Tag Archives: Qutb Shahi Dynasty

The Marathas Part 7 Sambhaji Bhonsle Section II: Capture and Execution

Canberra The decline of power under Sambhaji was such that the Marathas were in no position to offer any meaningful resistance to the Mughals when Aurangzeb arrived in the Deccan. At the end of the monsoon rains in 1684, the Mughal armies began to move. An army under Shahabuddin Khan advanced towards Raigarh with the […]

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The Marathas Part 6 Shivaji Bhonsle Section VI: Troubled Last Days

Canberra, 30 August 2021 Aurangzeb devised a plan to isolate Shivaji by initially attacking and annexing Golconda, since they were allied to the Marathas. The Mughals would deal with Shivaji after he was so isolated. Bahadur Khan who had earlier accommodated a truce with Shivaji was recalled and Dilawar Khan appointed as the viceroy of […]

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The Marathas Part 6 Shivaji Bhonsle Section V Coronation and the Great Southern Campaign

Canberra, 23 August 2021 By the early 1670s, Shivaji was acutely aware of the need to establish a politically legitimate ‘Hindu’ kingdom in the Deccan, although an informal kingdom was already in existence. For him personally, there were several disadvantages to not being ‘crowned’ as a king. While it was true that he had conquered […]

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The Marathas Part 4 Shahji Bhonsle Section II: Later Career

Canberra, 6 June 2021 [The later career of Shahji Bhonsle and the early development of his son Shivaji overlap in several areas and took place in parallel. This chapter only examines the aspects of Shivaji’s early activities that had a direct bearing on Shahji’s actions and the progress of his career. Shivaji’s actions will be […]

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The Marathas Part 2: Framing the Maratha Identity

Canberra, 21 May 2021 By late 13th century, the Hindu revolt in Peninsular India against the invading Muslim forces was bitter and widespread. Even the learned heads of various Hindu ‘Maths’, monasteries, were involved in attempting to repel the Muslim invaders. Shankaracharya Madhav Vidyaranya, the head of the famous and powerful Sringeri Math, was one […]

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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 84 Aurangzeb Section IV: Emergence of the Marathas

Canberra, 6 February 2021 Geography and nature had never intended the Deccan Plateau to be an integral part of the greater Indian sub-continent. The Vindhya and Satpura Mountain Ranges and the River Narmada form a triple barricade that divides the high tableland of Central India from the Gangetic Plains. These formidable geographical barriers should have […]

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Indian History Part 83 Shah Jahan Section III: The Deccan Campaign

Canberra, 30 November 2020 Prior to Shah Jahan’s accession, Mughal interest in the Deccan had waxed and waned in direct proportion to the stability and turmoil in North India. Akbar had started a concerted effort to bring the Deccan under the Mughal flag and in 1569 had conquered Khandesh. By 1600, parts of Berar had […]

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Indian History Part 77 The Aravidu Dynasty Section VII Sri Ranga Deva Raya III: The Curtain Falls

Canberra, 2 February 2020  Venkata Deva III left no male heirs although he had an illegitimate son who was debarred from succeeding him to the throne by the laws of the land. The senior chiefs, the Nayakas, of the kingdom disputed and debated the claim of possible successors and finally chose Sri Ranga, Venkata’s nephew, […]

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