Thread by @HindutvaItihas

1.
#Thread on Maharani Tarabai's reign, during which Marathas emerged victorious from the 27-Year-War against Mughals.

This is the 4th part of the thread series on the 27 Year War.

#Hindutva #Mughals #Marathas #History

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Chhatrapati Rajaram had passed away in early 1700 at Sinhagad. His queen, Maharani Tarabai's regency followed.

Shortly before, Vasantgad, a fort ~40 kms from Satara had fallen to Mughals. Satara fort was besieged.

3.
1700: During the siege of Satara, mine explosions claimed many Mughal lives. But the fort fell to a Mughal assault in April.

Sajjangad, the Samadhi-place of Sant Ramdas, was the next fort to fall in June. Panhala fort was besieged later.

4.
While at Khawaspur in Oct, Aurangzeb's camp was hit by a flash flood. Panicked due to imagined arrival of Marathas at the night-time, Aurangzeb dislocated his right knee & became lame for the rest of his life!

The panic was result of a similar raid in 1689 by Santaji Ghorpade

5.
1701: Dhanaji Jadhav tried relieving the Panhala siege by drawing the Mughals 22 miles away from the fort. Later, Mughal supplies were also cut off. The siege wouldn't progress much due to Dhanaji's tactics, & trauma among Mughals due to earlier disastrous sieges.

6.
So, Aurangzeb took to bribery for getting forts. Panhala was captured in May.

1702: Vishalgad fell in Jun, during which 6000+ Mughals were k!lled. Meanwhile, Marathas attacked Mughal territory between Tapi to Krishna river with Nusrat Jang pursuing them. Bhimsen describes 👇:

7.
Aurangzeb besieged Kondhana/Sinhagad in Dec. Here we see a glimpse of the future Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, the first of the Peshwas from the illustrious Bhat family!

Balaji Vishwanath helped defend Sinhagad via requests for its gunpowder provision.But the fort fell in Apr '03

8.
1703-04: Mughals captured Sinhagad, Rajgad & Torna in these two years.

However, under Maharani's orders, deep raids into Mughal territory were ordered to keep up the pressure. In Jun '03, Marathas attacked upto Ujjain. In Oct, Nimaji Shinde defeated Rustam Khan in Berar, ...

9.
attacked Hoshangabad & Sironj at the invitation of Maharaj Chhatrasal Bundela!

Even in the south, Marathas attacked Mughal post at Sira.

1705: Aurangzeb started siege of Wagingera fort in N.Karnataka. Its chief, Pidia Nayak, had allied Marathas and attacked upto Vijayapura!

10.
After siege started in Feb, Mughals capture a vital hillock (Lal Tikri) near the fort. In Mar, Marathas under Hindurao Ghorpade & Dhanaji Jadhav arrived to help the Nayak.

At the advice of Marathas, Pidia Nayak sent fake peace proposal to Aurangzeb for relaxing the siege.

11.
Marathas rescued Pidia Nayak. After sensing the trick, Aurangzeb 'almost went mad with rage & shame'. Mughals however captured 2 hillocks, water-spots & a walled post (Talwargera) after huge losses.

In Apr, Aurangzeb captured Wagingera, just to find Pidia Nayak escaped!

12.
In Oct, the exhausted Aurangzeb set out from Wagingera towards Delhi. He reached Pedgaon in Nov, Ahmednagar in Jan 1706.

1706: This was an even more frustrating year for the Mughals. Dhanaji Jadhav cru$hed the Mughal army at Battle of Ratanpur, which again inspired ...

13.
Ajit Singh to rise. Marathas attacked Aurangzeb's camp at Ahmednagar; Nusrat Jang kept up pursuit from Aurangabad-Tuljapur-Miraj, with similar results for his army as in 1702.

Marathas capture Penukonda fort with Pidia Nayak. Vasantgad was recaptured.

14.
1707: In Jan, Aurangzeb's illness started getting more frequent & serious. He died on 20 Feb 1707 at Ahmednagar.

Thus ended the epic saga of 27-Year-War,after which the Hindu power of Marathas replaced the Muslim Mughal power in the Subcontinent over the course of 18th cent.

15.
Khafi Khan, court historian of Mughals, sums up the reign of Maharani Tarabai as:

"(The Mughals felt) that it wouldn't be difficult to overcome 2 young children & a helpless woman. They thought their enemy weak, contemptible & helpless; but Tarabai, as the wife of Ram Raja..

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..(Rajaram) was called, showed great powers of command & government, and from day to day the war spread & the power of Mahrattas increased."

Elsewhere, he also notes: 'All the efforts of Aurangzeb against the Marathas down to the end of his reign failed.'

17.
The thread-series on the 27 Year War continues 👇

@rattibha