The Battle of Pratapgarh

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Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhosle [known as 'Shivaji'], born 1630, is considered a great hero in India, especially in the present-day state of Maharashtra [the state we are in now].

At the age of 17, Shivaji carried out his first military action by attacking and capturing Torna Fort of the Bijapur kingdom in 1645. By 1647 he had captured Kondana and Rajgad forts and had complete control of the Pune region. [Pune is the closest large town to Panchgani.] By 1654 Shivaji had captured forts in the Western Ghats and along the Konkan coast.

In a bid to sabotage this move of the Marathas under Shivaji's able leadership, Adilshah had his father arrested, and he sent an army against Shivaji's elder brother at Bangalore and another against Shivaji at Purandhar. However both the brothers defeated the invading armies and secured the release of their father.

Thereafter, Afzal Khan, a seasoned commander and an accomplished warrior, was then sent to destroy Shivaji, in an effort to put down what was seen by Bijapur as a regional revolt.

Afzal Khan, after leaving Bijapur to confront Shivaji, first desecrated temples of goddess Bhavani. The intent was to get a roiled, disturbed, and shaken Shivaji out in the open to face him in battle. Instead, Shivaji sent a letter saying he was not eager to face Afzal Khan and sought some type of understanding. Shivaji strategically decided to surprise Afzal Khan under the guise of diplomatic negotiations. A meeting was arranged between Afzal Khan and Shivaji at the foothills of Fort Pratapgad. Shivaji got word that Afzal Khan planned to slay him during the meeting.

Shivaji, armed himself with a weapon called 'wagh nakh' (tiger claw), and armour prior to the meeting. Afzal Khan attempted to stab Shivaji in the back with a dagger as they embraced at the onset of their meeting. Shivaji was unscathed due to the armour he wore under his clothes, and he counter attacked Afzal Khan with the tiger claw spilling his blood and entrails on the ground. Afzal Khan's deputy, Krishnaji and his bodyguard attacked Shivaji with swords but Shivaji's bodyguard fatally struck them down.

Afzal Khan managed to stumble out of the tent to get help but was slain by a soldier of Shivaji's before he could alert his commanders or raise an alarm.

In the ensuing battle of Pratapgarh in the dense forests, which was fought in November 1659, Shivaji's armies attacked Bijapur's (Afzal Khan's) forces and engaged them in swift flanking maneuvers. Immediately after slaying Afzal Khan, Shivaji galloped up the slope towards the fortress with his lieutenants and ordered cannons to be fired signaling his infantry, which had been strategically placed under the cover of the densely covered valley, to immediately attack Afzal Khan's forces.

They swept down on Afzal Khan's 1,500 musketeers resulting in a complete rout of the musketeers at the foothills of the fort. The suddenness of this attack on Afzal Khan's artillery at close quarters made them ineffective in providing artillery cover for the main portion of their troops. As a result the rest of their troops rapidly succumbed to an all-out Maratha attack.

This great victory made Shivaji a hero of Maratha folklore and a legendary figure among his people. The large quantities of captured weapons, horses, armour and other materials helped to strengthen the emerging Maratha army.