Marathi - Latche marathi Aetihasik Lekh Part 01

Author(s): Vidyanand Swami Srivastava
Publisher: Aietihasik Gaurava Granthmala

Page 16

18. Having received favourable reports from his spies, Shivaji set out on his expedition in 1664 and reached the city, plundered it for six days continuously. When news reached of the arrival of Mughal forces in the vicinity, he slipped away to his country carrying all his booty safely. The triumphant return of Shivaji to his country and the repeated misfortunes of the Imperial forces, lowered their prestige in the Deccan. Aurangzeb at once deputed Maharaja Jaisingh of Ambhar (Jaipur) followed by Diler Khan as his lieutenant. Shivaji's power was unequal for an open contest with Jaisingh, he therefore sued for peace immediately on the fall of Purandar which resulted in his surrender of his fortresses excepting twelve in 1666. However, he was allowed to compensate his territorial losses at the expense of the Bijapur kingdom. Jaisingh was anxious to remove Shivaji from the battlefield of Deccan and therefore induced him to present himself in person at the Mughal Court.
19. Shivaji, inspite of the protests of his lieutenants set out for Agra cherishing high hopes in his heart. But the cold reception accorded to him by Aurangzeb and his virtual confinement disillu. sioned him at once. By a clever stratagem he escaped from this confinement and cleverly eluding his pursuers succeeded in reaching Deccan in 1666.
20. After his return from Agra Shivaji concluded peace with the Imperial Viceroy and reorganised his disrrupted government but war broke between the Mughals and the Marathas again in 1669. By rapid and successive blows Shivaji recovered all his fortresses surren. dered to the Mughals in 1666. After regaining his lost trritories and consolidating his power, he turned his eyes towards Surat again in 1669. Henceforth, expeditions to Gujarat became an annual festivity of the Marathas.
21. When Shivaji died in 1680, he left a big kingdom consisting of the entire coastal line from Dharampur to Karwar rnd Baglan to Kolhapur with the exception of Portuguese settlements, Daman, Salsette, Bassein, Chaul and Goa. After his death his eldest son Sambhaji succeeded him. Aurangzeb with all the military resources of bis Empire marched against him. Sambhaji, though a man of loose character was a reckless bravo soldier, He gave Aurangzeb a tough
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara Surat