Battle of Purandar
The Battle of Purandar was fought between the Mughal Empire and the Maratha Empire in 1665. The Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, appointed Jai Singh to lead a 12,000 strong army against the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shaista Khan and Muazzam were both replaced by Jai Singh after their failure against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Jai Singh was also given full military power and made viceroy of Deccan by the Mughal Emperor. [1]
| Battle of Purandar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Imperial Maratha Conquests | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Maratha Empire | Mughal Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Murarbaji † | Diler Khan | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | 12,000[1] | ||||||||
Siege and Aftermath Edit
Jai Singh started his campaign by isolating Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj; he persuaded some Maratha nobles to join him and also 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, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj surrendered after finding no other option to repel the siege and agreed to hand over 23 of his 36 forts to Jai Singh. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj refused to personally serve Aurangzeb but agreed to send his son Sambhaji raje instead. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj also agreed to help the Mughals against Bijapur. After the treaty, Jai Singh sent Shivaji against Bijapur as he feared that Diler Khan and other Mughal officers might harm Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. After the failed campaign against Bijapur, Jai Singh arranged a meeting between Aurangzeb and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which proved to be a disaster, resulting in the escape of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and a renewal of the war between the Mughals and the Marathas. [1]
References Edit
- ^ a b c d Chandra, Satish (2005). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part - II. Har Anand Publications. p. 316.
After the disgrace of Shaista Khan and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj'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 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, 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,Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj opened negotiations with Jai Singh.
- ^ Jacques, Tony (30 November 2006). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 825. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.