The end of Sambhaji

After the death of Hambirrao Mohite, the Mogol armies pressed hard on the Maharattas
forcing them to the strongest fortresses in Sahayadris for shelter. Awrangzeeb’s army was
struck by bubonic plague, but he continued moving his vast divisions westwards to
encircle the Maharattas. He also sent division towards Bangalore and Tamil Nad cut out
the southern base of the Marathas. Sambhaji, without his ace general was entirely in the
control of his base Kanyakubja Brahmin minister Kalash. As long as Raigad remained in
the Maharatta hands it could offer a formidbable bulwark against the Mogols from where
Sambhaji could continue the legacy of this great father. But Kalash, who was given to
pleasures wanted to spend the summer of 1688 in the bracing climate of the Konkan
forests. So he had a residence of the Sardesais of Samgameshvar converted into a palace
for his vacation and suggested to Sambhaji that he too take it easy and vacation with him.
Sambhaji ever-willing to pleasure himself, accepted the plan and told his generals that the
forests surrounding Samgameshvar were sufficient for his defence. Sambhaji spent the
summer and monsoons of 1688 in an orgy of women, wine and drugs. Luckily for him
the weather had staved off any further Mogol advance and no major damage would have
been done had he returned to Raigad after that to take charge of matters. However,
Kalash brought him a new woman and he was lost in writing erotic verse in Hindi as he
gamboled with her in his sylvan retreat. Soon thereafter he saw a beautiful Maharatta
woman was on her way to join her husband. Kalash informed him of her presence and he
moved by lust raped her. This raised a huge storm and he decided to hide in Samgeshvar
for some more time till the noise died down.

Awrangzeeb noticing Sambhaji’s quiesence decided to move rapidly. He sent Firoz Jang
(a Turko-Mongol, and father of the first Nizam of H’bad) to beseige the forts surrounding
Raigad and Shaikh Nizam and his son Iqlas Khan to pin down Sambhaji. Father and son
took Kolhapur and having set a base obtained intelligence of Sambhaji’s whereabouts.
They marched out rapidly with a strike force of 2000 horsemen to Samgameshvar.
Behind them, more leisurely followed a another 2000 cavalry and 1000 heavily armed
infantry behind them to form a cresent around Samgameshvar. The Maharatta spies
noticed that the Mogol army was very rapidly advancing in their direction and rushed to
inform Sambhaji that he was in deep trouble. Sambhaji who had a wild party the night
before was still sleeping off the hangover. His spies pressed on him to get dressed and
flee. But his drugs made him blabber that Kalash is a great magician; he will destroy the
enemies with his magic. The kings personal guard noted that the Mogol army was just a
couple of kilometers away and tried to get Sambhaji moving, but he would not budge in
his drugged torpor. Some of the officers in his personal force saw that there was no point
dealing with their king and made their escape to Raigad. However, Mhaloji Ghorpade
(the father of the great general Santaji Ghorpade) the chief of Sambhaji’s personal staff
organized his remaining men and decided to fight to the end in defense of the king.
Shaikh Nizam seeing some Maharattas escaping to Raigad thought he would delay
Sambhaji by claiming to negotiate with him. So he sent his son Iqlas with a letter and a
force of ace Turkic commmandos from Uzbekistan.
Iqlas went to deliver the letter when he realized that Sambhaji was still there. He swung
into action with his commandos to kill the Maharatta guard and take Sambhaji. At this
moment Kalash bravely stood in the path of the Turkic commandos and blocked their
way fighting fiercely. In the meantime Mhaloji Ghorpade hoisted Sambhaji on to a horse
and tried to take him away. Just then Sambhaji saw that Kalash was struck by an arrow
on his arm and fell to the ground. Sambhaji suddenly acted with forbearing. He
dismounted his horse and struck the commandos with his sword, staved them off and
carried his dear friend Kalash to a little shiva temple attached to the palace. There he
decided to take the garb of a shaiva asectic. The priests quickly shaved his beard and hair
off, and smeared him with ashes and set off- but he forgot to discard his ornaments. But
by then Shaikh Nizam and Iqlas Khan had surrounded the whole place and sighted a
queer ascetic with a pearl and jewel ornaments. Iqlas seized him right away and realized
that he was Sambhaji the son of Shivaji. Also captured with them was Kalash, Ghorpade
and other Maharatta officers who remained with their king.

