Farjand Shahaji Raje Vs Sardar Afzalkhan
I know that the topic we really want to discuss is the Pratapgad Battle - But without this chapter, we would not have been able to view the Pratapgad episode in it's full context. In this chapter, we shall start with understanding Shahaji and Afzalkhan for what they were and then in the next chapter, trace development of the historic rivalry between these two, a rivalry which was taken to the next generation and which was concluded by the next generation!!
Agreed that Afzalkhan's death was a fruit reaped at Pratapgad, but the seeds of this event were sown long ago.
Trust me on this one and be sure that I am going to share some interesting history in here.
So, here we are, trying to know the two men, whose names have become integral part of the Maratha History - And the History of entire Southern India.
To help with the comparison, let me put forth three strong personality traits that these two men possessed.
Starting with Shahaji - He was invincible. He fought 32 notable battles and the only battle in which had to surrender was the one he never fought.
Sounds strange?? Well, keep reading and we will come to that battle very soon.
Point here is there was no way Shahaji could be defeated. And it was only because of this reputation, that he could comfortably change his allegiances as and when needed.
He was resourceful. Do you know that one battle, which made Shahaji really famous?? Which made his name known to entire India - from the Moghuls to all Deccan Sultanates to the kings and Nayakaas of the South?
The year was 1624. Moghul Emperor Shahjahan badly wanted Nizamshahi sultanate to be wiped out and had sent his Commander Laskhar Khan with a force of 120,000 to Decccan. Adilshah knew this is the best opportunity to be an ally to the Moghuls and joined in with a force of 80,000.
Shahaji was stationed in Nagar when these forces combined and assembled just outside Nagar at the banks of river Mekhri. It was only a matter of few hours and as the next day would dawn, Nagar was going to be ravaged.
Shahaji had a force of 20,000 at his disposal. He kept 10,000 of them in Nagar to guard the town, if it gets attacked and with remaining 10,000 men he took a stand against the moghul forces at Bhatwadi. The odds were 1:20 and only a miracle would have saved Nagar.
And during the dark hours of the night, there was indeed a miracle!! All the sleeping moghul and adilshahi forces were swept away by a massive force of water. The entire camp was drowned in flood and all that Shahaji's 10,000 men did over next few days was fishing!! Fishing out men - ranking officers, common soldiers, slaves, servants, all alike; and not just that - fishing out weapons, cannons, horses, elephants - dead and alive both !!
This miraculous flood was caused by Shahaji's resourcefulness. He deployed a handful of his men to develop cracks in the dam over Mekhri river, just a few miles upstream of the moghul camping site.
Atleast 25 of Adilshah's elite officers were fished out and taken as war-prisoners. The defeat itself was very humiliating for Shah Jahan and he stopped the campaign against Nizamshah immediately.
This is Shahaji's legacy. Battles which were won by being resourceful, by deploying guerrilla warfare, by improvising, by strategic planning, by confidence in the men fighting along-side, and by care and affection for these brave souls. This legacy was also Shivaji's inheritance, one which he explored to its fullest for creating the Maratha empire.
About - Shahaji being a Visionary. Well, it was a dream of Shahaji and Jijabai to have an independent Maratha empire. A dream which their elder son Sambhaji died for, a dream which their younger son Shivaji finally fulfilled!!
Shahaji was not only a visionary for himself - He shared his vision with his men, mentored them and groomed them for their future roles.
An interesting fact I find about Shahaji is that he always had a force between 10,000-15,000 [of his own] - I think I know the reason why.
Shahaji groomed his capable companions to lead, as ministers, as ambassadors, as commanders and these men when ready were sent to Pune for Shivaji's help or to Bangalore for Sambhaji's help. We come across so many references in history of Shivaji, when some wise and brave men sent by Shahaji joined Shivaji and proved to be of great help.
As mentioned earlier, my school of thought is that Maratha empire was always Shahaji and Jijabai's vision, which they could successfully imbibe in their sons and Shivaji made a reality out of this vision.
