Battle of Sinhagad: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|1670 battle between Maratha and Mughal forces}}
{{Short description|1670 battle between Maratha and Mughal forces}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
 
{{Infobox military conflict
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Sinhagad (Kondhana)
| conflict          = Battle of Sinhagad (Kondhana)
| partof            = Imperial Maratha Expansion
| partof            = [[The Maratha rebellion]]
| image            = Sinhagad.jpg
| image            = Sinhagad.jpg
| image_size        = 300
| image_size        = 300
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| place            = Fort [[Sinhagad]], near [[Pune]], [[India]]
| place            = Fort [[Sinhagad]], near [[Pune]], [[India]]
| result            = Maratha victory
| result            = Maratha victory
| territory        = Fort [[Sinhagad]] captured by [[Marathas]]
| territory        = Fort [[Sinhagad]] (then, Kondhana fort) captured by [[Marathas]]
| combatant1        = [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|22px]][[Maratha Empire]]
| combatant1        = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Maratha Empire.png}} [[Maratha Empire|Maratha kingdom]]
| combatant2        = [[File:Fictional flag of the Mughal Empire.svg|22px]][[Mughal Empire]]
| combatant2        = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Mughal Empire.png}} [[Mughal Empire]]
| commander1        = [[Tanaji Malusare]] {{KIA}}<br />Suryaji Malusare <br/>Shelar Mama
| commander1        = [[File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg|border|22px]] [[Tanaji Malusare]]{{KIA}}
| commander2        = Udaybhan Singh Rathore {{KIA}}<br /> Siddi Hilal{{KIA}}{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}
| caption          = The Fort of [[Sinhagad]]
| strength1        = 300 led by [[Tanaji Malusare]]{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}<br />200 led by Suryaji Malusare {{citation needed|date=September 2020}}<br />500 Reserves{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} <br />Total: 1,000 Mawalas{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}
| strength2        = 1,000–1,400{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} <br />12 sons of Udaybhan Singh Rathore{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} <br />Chandravali an elephant{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}
| casualties1      = 300 killed or wounded{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}
| casualties2      = 500 killed or wounded{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}<br/>
Few surrendered{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}<br />
Hundreds killed or wounded while escaping over steep rocks{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}
}}
}}
The '''Battle of Sinhagad''' took place during the night on 4 February 1670 on the fort of [[Sinhagad]] (then known as Kondhana after the sage [[Kaundinya]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=India Current Affairs Yearbook 2020: For UPSC, State PSC & Other Competitive exams|last=Meena|first=R. P.|publisher=New Era Publication}}</ref>), near the city of [[Pune]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: The Maratha Warrior and His Campaign|last=Sorokhaibam|first=Jeneet|date=2013-01-01|publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd|isbn=978-93-82573-49-4|location=New Delhi|pages=185}}</ref>
{{Campaignbox Later Mughal-Maratha Wars}}
The '''Battle of Sinhagad''', also known as '''Battle of Kondhana''', involved an attack by [[Maratha Army|Marathas]] during the night of 4 February 1670 on the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] fort of [[Sinhagad]] (then Kondhana), near the city of [[Pune]], [[Maharashtra]]. The Marathas captured the fort.


[[File:Tanaji's famous vow during Kondana campaign “Aadhi lagin kondhanyache mag mazya Raybache”.jpg|thumb|A 20th century depiction of [[Tanaji Malusare]]'s famous vow during Kondana campaign by painter [[M.V. Dhurandhar]]]]
== Battle ==
 
Sinhagad was one of the first forts which Shivaji recaptured from the Mughals following the treaty of Purandar. The capture was made possible by scaling the walls at night with rope ladders. [[Tanaji Malusare]] was killed, but the fort was captured by the Marathas. The battle and Tanaji's exploits are the basis of a popular Marathi ballad.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gordon|first=Stewart|title=The Marathas 1600-1818|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iHK-BhVXOU4C&pg=PA79|volume=2|year=1993|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=79|isbn=9780521033169|quote=The first and most spectacular success was the capture of Sinhagad fort. It was taken by scaling very difficult walls by the means of rope ladders in a night raid which culminated in a hand to hand combat inside the fort. The raid was led by Tanhaji Malsure, who was killed in the battle.}}</ref>
The battle was fought between [[Koli people|Koli]] subedar [[Tanaji Malusare]], commander of the [[Maratha Empire]] under [[Shivaji|Chhatrapati Shivaji maharaj]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QNA-AQAAIAAJ&q=Tanaji|title=Histories for the Subordinated|last=Hardiman|first=David|date=2007|publisher=Seagull Books|isbn=9781905422388|language=en}}</ref> and Udaybhan Singh Rathore, a [[Rajput]] fortkeeper under [[Jai Singh I]] who worked for the Mughal emperor [[Aurangzeb]]. In this war Tanaji killed by Udaybhan Singh Rathore and Udaybhan killed by Marathas Commander [[Tanhaji|Suryaji Malusare .]]
 
