HISTORY

MUSLIM RULE (1347-1700).

[The history of the Musalman and Maratha periods was contributed to the first edition of this Gazetteer (1887) by Lieutenant Colonel E. W. West.] SOON AFTER THE OVERTHROW OF THE YADAVAS BY THE DELHI SULTAN Ala-ud-din Khalji and his general Malik Kafur, the eastern sub-division of Kolhapur came under the Bahamani kings of the Deccan (1347-1489). Whether Ala-ud-din or his general Malik Kafur ever went to or actually conquered Kolhapur is not known. Probably they did not. For, we are told that Bahaman Shah who soon after established the Bahamani kingdom, first at Gulbarga and later at Bidar, on his way back from Konkan took Karahad and Kolhapur from their Hindu rulers. [Sankalia and Dikshit, p. 5, There have been, however, no means of knowing exactly when this took place. An inscription at Miraj records the building of a mosque there in A.D. 1413, that is during the reign of Firus Shah Bahamani (1397-1422). So the Muhammadans must have been established there for some time before that date, and the masters of Miraj would naturally hold the neighbouring districts which belonged to Kolhapur. There are said to be inscriptions recording the existence of a Musalman settlement called Nabipur on the hill of Panhala in 1376.] During the reign of Ala-ud-din II (1435-1457), the tenth king of the dynasty, the Bahamani general Malik-ul-Tujar was persuaded in 1433 by a Raja in the Konkan belonging to the Sirke family whom he had captured and wished to convert to the faith of Islam, to make an attack on Shankar Rai the Raja of Khelna or Visalgad, whom the cunning Raja declared to be his rival and enemy. When the Musalman general hesitated on account of the difficult nature of the country, his objections were obviated by the proposed convert promising to act as guide, and the army accordingly set forth. For two days the march Was beset by no difficulties, but on the third day the invaders were led by intricate paths through a wild savage country, to describe the horrors of which is exhausted the Muhammadan historian's stock of hyperbole. They were finally led into a dense forest surrounded on three sides by mountains, and their condition having been betrayed by their treacherous guide to the enemy, they were attacked at midnight and nearly 7,000, among whom was the general, are said to have been massacred.

Several years then elapsed before the Musalmans made a further effort against Visalgad. This disaster remained unavenged for nearly seventeen years. The Rajah of Sangameswar, Jakhurai, grew in power and strength. He was the master of a number of impregnable forts, chief of which were Khelna and Rangna. He maintained a fleet of nearly three hundred vessels, which as Gawan states in one of his letters preyed upon merchants and travellers with the result that "some thousands of Muslims were sacrificed at the altar of the greed of these people ". [ Riyadul Insha Persian Text, p. 173-75.]

The influence of Vijayanagar extended far to the north of Goa. The Bahamais sought to consolidate their hold on Konkan, capture Goa, and hasten the destruction of Vijayanagar which was their principal aim. [Riyadul Insha Persian Text, p. 157-65.] After the affairs with the kingdom of Malwa had been settled, the Bahamani Sultan Muhammad Shah decided to undertake a campaign against Konkan. On his request Mahamud Gawan was appointed to lead the campaign. Followed by a large army he arrived at Kolhapur in 1470 A.D. and camped there. He sent for the detachments posted in the neighbouring districts. Asad Khan brought his troops from Junnar and Cakan. Kiswar Khan arrived with his army from Dabhol and Karad. With this army, Mahmud Gawan marched against the chiefs. As the country was full of forests he employed his men in cutting down the trees and clearing out roads.

When the chiefs learnt of the activities of Mahmud Gawan, they combined together and marching against him put up a determined resistance. Nearly fifty battles were fought between the armies of Islam and the chiefs. [Burhani Masir, p. 115, Persian Text.]

Mahamud Gawan laid siege to the fort of Khelna. The siege was considerably prolonged. Gawan was bent upon reducing the chiefs. As he heard that they had already approached influential persons in the capital, he agreed to the following terms: -

The fort of Rangna to be surrendered. An indemnity of Rs. 12,00,000 to be paid, the son of Jaku should arrive in the Bahamanl camp.

The terms had been agreed upon when the chiefs realised that once the fort of Rangna was surrendered, with the help of their army posted in Cakan, Karhad and other places, the Bahamanis would not only conquer Sangameswar, but would be able to occupy a considerable territory belonging to Vijayanagar, they turned away from the agreement.

