History of the Konkan

[Bombay Gazetteer SECTION VII. THE MARÁTHÁS FROM THE DEATH OF SHIVAJI TO THE EXPULSION OF THE PORTUGUESE. 1680 TO 1739. The Marathas, 1680-1739. ON the death of Shiváji there was for some months every prospect of a war between the adherents of his two sons. Rájárám, the younger, was at Ráygad, and the army there and in the neighbourhood was greatly strengthened in his interest. Sambháji was at Panhála, and the conspiracy against him at first seemed formidable and Phond Sávant took the opportunity of recovering the territory south of the Karlai river. But by the end of June the opposition had lost all its strength, and Sambháji escorted by 5000 horse entered Ráygad in July. He there punished with great rigour those who had led the opposition against him, and Annáji Dattu, the late governor of the Konkan, was one of the first who was imprisoned, and soon afterwards put to death.1 His place was taken by the notorious Kalusha, who having at first put additional cesses and exactions on the mild and equal assessment which Annáji Dattu had imposed, eventually displaced the regular revenue officers and farmed out the districts.2 The struggle between Sambháji and the Sidi for the possession of the islands of Underi and Khánderi was renewed but without any decided result, and the fleets did little more than threaten one another.1 The English were equally anxious to get rid of both parties, but were not able. In May 1681 Sultán Akbar, the fourth son of Aurangzeb, having been in rebellion against his father, fled with 400 Rajputs to Sambháji, and arrived at Páli3 near Nágothna on July 1st, where he remained and was treated with great respect till Sambháji came down in September, and they returned together to Ráygad.4 Sambháji gave him a house three kos from Ráygad and a fixed allowance but after a time began to treat him with less respect.5 This alliance increased Aurangzeb's hostility to the Maráthás, and his ships were again ordered to ravage the coast. In July 4000 of Sambháji's troops had come from Ráygad to Nágothna, and from there made an attack on Underi, but were beaten off, and the Sidi retaliated as usual on the inhabi- tants of the opposite coast. In particular the town of Apta was burnt as it had been in 1673.4 In January 1682 Sultán Akbar 1 Orme's Fragments. 96, 97 : Grant Duff, 134-137. 2 Jervis, 108. 3 Grant Duff says (page 136) that Dodsa was his place of residence. This however is close to Páli. 4 Orme, 105, 107. 5 Elliot, VII. 309, 312. General Chapters.] THE KONKAN. 77 accompanied Sambháji to the siege of Janjira, which was carried on this year on an unusual scale, the fortifications first being levelled by cannonading, and the arduous work of filling up the channel between the mainland and the island then entered on.1 The siege was continued till August, and then abandoned after a storming party had been repulsed with a loss of 200 men2; but Sambháji had been called away in February by a raid of the Moghals in the Kalyán district, 20,000 horse and 15,000 foot having come down the Gháts from Junnar. These he successfully opposed with a large army, and he also this year built the fort of Belápur3 to protect that neighbourhood from the irruptions of the Sidis. But the latter who again kept their ships during the rains in Bombay harbour, made raids into the Marátha territory even as far as Mahád, and Sambháji's fleet at Nágothna and Khánderi could do little. In October the fleets of Sambháji and the Sidi were engaged in Bombay harbour, and the Maráthás, who on this occasion were also commanded by a Sidi, were defeated after a fight of four hours, on which Sambháji plundered a few Portuguese villages in disgust and prepared to fortify Elephanta.4 In the beginning of 1683 the Company's ship President on her voyage up the coast was attacked off the Sangameshvar river by some Arab vessels which were afterwards found to be in Sambháji's pay. The President lost eleven men killed and thirty-five wounded. The Moghals this year again ravaged the country about Kalyán and the war between Sambháji and the Portuguese was carried on with great vigour on both sides. Sambháji in June brought 30,000 men to besiege Chaul, but was repulsed. He however succeeded in taking Karanja where the Portuguese had some vessels and he destroyed some places on the coast north of Bassein.5 The Viceroy invaded the Marátha territories, but had to retreat vith loss, and the Portuguese were fallen so low as to be obliged to make overtures for peace, which however were not successful. At his time Sultán Akbar went