The Marathas Part 7 Sambhaji Bhonsle Section I: Accession and Early Rule

Canberra, 28 September 2021 On hearing of his father’s illness, Sambhaji hurried from Panhala to Raigarh but could not reach the fort before Shivaji’s death. He carried out the last rites and then returned to Panhala. The mourning period was followed by a short, but vicious power struggle for succession. The 23-year-old Sambhaji, as the […]

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Indian History Part 84 Aurangzeb Section VI: The Last Foray into the Deccan

Canberra, 23 February 2021 On 8th September 1681 Aurangzeb, 63 years old and having been on the throne for 23 years, made a hasty peace with Mewar and set out from Ajmer for the Deccan, reaching Burhanpur on 13th November 1681. This was the culmination of a sequence of events in Rajputana, most of which […]

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Indian History Part 75 Te Tuluva Dynasty Section VI: Diminishing Stature

Sydney, 7 October 2019 Krishna Deva Raya personally endorsed the appointment of Achyuta, his step brother, as the heir apparent. Krishna Deva had incarcerated Achyuta in Chandragiri when he ascended the throne to ensure that there would be no contest for the throne. Even though Achyuta was his step-brother, later events proved his selection to […]

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Indian History Part 75 The Tuluva Dynasty Section II: Krishna Deva Raya – Coming to Power

Canberra, 4 August 2019 Krishna, the stepbrother of Vira Narasimha II and son of Narasa Nayaka and Queen Nagala Devi, assumed the throne with the assistance of the sagacious minister Saluva Timmaraya on 15 July 1509. He would have been between 20 and 25 years of age at this time. Krishna immediately moved to secure […]

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