The result was that as the siege of Khelna dragged on, the rains set in. Gawan was forced to raise the siege and retire to cantonment for the rainy-season. He, however, ensured that no provision of any article should be allowed to reach the enemy's country. [ Riyadul Insha Persian Text, Hyderabad, p. 249.]

After the rains had subsided, Gawan marched against the fort of Rangna. The fort was strong and Gawan feared that it could not be conquered without considerable loss of men. He tried other methods. The enemy were offered " Firankish cloth, both studded with jewels, palanquins, Arab steed and arms of the most exquisite pattern." [Biyadul Insha Persian Text, Hyderabad, p. 122-23.]

The fort of Rangna came into the possession of the Bahamanis, on 19th July 1470 A. D.

Gawan then marched to the fort of Macal. The fort was stormed and taken after a stiff fight. Gawan next turned towards the fort of Khelna. The Rajah was hard pressed. He sent his own son to negotiate peace. The fort was surrendered on 10th November 1470. The Rajah was left with a small territory to maintain himself. The rest of the possessions of Sangameswar were occupied and placed under Bahamani officers. The forts of Bulwara, Miriad and Nagar were also captured. The subjugation of Sangameswar was completed on 12th December 1471. Gawan next marched to Goa which was annexed to the Bahamani kingdom on the 4th February 1472.

With the conquest of Goa, Gawan's campaign of Konkan came to a close. This time the Bahamani occupation of the district was complete. No resistance to the Bahamanis is noted till the break-up of the kingdom.

The district was placed under the charge of Gawan's general Khush Qadam who already held the territory of Dabhola and Karhad under him.

Kishwar Khan, for some unknown reason, transferred the charge of Goa to one Najm-ud-din Gilani, on whose death one of his officers named Bahadur Gilani in 1486 seized Goa and occupied Kolhapur as well as other places, being instigated to this course by Yusuf Adil Khan, then one of the nobles of the Bahamani king but who afterwards (1489-1510) became himself king of Bijapur. Bahadur Gilani, thus established in a position of semi-independence, availed himself of his command of the sea coast to send expeditions against Bombay and to seize vessels belonging to Gujarat. This conduct naturally excited the anger of Mahmud Begada (1458-1511) the king of the latter country, who in 1493 sent an embassy calling on the Bahamani king to punish his rebellious vassal, failing which the Gujarat prince stated he would have to employ his own troops. This message aroused Mahmud Shah Bahmani II (1482-1518), who prevailed on his feudatories (so soon to become independent princes) to assist him and marched against Bahadur Gilani. The latter first took up his residence at Sankesvar from whence he fled on the approach of the royal forces. His troops were then defeated near Miraj and that fort was surrendered to the king, on which Bahadur made offers of submission. He was promised more favourable terms than he could have expected, so much so that, conceiving that such generosity could only proceed from weakness, he rejected them and renewed hostilities. In these, however, he was so unsuccessful that he had to take refuge in Panhala. Unfortunately for himself he quitted the fort, and after again negotiating and again rejecting the terms offered to him, he was killed in an action with the royal troops and his estate or jagir including Kolhapur was bestowed upon Ain-ul-Mulk Gilani. [Contact of the Bahamani rulers in some form or other is actually revealed by the discovery of Bahamani coins in the upper strata of excavations recently carried out, as also of some articles, including highly finished bangles showing a strong Iranian Muslim cultural influence over the area. A small colony of artisans might have been staying in the mud houses built over the debris of similar houses of the Yadava Silahara period (Excavations at Brahmapuri by Dr. Sankalia and Dr. Dikshit p. 5-6).]

In 1498, on the dissolution of the Bahamani kingdom and the elevation of its chief feudatories into the position of sovereign princes, Kolhapur and the adjoining country fell to the share of Bijapur. Ibrahim Adil Shah I (A. D. 1534) and II (A. D. 1580) took a lot of interest in Panhala and its fortifications. This is shown not only by the numerous Persian inscriptions left by them but also by the architectural style of the monuments at the place. Kolhapur proper has little of Bijapur influence, nor was anything of that found in the excavations of 1945-46 referred to above. [Sankalia and Dikshit, p. 6.]

