Sambhaji (Sambhajiraje Shivajiraje Bhonsle, ; 14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689), also known as Shambhuraje, ruled from 1681 to 1689 as the second king (Chhatrapati) of the Maratha Empire, a prominent state in early modern India. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire.

At the age of nine, Sambhaji was taken as a political hostage of the Mughal Empire, to guarantee his father's compliance with the treaty of Purandar. He later accompanied his father to Agra where both were placed under house arrest by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb; they subsequently escaped. He was later confined by his father at Panhala Fort, with some theories suggesting that it was due to his addiction to "sensual pleasures" or for violating a Brahmin woman. He subsequently defected to the Mughal Empire and served under Diler Khan in the Battle of Bhupalgarh against his father. He ascended the throne following his father's death, with his rule being largely shaped by the ongoing wars between the Marathas and the Mughal Empire, as well as other neighbouring powers such as the Siddi of Janjira, the Wadiyars of Mysore and the Portuguese Empire in Goa.

Early in his rule, Marathas under Sambhaji attacked and disrupted supply lines and raided into the Mughal territory, although they were unsuccessful in taking over main forts. In 1683, Sambhaji executed 24 members of influential families including top government ministers after discovering a plot to poison him. By 1685, Mughals had gradually pushed back Sambhaji's forces by taking over their strongholds. Desertions became common by the end of his reign, and he had alienated Maratha deshmukhs (land owners) by burning villages to deny supplies to the Portuguese. In 1689, he was captured by Mughal forces and executed. His brother Rajaram I succeeded him as king and continued the Mughal–Maratha Wars.

Sambhaji is viewed poorly by historians, who note that his personal problems—and war crimes committed by his soldiers—overshadowed his moderate military and administrative successes. Maratha soldiers under Sambhaji's command during his campaigns committed atrocities against civilians including massacres and mass rape. As a ruler, Sambhaji implemented drought relief measures and encouraged agricultural development while continuing his father's administrative systems. He was also a scholar who authored several works in Sanskrit and Hindustani, including the political treatise Budhbhushanam. His torture and death at the hands of the Mughal Empire elevated him to the status of a martyr. He remains popular in modern India among many Hindu nationalists.

Early life

Sambhaji was born at Purandar fort to the Maratha Chhtrapati, Shivaji, and his first wife, Saibai, who died when he was two years old. He was then raised by his paternal grandmother Jijabai.

Marriage

Sambhaji was married to Jivubai in a marriage of political alliance and as per Maratha custom, she took the name Yesubai. Jivubai was the daughter of Pilaji Shirke, who had entered Shivaji's service following the defeat of Deshmukh Suryaji Surve who was his previous liege. This marriage thus gave Shivaji the access of the region of Konkan coastal belt. Yesubai had two children, daughter Bhavani Bai and then a son named Shahu I, who later became the Chhatrapati of the Maratha kingdom. According to Maasir-i-Alamgiri, daughters of Sambhaji and his brother Rajaram were married to Mughal noblemen.

Arrest and defection to the Mughals

The elder Shivaji imprisoned his son Sambhaji at Panhala Fort in 1678. Contemporary author Khafi Khan suggested that his imprisonment was for personal behavior including alleged irresponsibility and addiction to "sensual pleasures". After Shivaji returned from his Southern campaign, he stationed Sambhaji at Sajjangad, hoping to improve the latter's attitude. Sambhaji, although he revered the Matha (Hindu monastics) and their practices, was not adept at following that disciplined routine. A liaison was already established between Sambhaji and Diler Khan, now the sole person in charge of Mughal affairs in south Dakhan. On 13 December 1678, Sambhaji escaped with his wife and rejoined Diler Khan for a year, taking with him a small retinue and leaving Sajjangad with the aim of reaching Pedgaon, the Mughal cantonment. Following this, he was made a Mughal noble with the rank of seven thousand zat and conferred with the title of Raja by Aurangzeb. He later attacked the fort of Bhupalgad, which was under Maratha control while serving the Mughals. After returning, he was put under house arrest at Panhala. Gajanan Mehendale considers the reason for Sambhaji's estrangement from his father to be uncertain.