Shifting the gear now towards Afzalkhan - Well, the greatest quality of this Pathan was his unquestionable loyalty towards Adilshah. There were times when his superiors failed adilshah, but Afzalkhan was always the one who could be relied upon!!
It was this loyalty which helped the Adilshah in using Afzalkhan for straightening out any political troubles in his regime and also helped Afzalkhan himself grow within ranks of adilshah sultanate.
Afzalkhan was a disciplined soldier. Although standing tall with 7 feet height and having a well-built body stature, Afzalkhan was never lethargic or over-confident. He believed in discipline and expected his forces to be disciplined. The roots of this discipline can probably be traced back to the beginning of Afzalkhan's career, when he served as an head constable for Adilshahi police and was well-known for his strictness.
[There are letters when people from as far away as Karnataka made special requests to send the head-constable Afzalkhan for taking care of men who were trying to default on their long standing debts.]
Having said that Afzalkhan was also a fanatic. He had a fanaticism for religion, he had a fanaticism for cruelty, he had a fanaticism for victory and he had fanaticism to stress his existence.
This fanaticism was one of the main reasons that Afzalkhan could rise to eminence during the reign of Sultan Mohammad Adilshah - Mohammad Adilshah, was young and fanatic about religion himself.
I know I would be expected to explain the fanaticisms a little more. So, here we go:
After the Bhatwadi battle, Shah Jahan and Adilshah became allies. This also meant that Adilshah was to refrain from any expansions in the northern territories. Add to it, shortly after that a young sultan Mohammad Adilshah ascended the throne.
So, a war on hindu states in the south was the only way for expansion and being young and ambitious - Mohammad wanted to expand his rule. And, he knew that the best way to achieve this was a Jihad "War for Religion". Jihad against the princely states in southern India would both justify the expansion and inspire the expansion.
Scores of adilshahi forces started attacking the hindu territories in south and this campaign brought forth an array of fanatic commanders - one after another. Randulla Khan, Mustafa Khan, Asad Khan, Afzalkhan are just a few prominent names.
Afzalkhan used to call himself by the title : Deendaar Butshikan Deendaar Kufrashikan [Servant of religion - demolisher of the idols - servant of religion - destroyer of the Kaafirs]
I guess this is enough to tell about his religious fanaticism.
About the fanaticism for Cruelty - When someone slayed his opponent in wars, it was a common [although barbaric enough] practice in those days to advertise the victory by showing off the head of your opponent!!
Afzalkhan had his own way of this show-off. There is atleast one known instance of Murar Jagdev, whom Afzalkhan slayed with treachery and then put his head on top of a sewer outlet in Bijapur!!
They say that when soldiers die in the battlefield, they go to heaven. I don't think any soldier out there in heaven would want to see his head become a shit-hole after death!! That was the fanatic cruelty of Afzalkhan!!
Fanaticism for Victory - Well, Afzalkhan was like those Police officers in modern day Bollywood movies - No Arrest, No Surrender, Faisla on-the-spot !!
Even when he invited his opponents for a truce, he killed them during the talks. Murder of Raja Kasturi Ranga is a well known example of this. For him battles were meant only to be won and victory was never complete without killing the opponent!!
Well, I think I have led to formation of images and preconceptions here - Shahaji the hero and Afzalkhan the bad guy !! But then, that is what the history books tell us. Anyways, an interesting fact is that despite all these attributes, Afzalkhan was a self-made commander, and when he fought the battle of Pratapgad, there were only a couple of moments when he failed himself !!
He was no doubt an opponent, who tested the mettle of Shivaji's qualities and who posed a real threat to Shivaji's life.
But more about that - Later :-)
In the next chapter, I will unravel the rivalry between Shahaji and Afzalkhan and discuss various aspects of this rivalry. Also, if you are wondering about that title Farjand against Shahaji's name, you will get to know the answer in next chapter. So, keep reading and stay tuned to this series !!