When the great Sivaji entered upon his work of creating a nation and founding of empire, the hill-forts in the Kolhapur territory were too favourably situated for his purpose not to attract his notice. It was not till 1659 however that Sivaji seems to have taken possession of Kolhapur and Panhala. Earlier in 1631 when the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan opened a campaign against Bijapur kingdom, one Sidi Raihem who had distinguished himself by defeating the Mughal general Mahabatkhan was invited by Adil Shah with great honour and the jagir of Kolhapur was conferred upon him. [Basatin Us-Salalin, Marathi version," History of Kolhapur and S. M. States Volume II, History of Bijapur kings in Marathi by B. P. Modak, p. 168.] In 1636 Kolhapur was captured by Khan Zaman, the Mughal general, but was afterwards restored to Bijapur. [Badshahnama: Abdul Hamid Lahori, Volume I, Part II, p. 162.] In later years as Rustam Zaman was holding the districts of Miraj and Kolhapur as jagir under Adil Shah, Sivaji, after having overpowered Afzal Khan at Pratapagada made a dash southwards and took possession of Panhala [Shivkalin Patra-sar Sangrha No. 790.] and its neighbour Pavangada. From this point d'appui he reduced Rangna and Khelna or Visalgada together with the other forts in the district above and below the Sahyadris. He soon made use of his new acquisitions. After defeating Rustum Zaman and Fazal Khan in a battle fought at Raibag, a few miles east of Kolhapur, he assembled his forces at Visalgada and thence carried on operations in the Konkan, where he acquired both territory and booty. Subsequently on 2nd March 1660 when the Bijapur army under Sidi Jauhar marched against him to avenge the slaughter of Afzal Khan and his army, Sivaji shut himself up in Panhala whence, after enduring a four months' siege, he escaped by a characteristic stratagem and fled to Visalgada. His flight left Panhala and Kolhapur territory in the hands of the Sidi. [In carrying on this siege the English factory at Rajapur actively helped Sidi Jauhar and sold him some canons etc. In this connection one Mr. Revington, a factor of the East India Company at Rajapur had gone to the Sidi's camp and had stayed for some time at Kolhapur (English Records on Shivaji 1659-82, Volume I, page 21).] Sidi's general Masaud pursued Sivaji towards Visalgada but his march was effectively stopped by the heroic opposition of Sivaji's trusted general Baji Prabhu at Ghodakhinda, a difficult, mountain pass which is about eight miles west of Visalgada and which was tenaciously held by Baji with a small band of his soldiers. Wave after wave of the Bijapur army vigorously attacked the gallant defenders for the purpose of forcing their way through the pass but Baji Prabhu, mortally wounded and exhausted, heroically held his own till at last he heard the sound of the canon that was fired to announce Sivaji's reaching safe at Visalgada. The hero soon after breathed his last on the battle-field. The epic of Ghodakhinda which has since then been named as Pavanakhind (sacred pass) is rightly described the Thermopylae of Manatha History. Sivaji could not hold out at Visalgada for long, as he had received news of Saista Khan's march towards Poona. Next year he seized an opportunity to plunder Rajapur, to attack Srngarpur, and thence proceeding further south to swoop down on Mudhol, the jagir of Baji Ghorapade, against whom he had long vowed vengeance for seizing his father Sahaji and delivering him to the Bijapur authorities. On 6th March 1673 Sivaji again captured Panhala. [Shivakalin Patra-sar-sangraha, Volume III, p. 195.] The English factors at Bombay reported on 3rd September 1673, " Sevagees army also hath ransacked Hubelly, Callapore, and many other towns thereabout ". [ English Records on Shivaji, Volume I, p. 281 (1930).] It appears Sivaji was campaigning in this part of the country during this and the subsequent two or three years. On 22nd October 1673 the English factors at Rajapur wrote to Surat, " The cotton yarne was sent unsorted (but all of a piece) occassioned by Sevajees Army approaching to Callipore ". [ English Records on Shivaji, Volume II, p. 17.] After some time the Rajapur factors again reported in a letter to Bombay, dated 6th February 1674-75: " The news here is that some of Sevajee's forces have bin off Callapore which redeemed itself from their fury by a present giveing of 1,500 pagodas. Thence they went to a place called Sangam, which gave them 500 pagodas and thence is gone a roving. [ Ibid, p. 33.] Finally in 1675 Sivaji captured Kolhapur. [ Ibid, p. 41.] Some time after, on 7th August 1675 the English factors wrote to Bombay from Raybag, " The 30th ditto news brought us early in the morning that Sevajee's party at Callapore had seized the Governor there for the King. Many of the inhabitants were leaving the towne but Sevajee's soldiers kept all in with promise of faire usuage, so that the townes people are preserved in quiet and some security, Sevagee having to guard it report speaks about 2,000 men, and the Moor Governor that was in it is carried to Purnallo Castle, where he as yet remains a prisoner". [English Records on Shivaji, Volume II, p. 62.] The effects of Sivaji's campaigns in this part of the country on trade are thus referred to in a letter, dated 22nd January 1677 from Bombay to the Court of Directors of the East India Company. " By reason of the lamentable devastation which Sevagee hath made in Raybag, Hantene, Callapore, etc., marks of trade and the excessive price and want of cotton in these parts noe-callicoes have bin procurable this year, nor will any Europe goods sell. " [Ibid, p. 108. This and the preceding citations are from the Social Surrey of Kolhapur City, Volume II, by N. V. Sovani, p. 5-6.]

