Battle of Sinhagad
| Battle of Sinhagad (Kondhana) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Imperial Maratha Expansion | |||||||||
 Sinhagad fort | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Maratha Empire | Mughal Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Tanaji Malusare † Suryaji Malusare Shelar Mama |
Udaybhan Singh Rathore † Beshak Khan[1] | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 1,000 Mavalas[2] |
1800+[1] 12 sons of Udaybhan Singh Rathore[1] Chandravali an elephant[1] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 300 killed or wounded[2] |
500 killed or wounded[2] | ||||||||
The Battle of Sinhagad took place during the night of 4 February 1670 on the fort of Sinhagad (then known as Kondhana after the sage Kaundinya[3]), near the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India.[4] A film has also been made on the Battle of Sinhagad, called Tanhaji (2020).
Background
The battle was fought between Koli[5] Subedar Tanaji Malusare, commander of the Marathas under Shivaji[6] and Udaybhan Singh Rathore, a Rajput fortkeeper under Jai Singh I who worked for the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Battle
Sinhagad was one of the first forts which Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj re-captured from the Mughals. The capture was made possible by scaling the walls at night with ladders made of rope. In this battle both Udaybhan Rathore and Tanhaji both were killed, but the fort was captured by the Marathas.The battle and Tanhaji's exploits are still a popular subject for Marathi ballad.[7]
Siege of fort
During the siege, Malusare scaled a steep cliff that led to the fort through the assistance of a monitor lizard called Yashwanti (also referred to as ghorpad in marathi).[8][unreliable source?] This type of lizard was tamed since the 15th century and Yashwanti was trained to pull the rope up the cliffs for Malusare and wind it around the fort's bastion.[9] Climbing up the fort, the Marathas were intercepted by the garrison and combat ensued between the guards and the few infiltrators that had managed to climb up by this time. Tanhaji and Udaybhan fought each other immensly, and Tanhaji lost his one hand during the fight. Both Tanhaji and Udaybhan were killed in the battle. Beshak Khan a Mughal general who was with Udaybhan was attacked by Suryaji malusare with bows and arrows. Beshak Khan fall on ground with heavy wounds, and escaped from the battle.[1] The overwhelmed Maratha forces with Shelar mama managed to capture the fort after the reinforcements penetrated the gateway of the fort from another route.
Aftermath
It is said that when Shivaji got the information about the victory and the loss of Tanaji's life during the battle, he exclaimed "Gad aala pan sinh gela" (Devnagari: गड आला पण सिंह गेला) (transl. "The fort has been captured but we lost the lion"). A bust of Tanaji Malusare was established on the fort in the memory of his contribution and sacrifice.[10] The fort was also renamed Sinhagad to honor his memory.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Charles Augustus Kincaid; Dattatraya Balwant Parasnis; Dattātraya Baḷavanta Pārasanīsa (1918). A history of the Maratha people. H. Milford, Oxford University Press. p. 296.
- ^ a b c d e A Handbook for Travellers in India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon. J. Murray. 1892. p. 296. ISBN 9788126003655.
- ^ a b Meena, R. P. India Current Affairs Yearbook 2020: For UPSC, State PSC & Other Competitive exams. New Era Publication.
- ^ Sorokhaibam, Jeneet (1 January 2013). Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: The Maratha Warrior and His Campaign. New Delhi: Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. p. 185. ISBN 978-93-82573-49-4.
- ^ David Hardiman (2007). Histories for the Subordinated. Seagull Books. p. 103. ISBN 9781905422388.
When Shivaji began his revolt in the following decade, the Kolis were amongst the first to join him under the leadership of the Sirnayak Khemi and they played a leading role in helping Shivaji to consolidate his power. The Koli Tanaji Malusare...
- ^ Hardiman, David (2007). Histories for the Subordinated. Seagull Books. ISBN 9781905422388.
- ^ Gordon, Stewart (1993). The Marathas 1600-1818. Vol. 2. Cambridge University Press. p. 79. ISBN 9780521033169.
- ^ Kale, Rohit (2018). Rajwata: Aavishkar Gad Killayacha. FSP Media Publications.
- ^ Sehgal, Supriya (2019). A Tigress Called Machhli and Other True Animal Stories from India. Hachette India. ISBN 978-93-88322-16-4.
- ^ Verma, Amrit. Forts of India. New Delhi: The Director, Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. pp. 83–86. ISBN 81-230-1002-8.