to the Dutch factory at Vengurla with the intention of leaving the country, but was prevailed on to return.6 The Northern Konkan again suffered in 1684, when Bahádur Khán Ranmast entered the Konkan by the pass of Mhajah (Mándha?), and shortly afterwards Aurangzeb sent his son Sultán Mauzim (afterwards the Emperor Bahádur Sháh) with a larger army, said by Orme to have numbered 40,000 cavalry, to subdue the fortresses on the coast. Sultán Mauzim was accompanied by his on Muizuddin, and came down the Ambadári Ghát, and finding the province of Kalyán already ravaged, passed on to the neighbourhood of Ráygad, and is said to have plundered and burnt the villages from there to vengurla.7 This town he sacked as a punishment for its former protection of Sultán Akbar, but the Dutch successfully 1 The remains of the stone mole built for this purpose may still be seen below the surface of water. 2 Orme, 110 ; Grant Duff, 138. 3 Hamilton says Panwel, II. 151. 4 Grant Duff', 139 ; Orme, 113. 5 Orme, 120, 122 ; Grant Duff, 140. 6 Orme 125 7 Scott, II. 60 ; Orme, 132 ; Grant Duff, 144. [Bombay Gazetteer 78 HISTORY OF defended themselves in their fortified factory.1 This was one of the greatest military expeditions ever made in the Southern Konkan, and was on too large a scale for Sambháji to resist. so after putting garrisons into the forts he retired to Vishálgad with Sultán Akbar and watched his opportunity. The country no doubt suffered very severely. The Moghals however made no attempt on the hill-forts, and by the time they got near Goa they had, although unopposed, lost almost the whole of their horses and cattle, and even the men began to suffer from scarcity. The Maráthás then came down on them and harassed their retreat. " The enemy swarmed around on every side and cut off the supplies. On one side was the sea and on two other sides. mountains full of poisonous trees and serpents. The enemy cut down the grass which caused great distress to man and beast. They had no food but cocoanuts and the gram called kudu, which acted like poison upon them.2" Mumbers of vessels containing supplies for the Moghals were sent off from Surat, but most of them were taken by the Marátha cruisers, and at last Sultán Mauzim was obliged to retreat with the remainder of his force up the Amba Ghát. In the meantime Sháhábuddin Khán had brought a force nearly as far as Ráygad, and defeated Sambháji in an unimportant action at Nizámpur3 after which he returned to the Dakhan.4 The country being thus abandoned, Sambháji took possession of it without opposition and returned to Ráygad. After the rains the Portuguese re-took Karanja and also the hills of Santa Cruz and Asheri5 Sultán Akbar and Sambháji came to Kalyán, and after ravaging the Portuguese territory invested Bassein,6 but were called away by a reported invasion of the Musalmáns. The chances of war on land appear thus to have fallen pretty equally, but Sambhaji's ships at Rájápur were at this time more than a match for the Goa fleet.7 For the next three or four years nothing of importance is recorded in the Konkan, the war between the Maráthás and Aurangzeb being carried on chiefly in the Dakhan. The Bijápur kingdom had ceased to exist, and though the Moghals had succeeded to its possession yet they had no reason for valuing the Southern Konkan so highly as the Adil Sháhi dynasty had done. Sambháji spent his time between Panhála Vishalgad and Sangameshvar, and being given up to sensual pleasures was at last abandoned by Sultán Akbar, who in October 1688 found at Rájápur a ship commanded by an Englishman, and sailed in her to Persia about the middle of 1689 6 A small party of Moghal cavalry set off from Kolhápur and having got close to Sangameshvar before the alarm was given, succeeded in capturing Sambháji. Kháfi Khán says that he had two or there thousand horse with him, and was told of the approach of the hostile force, which consisted of two thousand horse and a thousand foot, but would not 1 Baldæus, 152. 2 Kháfi Khán in Elliot, VII. 314. In this account Káfi Khán calls the Konkan (or the part of it ravaged) Rám-darrá, which is not explained. 3 This is not mentioned by Orme. 4 Elphinstone, 575 ; Grant, Duff, 145 ; Srott, II. 61. 5 Orme, 134, 141 ; Kloguen, 48. 6 Grant Duff, 155. 7 Orme 141-145; Bruce II .63. General Chapters.] THE KONKAN. 79 believe it.1 Only two or three hundred of them surprised Sambháji, and Kalusha with a party of Maráthás tried to save him, and was himself wounded, while Sambháji hid himself in a temple.

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