I know that the topic we really want to discuss is the Pratapgad Battle - But without this chapter, we would not have been able to view the Pratapgad episode in it's full context. In this chapter, we shall start with understanding Shahaji and Afzalkhan for what they were and then in the next chapter, trace development of the historic rivalry between these two, a rivalry which was taken to the next generation and which was concluded by the next generation!!
Agreed that Afzalkhan's death was a fruit reaped at Pratapgad, but the seeds of this event were sown long ago.
Trust me on this one and be sure that I am going to share some interesting history in here.
So, here we are, trying to know the two men, whose names have become integral part of the Maratha History - And the History of entire Southern India.
To help with the comparison, let me put forth three strong personality traits that these two men possessed.
Farjand Shahaji Raje Vs Sardar Afzalkhan
Invincible Resourceful Visionary Vs Loyal Disciplined Fanatic
Starting with Shahaji - He was invincible. He fought 32 notable battles and the only battle in which had to surrender was the one he never fought.
Sounds strange?? Well, keep reading and we will come to that battle very soon.
Point here is there was no way Shahaji could be defeated. And it was only because of this reputation, that he could comfortably change his allegiances as and when needed.
He was resourceful. Do you know that one battle, which made Shahaji really famous?? Which made his name known to entire India - from the Moghuls to all Deccan Sultanates to the kings and Nayakaas of the South?
The year was 1624. Moghul Emperor Shahjahan badly wanted Nizamshahi sultanate to be wiped out and had sent his Commander Laskhar Khan with a force of 120,000 to Decccan. Adilshah knew this is the best opportunity to be an ally to the Moghuls and joined in with a force of 80,000.
Shahaji was stationed in Nagar when these forces combined and assembled just outside Nagar at the banks of river Mekhri. It was only a matter of few hours and as the next day would dawn, Nagar was going to be ravaged.
Shahaji had a force of 20,000 at his disposal. He kept 10,000 of them in Nagar to guard the town, if it gets attacked and with remaining 10,000 men he took a stand against the moghul forces at Bhatwadi. The odds were 1:20 and only a miracle would have saved Nagar.
And during the dark hours of the night, there was indeed a miracle!! All the sleeping moghul and adilshahi forces were swept away by a massive force of water. The entire camp was drowned in flood and all that Shahaji's 10,000 men did over next few days was fishing!! Fishing out men - ranking officers, common soldiers, slaves, servants, all alike; and not just that - fishing out weapons, cannons, horses, elephants - dead and alive both !!
This miraculous flood was caused by Shahaji's resourcefulness. He deployed a handful of his men to develop cracks in the dam over Mekhri river, just a few miles upstream of the moghul camping site.
Atleast 25 of Adilshah's elite officers were fished out and taken as war-prisoners. The defeat itself was very humiliating for Shah Jahan and he stopped the campaign against Nizamshah immediately.
This is Shahaji's legacy. Battles which were won by being resourceful, by deploying guerrilla warfare, by improvising, by strategic planning, by confidence in the men fighting along-side, and by care and affection for these brave souls. This legacy was also Shivaji's inheritance, one which he explored to its fullest for creating the Maratha empire.
About - Shahaji being a Visionary. Well, it was a dream of Shahaji and Jijabai to have an independent Maratha empire. A dream which their elder son Sambhaji died for, a dream which their younger son Shivaji finally fulfilled!!
Shahaji was not only a visionary for himself - He shared his vision with his men, mentored them and groomed them for their future roles.
An interesting fact I find about Shahaji is that he always had a force between 10,000-15,000 [of his own] - I think I know the reason why.
Shahaji groomed his capable companions to lead, as ministers, as ambassadors, as commanders and these men when ready were sent to Pune for Shivaji's help or to Bangalore for Sambhaji's help. We come across so many references in history of Shivaji, when some wise and brave men sent by Shahaji joined Shivaji and proved to be of great help.
As mentioned earlier, my school of thought is that Maratha empire was always Shahaji and Jijabai's vision, which they could successfully imbibe in their sons and Shivaji made a reality out of this vision.