Ancestry

Accession

When Shivaji died in the first week of April 1680, Sambhaji was still held captive at Panhala fort. Some of the influential sardars including ministers Annaji Datto and other ministers conspired against Sambhaji, supported by Soyarabai, to prevent Sambhaji from succeeding the throne.

Military expeditions and conflicts

thumb|Sambhaji meeting Kubkullus at a military camp. 1921 painting by [[M. V. Dhurandhar]]

Shortly, following his accession, Sambhaji began his military campaigns against neighbouring states. Sambhaji's attack on Burhanpur, and granting refuge to prince Akbar, Aurangzeb's fugitive son compelled the latter to move south with the Mughal army.

Attack on Burhanpur

Bahadur Khan was in charge of the fort of Burhanpur who later entrusted Kakar Khan with the same. Kakar was performing the duty of collecting jizya tax from the Hindu citizens of Burhanpur. The Jizya was collected and stored at the Burhanpur fort. Sambhaji plundered and ravaged Burhanpur in 1680. His forces completely routed the Mughal garrison and punitively executed captives. The Marathas then looted the city and set its ports ablaze. Sambhaji then withdrew into Baglana, evading the forces of Mughal commander Khan Jahan Bahadur. Aurangzeb in response moved his court south to Aurangabad and took over command of the Deccan campaign. The rebels were defeated and Akbar fled south to seek refuge with Sambhaji. Sambhaji's ministers including Annaji Datto, and other ministers took this opportunity and conspired again to enthrone Rajaram again. They signed a treasonable letter against Sambhaji in which they promised to join Akbar, to whom the letter was sent. Akbar gave this letter to Sambhaji.

Siege of Ramsej (1682)

In 1682, the Mughals laid siege to the Maratha fort of Ramsej, but after five months of failed attempts, including planting explosive mines and building wooden towers to gain the walls, the Mughal siege failed.

Mughal invasions of Konkan (1684)

Aurangzeb then decided to attack the Maratha capital Raigad Fort directly from the North and the South directions. He made a pincer attempt to surround the Maratha Capital that led to Mughal invasions of Konkan (1684). The Mughals were badly defeated due to the Maratha strategy and the harsh climate of the region. These failures forced Aurangzeb to look away from the Maratha Empire and search for success against the Qutb Shahi dynasty and Adil Shahi dynasty. Under Sambhaji (1680–89) the Marathas ranged up and down western India.

Siddis of Janjira

The Marathas under Shivaji came into conflict with the Siddis, Muslims of Abyssinian descent settled in India, over the control of the Konkan coast. Shivaji was able to reduce their presence to the Janjira fort, a fortified island of murud. Sambhaji continued the Maratha campaign against them, while at that time the Siddis formed an alliance with the Mughals. At the start of 1682, a Maratha army later joined by Sambhaji personally, attacked the island for thirty days, doing heavy damage but failing to breach its defenses. Sambhaji then attempted a ruse, sending a party of his people to the Siddis, claiming to be defectors. They were allowed into the fort and planned to detonate the gunpowder magazine during a coming Maratha attack. However, one of the female defectors became involved with a Siddi man and he uncovered the plot, and the infiltrators were executed. The Maratha then attempted to build a stone causeway from the shore to the island, but were interrupted halfway through when the Mughal army moved to menace Raigad. Sambhaji returned to counter them and his remaining troops were unable to overcome the Janjira garrison and the Siddi fleet protecting it.

