Battle of Purandar

The Battle of Purandar was fought between the Mughal Empire and the Maratha Empire in 1665.

Battle of Purandar
Part of Imperial Maratha Conquests
Date 31 March 1665 – 12 June 1665 Location Purandar Result Mughal victory^[1]^[2]^[3] Territorial changes Mughals occupy 23 forts of Shivaji.
Belligerents
Maratha Empire	Mughal Empire
Commanders and leaders
Shivaji   Murarbaji †	Jai Singh Diler Khan
Strength
Unknown	12,000^[1]

Background

The Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, appointed Jai Singh to lead a 12,000-man army against Maratha king Shivaji. Shaista Khan and Muazzam were both replaced by Jai Singh after their failure against Shivaji. Jai Singh was given full military power and made viceroy of Deccan by the Mughal Emperor.^[1]

Siege

Jai Singh started his campaign by isolating Shivaji; he persuaded some Maratha nobles to join him and offered to reduce the tribute of the Bijapur Sultanate if they joined him. Jai Singh then besieged Purandar and beat off all Maratha attempts to relieve the fort. In 1665, Shivaji surrendered and agreed to hand over 23 of his 36 forts to Jai Singh.^[3] Shivaji refused to personally serve Aurangzeb, but agreed to send his son Sambhaji. Shivaji also agreed to help the Mughals against Bijapur. Shivaji, along with his son Sambhaji, was taken as prisoner at Agra in 1666.^[4]

Aftermath

After the treaty, Jai Singh sent Shivaji against Bijapur as he feared that Diler Khan and other Mughal officers might harm Shivaji. After the failed campaign against Bijapur, Jai Singh arranged a meeting between Aurangzeb and Shivaji, which proved to be a disaster, allowingShivaji to escape and a renewal of the war between the Mughals and the Marathas.^[1]

References

1. Chandra, Satish (2005). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part - II. Har Anand Publications. p. 316. ISBN 9788124110669. After the disgrace of Shaista Khan and Shivaji's raid on Surat....Aurangzeb appointed Mirza Raja Jai Singh, who was one of his trusted noble...he was given an army of 12,000.....Jai Singh was not only given full military authority....he was made the viceroy of the Deccan in place of Prince Muazzam...in order to isolate Shivaji, and even tried to win over the Sultan of Bijapur....he also induced some of the Maratha deshmukhs...marching to Pune, Jai Singh decided to strike at the heart of Shivaji's territories....Jai Singh closely besieged Purandar, (1665) beating off all Maratha attempts to relieve it. With the fall of the fort in sight, and no relief likely from any quarter, Shivaji opened negotiations with Jai Singh.
2. Jacques, Tony (30 November 2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 825. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.
3. Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal (1964). The Mughal Empire, 1526-1803 A.D. Shiva Lal Agarwala. pp. 376–379. After Jai Singh had promised him a safe conduct Shivaji proceeded on the morning of 24th June 1665, to meet the R^put general in his camp. Jai Singh, however, sent word that unless Shivaji agreed to surrender all his forts, he need not come for an interview. Shivaji agreed and proceeded on and was welcomed at the door of the tents by Jai Singh's Bakhshi. Jai Singh biznself advanced a few steps, embraced Shivaji, and seated him by his side. Jai Singh had instructed Diler Khan and Kirat Singh to bunch an attack on Purandar, while Shivaji was with him so as to convince the latter of the hopelessness of the Maratha position.
4. Mehta, Jaswant Lal (2005-01-01). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-932705-54-6.