Editor’s Note
This article on Shivaji Maharaj is being published in three parts. Part I, which has already been published, sheds light on the Indian contribution to the Art of War, a topic that historians have not clearly stated. It also underscores the crucial role of intelligence in military operations. Part II, the focus of this article, delves into the historical significance of Shivaji’s Spy Network, a topic that will surely intrigue students and inspire them to explore further. The innovative methodologies they employed are also elucidated with examples.
The Original Guerrilla: Shivaji’s Warfare Tactics and Intelligence Networks
Bahirji Naik was the intelligence chief of Shivaji, who had a network of nearly three thousand agents. They consisted of Jasoos (spies) spread among ordinary people in disguise, escorts and guides with detailed knowledge of topography. James Grant Duff, in “History of the Mahrattas,” has commented that many miraculous victories and escapades of Shivaji, credited to the blessings of the goddess ‘Bhavani’, were actually engineered by Bahirji and his agents. (James Grant Duff was a Scots army captain. He served in India for many years and was a British Resident on the Satara throne, occupied by descendants of Shivaji Maharaj. He wrote a three-volume history of the Marathas, first published in 1826.)
Bahirji was so perfect in his work that history can only infer from what his men had achieved, as no records of how they accomplished their astounding feats are available. (Bahirji Naik; a book by Madhukar Joshi). There is no official picture of Bahirji in history, but he was considered a master of disguise.
Maharaja Shivaji specialised in capturing enemy forts via surprise attacks followed by quick victories. This strategy underlying Shivaji’s guerrilla warfare was a novelty in those days. Having precise military intelligence and geographical details gathered by Bahirji was crucial. The battles were usually over within hours rather than months needed to capture a fort via open siege.
Chanakya’s Four Methods for Conquest: Sam (Counseling), Dam (Bribery), Danda (Force), and Bhed (Division)
The following examples illustrate the application of Chanakya Neeti by Maharaja Shivaji:
Capture of Torna and Kondhana Forts (1646 AD)
Shivaji spent his childhood in Lal Mahal, Pune. Torna is the highest hill fort in the Pune district. At the age of 16, Shivaji, using his comrades Yesaji Kank, Tanaji, and Baji Pasalkar (who were from the locally established gentry) as ‘influence agents’, convinced (tricked) the Bijapuri killedar of neglected Torna Fort to hand over the fort.
‘Assisted by them, Shivaji held communication with the Killidar (Fort keeper) of Torna, a hill fort exceedingly difficult of access, 20 miles south-west of Poona, at the source of the Neera river; and by means, the particulars of which are not known, induced him to give over the place’, says Grant Duff.
In the case of Kondhana Fort, located 32 km from Pune and held by Adil Shahi killedar, Siddi Amber Wahab, Shivaji employed a different strategy. He utilised the services of Bapuji Mudgal Deshpande to negotiate with Siddi, ultimately convincing him to sell the fort. This diplomatic manoeuvre not only secured Kondhana Fort but also led to the acquisition of all other nearby small forts, all without the use of arms. Purandar Fort’s killedar (fort keeper) family was pressured, using their family dispute, to hand the fort over to Shivaji in lieu of some neighbouring villages. Thus, according to Grant Duff,
‘The whole tract between Chakan and Neera was acquired without warfare’.
Shivaji’s strategic brilliance was not limited to his own innovations. He effectively applied Sun Tzu’s dictum: ‘subdue the enemy without fighting’. This principle was exemplified in his conquests, where he often used diplomacy and influence to secure forts rather than resorting to direct warfare.
The capture of Javli (1655 AD) and Kalyan (1657 AD)
Javli: Chandrarao More, Raja of Javli Valley (about 200 km away from Pune), was in possession of the Ghat-Matha (mountain range) from the rivers Krishna to Warna. In a daring move, Shivaji’s men, (Brahmins) Ragho Ballal and Sambhaji Kawji (with a party of 125 Mawle) were sent to Javli as emissaries, (Trojan Horses?) apparently, to negotiate a marriage proposal for Chandrarao (a bees-hazari Sardar) More’s daughter with Shivaji, (an upstart then, compared to Chandrarao). Despite the negotiations turning ugly and Chandrarao becoming abusive, Ragho and Sambhaji stood their ground, displaying their unwavering loyalty and courage.
Bahirji had meanwhile surveyed the Javli jungles, and Shivaji’s soldiers had surrounded the area. When the assault started, Chandrarao and his brother were killed by Ragho and Sambhaji in close combat. More’s army (12000 strong at that time) was defeated, and his second brother, Himmatrao More, was also killed in a personal encounter. This daring conquest of Javli not only marked a significant victory for Shivaji’s men but also strategically opened access to South Konkan through the mountain passes a move that would shape the future of the Maratha Empire.
MUGHA Post at Kalyan
Mughals had a military post at Kalyan. Brahmin agents were sent to Konkan to gather intelligence. They reported that Subhedar of Kalyan (150km west of Pune) was moving his treasury.
‘Having heard that a large treasure was forwarded to court by Moolana Ahmed, governor of Kallian, Sivajee put himself at the head of 300 horses, taken at Sopa, now mounted with Bargeers on whom he could depend, and, accompanied by a party of Mawulees, he attacked and dispersed the escort, divided the treasure amongst the horsemen, and conveyed it with all expedition to Rajgurh.’, writes Grant Duff. Later, Shivaji’s commander, Abaji Sondev, attacked and captured the Arab Subhedar of Kalyan, Mulla Ahmed, forcing him to surrender all forts in his area.