Portuguese and English

316x316px|thumb|Watan Patra (grant document), by Chh. SambhajiHaving failed to take Janjira in 1682, Sambhaji sent a commander to seize the Portuguese coastal fort of Anjadiva instead. The Marathas seized the fort, seeking to turn it into a naval base, but in April 1682 were ejected from the fort by a detachment of 200 Portuguese. This incident led to a larger conflict between the two regional powers. In order to deny this support to the Mughals, Sambhaji invaded the Portuguese territories of Bardez and Salcette with 20,000 Maratha soldiers. According to an account by Padre Francisco de Souza, Marathas looted, destroyed Churches and raped Christian women. After they had completed sacking, they carried off with themselves many men, women and children whom they later sold to Arabs and Dutch. The sudden withdrawal of Sambhaji from Goa was cited as the result of a "miraculous intercession" by the saint.

Meanwhile, in 1684 Sambhaji signed a defensive treaty with the English at Bombay, realising his need for English arms and gunpowder, particularly as their lack of artillery and explosives impeded the Maratha's ability to lay siege to fortifications. Thus reinforced, Sambhaji proceeded to take Pratapgad and a series of forts along the Ghats. Chikkadevraja later made treaties and rendered tribute to the Maratha kingdom during the conflicts of 1682–1686. Chikkadevraja however began to draw close to the Mughal Emperor and ceased to follow his treaties with the Marathas. In response, Sambhaji invaded Mysore in 1686, accompanied by his Brahmin friend and poet Kavi Kalash.

Maratha Deshmukhs

During his short reign, Sambhaji faced Mughal efforts to bring many Maratha Deshmukhs on their side, particularly after the demise of Bijapur and Golconda in 1686–87. Defections had become common by the end of his reign; according to Stewart Gordon, he had "badly alienated" deshmukh families by "burning villages to deny supplies to Goa" during the conflict with the Portuguese. Both were executed by beheading on 11 March 1689 at Tulapur on the banks of the Bhima river near Pune. Some accounts state that Sambhaji's body was cut into pieces and thrown into the river or that the body or portions were recaptured and cremated at the confluence of the rivers at Tulapur.

Governance

thumb|right|Statue of Sambhaji at [[Tulapur.|347x347px]]

Sambhaji inherited the governance system created by Shivaji. He continued with most of his father's policies. The administration of the state was managed by Sambhaji with the help of Chandogamatya and the council of eight ministers. According to P. S. Joshi, Sambhaji was a good administrator who gave impartial justice to his subjects.

Sambhaji provided grain seeds, exemptions in taxes, oxen for agricultural work and agricultural tools to the farmers in the drought situation. All these measures were implemented sincerely during the drought period. In Budhbhushanam, Sambhaji wrote poetry on politics, including dos and don'ts for a king and military tactics. The first few shlokas are praises for his grandfather Shahaji, whom he considers to be an incarnation of Indra, and his father Shivaji, whom he considers to be an incarnation of Vishnu.

Legacy

During his life, Sambhaji was unable to accomplish much for his people. However, his death elevated him to the status of a martyr. Many statues of Sambhaji exist in India. Sambhaji is viewed positively by the modern Indian Hindu movement, as he is seen as emblematic of Hindavi Swarajya (Hindu self-rule). However, Hindu nationalist icons such as V. D. Savarkar and M. S. Golwalkar had a negative view of Sambhaji. Savarkar found Sambhaji to be "unfit to rule over the Maratha empire".

The Hindu assesses that "Sambhaji's fealty to the Hindu dharma in the face of certain death has earned him much admiration from Hindu nationalists. Some early Marathi writers, however, portrayed him as irresponsible and wayward. Yet others have held him up as a figure of unwavering valiance who inspired the Marathas in their fight against the Mughals." Mahadev Govind Ranade, writing around 1900, came to a similar conclusion, writing that "It is useless to enter into a detailed account of Sambhaji's reign, for Sambhaji never can be said to have ruled the country."

Govind Sakharam Sardesai's 1946 work the New History of Marathas is the first modern treatment of Sambhaji's life. Sardesai's chapter on Sambhaji is entitled "Sambhaji the violent."

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See also

  • Bhosale family ancestry
  • Maratha clan system
  • Marathi people

References

Notes

Citations