Sinhagad was one of the first forts which Chhatrapati Shivaji maharaj re-captured from the Mughals. The capture was made possible by scaling the walls at night with ladders made of rope. A fight followed in which Tanhaji was killed but the fort was won. The battle and Tanhaji's exploits are still a popular subject for Marathi ballad.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gordon|first=Stewart|title=The Marathas 1600-1818|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iHK-BhVXOU4C&q=Battle+of+Sinhagad+1670&pg=PA79|volume=2|year=1993|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=79|isbn=9780521033169}}</ref>
 
During the siege, Malusare scaled a steep cliff that led to the fort through the assistance of a monitor lizard called Yashwanti (also referred to as [[Bengal monitor|ghorpad]] in [[Marathi language|marathi]]).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Rajwata: Aavishkar Gad Killayacha |last=Kale |first=Rohit |date=2018 |publisher=FSP Media Publications |language=en}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=May 2020}} This type of lizard was tamed since the 15th century and Yashwanti was trained to pull the rope up the cliffs for Malusare and wind it around the fort's bastion.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Tigress Called Machhli and Other True Animal Stories from India|last=Sehgal|first=Supriya|date=2019|publisher=Hachette India|isbn=978-93-88322-16-4}}</ref> Climbing up the fort, the Marathas were intercepted by the [[garrison]] and combat ensued between the guards and the few infiltrators that had managed to climb up by this time. Both Tanhaji and Udaybhan were killed in the battle but the overwhelmed [[Maratha]] forces managed to capture the fort after the reinforcements penetrated the gateway of the fort from another route.


== Aftermath ==
== Aftermath ==
It is said that when Shivaji got the information about the victory but Tanaji lost his life during the battle he exclaimed "Garh aala pan singh gela" (The fort has been captured but we lost the lion). A bust of Tanaji Malusare was established on the fort in the memory of his contribution to the battle.<ref name="Verma">{{cite book|title=Forts of India|last=Verma|first=Amrit|publisher=The Director, Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India|pages=83–86|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-230-1002-8}}</ref> The fort was also renamed [[Sinhagad]] to honor his memory.<ref name=":0" />
When Shivaji was informed about the victory and the loss of Tanaji's life during the battle, he is said to have exclaimed "''गड आला पण सिंह गेला''" ([[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|IAST]]: ''Gaḍa ālā paṇa siṃha gela'' [[English language|English]]: ''The fort has been captured but we lost the lion''). A bust of Tanaji Malusare was installed at the fort in memory of his contribution and sacrifice.<ref name="Verma">{{cite book|title=Forts of India|last=Verma|first=Amrit|publisher=The Director, Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India|pages=83–86|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-230-1002-8|date=2003}}</ref>


== See also ==
== In popular culture ==
* [[List of Indian battles]]
* ''[[Tanhaji]]'' - a Hindi movie of 2020, starring [[Ajay Devgn|Ajay Devgan]], depicted the battle of Kondhana.
* ''[[Raja Shivchatrapati]]'' - a Marathi TV serial of [[Star Pravah]] had episodes about this battle.
* ''[[Subhedar]]'' - a Marathi movie of 2023, starring [[Chinmay Mandlekar]], depicted the battle of Kondhana


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}{{MarathaEmpire}}
 
{{coord missing|Maharashtra}}
{{coord missing|Maharashtra}}


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[[Category:Battles involving the Mughal Empire|Sinhagad]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Mughal Empire|Sinhagad]]
[[Category:Night battles|Sinhagad]]
[[Category:Night battles|Sinhagad]]
[[Category:1670s in the Mughal Empire]]

Latest revision as of 00:00, 14 March 2026


Battle of Sinhagad (Kondhana)
Part of The Maratha rebellion

The Fort of Sinhagad
Date4 February 1670
Location
Fort Sinhagad, near Pune, India
Result Maratha victory
Territorial
changes		 Fort Sinhagad (then, Kondhana fort) captured by Marathas
Belligerents
Maratha kingdom Mughal Empire
Commanders and leaders
Tanaji Malusare †

Template:Campaignbox Later Mughal-Maratha Wars The Battle of Sinhagad, also known as Battle of Kondhana, involved an attack by Marathas during the night of 4 February 1670 on the Mughal fort of Sinhagad (then Kondhana), near the city of Pune, Maharashtra. The Marathas captured the fort.

Battle[edit | edit source]

Sinhagad was one of the first forts which Shivaji recaptured from the Mughals following the treaty of Purandar. The capture was made possible by scaling the walls at night with rope ladders. Tanaji Malusare was killed, but the fort was captured by the Marathas. The battle and Tanaji's exploits are the basis of a popular Marathi ballad.[1]

Aftermath[edit | edit source]

When Shivaji was informed about the victory and the loss of Tanaji's life during the battle, he is said to have exclaimed "गड आला पण सिंह गेला" (IAST: Gaḍa ālā paṇa siṃha gela English: The fort has been captured but we lost the lion). A bust of Tanaji Malusare was installed at the fort in memory of his contribution and sacrifice.[2]

In popular culture[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Gordon, Stewart (1993). The Marathas 1600-1818. Vol. 2. Cambridge University Press. p. 79. ISBN 9780521033169. The first and most spectacular success was the capture of Sinhagad fort. It was taken by scaling very difficult walls by the means of rope ladders in a night raid which culminated in a hand to hand combat inside the fort. The raid was led by Tanhaji Malsure, who was killed in the battle.
  2. ↑ Verma, Amrit (2003). Forts of India. New Delhi: The Director, Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. pp. 83–86. ISBN 81-230-1002-8.
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