Sambhaji Maharaj

He is the forgotten prince of our curriculum but still waits to be included in a history where Mughals and other famous dynasties are glorified. Unfortunately, our history is yet to highlight rulers like Sambhaji Maharaj, who chose death over conversion.

Sambaji Maharaj

The revered Maharaj of Maharastra and the second ruler of the Maratha Empire “Sambhaji Maharaj”, also known by the name of Sambhaji Raje Bhosale, was the eldest son of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire and one of the bravest and most progressive rulers of India.

Sambhaji was brave and intelligent from a very young age, and giving up was never a word in his dictionary. Nine years of rule was enough for the recognition of his valour and patriotism. He lost his mother at the tender age of two and was raised by his grandmother, Jijabai.

He was a brilliant student and knew that war can be won by intelligence also. He learned 13 languages along with Sanskrit and Portuguese which helped him to fight against Portuguese colonizers of Goa during his ruling days. At the age of 10, he was sent to the king of Amer to learn the art of ruling over the land and people's heart and by the age of 10, he started uniting other kings to build a strong kingdom.

Once when Sambhaji was only 9 years old, he along with his father was invited by Aurangzeb for extending hands of friendship. But they were put into jail. However, the 9-year-old boy escaped himself and also helped his father to get out of the jail under the nose of Aurangzeb's guard. This was the level of intelligence he had at the age of 9.

We have often heard that “an Empire crumbles after the death of a great king" but Sambhaji didn’t let the empire crumble after the death of his father at the age of 23.

He knew for Swarajya, an independent economic system had to be built. At that time Aurangzeb used to have a fort in the outskirt of Aurangabad which had enough riches to sustain the Maratha Empire. With this idea, a 23-year-old boy defeated a Mughal King multiple times. He repeatedly defeated Aurangzeb with a force of 20,000 Marathas against 8 lakh Mughals. Mughals started losing their focus from the north and the Indian Empire began to emerge in the places like Rajasthan, Punjab, Bundelkhand.

In 9 years of his rule, our undefeatable veer fought 120 battles and won each of them.

But unfortunately to take revenge from Sambhaji, his brother-in-law  Ganoji stabbed him in the back as Sambhaji refused to make him the landlord. He didn't want to take any step which was against Swarajya Concept or his father's policy.

Ganoji betrayed Sambhaji Maharaj and informed Aurangzeb’s spies about him while he was on a secret path to Raigad and was caught without any army. He was brought to the Empire tied upside down to a camel and was paraded across the empire and people were asked to throw stones and urinate on him.

He was tortured not only physically but mentally for not accepting any of Aurangzeb's 3 choices which were: Considering Aurangzeb as his sovereign ruler, giving away all the Maratha's coffers and treasures to Mughals or Embrace Islam and abandoning his faith.

Sambhaji never accepted any of his condition till his last breath.

He was brutally tortured in prison for 40 days continuously. He was tied upside down to a camel and was paraded across the Empire, one by one his nails were pulled out, chilli powder was thrown into his eyes, his skin was pulled using different instruments, iron rods were heated till they turned red and were pushed into his eyes to make him blind, his fingers were chopped, limbs were broken, his tongue was cut but still his answer didn't change.

He couldn’t even get his last rites as per his faith, and his body was chopped and thrown into the river.

Aurangzeb might have broken his body but he couldn't touch his spirit. During Sambhaji's end days, Aurangzeb stated – “If a single son of mine would have been like you Sambhaji Raje, I would have ruled this world". This was the power of our Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj but unfortunately, a hero like him is still waiting in the dark to be highlighted in our history.

“ CHATRAPATI SHIVAJI GAVE BIRTH TO SWARAJYA MOVEMENT

BUT CHATRAPATI SAMBHAJI KEPT IT ALIVE”