Hundred Great Muslims

Hundred Great Muslims
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Another troubled spot was in the south where the Mahratta plunderers
under Shivaji, the "Mountain Rat", as Aurangzeb called him, had raised their
head. He had to deal with a strong hand the Hindu agitators, pampered and
spoilt by Akbar and Jahangir's too much liberalism.
Shivaji, the leader of a band of Mahratta plunderers, had accumulated
much wealth and had become a menace to the neighbouring Muslim states of
Golkanda and Bijapur. After a quick surprise attack he would disappear in his
mountain deflles on the approach of the Bijapur or Mughal armies. He seldom
dared to face them in the open and whenever he did so, he was beaten back with
heavy losses. Like all brigands and robbers he believed in shock tactics and
preferred to attack from the rear. He invited the Bijapura General Afzal Khan
to negotiate peace, on the condition that both will be unarmed. When the
brave Khan, 'unsuspecting any mischief, went to meet him, Shivaji treacherously
thrust a tiger's claw in Afzal Khan's stomach during the conversation.
Aurangzeb appointed his uncle Shaista Khan to crush the Mahrattas. The
Mughal forces soon captured Chakan and Poona, but they found it difficult to
deal with the guerilla bands who disappeared with great ability into mountains
and jungles on the approach of the former. Shivaji made a night attack on the
Mughal camp in Poona, entering the city under the disguise of a marriage party.
He along with his band of marauders, sacked the wealthy city of Surat for four
days in January 1669 and plundered enormous wealth. A strong offensive
launched against the Mahrattas under the command of Diler Khan in 1665
brought Shivaji and his brigands to their senses and the treaty of Purandar was
signed on June 11, 1665 by which Shivaji had to surrender his 23 forts yielding
a revenue of 4 lakh Huns. He was allowed to retain 12 forts.
Shivaji, henceforward, became a vassal of the Mughal Emperor and assisted
him in his Bijapur war. He also visited the Mughal Court at Agra on May 12,
1666 and was put under house arrest for his insolence there. He, however,
escaped with the connivance of Raja Ram Singh, a State Dignitary.
Shivaji died in 1680 and his successor Sambhuji, an insolent sensualist
could not face the Mughal power for long. A Hindu historian describes the
Mahratta method of warfare thus: "As soon as the enemy's back was turned,
Shivaji's son Sambhuji swiftly led his active battle horsemen behind their flank,
and crossing over to Khandesh burned Burhanpur and set the whole countryside
ablaze. Before the Mughals could get at them; they were safe again in their
fastness in the Ghats. This was a typical method of their warfare. They never
risked an engagement in the open field unless their numbers made ~lctor} a
certainty". (Mediaeval India-bY U. N. Ball).
The Mughal General Tukkarrib Khan took Sambhuji by surprise at
Sangarneswar and forced him to take to the fleld. In a fierce engagement in
which about 10 thousand Mahrattas perished, Sambhuji and his Minister were