How shivaji maharaj esacped. from panhalgad
Answers
Answer:
Battle of Pävankhind was a rearguard battle and a last stand that took place on July 13, 1660 at a mountain pass in the vicinity of fort Vishalgad, near the city of Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India between the Marathi CKP[1]sardar Baji Prabhu Deshpande, and Siddi Masud of Adilshah Sultanate.
Answer:
The Panhalgad fort, located in Panhala, 20 kilometres northwest of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, has witnessed some historical skirmishes.
In 1659 Shivaji had recently defeated Bijapur general Afzal Khan and conquered the Panhalgad fort. To avenge this defeated battle, Adil Shah II of Bijapur sent his uncle Siddi Johar to lay siege on Panhala and capture Shivaji in 1660. This army was further strengthened when Afzal Khan’s son, Fazal Khan, decided to join them to avenge his father’s death. So armed with 40,000 soldiers and British cannons, Siddhi Johar laid siege to Panhalgad.
Shivaji and his soldiers knew they were outnumbered and stuck inside the fort. Though the humongous granaries inside the fort helped Shivaji and his soldiers survive for five months, the risk of capture was ever present. The vast army outside cut off all their supplies, which made it difficult for the ruler and his soldiers to sustain themselves. But Shivaji refused to give up.
The Maratha ruler refused to bow down or surrender and hatched a plan to escape from Panhalgad to Vishalgad instead. His main confidants in this elaborate plan were his commander-in-chief Baji Prabhu Deshpande and his personal barber Shiva Kashid.
Shivaji knew he had to escape before the monsoons ended. The torrential rains did not deter Siddi Johar’s army, who came prepared with waterproof tents but did mask all sound and movement. It would be impossible to sneak out once the loud rains stopped.
The first step was to send an emissary to General Siddi Johar, asking for a meeting. Meanwhile, Shivaji’s Chief of Intelligence, Bahirji Naik, mapped an alternative and lesser-known route out of the fort.
A date for the meeting for soon settled. As anticipated, the chosen night was dark and rainy – thanks to the monsoon. Now events from that night remain shrouded in mystery, and there was a great deal of confusion.
The original plan seemed to be to distract the enemy forces with talks of a meeting long enough for Shivaji to escape through a hidden route through some thick forests.
However, the plan quickly fell apart. Some of Johar’s soldiers spotted the palanquin and raised the alarm. There was a brief fight, and the soldiers chased down the small party fleeing the fort, nabbed Shivaji, and had him brought before General Siddi.
Now General Siddi had never seen Shivaji before. So he had the prisoner paraded before several captured Maratha soldiers and others. They all agreed that this was indeed Shivaji.