Pawankhind (Use Of A Decoy- Deception)
Shivaji was stuck at Panhala Fort (July 1660 AD), under siege by Adilshahi General Siddi Jowhar, and all attempts to break that siege failed.
Bahirji’s scouts discovered a path not as well guarded by Jowhar’s army as other paths. Shivaji based his escape strategy on that. He sent his emissary to negotiate a date for a summit meeting with Jowhar to lull the enemy. The night before the summit, Shivaji and a select armed contingent left Panhala in the dark and rainy night for Vishalgad Fort (60-70 km away), which a rival Maratha captain of Adilshah besieged. Using Bahirji Naik’s services, Shivaji tasked his killedar inside Vishalgad to attack the siege from within the Fort when they saw Shivaji and his army attacking seige from outside.
Shivaji’s double, a barber, Shiva Kashid volunteered as a decoy and his palanquin, guarded by a unit of soldiers, was run via the main road to Vishalgad while Shivaji’s contingent took the selected side road. Siddi Jowhar’s son-in-law pursued with his 2,000-strong army and eventually, after a skirmish, captured Shiva Kaashid’s palanquin. By the time the deception was discovered, Shivaji’s contingent had acquired a big lead. In a display of unwavering bravery, Shivaji’s captain Baji Prabhu laid down his life in the narrow pass (later named Pawan khind) on the way to Vishalgad, preventing pursuing Siddi force from capturing Shivaji. Once near the Fort Shivaji attacked Vishalgad.
The Fort could not withstand this attack on two fronts and the siege of Vishalgad was broken. In a stunning turn of events, a certain defeat at Panhala was transformed into a resounding victory at Vishalgad. Shivaji entered the Fort with a freshly reinforced army, a testament to the power of strategic deception and military tactics.
Umbarkhind Trap: (Disinformation 1662-3 AD)
Shaista Khan was the Moghul General and brother-in-law of Emperor Aurangzeb. Equipped with an army of over 100,000 soldiers, cavalry, guns, and experienced military strategists, he was sent by the Emperor to Deccan, specifically to decimate Shivaji.
Kartalab Khan, a skilled army commander of Shaista Khan, had more than 20,000 troops, artillery pieces, horses, and numerous elephants chasing Shivaji.
Through Bahirji’s spies, the word was spread that Shivaji had come down to Wai from Rajgad Fort and Khan had to cross Sahyadri Mountain to engage him. There were two mountain passes –a spacious Khandala ghat and a narrow Umber-khind. By descending through Umberkhind, Khan could have attacked the rear of Shivaji’s forces (merely one thousand men) in Wai. Khan was lured to choose Umbarkhind.
Little did Khan know that the area had already been infiltrated by Marathas. As Khan started to descend, his forces were surrounded and attacked, and they had to surrender to escape the carnage. Using disinformation and superior tactics, Shivaji routed a force twenty times larger than his own in two hours. Shivaji captured valuable military equipment and accepted the deserters from Khan’s army into his own.
Lal Mahal Raid (April 1663 AD: disguise)
Shaista Khan was camping in Pune at Lal Mahal, Shivaji’s childhood residence.
Marathas entered Pune in the guise of a marriage party. When they reached Lal Mahal, Shivaji personally raided Khan’s residence with selected troops. The objective was to kill Khan and thus demoralize his army.
The rest of Khan’s military camp at Pune, comprising 70,000 soldiers, was attacked by two Maratha contingents under cover of darkness.
Khan survived Shivaji’s daring attack on Lal Mahal but lost four fingers and a son in a close encounter. Shivaji’s raiding party then escaped to Kondhana Fort (Sinhgadh) in darkness while enticing Khan’s army on a wild chase to a mountain pass in Katraj. They pursued cattle with flaming torches tied to their horns, mistaken for retreating troops.
Khan was thoroughly demoralized. He had occupied Pune and terrorized the surrounding population for over three years. Within three days of Shivaji’s raid, Khan left Pune for Delhi, claiming that Shivaji had magic powers!
Sacking of Surat
Twice in his career, Shivaji successfully attacked Surat, Aurangzeb’s financial capital. He carried away much of its wealth as reparation for the expenses incurred and pain suffered by Marathas during Moghul’s army occupations, first under Shaista Khan and then under Mirza Raja Jaisingh.
In January 1664 AD, word spread that Shivaji was moving to attack Aurangabad, Portuguese, or Siddis in Konkan. First, Shivaji went to Nashik temples for divine blessings. Simultaneously, Bahirji was recce-ing Surat. He learnt that Surat had only 1000 horsemen as Subhedar Inayatkhan had misappropriated money to raise another 4000 sanctioned for Surat’s defence.
Suddenly, from Nashik, the Marathas veered north and ransacked Surat from 6 to 10 January. (Precise details of places and merchants to be raided were available.) The total booty exceeded Rs one crore!
Sir George Oxenden was the Chief of the English Factory in Surat. His brother Henry would later attend Shivaji’s coronation (1674 AD) at Raigadh. It is believed that Henry noticed Bahirji’s presence at the coronation and realised that this was the beggar standing at the gates of the English factory in Surat during the Maratha raid!
When the spies brought the news about Sardar Mahabat Khan’s Moghul army approaching Surat, Marathas retreated with the loot as fast as they had raided it.
After the second expedition to Surat (Oct 1670 AD), Sardar IkhlasKhan chased Shivaji’s army, which was retreating with loot. Maratha spies were tracking his moves. When Khan reached Kanchan Bari (near Nasik), he found that Shivaji’s troops had already been deployed to face Khan in an open battle! Khan had lost the advantage of surprise and lost the battle as well. Shivaji captured valuable military equipment after his victory in this 6-hour battle.
Jayant Umranikar
