Escape of Shivaji Maharaj from Agra
Introduction
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Shivaji Maharaj had never felt so belittled in his entire life. He had just stormed out of Aurangzeb’s
presence from the Mughal court in Agra along with his 10 year old son, Sambhaji. The courtiers and
Rajput and Mughal Generals, who jostled with each other to occupy prominent positions in the court,
were left aghast and were scandalized by this action of Shivaji Maharaj. A great silence spread in the
court but the Emperor did not show any outward emotions.
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It was a combination of the circumstances and political acumen of the Maratha King that had brought
him to the Mughal court in Agra. In 1664, Raja Jai Singh had marched into the Deccan with his huge
army. Raja Jai Singh was no novice. After he was identified by Aurangzeb for this critical mission he spent
almost a year in planning out his strategy. Once he was convinced about his preparations, he set out on
the mission. He correctly identified Shivaji’s strength, the innumerable forts in the Sahyadris.He was able
to gain control on some forts from Shivaji Maharaj. More seriously, his presence in the Deccan was
reducing the manoeuvrability of Shivaji’s forces and affecting the economics of the newly established
Swaraj.But all this was also a drain on the Mughals, both in terms of men lost in battle, and resources.
Though the sheer size of his huge army allowed him to occupy the land won, his army was more suited
to warfare on open wide spaces but not to the confined spaces of the Western Ghats.Finally after Raja
Jai Singh had won the Purandar fort, both of them were ready for a treaty wherein Shivaji Maharaj had
to surrender 23 forts of the Swaraj to the Mughal emperor and accept the Sovereignty of the Emperor in
the Deccan. In return, the hostilities were to be stopped and Maharaj was expected to help the Empire
against the sultans of Bijapur and Golconda.The shrewd statesman that he was, Maharaj decided to
accept the terms of the treaty. To formalize this, Shivaji Maharaj was expected to pay his respects to the
Mughal Emperor in Agra with his son, who had been made a nobleman of the Mughal army.And so he
left for Agra along with his son and a few very dependent men in the month of March, 1666.When he
reached Agra, there was no formal welcome for him. There was only Raja Ram Singh to welcome him
and he was escorted directly to the Divan-I-Khas.The Divan-I-Khas was a huge hall with the Emperor
sitting on Peacock Throne overlooking the great hall. The Throne was on a pedestal, and from a distance
it appeared to float above the courtiers & nobles. It was here that, Raja Ram Singh escorted Shivaji
Maharaj & his son.Shivaji Maharaj paid respects to the Emperor and submitted gifts, but the Emperor
remained silent and did not utter any words of welcome to him nor was there any acknowledgement. It
was as if, the Maharaj did not exist. No presents or titles were conferred upon him nor was he made to
feel welcome. To make matters worse, Shivaji Maharaj was made to stand behind a row of 5 hazari
noblemen.He saw that even Raja Jaswant Singh was standing in front of him and this was the last straw.
He could take it no longer and thundered in the assembly, “This Jaswant Singh has been defeated so
many times by my men, and he has shown his back so many times in the battlefield. And I am made to
stand behind him!”. So saying, he stormed off along with his son.The next few days were spent in
diplomacy when both, Shivaji Maharaj and the Emperor tried to soothe the frayed nerves but the
courtiers of the Emperor tried their best to influence him to either imprison Shivaji or kill him. Finally
Aurangzeb accepted this and Shivaji Maharaj and his son were placed under house arrest. Shivaji
Maharaj could see the writing on the wall. He knew that the Emperor was feeling very uncomfortable
with his presence in Agra and was sure that, at the first opportunity he would get rid of him. He had to
act fast.For the last few days, Shivaji Maharaj had not been feeling well. In fact his condition seemed
quite serious he made it appear so to all.
