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The Imperial Maratha Conquests (1659-1761) were a series of conquests in the Indian subcontinent which led to the building of the Maratha Empire. These conquests were started by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1659 from the victory at the Battle of Pratapgad. The conquests ended with the third battle of Panipat where the Marathas were decisively defeated by Ahmed Shah Abdali, thus bringing the imperial conquests to an end. This also led to the disintegration of the empire and the eventual fall at the hands of the British.

Contents 1 Background 2 Conquests of Shivaji 2.1 Battle of Pratapgad 2.2 Battle of Kolhapur 2.3 Battle of Pavan Khind 2.4 Conquest Of Konkan 2.5 Sacking of Surat 2.6 Battle Of Sinhagad 2.7 Conquest Of The South 3 Conquests after Shivaji 3.1 War Of 27 Years 4 Conquests of The Peshwa 5 End Of The Conquests 5.1 Third Battle Of Panipat 6 References

Main article: Battle of Pratapgad

The battle of Pratapgarh was the first Maratha conquest. Shivaji vanquished Afzal Khan in the battle of Pratapgad which was fought on November 30, 1659. This feat made Shivaji the hero of Maratha folklore and legend. All contemporary powers of the Indian subcontinent were shocked to see the outcome of the battle. Afzal Khan was a fearless and distinguished commander who had even caught hold of Aurangzeb in one siege. The Maratha's victory ride started with this extraordinary victory.

Main article: Battle of Kolhapur

The second Maratha victory came on the battle of Kolhapur fought on 28 December, 1659. After the demise of Afzal Khan, another army of over 10,000 was sent against Shivaji, commanded by Bijapuri general Rustemjaman. Shivaji with 5000 cavalry attacked near Kolhapur. In a swift movement, Shivaji attacked the centre of the enemy while his wings attacked from the flanks. In a pitched battle,the enemy was crushed and Rustemjaman fled.

Main article: Battle of Vishalgad

Adil Shah sent an Abyssinian general of repute, Siddi Jauhar in 1660. Shivaji took up a position at the fort Panhala, near present day Kolhapur, on the borders of his dominion. The Mughals also sent contingents under the celebrated Shaista Khan, who camped at Pune. Shivaji in a brilliant move decided to break the siege of the fort, so that the enemy would scatter. Then war would be fought on a vast territory with amazing speed. In a gallant rear-guard defense Baji Prabhu Deshpande held the enemy in the battle of Pavan Khind and Shivaji pierced through the enemy, relaunched an attack and won a victory in the battle of Vishalgad. However Panhala was surrendered to Siddi Jauhar.

Main article: Battle of Umerkhind

An Uzbek general, Kartalab Khan, was sent on a mission to attack and reduce Shivaji's forts in the Konkan on 3 Feb,1661. He left Pune with 30,000 troops. This time the Mughals did not march openly, since they wanted to surprise Shivaji. But Shivaji took them by surprise at a pass known as 'Umber Khind', near present-day Penn, and attacked them from all sides. Shivaji himself took the forward position with chosen cavalry. Other three sides were blocked with light infantry. In a briliant movement of light infantry and cavalry, Shivaji prevailed over them. Within 4 hours the enemy accepted defeat. They surrendered with their baggage and arms. The defeated army was allowed a safe passage. A lady commander Raibagan who fought from Mughal side was released with honour true to Shivaji's policy towards women.

Main article: Battle of Surat

In the Battle of Surat, Shivaji challenged mughal Fauzdar of Surat who avoided the battle .Instead of battle, he sent an emissary who tried to assassinate Shivaji. As a result the town was attacked and put to the sack. Hoewever no men or women were molested or taken as slave. The poor were spared.

Main article: Battle of Sinhagad

One fort on the outskirts of Pune, Kondana, was still under the control of a Mughal general. On February 4, 1670 Shivaji deputed one of his most senior and trusted generals, Tanaji Malusare, to head a mission to capture Kondana. Tanaji Malusare was already busy with his son's marriage. But for him duty came first, and he chose to go on the mission although Shivaji tried to convince him to attend his son's marriage and then take the mission. In the Battle of Sinhagad, the fort was scaled during the dead of the night, but victory was secured with loss of Tanaji. This battle is quite popular in folklore.

When Shivaji learned that he has lost his loyal and trusted friend, he said "Gad ala pan sinh gela", meaning We have won the fort, but lost the Lion.

Main article: Dakshin Digvijaya

At the end of 1676, Shivaji launched a wave of conquests in southern India with a massive force of 50,000 (30,000 cavalry & 20,000 infantry). He defeated and captured the forts at Vellore and Jinji in modern-day Tamilnadu. He also signed a friendship treaty with the Kutubshah of Golconda. These victories proved quite crucial during future wars. Jinjee served as Maratha capital for 9 years during 27 years of war.

Main article: War of 27 years

War of 27 years was a series of battles fought between Marathas and Mughals from 1681 to 1707 in the Indian subcontinent. It was the longest fought war in the history of Indian subcontinent.

• Duff, Grant - History of Marhattas, London
• Samant, S. D. - Vedh Mahamanavacha
• Parulekar, Shyamrao - Yashogatha Vijaya durg, Vijay Durg (1982)
• Kasar, D.B. - Rigveda to Raigarh making of Shivaji the great, Mumbai: Manudevi Prakashan (2005)
• Apte, B.K. (editor) - Chhatrapati Shivaji: Coronation Tercentenary Commemoration Volume, Bombay: University of Bombay (1974-75)
• Desai, Ranjeet - Shivaji the Great, Janata Raja (1968), Pune: Balwant Printers - English Translation of popular Marathi book.