The First Capital of Swaraj :

One

day Shivaji climbed up the hill with a select

band of his followers and took possession

of the partially completed fort. The money

found on Torana was used to complete

the fortifications of Murumbdeo. Shivaji

named this fort Rajgad. Stone masons,

carpenters, blacksmiths, water carriers,

other workers - all the people got busy.

They built the Rajmahal, Bara Mahal and

eighteen workshops. Rajgad became the

first capital of Swaraj.

Shivaji’s Rapid Progress : From

then onwards, Shivaji moved swiftly and

captured one fort after another in Maval.

The whole country known as Bara Maval

- the twelve Mavals - was overflowing

with joy and excitement. The Patils and

Deshmukhs from many villages came

and swore allegiance to Shivaji. But

Maval had its own share of black-legs

who were ever ready to put a spoke in

the fast moving wheel of Swaraj. Jealous

of Shivaji’s success, they complained

to the Adilshahi Collector at Shirval.

The Collector despatched messengers

to Bijapur and informed Adilshah of

Shivaji’s rapid progress.

Shivaji the Shrewd Politician :

Adilshah was most surprised to get the

news. He asked Shahaji Raje for an

explanation. Shahaji Raje got himself

out of this difficult situation by telling

the Sultan that Shivaji Raje had probably

taken over the fort for better administration

of the Jagir. Shivaji also sent this message

to the Sultan. “I have taken possession

of the fort for better administration of

the countryside. We did this only in the

interest of the Sultan. There was no evil

design at the back of this action.”

The two forts of Kondana and

Purandar too had strategic locations.

Shivaji used his political skill and took

control of both the forts. The next fort

to come under his sway was Rohida.

This was fast work indeed and there was

nothing to stop Shivaji now.

Swaraj : First Conquest Fort Torana

Torana Fort : Shivaji controlled the 

Jagir of Pune, Supe, Chakan and Indapur. 

7. Swaraj : First Conquest

Fort Torana (Zunjar Machi)

All the forts in the Jagir were, however, 

in the charge of officers from the court 

of Bijapur. He who controlled the forts 

also controlled the surrounding territory 

and, therefore, all talk of Swaraj without 

the control of the forts was meaningless. 

A hill fort gave strategic support to the 

ruler and Shivaji decided to capture one 

at a suitable time. For this purpose he had 

selected the fort of Torana. It stands to the 

south-west of Pune in the Kanad Valley. 

It was a renowned fort, well-suited for 

defence. There were two strong ‘Machis’ 

on the way to the fort. A ‘Machi’ is a 

fortification of a natural plateau formed 

on the slope of a hill. One of these ‘Machis’ 

was the ‘Zunjar Machi’ and the other, the 

‘Budhla Machi’. ‘Zunjar Machi’, like 

its name, could offer powerful defenceIt mrades took the oa noth of Swaraj in the

temple of Raireshwar. But it was a very

difficult task. In those days, Maharashtra

was governed by four different powers,

the Moghul Emperor of Delhi, Sultan

Adilshah of Bijapur, the Portuguese of

Goa and the Siddi of Janjira. They were

powerful opponents, firm in their authority.

No one would dare utter a word against

them. Under these difficult conditions

Shivaji had taken the oath of Swaraj.

There was no comparison between the

vast forces of the enemy and a handful

of Shivaji’s Mavlas. But Shivaji’s mind

was made up and his firm resolve was his

greatest source of strength.against the enemy. The only access to

the fort was across the ‘Zunjar Machi’.

It is a very difficult passage with high

hills on one side and deep valleys on the

other. A careless person may easily lose

his balance and end his life in the deep

valley. Torana was considered one of the

strong forts of Maharashtra. In the fort

there is a temple of the goddess Toranjai.

That is why the fort is called Torana.

Strangely enough, this powerful fort

was neglected by Adilshah. There were

neither enough troops for its defence nor

enough ammunition. Shivaji knew this

and this was exactly what he wanted. He

decided to capture the fort and thus lay

the foundation of Hindavi Swaraj.The drums of Swaraj begin to

sound: With a few select bands of Mavlas,

Shivaji descended into the Kanad Valley.

