Class 7th Chapter 9

9.
The Maratha War of Independence

INTRODUCTION
• After the death of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Marathas
fought with great valour with the Mughals under the
leadership of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati
Rajaram Maharaj and Maharani Tarabai to protect the Swaraj.
This long war lasted for twenty-seven years, called the ‘Maratha
War of Independence’. In 1682 ce Emperor Aurangzeb himself
led the invasion of South. Even then, despite enormous
difficulties, the Marathas emerged victorious in this struggle.
This war is an exciting and glorious period in the history of
India. In this chapter, we shall learn about this war of
independence.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj:
• Sambhaji Maharaj was the eldest son of Chhatrapti Shivaji Maharaj. He was born on 14 May 1657 on the Purandar
Fort. After Shivaji Maharaj, he became the Chhatrapati. At this time, the Marathas were battling against the Mughals.
During the same period, Emperor Aurangzeb's son Shahajada Akbar rebelled against his father. The Emperor
crushed his rebellion. Then Akbar came to the Deccan to take shelter with Sambhaji Maharaj. Then the Emperor
himself descended on the South in 1682 ce to vanquish Akbar. He had with him a huge army and a powerful artillery.
He asked the Siddi of Janjira to undertake an expedition against the Marathas. He also won over the Portuguese to his
side. Consequently, Sambhaji Maharaj had to face many adversaries at one and the same time.
• The reign of Sambhaji Maharaj marks the first chapter of the Maratha War of Independence after Shivaji Maharaj.
Shivaji Maharaj had given him excellent education in civil administration and military campaigns. Sambhaji Maharaj
had begun to take interst in the administration of the State and the command of the army from the age of fourteen
years. While he was still a prince, he had led attacks on many territories of the Mughals and the Adilshah. Then
French traveller Abbe Carrey says about his battle skills, “Even though the prince is young, he is courageous and
brave like his father was famous for....”
• When Sambhaji Maharaj became Chhatrapati, the war with the Mughals became fiercer. Aurangzeb wanted to
occupy regions from Kabul to Kannyakumari and create a grand unified Mughal empire. His dream was to destroy
the Maratha State completely using his
• military and financial prowess. But Sambhaji Maharaj shattered his dreams with his bravery and military skills.
Troops of the Maratha army attacked many of the Mughal territories. Though the Emperor’s generals tried very hard
for a long time, they couldn’t win the Maratha fort of Ramsej near Nashik. Thus, Sambhaji Maharaj’s valour brought
Aurangzeb to his knees. Once he removed his turban in frustration and threw it on the floor. He made a vow that
Campaign against the Siddi :
• Siddi of Janjira used to harass the people in the Maratha

territory. He used to raid, burn, and loot the Maratha territory
and commit atrocities. Sabhasada has described him as a rat in
the house. Sambhaji Maharajstartedacampaignagainsthim in
1682 ce. His army laid a siege to Siddi’s Dandarajpuri fort, and
battered the fort of Janjira with the artillery. But at the same
time, the Mughal army invaded Swaraj. Sambhaji Maharaj had
to abandon the Janjira campaign and turn back.
Campaign against the Portuguese :
• The Portuguese of Goa joined hands with the Emperor against Sambhaji
Maharaj. So, Sambhaji Maharaj decided to teach a lesson to the
Portuguese. He attacked the Revdanda fort of the Portuguese in 1683 ce.
To counter this, the Portuguese laid a siege to the Fonda fort of the
Marathas on the Goa border. The Marathas broke through the siege and
attacked Goa. In this battle, Yesaji Kank showed great valour. The
Portuguese Governor got wounded and retreated. Sambhaji Maharaj
followed him. The Portuguese were in deep trouble. At this time, Sambhaji
Maharaj got the news that the Mughals had attacked South Konkan.
Therefore, he had to abandon the winning campaign of Goa and return to
fight with the Mughals.
The end of Adilshahi and Qutubshahi:
• Aurangzeb did not succeed in his campaign against the