Shifting the gear now towards Afzalkhan - Well, the greatest quality of this Pathan was his unquestionable loyalty towards Adilshah. There were times when his superiors failed adilshah, but Afzalkhan was always the one who could be relied upon!!
It was this loyalty which helped the Adilshah in using Afzalkhan for straightening out any political troubles in his regime and also helped Afzalkhan himself grow within ranks of adilshah sultanate.
Afzalkhan was a disciplined soldier. Although standing tall with 7 feet height and having a well-built body stature, Afzalkhan was never lethargic or over-confident. He believed in discipline and expected his forces to be disciplined. The roots of this discipline can probably be traced back to the beginning of Afzalkhan's career, when he served as an head constable for Adilshahi police and was well-known for his strictness.
[There are letters when people from as far away as Karnataka made special requests to send the head-constable Afzalkhan for taking care of men who were trying to default on their long standing debts.]
Having said that Afzalkhan was also a fanatic. He had a fanaticism for religion, he had a fanaticism for cruelty, he had a fanaticism for victory and he had fanaticism to stress his existence.
This fanaticism was one of the main reasons that Afzalkhan could rise to eminence during the reign of Sultan Mohammad Adilshah - Mohammad Adilshah, was young and fanatic about religion himself.
I know I would be expected to explain the fanaticisms a little more. So, here we go:
After the Bhatwadi battle, Shah Jahan and Adilshah became allies. This also meant that Adilshah was to refrain from any expansions in the northern territories. Add to it, shortly after that a young sultan Mohammad Adilshah ascended the throne.
So, a war on hindu states in the south was the only way for expansion and being young and ambitious - Mohammad wanted to expand his rule. And, he knew that the best way to achieve this was a Jihad "War for Religion". Jihad against the princely states in southern India would both justify the expansion and inspire the expansion.
Scores of adilshahi forces started attacking the hindu territories in south and this campaign brought forth an array of fanatic commanders - one after another. Randulla Khan, Mustafa Khan, Asad Khan, Afzalkhan are just a few prominent names.
Afzalkhan used to call himself by the title : Deendaar Butshikan Deendaar Kufrashikan [Servant of religion - demolisher of the idols - servant of religion - destroyer of the Kaafirs]
I guess this is enough to tell about his religious fanaticism.
About the fanaticism for Cruelty - When someone slayed his opponent in wars, it was a common [although barbaric enough] practice in those days to advertise the victory by showing off the head of your opponent!!
Afzalkhan had his own way of this show-off. There is atleast one known instance of Murar Jagdev, whom Afzalkhan slayed with treachery and then put his head on top of a sewer outlet in Bijapur!!
They say that when soldiers die in the battlefield, they go to heaven. I don't think any soldier out there in heaven would want to see his head become a shit-hole after death!! That was the fanatic cruelty of Afzalkhan!!
Fanaticism for Victory - Well, Afzalkhan was like those Police officers in modern day Bollywood movies - No Arrest, No Surrender, Faisla on-the-spot !!
Even when he invited his opponents for a truce, he killed them during the talks. Murder of Raja Kasturi Ranga is a well known example of this. For him battles were meant only to be won and victory was never complete without killing the opponent!!
Well, I think I have led to formation of images and preconceptions here - Shahaji the hero and Afzalkhan the bad guy !! But then, that is what the history books tell us. Anyways, an interesting fact is that despite all these attributes, Afzalkhan was a self-made commander, and when he fought the battle of Pratapgad, there were only a couple of moments when he failed himself !!
He was no doubt an opponent, who tested the mettle of Shivaji's qualities and who posed a real threat to Shivaji's life.
But more about that - Later :-)
In the next chapter, I will unravel the rivalry between Shahaji and Afzalkhan and discuss various aspects of this rivalry. Also, if you are wondering about that title Farjand against Shahaji's name, you will get to know the answer in next chapter. So, keep reading and stay tuned to this series !!
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