasing strength and the threat that he posed to the Mughal territories was a matter of worry for Aurangzeb and he knew that if Shivaji was allowed to flourish unchecked, the entire south of India would soon be out of the control of the Mughal empire. He thus decided to send his senior-most commander Mirza Raja Jai Singh to rout Shivaji.
Aurangzeb assembled a huge army and told Mirza Raja Jai Singh, ‘Raja saheb, the situation is such that either you or I must take charge personally. Thus, I am giving you the task of defeating the Marathas. Return only when you rout him completely. Diler Khan will accompany you for additional support.’
Jai Singh accepted the responsibility, even though he knew the real reason for Diler Khan accompanying him. After all, he was a Hindu and could be trusted only to a certain extent! He began his preparations in earnest and did not make the mistake of making premature claims like Afzal Khan and Shaista Khan. Mirza Raja Jai Singh was nearing sixty and had spent his entire life managing political equations. He was aware of Shivaji’s strength. He knew that he had able sardars like Qutubuddin Khan, Ugrasen Kachwaha, Gazi Baig and others. The artillery was being supervised by a trained Italian technician named Niccolao Manucci. He knew that he was facing a cunning and shrewd enemy. As a precaution, he called four hundred Brahmins to perform various havans and pujas to appease the gods befor
e leaving Delhi.
Jijabai had returned to Rajgad with Shivaji after the tula ceremony at Mahabaleshwar. The spies brought the news that Jai Singh was marching towards Aurangabad with Diler Khan, eighty thousand soldiers and five thousand Pathans.
Pant said, ‘Raje, Afzal and Shaista Khan may have been reckless but this Rajput is a shrewd fellow. I suggest we meet him and negotiate rather than confront him.’
‘I am also in no mood for a confrontation. I am told he is marching with an army of eighty thousand which will increase manifold once he enters the Pune–Supe region. His forces, scattered there, would join him and his strength will cross more than a hundred thousand. I know that he is an intelligent and a capable soldier and an honest and determined person. We will depend on the Lord to show us the way.’
Raje sent messages to all the forts asking them to store adequate quantity of grains and ammunition. Hundreds of new spies were inducted into the spy network to ensure that the movement of the Mughals was tracked. Raje ordered his ships to move towards Malvan, prepared for battle.
‘Raje, why are you directing your ships towards Malvan?’ Jijabai asked.
‘Maa saheb, Mirza Raja’s attack is imminent. It would be quite expensive for us. I know that the loot we managed from Surat and Ahmadnagar would not suffice but we have a window of opportunity. Ever since Adil Shah and the Raja of Bednur have formed a pact, there has been no fighting in that area. I have heard that the port of Basrur is rich, and I would like a chance at looting it!’
Raje dispatched four thousand men towards Gokarna and rode to Malvan himself. The construction of the Janjira Fort was taking shape and the foundation was in place. The sea was dotted with three huge ships and another eighty-five small ones. Raje stepped on to a ship. It was armed with cannons, and the troops followed Raje and he ordered them to move.
The anchor was lifted and the sails swelled in the wind. It was the maiden voyage for these ships, and Raje was eager for a victory. He said, looking at Moropant, ‘Pant, we need to have hundreds of ships in these waters. It will protect us from any invasion from the sea.’
