Historical Figures

19. Death of Shivaji

It had been more than a year since Shivaji met Sambhaji. They reached Panhala to explain to him and see the changes in him. With tears in Sambhaji's eyes, he fell at the feet of his father and started apologizing for his crimes. Shivaji made him sit up and told him good things about worldliness. Tried to explain the difference between good and bad. Shivaji showed Sambhaji a list of all the fortifications and riches and ornaments etc. to make Sambhaji feel responsible and tried to tell how the burden of a huge state is going to fall on his shoulders. Shivaji had come up with the idea of ​​keeping Sambhaji under the protection of Sambhaji, but Shivaji realized that there was no remorse in Sambhaji's heart, an apology was only a formal ritual. Therefore Shivaji again put Sambhaji under strict control in the Panhala fort and with a heavy heart, bid farewell to Sambhaji. Shivaji understood very well that the Maratha kingdom could never be safe in the hands of Sambhaji while the younger son Rajaram was still only 10 years old.

Shivaji had eight marriages. From these eight marriages he had two sons and six daughters. Shivaji now had only three wives left alive. Shivaji was deeply pained seeing the condition of his family. Mother Jijabai, who had been a guide throughout her life, had gone to heaven. Shivaji's father Shahaji Bhonsle had also passed away. Shivaji's elder queen Saibai was intelligent and intelligent but she too had passed away. Sambhaji was the son of this Saibai but he was harming his father's kingdom by being cultureless and characterless. Soyarabai, the mother of the second youngest son Rajaram, was a very harsh nature and used to conspire day and night to get the kingdom for her son. To control the eight-prime ministers of the state, a very talented king was needed, which was completely lacking in Shivaji's family. Due to this concern, Shivaji had already fallen seriously ill. Once again disappointed by Sambhaji, Shivaji fell ill again. From December 13, 1679, Shivaji left the state business and sat at the feet of Samarth Guru Ramdas and started worshiping God.

Shivaji left for Raigad from Poona on 4 February 1680. On 7th March, he got Rajaram to perform the sacrificial rites and on 15th March he got married to Drapati Bai, the daughter of his late commander Prataprao. On 23rd March Shivaji got heat and bloody diarrhea started coming.

When Shivaji's condition remained like this for 12 days and there was no benefit from any medicine, Shivaji understood the law. On 3 April, he called his ministers, feudatories, eight chiefs and generals and gave necessary instructions related to the state and also got some religious rituals done. Shivaji called the subjects and preached that the body should be mortal and the soul immortal. On the same day Shivaji's noun became zero and closed his eyes. Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje, the founder of the huge Hindu kingdom in South India, took his last breath on 3 April 1680 on the holy land of India. Millions of pages in the history of India are filled in praise of this wonderful king. At the time when his life fan was flying towards the infinite sky, at that time innumerable people inside and outside his palace were mourning standing.

Some historians are of the opinion that Rajaram's mother Soyra Bai poisoned Shivaji so that Rajaram could get the kingdom. This view gets strengthened by Shivaji getting bloody diarrhea. After the death of Shivaji, the ministers made Shivaji's eldest son Sambhaji the king of the Marathas. Sambhaji got Soyarabai, who was considered to be her father's killer, killed. Putli Bai, another surviving wife of Shivaji, committed sati along with Shivaji's body. Sakwar Bai, the third surviving wife of Shivaji, was captured and imprisoned by Aurangzeb's army a few days later. Sambhaji's wife Yesubai and Yeshubai's son Shahuji were also taken prisoner along with Sakwar Bai along with Aurangzeb. Members of Shivaji's family remained in Aurangzeb's captivity for a long time. After some time Sambhaji was also tortured and killed by Aurangzeb. His eyes were taken out, his tongue was pulled out, his skin was removed and one egg was cut off and fed to dogs. Sambhaji passed away on March 11, 1689, after suffering from the terrible tortures given for 15 days.

Thus the family of Chhatrapati Shivaji, who dreamed of establishing Hindu padapadshahi by driving the Mughals out of the country, had to face terrible torture at the hands of the Mughals.