Maratha War of Independence

The Maratha War of Independence (also termed the War of 27 years) was fought between the Maratha Empire and the Mughal Empire from 1681 to 1707 on the Indian subcontinent. It is the longest recorded military engagement in the history of India. The Maratha Empire eventually emerged victorious.^[1][2]

Background

Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire, died in 1680. At that time, the Marathas had emerged as the dominant power in peninsular India. After their conquest of the Deccan, the Marathas had control of the most of the Indian peninsula.

The Mughal Badshah Aurangzeb decided to personally lead his army against the Marathas to regain the lost parts of his empire. The War of 27 years started in 1681. The war can be broken down into three distinct phases:

1. 1681 to 1689 - Concluding with the fall of Raigad Fort and the execution of Sambhaji
2. 1689 to 1699 - Concluding with the fall of Gingee and the death of Rajaram
3. 1699 to 1707 - Concluding with victory of the Maratha Empire under Tarabai and the death of Aurangzeb

1681 to 1689 - Fall of Raigad with capture of Sambhaji

Prior to his death, Shivaji had conquered the Deccan and emerged as the sole power to challenge the Mughals southward expansion into southern India. The Bijapur Sultanate under Sikandar Adil Shah, an ally of Shivaji, was in decline. The Hyderabad Sultanate was also allied with Shivaji.

Hence, with the death of Shivaji in 1681, Aurangzeb made an attempt to subdue the Marathas. In the first half of 1681, many Mughal contingents were dispatched to lay siege to Maratha forts in present day Gujurat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. By the end of 1681, the Mughal forces had laid siege to Fort Ramsej. But the Marathas did not succumb to this onslaught. The attack was well received and it took the Mughals seven years to win the fort.

Aurangzeb arrived at Aurangabad, the Mughal headquarters in the Deccan and made it his capital. Mughal contingents in the region numbered about 500,000. It was a disproportionate battle in all senses. Sambhaji led the fight valiantly but was treacherously captured by the Mughals and killed. His wife and son (Shivaji's grandson) were held captive by Aurangzeb for twenty years.

1689 to 1699 - Fall of Gingee with death of Rajaram

The death of Sambhaji rekindled the spirit of valour in the minds of Marathas, which made Aurangzeb's mission impossible. In the same year and at the same place where Sambhaji was tortured to death^{[citation needed]}, Santaji Ghorpade attacked the imperial camp, defeated one of their units and brought disgrace to them. Now war was fought from the Malwa plateau to the east coast. Such was the strategy of Maratha commanders to counter the might of the Mughals. Maratha generals Ramchandrapant Amatya and Shankaraji Niraji maintained the Maratha stronghold in the rugged terrains of Sahyadri.

In several brilliant cavalry movements, Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav defeated the Mughals. Their offensive, and especially that of Santaji, struck terror into the hearts of the Mughals. In the Battle of Attani, Santaji defeated Kasim Khan, a noted Mughal general.

1699 to 1707 - Victory of Marathas

After death of Rajaram, his widow, Tarabai assumed the charge of the empire. She herself took to the field and remained mobile and vigil during the crisis. In words of Jadunath Sarkar, 'It is her character that saved the nation in that awful crisis.' By 1705, Marathas had penetrated Mughal possession of Central India and Gujarat. Nemaji Shinde defeated Mughals on the Malwa plateau. By 1706, Mughals started retreating from Maratha dominions. Aurangzeb died at Khultabad (Aurangabad) in 1707. The defeated Mughals released the grandson of Shivaji, Shahu from captivity.

Aftermath of the war

Marathas emerged victorious against the Mughals and started northward expansion. For the first time they crossed the Narmada the traditional boundary between northern plains and peninsula. After defeating the Mughals, there was no other power to oppose Marathas successfully. With the death of Emperor Arungzeb in 1707, the Maratha army marched in to Delhi itself, within that decade forced the Mughal clan to being confined to Dehli. Meanwhile the Maratha cavalry continued its onslaught initially under various Maratha generals like Nemaji Shinde, Hybtarao Nimbalkar, Parsoji Bhosle, Dhanaji Jadhavetc. Under Shahu, this expansion in the north was led by Bajirao & his aides Scindia, Holkar and Pawar; towards east by Raghoji Bhosle and towards west by Dabhade and Gaikwad.

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ [2]