The prisoners were put in chains and placed on howdahs of elephants and taken to
Awrangzeeb’s camp which was at Akluj. The news reached the Mogol Padishaw in
advance and he called for grand celebrations. The Mogols arranged for celebrations all
along the path of the triumphant generals. Shaikh Nizam’s portrait was painted by Mogol
artist for posterity. Mogols women peered through their burqas to look at the fallen hero
of the Maharattas, while Mogols spat on him and jeered at in wild revelry. The Rajput
soldiers in the Mogol ranks showed great pity for Sambhaji. He asked them to kill him
right away and relieve him of the humiliation, but fearing the emperor they kept quite.
After 5 days of marching the prisoners were presented before Awrangzeeb at a grand
darbar. He announced that the Maharattas were over and done amd stepped down from
his throne to bow down to Allah. Kalash’s hands were firmly cuffed and his head was
restrained with a cangue, but he somehow managed to catch Sambhaji’s eye and
composed a Hindi couplet: “Oh lord of the Marathas, the Alamgir on seeing thy majesty
has himself stepped down from his throne and bowed his head in reverence.”

Furious Awargzeeb ordered the captives to be thrown into his dungeons. He gave Sheikh
Nizam the title Fateh Jang Khan-i-Jaman, a purse of Rs.50,000, a horse, an elephant and
command over cavalry of 6000 men. Likewise gifts and commands were bestowed on his
son Iqlas and nephews. The Mogol chiefs suggested that they spare Sambhaji’s life in
return for him handing over his entire kingdom with the keys all the forts to Awrangzeeb.
Sambhaji, scornfully refused the terms. Sambhaji was told that if he converted to Islam
and spent the reminder of his time as a servant of the emperor he could see life. Sambhaji
made it clear that the Alamgir was the worst enemy of the country and the Padishaw
was a real fool to follow an Arab madman as his only prophet. Awrangzeeb decided to
execute him on hearing his reply. He shifted his camp to Tulapur some distance from
Pune (where Shahaji had done the tulAgaja vidhi). The Maharattas long remembered the
place for Shahaji’s demonstration of the Archimedes principle in weighing an elephant,
much to the plebeian’s excitement. Awrangzeeb declared that he was going to make
Tulapur much more memorable to the Maharattas than the event of the elephant’s
weighing.
Sambhaji and Kalash were brought out of their cages and given caps with bells sewn into
them. To their hands were tied rattles and they were tied to camels and dragged along the
markets of Tulapur, with the Mogols spitting on them. The Marathas were all asked to
witness the fate of their king. Even at this point Awarangzeeb added that he would spare
Sambhaji’s life if he converted to Islam. But Sambhaji replied that he might consider that
if he gave his daughter in marriage to him. He then added again that the he was not a fool
like the Moslems to be guiled by a mentally ill person posing as prophet. He then praised
the Hindu gods and said he was willing to sacrifice his life as an offering to the great
mahadeva, after knowing whom delusional religions held no attraction. In a fit of rage
Awrangzeeb ordered salt to be rubbed into his bruises and Sambhaji was then dragged
below his throne. Then his tongue was then cut off and placed at the Alamgir’s feet who
ordered it to be given to a dog. Then his eyes were gouged out and next his limbs were
cut off one by one. Still the brave king of the Maharatta did not die but with his last effort
praised shiva. A hook driven into his and his heart was pulled out and finally his head
was cut off. The pieces of his body were grated and fed to the dogs of Tulapur. Kalash,
Mhaloji Ghorpade and other Maharatta officers were tortured to death in the same way
with tumultous cries of joy from the assembled Moslems. Sambhaji and Kalash’s heads
were stuffed with straw and fixed atop poles and paraded through all the major cities of
Maharashtra with a band procession in March 1689: this was to drive home to the people
the fate of opposing the Jihad.

Thus, at the age of 32 the brave, but misguided son of the great Raja died a martyr for his
religion. While given to debauchery, he was by no means dull. His refined intellectual
tastes are seen in the two books of erotic poetry he wrote in Hindi and his deep
knowledge of Sanskrit literature especially the vAlmIki rAmAyaNa and his ability to
versify in that language. He was also at the forefront of performing shuddhi to restore
brahmins converted by the Moslems and ensuring that the Hindu dharma’s practice is not
adultrated in svarajya.