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| Battle of Bhupalgarh | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of List of battles involving the Mughal Empire and The Maratha rebellion | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Maratha Kingdom |  Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Firongji narsala | Diler Khan | ||||||
The Battle of Bhupalgarh occurred between the Mughal Empire and Maratha Kingdom in 1679. After a fierce bloody resistance to the siege lasting over 55 days, the battle resulted in the razing of the fort of Bhupalgarh and a decisive victory for the Mughals under general Diler Khan.[1]
Background
[edit]Through arduous efforts, the Imperial forces managed to transport heavy artillery to an elevated position under the cover of night. At dawn, they commenced a relentless assault on the fort's walls and towers. The attack began and the Mughal defenders fought valiantly until noon when the fort fell, resulting in substantial casualties on both sides. The victorious forces seized an abundance of provisions, valuable goods, and a significant number of prisoners. Among the survivors of the garrison, seven hundred were mutilated by having a hand severed before being released, while the remaining captives were likely enslaved.[2][3][4]
The Battle
[edit]Prior to the fall of the fort, Shivaji had dispatched a formidable force of 16,000 horsemen to provide reinforcements. Although they arrived too late to aid the fort directly, they surrounded the Mughal forces on all sides. Upon learning of a crucial supply convoy approaching from Parenda, Shivaji's forces swiftly moved to intercept it. Diler Khan, however, deployed Ikhlas Khan with 1,500 cavalry to reinforce the convoy. Ikhlas Khan's unit engaged the Marathas twelve miles from Bhupalgarh; despite being outnumbered, he bravely withstood the attack within a fortified village, inflicting heavy casualties on Shivaji's men with his artillery and vanquishing nearly one thousand of them. Subsequently, reinforcements led by Diler Khan forced the Maratha troops to retreat, after which Diler Khan ordered the destruction of Bhupalgarh's remaining assets and fortifications before returning to Dhulkhed. The fall of Bhupalgarh occurred on April 2, 1679.[2][5]
The Aftermath
[edit]Following this decisive event, a period characterized by intricate political intrigue and power struggles ensued. Conflicts emerged between the Mughal viceroy and the nobility of Bijapur, as well as internal discord among key figures such as Masaud, Sharza Khan, Diler, and Masaud's confidant Venkatadri.[2]A group of seven hundred Hindus were apprehended and subjected to having their right hands amputated with swords.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Aadeesh, Aanand (1 January 2011). Shivaji the Great Liberator. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN 9788184301021 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Encyclopaedia Indica: Shivaji as Warriore and Administrator. Anmol Publications. 1996. pp. 309–310. ISBN 978-81-7041-859-7.
- ^ Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1974). The Mughul Empire. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 273.
- ^ Cambridge History Of India, Vol. 4, The Mughul Period. p. 256.
- ^ Srivastava, Ashirbadi Lal (1969). The Mughul Empire, 1526-1803 A.D. S. L. Agarwala. p. 395.
- ^ Lata, Prem (1991). Shri Samartha Ramdas. Sumit Publications. p. 13.
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