The torture of a young king

Sambhaji Bhonsle, son of Shivaji, and the ruler of Marathas was executed in 1689 by Mughal forces under Aurangzeb. His tortuous execution became folklore and a tale of revenge afterwards

Sambhaji Bhonsle; Source: Public Domain

Sambhaji, the son of the great Maratha, Shivaji, had lost the battle. Now, he would lose the support of his Shirke Maratha allies too - who would defect to the Mughals, and hand him over on a plate. As Muqarrab Khan took captive Sambhaji’s party in 1689, it was a moment of brief triumph for a beleaguered empire - the Maratha leader had been captured, and now would be made to pay for his raiding into the Mughal territories.

That is where history gets really murky, and reveals its true dark side - for all sources agree on the fact that Sambhaji was tortured and executed on the 11th of March, 1689. They disagree on how vividly the Mughal forces commanded by Aurangzeb went about that torture.

Paraded through Bahadurgad in Ahmednagar areas, insulted by Mughal soldiers, Sambhaji’s fate has been described differently by different sources.

Mughal accounts mention that, when asked to surrender his forts, treasures, and collaborator’s names, Sambhaji took to insulting the Emperor and his faith, and in response, was tortured and sentenced to execution.

Maratha accounts state that when asked to convert to Islam, Sambhaji refused, remarking that he would do so the day Aurangzeb granted his daughter’s hand to him - and then he was subjected to fortnight-long torture, along with Kavi Kalash, and then on the 11th, was killed by piercing with Wagh Nakhe and beheading at Tulapur.

Yet more accounts talk about how he still refused to accept Islam and ran the gauntlet of troops present at his trial - bleeding, and still refusing to accept faith - and put to death after torture. In yet more accounts, his body is said to be cut up and thrown into the river Bhima nearby, and, after a recapture of the riverbank, recovered and cremated.

Different places, different stories, yet Sambhaji was only 31 when he was executed - still full of potential to fight for his empire, brutally murdered due to rivalry.