Towards the end of his reign Sivaji used Panhala as a place of confinement for his eldest son Sambhaji who was there when his father died in 1680. On hearing the news of his father's death, Sambhaji released himself from imprisonment and planned to direct the affairs of the State from Panhala; but he soon found that he could not check the rival forces at Raigada which had made Rajaram the successor of Sivaji. Sambhaji therefore left Panhala, reached Raigada, overcame all opposition and got himself coronated at that place in January 1681. [Jedhe Shakavali Shiva-charitra-pradipa, p. 31] Throughout his reign he was at war with the Moghuls. In 1683 Ajam Shah the Moghul Prince marched as far as Kolhapur, but Hambirarao Mohite, Sambhaji's general, drove him off. [Ibid, p. 32.] Having failed to curb the Marathas, the Moghuls diverted their forces for an attack on Bijapur. Sambhaji thereupon sent in 1683 Kavi Kulesa, popularly known as Kabji Kalusa, his trusted minister to Panhala, wherefrom the Maratha forces sallied forth and continuously harassed the Moghuls. In 1688, the Sirkes who had deserted Sambhaji and joined the Moghuls on account of a fierce family feud attacked Kalusa and compelled him to retreat towards Khelna or Visalgad for safety. Thereupon Sambhaji quickly rushed from Raigad, defeated the Sirkes, and joined his minister at Khelna [Ibid, p. 34.] (1688). After waiting for some time there, the two started towards Raigada. Halting at Sangmeswar on their way they threw off all considerations of caution and gave themselves up to merry making. In the meanwhile the Moghul general Shaikh Nazam, who had received information as to where Sambhaji was, followed him with a detachment and seized him before he had any idea that there was an enemy in the neighbourhood. The Maratha king who was caught completely unawares under the orders of Aurangzeb, was mercilessly tortured and killed.

The death of Sambhaji and the capture of the infant son of the latter by the Moghuls made Rajaram, the second son of Sivaji, the de facto Raja of the Marathas. While he carried on operations in the south he left his family at Visalgada in comparative security as, though Panhala had been speedily taken by Aurangzeb's forces, yet Visalgada and Rangna. with the adjacent country held out still under Ramchandrapant whose family later on held the jagir of Bavada and who and whose descendants held the office of Pant Amatya in the Astapradhan system (Ministry of eight Ministers) in Kolhapur. [In imitation of their progenitor Shivaji, the Kolhapur princes appointed eight chief ministers known as the Ashtapradhan. The Pant Amatya of Bavda and the Senapati of Kapsi were later on the only representatives of the Ashtapradhans in Kolhapur.] The tenure of Panhala, too, by the conquerors was but temporary as the place was ere long retaken by Parasuram Trimbaka in 1692. Panhala was again besieged by the Moghuls but the siege was raised in 1693 by the combined attack of three Maratha forces under Ramacandra Pant, Sankaraji Pandit and Dhanaji Jadhav. [Ibid, p. 37.] The Moghul operations against the fort, however, continued in a desultory fashion till 1696. After his escape from Jinji, Rajaram again visited Visalgad; but during the latter part of his reign the most important operations he was engaged in were all carried on in the country situated to the north of Kolhapur, and his death took place in 1700 at the fort of Sinhagad near Poona, a month before Satara, then besieged by the Moghuls, fell into the hands of Aurangzeb.

TOP