Swift-footed like the deer and lion-

hearted in courage, they raced to the top

and captured the strategic positions in the

fort. Tanaji Malusare hoisted the Maratha

flag at the main entrance. Yesaji Kank,

a trustworthy and loyal companion of

Shivaji, posted his guards at important

points; the fort was captured almost

without any resistance and the sky was

filled with shouts of “Shivaji Maharaj ki

Jai”. The first battle drums and pipes of

Hindavi Swaraj had sounded and their

echo reverberated throughout the valley.

Shivaji named this fort ‘Prachandgad.’

Blessings of Goddess Bhavani :

Fort Torana then came under Shivaji’s

administration. He made a very careful

survey of it and appointed officers such

as a Maratha Killedar, a Brahmin Sabnis

and a Prabhu Karkhanis. The garrison

included Mavlas, Kolis, Ramoshis,

Mahars and such brave men from many

other castes and communities. In Swaraj

all castes and communities were to be

treated alike and no distinctions made on

the basis of caste. As repairs to the fort

started, a surprise awaited the people.

They discovered four metal pots filled to

the brim with mohurs. The workers were

overjoyed. They said that this was a gift

to Shivaji from the Goddess Bhavani who

had blessed his efforts. All the money

discovered was brought to Shivaji. No

one thought of taking anything from it

for himself. After all it was the wealth

of Swaraj. Shivaji felt greatly elated at

this unexpected gift which would enable

him to pursue his ideal of Swaraj with

added vigour. He felt that he was working

under the benevolent eye of the goddess

Bhavani.

Shivaji utilised part of the treasure

found in the fort to purchase arms and

ammunition. The rest he decided to use

for another project which was already in

his mind. About fifteen kilometres to the

east of Torana is the hill of Murumbdeo.

Shivaji had his eye on it for a long

time. This hill was steep and difficult of

access and, therefore, of great strategic

importance. Adilshah had actually started

constructing a fort on this hill but had left

it unfinished. This hill also was not well-

guarded and Shivaji decided to capture it.

friend's in mavla

Preparations in the Maval

Valley : Shivaji soon got busy with

his new activities. Along with his

comrades he started intensive training

in swordsmanship, riding, exploring

the secret paths in the hills and getting

familiar with the general topography of

the land, its valleys and ghats and possible

communication routes. He won over the

Mavlas who became his most devoted

followers, willing to lay down their lives

for him at any time. Shivaji’s enthusiasm

increased a thousandfold. Shivaji made a

detailed survey of all the forts and military

establishments in the area. In this, his

followers were of great help to him. In

the course of time, he came to know the

smallest detail of every establishment;

secret pathways, underground routes,

ammunition dumps and cellars.

Friends in Maval : All over the

twelve Mavals there were Deshmukhs,

guarding their individual ‘Watans’ (gifted

land in lieu of service) to which they were

more attached than anything else. There

were constant quarrels between them

leading to useless waste of money and

manpower. Shivaji saw this waste and

decided to put an end to it. He would visit

the Deshmukhs in the area, talk to them,

persuade them to desist from their folly and

raise before them a very attractive picture

The Royal Seal

of the Swaraj of his dreams. He thus won

many of them over to his side. He used

force against those who were adamant. In

this way he stopped the mutual warfare.

Everybody was pleased with this happy

result and all started singing the praises

of Shivaji. Zunjarrao Maral, Haibatrao

Shilamkar, Baji Pasalkar, Vithoji Shitole,

Jedhe, Paygude, Bandal were some of

the Deshmukhs in the Maval valley

who began to look upon Shivaji as their

leader. The dream of Swaraj was fastapproaching the day of fulfilment.

The Oath of Swaraj

The Temple at Raireshwar : To

the south-west of Pune, there is a beauty

spot called Raireshwar famous for its

temple. In the year 1645, an extraordinary

event took place there. Shivaji and a few

Mavlas from the neighbouring valley had

gathered there. Why had they come to this

lovely spot hidden in deep forest ? What

did they discuss and what favour did they

ask of Lord Shiva ?