Marathas. Therefore, he suspended that campaign. Then he
turned towards the kingdoms of Adilshah and Qutubshah and
conquered them.
• The wealth and army of both the kingdoms was now acquired
by the Mughals and it made Aurangzeb even stronger. Then he
concentrated all his might on defeating the Marathas. He
attacked their territory from all sides. The Maratha army
General Hambirrao Mohite got killed during an encounter with
the Mughal army. Due to this blow the military strength of
Sambhaji Maharaj was weakened.
Administration of Sambhaji Maharaj :
• Even though Sambhaji Maharaj was busy fighting on various

battle fronts, he did not ignore his administrative responsibilities.
He continued the prompt justice and revenue system, which was
a characteristic of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s era. He severely
punished the landlords who harassed common people and who
rebelled against the Swaraj. He gave administrative powers to
Maharani Yesubai. He gave her, her own stamp. He continued
the legacy of Shivaji Maharaj’s welfare policies.
• Sambhaji Maharaj knew Sanskrit and many other languages well.
He studied many ancient books on polity and wrote their gist in a
book called ‘Budhbhushanam’.
Death of Sambhaji Maharaj:
• Aurangzeb was trying very hard to defeat Sambhaji Maharaj.

He had placed Mukarrabkhan in charge of the Kolhapur
province. Mukarrabkhan learnt that Sambhaji Maharaj was at
Sangameshwar in Konkan. He raided the place and captured
Sambhaji Maharaj. When Sambhaji Maharaj was taken to the
Emperor, he faced him fearlessly. By the Emperor’s orders,
he was brutally put to death on 11 March 1689. This Maratha
Chhatrapati did not compromise his self respect and faced
his death nobly and bravely. The Marathas took inspiration
from his sacrifice and intensified their fight against the
Mughals.
Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj :
• Rajaram Maharaj was the second son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He was born on 24 February
1670 on Raigad. He became Chhatrapati after the death of Sambhaji Maharaj. Now Aurangzeb
thought that his dream of winning the Maratha kingdom would be realised. He sent Zulfikarkhan to
put Raigad under siege. That time Rajaram Maharaj and his wife Maharani Tarabai and Sambhaji
Maharaj’s wife Maharani Yesubai and his son Shahu were on Raigad. It was risky for all members of
the royal family to stay at one place. Maharani Yesubai tackled this unprecedented calamity very
bravely. Resolving that, she would not surrender to the Mughals under any conditions, she took
many important political decisions on Raigad. It was decided that Rajaram Maharaj should escape
from Raigad and if necessary, go to a far off place like Jinji. It was decided that the fight to defend
Raigad would continue under the leadership of Maharani Yesubai. Maharani Yesubai chose to make
Rajaram Maharaj and not her own son the Chhatrapati. Her decision is a shining example of her
love for Swaraj and her extreme selflessness. She kept the Maratha Chhatrapati secure without
regard for her own life or that of her son.
Rajaram Maharaj leaves for Jinji :
• On 5 April 1689 Rajaram Maharaj escaped from the besieged

