Shahaji Raje towards the Moghuls :

Shahaji Raje towards the Moghuls :

Shahaji Raje returned to Nizamshahi all

right, but he did not get any peace of mind

there. Nizamshah himself was a fickle-

minded person who readily believed all

gossip. Hence, many conspiracies and

petty rivalries infested the court. This

led to the killing of Lakhujirao Jadhav

openly in the court at the instigation of

Nizamshah himself. Shahaji Raje could

not withstand this. Infuriated, he left

Nizamshahi and joined the Moghuls.

Shahjahan, the Moghul Emperor, made

him a Sardar at his court.

In the meantime, secretly joining

hands with the Moghuls, Fattekhan killed

Nizamshah. There was complete anarchy

in the state. It became evident that

Fattekhan was treacherously planning

to enable the Moghuls to swallow

Nizamshahi. In return, the Moghuls

rewarded him with the territory under

the control of Shahaji Raje. Shahaji

Raje was enraged and so he left the

services of the Moghuls. He decided to

teach them a lesson using all his might.

Shivaji’s Childhood

Shivaji’s Childhood : Shivaji passed

the first six years of his life in highly

unsettled conditions. Even so, Jijabai did

not neglect his education. Every evening

she would light the household lamps and

then call Shivaji to her. She would shower

all her affection on him and tell him

stories of Rama and Krishna, of Bhim

and Abhimanyu. On other occasions

she would recite to him the devotional

songs of Namdeo, Dnyaneshwar or

Eknath. Shivaji liked to listen to the

exploits of brave men. Shivaji felt that

on growing up, he should also display

valour like them. Jijabai used to tell

him stories of many pious persons and

saints. That instilled in him, a respect

and honour for all saints and great men.

Children from poor families came to

play with Shivaji. Sometimes he visited

them in their huts and shared their simple

meal of onion and bhakri with great

relish. They invented interesting games to

pass the time. The children of the Mavlas

were like birds in the forest. They would

imitate the sound of the cuckoo or parrot

or tiger to perfection. Their pastime was

building small forts of earth and making

earthern elephants and horses. They

played hide and seek, or played with a

ball or top. Shivaji joined them in all these

games and became popular with them

Birth of shivaji

Birth of Shivaji : Those were very

unsettled days. Shahjahan from the

North had despatched a big army to

conquer the Deccan. Pune, the principal

town of Shahaji Raje’s Jagir was burned

to the ground by Adilshah of Bijapur.

Shahaji Raje was in real trouble. He

found himself between the devil and the

deep sea, and was constantly on the run.

Jijabai was pregnant and the great

question which worried Shahaji Raje was

 4. Shivaji’s Childhood

some place where she could remain in

safety and peace. Then he remembered

the Shivneri fort and decided to send

Jijabai there. Shivneri was a strong fort

near Junnar in Pune district. It had steep

cliffs on four sides, strong fortifications

and massive doors. This strong fort was

then in charge of Vijayraj, a relative of the

Bhonsales. He agreed to give protection

to Jijabai. So Shahaji Raje left her there

and marched against the MoghulsAnd then the golden day dawned.                                  The birth place of shivaji

On the auspicious day of Phalgun Vadya

Tritiya, in the year 1551 of the Shaka era,

that is, on 19 February 1630, to the sound

of pipes and drums playing in the ‘Nagar

Khana’, Jijabai gave birth to a son. All

the residents of the fort were overjoyed.

On the twelfth day, with appropriate

ceremony, the child was named ‘Shivaji’

as the child was born on Fort Shivneri