The Fiery Eloquence of Young

Shivaji : Shivaji was still quite young

but his mind was already busy planning

big things. He opened his mind to his

playmates and said, “My dear friends,

today I am going to talk to you about

something which is in my mind for a long

time. My father Shahaji Raje is a Sardar at

the court of Bijapur. It is he who has given

me the charge of this Jagir. Everything is

going on well and peacefully. But, friends,

I am not happy. Must we always remain

satisfied as bondmen of the Sultan ? Must

we always eat out of other people’s hand ?

We are surrounded on all sides by foreign

kingdoms which are constantly at war.

Our people get killed for nothing during

these wars and family after family gets

uprooted. Our country suffers destruction.

And what do we get out of all this ?

Nothing but slavery. How long shall we

continue to tolerate this ? How long shall

we lay down our lives for others ? Shall

we allow this to continue just for the sake

of a small Watan ? What have you to say

about all this ?”

Shivaji was speaking with great

emotion and his face was red with anger.

In the middle of his speech he stopped

and looked at his companions. The

young Mavlas gathered there in the inner

sanctum of Raireshwar were greatly

thrilled by Shivaji’s speech. They had

seen a new vision. One of them said, “Our

young prince, tell us clearly whatever is

in your mind. We are prepared, we are

anxious to do your bidding.” “ Yes Raje,”

they all said with one voice, “We are with

you, we shall do whatever you say at the

cost of our lives if need be !”

The Oath of Swaraj : Shivaji

got fresh inspiration from their words.

Looking at each one of them he said,

“Friends, our path is clear. We shall all

strive to attain our ideal, work for it till it

is achieved. All should be ready even to

sacrifice their lives for this ideal which is

‘Hindavi Swaraj’. We will have our own

Raj, yours and mine and everybody’s. We

refuse to live as slaves any more. Let us

take this oath with Lord Raireshwar as

witness; we give ourselves completely

to the great task of establishing our own

Raj, Swaraj.”

The temple echoed the words of

Shivaji. “God thinks that this Kingdom

should take shape as Hindavi Swaraj. We

shall see that God’s wish is fulfilled.”

So the Mavlas left the temple,

committed to the oath of freedom, of

Swaraj. The mind of Shivaji was filledwith great joy. As soon as he reached Pune

he went straight to Lal Mahal to see his

mother. He described to her all that took

place at Raireshwar. Overjoyed, Jijabai

thought with satisfaction that Shivaji

would accomplish what was always in her mind

shivaji maharaj marrage

Shivaji’s Marriage : In those days,

people married at a very early age. So,

Jijamata said, “We should now get Shivba

married.” Then a search for a suitable

bride for Shivba began. Soon she found

the girl she wanted. Her name was Saibai.

Saibai came from the Nimbalkar family

of Phaltan. The marriage was celebrated

with great splendour.

the greet mother jijabai

What Veermata Jijabai Taught

Shivaji : Jijabai was no ordinary woman.

She was the daughter of the mighty

Sardar Lakhujirao Jadhav and the wife

of the brave and valiant Shahaji Raje.

She had inherited the knowledge of

politics and warfare from her infancy. In

her was witnessed the confluence of the

martial traditions of the famous Houses

of the Jadhavs and Bhonsales. She was a

freedom loving person with a great sense

of pride. She had learnt through bitter

experience that however much a Maratha

Sardar displayed valour, it was not

appreciated in the courts of the Sultans.

She had valiantly faced the shock of

her father’s murder in the open court at

the instigation of Nizamshah. She had

resolved that her son Shivaji would never

be engaged in the services of others. He

would establish the rule of his own people

- Swaraj. She was bringing up Shivaji

with that ideal.

The people living in the Maval region

were called Mavlas. They were loyal,

hardworking and quick-footed. No one

could surpass them in hardiness. But they

were harassed by the Sultans’ rule. The

armies of the Sultans used to plunder their

villages, forcing the people to abandon

their places. Nobody cared for them.

Shivaji yearned to do something for these

poor, miserable people.

On returning home, Shivaji would

talk about this to his mother. Jijabai would

say, “Shivba, Shri Ramchandra is the

ancestor of the Bhonsales. Rama killed

Ravan and made his people happy. The

ancestor of the Jadhavs is Shri Krishna.