Raigad with a few of his associates. He decided to go south to
Jinji. The Jinji fort was invincible. It was not an easy task for the
Mughals to capture this fort. Rajaram Maharaj took his faithful
Sardars like Pralhad Niraji, Khando Ballal, Rupaji Bhosale and
managed to reach Jinji.
The Movements of the Marathas:
• It was difficult to defend the Raigad fort against the might of the Mughals. The Mughals
captured Raigad in November 1689 and arrested Maharani Yesubai and Shahu. While
going to Jinji, Rajaram Maharaj had assigned the duty to fight against the Mughals to
Ramchandrapant Amatya, Shankaraji Narayan Sachiv, Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji
Jadhav.
• From the Maratha point of view, the situation was critical. Aurangzeb had enticed many
Maratha Sardars to his side by giving them watans and jagirs. Rajaram Maharaj also used
the same tactics to thwart the Mughal plans. It was promised that if a Maratha Sardar
captured Mughal territory it would be given to him as a jagir. Due to this promise, many
capable Maratha Sardars cameforward.Theystartedinvadingthe Mughal territory with
vigour and defeated Mughal Generals. Santaji and Dhanaji were at the forefont in these
actions. Against their surprise attacks and guerrilla tactics, the enormous amount of war
material and heavy artillery of the Mughals were of little use. The Mughal forces were at
their wits’ end. On one occasion, Santaji Ghorpade and Vithoji Chavan even cut and
carried away the golden pinnacle of the Emperor’s own tent in a surprise attack.
Siege of Jinji :
• Once Raigad was captured. the Emperor sent Zulfikarkhan to the South on the campaign of Jinji.
He laid siege to the fort of Jinji. The Marathas defended the fort bravely for nearly eight years. The
Mughal forces engaged in the siege were fiercely attacked from outside by Santaji and Dhanaji.
Rajaram Maharaj escaped through the siege, and returned to Maharashtra. Later Zulfikarkhan
captured the fort of Jinji.
• The return of Rajaram Maharaj to Maharashtra gave a boost to the Maratha activity. The Marathas
attacked the Mughal territories of Khandesh, Varhad and Baglan. Rajaram Maharaj inspired
hundreds of brave Maratha warriors like Santaji and Dhanaji with his understanding nature and
statesmanship. He motivated them to protect the Swaraj and thus performed a very valuable task.
But even as all this was taking place, Rajaram Maharaj died on 2 March 1700 on Sinhgad after a
short period of illness.
• Rajaram Maharaj was thoughtful and kind-hearted. He brought together all the capable people in
the Maratha empire. He united them created a new enthusiasm amongst them. After the death of
Sambhaji Maharaj, he fought against Aurangzeb for 11 years with great courage and tenacity.
Rajaram Maharaj’s greatest achievement is that he protected Swaraj in those extremely difficult
times. While describing Rajaram Maharaj, noted historian Riyasatkar G. S. Sardesai has used the
adjective ‘Sthirbuddhi’ (Level Headed). He cannot be described in better words than these.
Maharani Tarabai :
• After the death of Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj, Aurangzeb thought that he had won the war against the
Marathas. But it was not so. Aurangzeb was winning battle after battle, but he could not win the war. Maharani
Tarabai, the capable wife of Rajaram Maharaj, came forward to lead the Swaraj movement in the extremely
unfavourable circumstances. Contemporary Mughal historian Khafikhan describes Maharani Tarabai as an
intelligent and knowledgeable woman. Her management of the army and administration had won renown even
during the rule of her husband.
• After the death of Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj, Maharani Tarabai continued the Swaraj struggle bravely with the
help of her Sardars. Aurangzeb captured Satara and Panhala from the Maratha territory, but at the same time the
Marathas dashed up to the Mughal areas of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Tarabai expanded the war areas
further. Sardars like Krishnaji Sawant, Khanderao Dabhade, Dhanaji Jadhav and Nemaji Shinde opened battles
against Mughals on various fronts outside Maharashtra. This was a sign of change in the outcome of the war.
• Maharani Tarabai fought for seven years. She kept the Maratha kingdom strong. She took charge of the
administration singlehandedly and encouraged the Sardars to participate in the mission of Swaraj. Maratha Sardars
fought against the Mughals up to Sironje, Mandsaur and Malwa. Khafikhan has recorded that Rajaram’s wife
Tarabai achieved great things and displayed the qualities of leadership of the army and management of
campaigns. It added force to the Maratha campaigns.
Maharani Tarabai :
• Thus, Maharani Tarabai kept up the legacy of valour inherited from

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
• Due to the forceful campaigns of the Marathas, Aurangzeb was frustrated. The
Mughal-Maratha fight had continued for 25 years. Still the Mughals could not
defeat the Marathas. In these circumstances, Emperor Aurangzeb died in 1707
ce at Ahmednagar. The Maratha War of Independence ended with his death.
• This Maratha war for independence was the fight between the Mughal
Emperor’s greed to expand his empire and the spirit of independence of the
Marathas. The Marathas emerged victorious in it. After the death of Aurangzeb,
they led others in filling the vacuum in the political arena. They controlled the
throne of Delhi, ran the affairs of almost all parts of Hindusthan and protected
it. Therefore, the 18th century is known as the century of the Marathas. In the
next chapters, we will see the achievements of the Marathas in that century.

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9.

The Maratha War of Independence

• Siddi of Janjira used to harass the people in the Maratha

• Aurangzeb did not succeed in his campaign against the

• Even though Sambhaji Maharaj was busy fighting on various

• Aurangzeb was trying very hard to defeat Sambhaji Maharaj.

• On 5 April 1689 Rajaram Maharaj escaped from the besieged

• Thus, Maharani Tarabai kept up the legacy of valour inherited from

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