Plan & Development : Through Raja Ram Singh, he sent out a message to the Agra authorities that
he would like to send out sweets to Brahmins and religious mendicants. The sweets were sent out in
huge bamboo baskets which were carried by two men every day and this continued for many days.The
guards placed at the entrance to the royal guesthouse would diligently inspect all the baskets going out
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but after some days their alertness slackened and this was what Shivaji Maharaj was waiting for.It was a
fresh August morning. Like all mornings in the last 3 months, the big baskets filled with sweets had
arrived inside the house for the Maharaj to bless and then the boxes were to be sent out to the
Brahmins. But today was different. Today, the basket bearers were going to bear a different kind of
weight.
Making and deliver: Today the baskets were different. They were having false bottoms. Enough to
carry fully grown humans!In one basket, Sambhaji entered and in another, the great Maharaj. The
basket bearers then placed sweets on the top and were ready to go. As they left the house, the guards
stopped them! One of the guards neared them…reached into the basket, as if searching for something,
and then blurted out, “Got it! These laddoos taste the best. Here, have some”. So saying, he passed on
two laddoos to his colleague and waved the basket bearers ahead.The basket bearers were sweating
profusely, less from exertion, more from tension. But more the distance they covered away from the
guesthouse, the more they relaxed. Though the baskets were heavier today, they did not stop to rest.
They reached the pre-designated spot outside the city and from the shadows emerged a few of
Maharaja’s trusted infantry men. 2 fast steeds’ were readied for the Maharaj and his son and off they
went towards Prayag via Mathura. Before mounting their horses, both had changed into mendicants
clothing.Total chaos erupted in Agra when the escape was discovered. But the discovery had taken a
long time. Initially, when the guards had peeped in through the windows, they had seen the 2 beds still
occupied. But when no one emerged out of the guesthouse nor was anyone seen in the windows, their
suspicions increased and finally they entered. The 2 beds continued to be occupied. When they pulled at
the bed sheet, the ruse was broken! For pretending to sleep there, were the 2 loyal helpers of the
Maharaj. They were promptly arrested. For the next few hours they were tortured mercilessly but to no
avail. They proved their unflinching loyalty to the Maharaj.The Mughals searched everywhere and
especially the southern exits from the city since they expected the escapees to head in the general
direction of Maharashtra, which was towards south. But Maharaj was two steps ahead. He had decided
to take a circuitous route. He reached Prayag from Mathura. Somewhere along the way, he had shaved
off his beard and accepted mendicants clothing.In Mathura, he placed Sambhaji in the care of very
trustworthy priests. Then deliberately he spread the news of Sambhaji’s death so that he was safe.
Moved to Kalyan- Bhiwandi : The geographical importance of the area of kalyan attracted
Chhatrapati Shivaji. That area was very important for market and transportation due to harbour and very
rich market.Kalyan Bhiwandi won by him within a few days. The naval force recognised by him from the
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Kalyan. He was surely aware regarding extreme requirement of naval force and its importance in the
west of India.
Sahyadri Mountains : Chhatrapati Shivaji planned a proper road directions and discover new roads
for transportation. These transportation resources were Ox, Camel, Donkey,Bull, Bullock cart, Palakhi,
etc.
Konkan: Chhatrapati Shivaji discovered new sea route and harbours in the Konkan range.Chhatrapati
Shivaji changed these harbours and utilised for the transportation and battle situation.Viz. Ratnagiri,
Bankot, Harane, Devgadh, Dabhol, Sangmeshwar, Rajapur,Malvan, Vengurla, etc
Vehicles : Mostly horse, ox, palakhi used by Chhatrapati Shivaji during transportation on the battle
ground. British officers Tavernier described Palakhi ‘6 to 7 feet in length and 3 feet broad.
Ghat Marg: There are two parts of Maharashtra geographically. i.e. Desh and Konkan due to Sahyadri
Mountains. In Sahyadri mountains there were many small ways used by local people. In the various parts
of this area Chhatrapati Shivaji situated stations to keep control on transportation and communication.
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The naval force was the important stream of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s military administration.There was
a huge importance of the naval force in his era. He built Sindhudurga , sea fort in the west Konkan area
to keep control on foreign communication and trade transportation matters with India by sea-routs. 8
