Burning of Mudhol

Burning of Mudhol
Part of Bijapur–Maratha Wars
Date Late March - 31 May 1661 Location Mudhol district, Karnataka, India Result Maratha victory Sacking of Mudhol
Belligerents
Maratha Empire	Bijapur Sultanate Mudhol State
Commanders and leaders
Chhatrapati Shivaji	Baji Ghorpade †
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown
Shivaji raided Mudhol at night, killed Baji Raje, and executed his family and kin, causing a terrible slaughter in the town.

Burning of Mudhol took place in 1661, Shivaji raided Mudhol, killed Baji Ghorpade, executed his kin, and plundered the town. Baji’s widow and son Maloji survived, with Maloji later restored to his estates by Bijapur.

Background

In 1648, during a Bijapur campaign to support the rebellion of the Nayakas against the Vijayanagara king Sriranga III, Shahaji was arrested for acting against the interests of Bijapur. While the forces of Bijapur and Golconda laid siege to the Jinjee fort, Shahaji had started acting independently of Bijapur commander Mustafa Khan and started negotiating with the Nayakas of Jinjee, Madurai, and Tiruchirapalli. He even sought service with the Golconda government. Shahaji was brought to the capital Bijapur in chains and forced to surrender the forts of Kondana and Bangalore. While texts written under Maratha patronage such as Shiva-Bharat state that Shahaji was arrested because of a rebellion conducted by his son Shivaji, Bijapur records do not support this claim. Whatever the case, Shahaji was pardoned within a year. As Baji Ghorpade was the main reason for his imprisonment he wrote to his son Shivaji:

If you are my son, kill Baji Ghorpade

— Shahaji to Shivaji

Burning

Shivaji harbored a deep resentment against Baji Ghorpade for his role in capturing him earlier. He instructed his son to remain vigilant for an opportunity to exact revenge. That chance arose in 1661, when the Savants of Sawantwadi urged the Bijapur court to join them in suppressing Shivaji. In response, Bijapur dispatched troops under Baji Ghorpade and Bahlol Khan to aid the Savants. Before the allied forces could unite, Shivaji launched a surprise attack on Mudhol, where he entered Baji’s residence at night and killed him. Members of Baji’s family and kin who fell into his hands were executed, and the town was left ravaged and plundered. One widow and her son, Maloji, escaped this fate as they were staying at her father’s house in the north. Maloji was later brought to Bijapur, where the Sultan restored his hereditary estates. He went on to achieve distinction in Bijapur’s service. Though no European accounts describe the Mudhol incident, contemporary evidence includes a letter from Shivaji to Shahaji and an Adil Shahi firman issued to Maloji, which honors his father Baji as a martyr to the kingdom’s cause.

Reference

Bibliography

• Stewart Gordon (1993). The Marathas 1600-1818. The New Cambridge History of India. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-26883-7.