The Last Campaign of Shivaji

Summary

The article reconstructs the final campaign of Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj during the months of November 1679 to April 1680. Using Persian chronicles, Marathi bakhars and letters from English factors, the author (Jadunath Sarkar) aims to piece together the chronological sequence of events. The Basatin‑i‑salatin, an important Persian narrative, provides key information on Shivaji’s last months, though the author cross-checks its accounts with other sources to correct exaggerations. After severe droughts and famine, Shivaji launched a lightning raid on Mughal territories in Berar on 4 November 1679, capturing Jamkhed, Jalna and other towns before returning to Raigarh with booty. The campaign is seen as part of his strategy to relieve economic pressures and demonstrate Maratha strength. Contemporary letters from English factories and the diaries of Portuguese missionaries record the panic in Mughal garrisons and supply depots as Shivaji’s forces ravaged the countryside. The article then details Shivaji’s final months at Raigarh, where he continued to plan future campaigns and negotiate with foreign merchants, but his health deteriorated rapidly. He took to bed on 19 February 1680, and on 3 April he died, leaving instructions for succession and tribal discipline. The article reconstructs the timeline of his illness and the reaction of the Maratha polity, noting that news of his death was initially withheld to prevent panic. Cross-referencing diaries, letters and official proclamations, the author demonstrates that the final months were characterised by both administrative activity and pious observances. The article ends with a chronological table summarising the key events from the raid on Jalna to the siege of Raigarh and Shivaji’s death. This narrative not only corrects earlier romanticised accounts but also highlights the complexity of Maratha-Mughal relations in the late seventeenth century.