how did aurangzeb express his frustration against Sambhaji Maharaj?
How did Aurangzeb exp
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Answer:
Explanation:
Just two years after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj died, Aurangzeb himself arrived in the Deccan. It had been his lifelong dream to extend the Mughal empire deep into the south, by finishing off the kingdoms of the Deccan.
Aurangzeb’s army had over five lakh soldiers and his military camp looked like a small city. In contrast, the Marathas would field their largest army nearly a century later – and it would still be just a third of the Mughal army which had descended on the Sahyadris. So, Aurangzeb believed it would be short work and hence decided to begin his campaign by attacking a not so large fort called Ramsej. After all, his father – Shah Jahan – had also begun his Deccan campaign by attacking Ramsej Fort. The forts in the Nashik – Baglan region had then fallen like ninepins and before long the Mughal sway had extended to Kalyan. An entire dynasty – the Nizamshahi – had disappeared in the fray. Aurangzeb perhaps believed the fort was a lucky talisman for the Timurids. There were some practical reasons: the fort guarded important trade routes; it was just seven miles from Nashik and about 3,000 feet from sea level, it was a good thousand feet less than the famous forts of Rajgad and Torna. What’s more, it was nearly half the height of the tallest hill fort – Salher, which is close by. An easy target thought Aurangzeb.
The Mughals began their campaign by attacking Ramsej in April 1682. Shahabuddin Khan laid siege to it, accompanied by Hayat Khan and Dalpat Rao. Their numbers were in excess of many thousands. The fort meanwhile was being defended by a few hundred Maratha soldiers. Moreover, the Mughal army had brought with it large and heavy cannons and other paraphernalia of the imperial army. But the small Maratha contingent resolutely defended the fort, not allowing any breach to happen. In fact, according to a contemporary account by Kafi Khan, the Marathas did not have cannons on the fort. Instead, they fashioned guns out of logs of wood and used ‘cannonballs’ fashioned out of animal hide. These, along with stones etc, caused considerable damage.