Shivaji was born in 1628 and passed away in 1680 at the relatively young age of 52. He spent his entire life in the shadow of the greatest Mughal conqueror of Hindustan, namely Aurangzeb. As much as we vilify Aurangzeb, the fact that he reigned over the largest empire ever seen in India and no other Indian king or emperor, including Samrat Ashok, ruled over a larger area than Aurangzeb cannot be erased.

Aurangzeb was the Shehan Shah (king of kings) and this was the greeting that Guru Gobind Singh addressed to him in his letter in the Zafarnama, which is part of the “Dusam Granth”. Shivaji also like Gobind Singh lived at a time when Aurangzeb was at the height of his and the fact is that even after Shivaji’s death in 1680 Aurangzeb lived for another 27 years before drawing his last breath in 1707.

Shivaji ruled compared to Aurangzeb a small area and one must accept the fact that compared to Aurangzeb Shivaji was a small time ruler. Much of Shivaji’s building took place after Independence and now he too is connected as part of the freedom movement. However, many Western historians who have chronicled Shivaji’s life have concluded that he was a minor chieftain in the Mughal Raj. Now we can try to do some digging and remove the rhetoric and legend from the bare facts of history to see what place Shivaji has in the pantheon of great kings and soldiers like Chengiz Khan, Ghazni, Alexander and Robert Clive.

Shivaji’s contribution as a soldier

Many romantics in Mahrashtra and the fringe areas around this state speak highly of Shivaji and his “victory” over the Mughals. But the fact is that outside these areas no one seems to know about Shivaji as he was a local influence. When I was assigned to Eastern Air Command Headquarters, I was surprised that people in the East had never heard of Shivaji, but they had heard of Robert Clive and Ghazni. For the reader to draw his own conclusions from him, many myths abound in Mahrashtra and one of them repeated by many scholars is that Shivaji soundly defeated Aurangzeb and his army. Many learned people in Pune informed me about it.

The facts are however different. British historians who have loved India like Cunningham have been of the opinion that Shivaji was effective only in a few districts around Pune, particularly the Western Ghat area and Aurangzeb treated him more like a small-time boss and bandit, because if he had the opportunity looted the royal treasury. . Shivaji thus had limited control over the land ruled by Aurangzeb. He never had a large standing army and, except for a pitched battle with Mughal forces commanded by Raj Jai Singh, the C in C of the Mughal army, he never ventured into another battle. In this particular battle known as the Battle of Chakan which was fought in 1660, the Maratha army under the command of Shivaji was defeated.

Talking about another pitched battle is the Battle of Purandar which was fought in 1665 between the Mahratha army under the command of Shivaji and the Mughal army sent by Aurangzeb. The commander of the Mughal army was again Raja Jai ​​Singh and he was assisted by General Dilir Khan. The battle is important as after the death of the Maratha general Murar Baji Prabhu on June 2, 1665, the Mughal steamer won a victory. Shivaj was defeated and surrendered 23 of the forts to him.

Shivaji, however, did win a few battles, but these were mostly small affairs and he won when the bulk of the Mughal army had retreated. But he was a brave man, but courage does not give victory, but tactics and support. The fact is that many Maratha warriors had sided with the Mughals and Shivaji was fighting a battle with one arm tied behind his back. He therefore could not sustain open battle or invasion like the great conquerors of history like Alexander the Great, Chegiz Khan or Mahmud of Ghazni.

Shivaji resorted to guerrilla tactics and in this he was very successful. But the writings of Che Guevera and Mao Tse Tung, who are the masters of the theory of guerrilla tactics, teach us that guerrilla warfare can harass and provoke, but a guerrilla war can never be victorious on its own. At some point, guerrilla warfare has to become conventional warfare, and only then will victory come. Mao turned his guerrilla warfare after the Long March and the end of World War II into a conventional war against Chiang Kai Shek’s Nationalist Forces and won. So did Ho Chi Minh, who also turned guerrilla warfare into conventional warfare in Vietnam in the last stage and invaded the South. Garibaldi from Italy is also an example.

Shivaji was a highly successful guerrilla war captain, but he was unable to turn his kind of warfare into conventional warfare and defeat Aurangzeb. This was his fallacy and weakness and the result was that he remained a pinprick in Aurangzeb’s huge empire that stretched from Afghanistan to Bengal and the deep south. It was only after the death of Aurangzeb and the arrival on the scene of Baji Rao that the Maratha empire began to take shape. But again it was a short term rule as the Maratha empire was decimated in 1761 at the third battle of Panipat and also crushed by the Duke of Wellesley.

Coming to Shivaji, one must give him credit for raising the banner of revolt against the great Aurangzeb, who was in fact an intolerant ruler. He destroyed Hindu temples and was a pious man. His world of India was through Islamic eyes, but that does not detract from his ability as a great conqueror.

The fact is that, especially when the Mughal army marched against Shivaji in force, he always won in jousting. In 1679 the famous Battle of Bhupal Garh took place. The Mughal army surrounded the Bhupalgarh fort and Shivaji was defeated.

This is all very sad reading, but as a soldier I am dispassionate and I don’t get carried away by rhetoric. Just before his death, Shivaji and the Mughals fought the last battle. it was the battle of Sangamner in 1679. This battle took place after Shivaji was returning from a sack of Jalna. The battle lasted 3 days and ended when the Maratha general Sidhoji Nimbalkar was killed and 2000 soldiers. It was a crushing defeat. Shivaji fled the battlefield with 500 soldiers. The curtain fell on Shivaji when he expired the next year (1680).

Shivai was undoubtedly a great and brave man, but in contrast to the great captains of military history, it must be concluded that Shivaji was not in the same group.

Shivaji’s assessment

Before passing judgment on Shivaji, one must remember the socio-economic situation in India at the time. The fact is that the Hindus were a defeated group and there was rampant caste discrimination. In addition to this, diseases such as sati, child marriage, and strange beliefs held sway. The golden age of the Gupta and Muraya Empire was a thing of the past and a new and alien belief had taken hold of the soul of India.

This was a time for someone to stand up and carry the Hindu flag. This is also the period when the Hindus had no leader or hero worth emulating or cheering for. Shivaji appeared on the scene and awakened the spirits of the Hindus and for that he must get full marks. There is no doubt that his place among the great soldiers and conquerors is not there, but he kept the Indian flag alive with his bravery and example. Challenging the Shehan Shah, Aurangzeb himself, the most powerful of the Mughal emperors, was no mean feat. However, Shivaji took up the sword against him. He could not succeed, it is a fact, but he woke up the Hindus and showed that with the will, everything is possible.

After the death of Shivaji and Aurangzeb, others carried on Shivaji’s legacy and a Maratha empire was established. The roots of this lie in Shivaji’s uncompromising campaign. For the Mughals, Shivaji’s defeats in retrospect were a Pyrrhic victory, for after Aurangzeb the Mughal empire went into decline.

At the same time, we must assess Shivaji as a soldier in world history. His greatest contribution is not that he won or lost, but the opportunity to show the Hindus and the world that they too could fight. But characterizing him as a great conqueror is a misnomer.