Jai Singh was replaced by Prince Muazzam as the Viceroy of the Deccan and he was assisted by Jaswant Singh. At this time, there took place the Yusufazai rebellion in March 1667. That forced Aurangzeb not to take action against Shivaji. Shivaji also realised that he could not afford to quarrel with the Mughals until he had organised his resources. Shivaji won over Jaswant Singh to intercede in his favour with Aurangzeb for peace. Aurangzeb was also eager for peace. The result was that for 3 years from 1667 to 1669 Shivaji lived in peace with the Mughals.

It was in January 1670 that Shivaji started a vigorous offensive against the Mughals. As the Mughal Generals were quarreling among themselves, they could not prosecute the war with vigor. The result was that Shivaji got an opportunity to attack the Mughal Territories and was able to extend his activity even into Berar. There continued a desultory and half-hearted fighting on the part of the Mughals for some time but after the transfer of Diler Khan to meet the situation in the Khyber Pass in 1674 where the Afghans had revolted, there was a lull in the Deccan war.

As the frontier trouble continued for a long time, the Mughal pressure on Shivaji was relaxed. Shivaji plunderd in July 1674 the camp of the Mughal General Bahadur Khan. In August, September and October 1674, Maratha bands spread into the Koli country. By the end of January 1675, another band of 3000 Maratha Cavalry covered the Kolhapur District and levied Chauth from the town.

Shivaji opened delusive peace negotiations with Bahadur Khan and thereby managed to keep him quiet. After that, he made an alliance with Bijapur and planned an attack on Karnataka. Bahadur Khan was also tired of the war and agreed to make peace with Shivaji after receiving a bribe. Shivaji and Golcunda.

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After making peace with the Mughals, Shivaji entered into a close friendship and cooperation with Golcunda so that his Karnataka Campaign may be a success. Golcunda made a subsidiary alliance with Shivaji and promised him an annual tribute of one lac of Huns for the defence of Golcunda. Shivaji wanted that the Ruler of Golcunda should bear the expenses of the campaign and lend him an auxiliary force in return for a share of the conquest and for that purpose he had an interview.

It was agreed that the Sultan would pay 4.5 lacs of rupees a month and send an army of 5000 men to cooperate with Shivaji. This resulted in the conquest of territories yielding 20 lacs of Huns a year, besides a very valuable loot which replenished the empty treasury of Shivaji.

By the Middle of January, 1678, Shivaji returned home and planned to capture Bijapur, but he failed. On his return, Shivaji conquered the Southern Corner of the Kingdom of Bijapur, comprising Kopal, Dharwar and Belgaum Districts and thus combined his old possessions in Maharashtra with the new ones in the Karnataka. A rupture took place between Shivaji and the Ruler of Golcunda becasue Shivaji had not given him any share of the loot and conquest of the Karnataka and had plotted to capture Bijapur.

A war would have resulted had it not been for the hostile proceedings of the Mughal General Diler Khan against the Regent of Bijapur Sidi Masaud who was an ally of the Ruler of Golcunda against Shivaji. If the war with Golcunda and Bijapur was averted, another war broke out with the Mughals in which Shivaji and the Regent of Bijapur were allies. In April 1680, Shivaji died.

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Shivaji was succeeded by his son Sambhaji. In 1681, Prince Akbar, the fugitive son of Aurangzeb, came to the court of Sambhaji. Sambhaji gave him shelter. Hardly eight months had passed when Aurangzeb with a vast army came and “took post at the strategic centre Aurangabad” in March 1682. Aurangzeb was determined to destroy Sambhaji who had given shelter to his rebellious son Prince Akbar. Aurangzeb asked Bijapur and Golcunda to assist him in conquering the Marathas.

They refused because they knew that after conquering the Marathas, Aurangzeb would destroy them also. Aurangzeb was so much annoyed that he decided to destroy both Bijapur and Golcunda before crushing the Marathas. At this time, Sambhaji should have made a common cause with Bijapur and Golcunda and attacked the Mughals, but he did not. He perhaps did not realise that the destruction of Bijapur and Golcunda would facilitate the task of Aurangzeb to destroy him also.

After that, he dispatched an army into South Konkan under Prince Muazzam but the expedition was a failure. There were heavy losses for the Mughals (September 1683-May 1684).

Conquest of Bijapur (1686)

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Aurangzeb called upon the Ruler of Bijapur as a vassal to supply provisions to the Mughal Army, to allow the Mughal Army free passage through his territory and also supply a contingent of 5,000 to 6,000 cavalry for the war against the Marathas. He also demanded that Sharza Khan who was the leader of the Bijapuri Nobles opposed to the Mughals, be expelled from Bijapur. The Ruler of Bijapur appealed for help to Golcunda and Sambhaji.

On April, 1685, the siege of Bijapur was started by Prince Azam and Kahn-i-Jahan Bahadur. On 24 May, 1685, Aurangzeb advanced to Sholapur to be near the scene of operations. Not satisfied with that, Aurangzeb arrived at Bijapur on 3 July, 1686. On 12 September, 1686 the King of Bijapur Sikandar Adil Shah surrendered. Aurangzeb ordered the annexation of Bijapur and moved on to Golcunda.

Annexation of Golcunda

Aurangzeb had many grievances against Golcunda whose ruler had given supreme power to two infidels, Madanna and Akhanna which was highly objectionable in the eyes of Aurangzeb. The Ruler of Golcunda had also helped Shivaji on various occasions. His latest “treachery” was that he sent 40,000 men to help Bijapur against Aurangzeb in spite of warning.

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In spite of stiff resistance, the Mughals occupied Golcudna in 1685; Aurangzeb offered to pardon the Ruler of Golcunda in return for a huge subsidy, the ceding of some areas and ousting of Madanna and Akhanna. The Rulr of Golcunda agreed. Madanna and Akhanna were dragged out into the streets and murdered. After the fall of Bijapur in 1686, Aurangzeb started the attack on Golcunda in early 1687 and Golcunda was captured and annexed in 1687.