He killed Kans and brought relief to his

people. You are a descendant of both

Shri Rama and Shri Krishna. You can

also destroy the wicked and make your

subjects happy.”

These words of Jijabai were a source

of inspiration to young Shivaji. He would

remember the brave deeds of heroes of the

past like Rama, Krishna, Bhim, Arjun.

He thought of them all the time, whether

asleep or awake. He felt that he, too, must

fight against injustice as they did, and

like them, destroy the wicked and bring

happiness to his subjects. He thought that

he should become courageous and brave

like these heroes of old.

Shivaji’s Education

Beginning of Shivaji’s Education :

Shahaji Raje himself was a scholar of

Sanskrit. In the Bangalore court, he had

under his patronage, artists and scholars of

various languages. He appointed intelligent

teachers for Shivaji. Shivaji’s education

began when he became seven years old.

Soon, Shivaji became skilled in the art of

reading and writing. He began to read the

stories from ‘Ramayan’, ‘Mahabharat’

and ‘Bhagwat’, on his own. To teach him

warfare, Shahaji Raje had appointed some

teachers. They began to teach Shivaji to

ride a horse, to wrestle, to use swords and

Dandpatta. Thus, at the age of twelve,

Shivaji became acquainted with different

branches of learning and arts.

 5. Shivaji’s Education

Shivaji’s Education under the Supervision of Shahaji Raje

Soon, Adilshah sent Shahaji Raje

on an expedition to conquer the States of

the Nayakas (local chiefs) in Karnatak.

Before setting out upon the expedition,

Shahaji Raje sent Shivaji and Jijabai

to Pune. With them, he sent elephants,

horses, an infantry, a treasury, a flag, as

also trusted ministers, brave generals and

renowned teachers.

Rejuvenation of Pune : Jijabai

and Shivaji returned to Pune. Shivaji

remembered his childhood days which he

had spent on Shivneri. He could see the

lofty peaks of the Sahyadri again and he

became very happy. Pune at that time

was not such a big city. It was totally

devastated by Shahaji Raje’s enemies.

Properties were damaged. Houses were

demolished. Temples had collapsed. The

frightened people had fled from their

villages. Fields had become barren. Thick

forests had grown. Wolves roamed in the

countryside. Pune, thus, was totally in

shambles and ruins.

When the people living around

came to know that Jijabai has returned to

Pune with Shivaji, they took heart. Jijabai

called all of them and reassured them

that they would be safe in Pune. People

started settling in Pune, cultivating their

lands. Jijabai had the dilapidated temples

repaired. In the temples, worship began

morning and evening. The town was

again throbbing with people. Thus, Punewas totally transformed.                                                                                                     The Achievements of Dadaji

Konddev : When Jijabai and Shivaji

were in Karnatak, Dadaji Konddev

looked after the Pune Jagir. He was the

‘Subhedar’ of Kondana also. He was

very faithful. He was strict, efficient and

honest in his work. He was also just,

and a strict disciplinarian. He served

with devotion. At about this time, a big

wada or residence was built in Pune by

the orders of Shahaji Raje. It came to be

known as ‘Lal Mahal’. To encourage the

peasants to till their lands, Dadaji gave

them concessions in the land tax for a few

years. He offered prizes for destroying

the wolves which infested the countryside

and harassed the peasants. Many wolves

were killed. He raised peasant patrols

to protect life and property from gangs

of thieves who roamed the countryside.

He fixed land revenue according to the

quality of the soil. He thus made the people

happy. In the fields of agricultural reform

and revenue collection, the work done

by Dadaji Konddev and the Nizamshahi

Vazir Malik Amber is considered to be

very important.

Shivaji’s Education : When Shivaji

returned to Pune, his education continued

under the supervision of Jijabai. While

returning from Bangalore, Jijabai and

Shivaji were accompanied by eminent

teachers sent by Shahaji Raje. They

taught him many sciences, branches of

learning and languages.

Shivaji acquired the knowledge of

excellent administration, war tactics,

fort architecture, selection of horses and

elephants, ways of escaping from difficult

enemy territories and many other things.

Shivaji’s progress in education pleasedJijabai very much.