Mughal attacks on Raigad

Mughal attacks on Raigad
Part of Mughal–Maratha Wars
Date 1683–1684 Location Raigad Fort, Maharashtra Result Maratha victory Mughals attempt to capture the fort failed twice.
Belligerents
Maratha Empire	Mughal Empire
Commanders and leaders
Sambhaji Yesubai Hambirrao Mohite Rupaji Bhonsale Prince Akbar	Aurangzeb Ghazi ud-Din Khan Shihabuddinkan Mankoji
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

In the early 1680s, Mughal-Maratha clashes intensified around Pune. After failing at the siege of Ramsej, Shihabuddin Khan was reassigned by Aurangzeb to the Pune front. By late 1683, he had launched raids into the southwest of Pune and northern Konkan, targeting areas near Raigad. On 27 December, he and Mankoji descended the Devghat pass and attacked Nijampur and surrounding villages, seizing thousands of cattle and taking prisoners. Sarbuland Khan was ordered to support the operation, which may have been timed during Sambhaji’s absence. However, Sambhaji returned just days before the attack. As a reward for the raid, Shihabuddin was granted the title Gazi-ud-din Khan Bahadur.

In 1684, Gazi-ud-din was sent again to Pune, receiving generous gifts and later reassigned to the Raigad front. For his second campaign in early 1685, he arranged to clear the Borghat pass and marched through it to Nijampur. Upon arrival, he burned villages at the base of Raigad, claiming that Sambhaji retreated to the inner fort with his family. The Mughal forces established camp near Panuswadi, while the Marathas, led by Hambirrao Mohite and Rupaji Bhosale, mobilized 15,000 cavalry. A fierce battle followed, with both sides using bows, arrows, and guns.

According to Mughal dispatches, Gazi-ud-din claimed to have pushed the Marathas as far as Gangoli, where Kavi Kalash resisted and forced a Mughal retreat. Though he moved towards Kothalagad, this phase of the campaign is not recorded in Mughal sources. Sultan Akbar later praised Kavi Kalash's bravery in a letter to Sambhaji. Despite repeated efforts, the Mughals failed to capture Raigad, which remained under Maratha control until Sambhaji’s eventual capture.