Short Biography of Tarabai – Queen of the Maratha Empire

After the death of Raja Ram, Kama, his son, came to the throne. However, he died after a few weeks on account of smallpox. Tara Bai, Raja Ram’s widow, put another son named Shivaji on the throne and became herself the regent. Tara Bai was a vigorous lady. She took keen interest in the affairs of the State. She possessed a lot of knowledge of civil and military affairs.

According to Khafi Khan, “She took vigorous measures for ravaging the imperial territory, and sent armies to plunder the six Subhas of the Deccan as far as Sironj, Mandsor, and the Subhas of Malwa.

She won the hearts of her officers and for all the struggles and schemes, the campaigns and sieges of Aurangzeb up to the end of his reigns the power of the Marathas increased day by day. By hard fighting, by the expenditure of the vast treasures accumulated by Shah Jahan and by the sacrifice of many thousands of men, he had penetrated into the old territories of the imperial throne, plundering and destroying wherever they went…. Whenever the commander of the army hears of a large caravan, he takes six or seven thousand men and goes to plunder it.

If the collector cannot levy the Chauth, the General destroys the towns. The headmen of the villages, abetted by the Marathas, make their own terms with the Imperial Revenue Officer. They attack and destroy the country as far as border of Ahmedabad and the districts of Malwa, and spread their devastations through the provinces of the Deccan to the environs of Ujjam. They fall upon and plunder caravans within ten or twelve kos of the imperial camp, and have even had the hardihood to attack the Royal Treasure.”

In addition to the capture of Satara, the Mughals got the Forts of Parli (1700), Panhala (1701), Kondana (1701), Khelna (1702), Rajgarh and Toma (1704). Some were got by military velour and other by treachery and bribery. In 1705 was captured the Fort of Waging era which belonged to the Berads. The inmates of the fort carried their women and children with them and set fire to all that was left behind. The result was that the Mughals got nothing in spite of their victory. The capture of Waging era was the last military victory of Aurangzeb.

In spite of his best efforts. Aurangzeb failed to crush the spirit of the Marathas. On the other hand, the latter had become the masters of the situation and their resources increased on account of their raids and robberies. According to Menisci (1704), “The Maratha Leaders and their troops move in these days with much confidence, because they have cowed the Mughal Commanders and inspired them with fear.

At the present time, they possess artillery, muskets, bows and arrows with elephants and camels for all their baggage and tents. They carry these to secure some repose from time to time. In short they were equipped and moved about just like the armies of the Mughals only a few years ago they did not march in this fashion.”

In 1703, the Marathas attacked Berar and in 1706, they invaded Gujarat and sacked Baroda. In the same year the Marathas threatened the camp of Aurangzeb at Ahmednagar such was the Mughal State of affairs.

According to Menisci the entire land had become too much depopulated that neither fire nor light could be found in the course of a three or four days journey. “In the Deccan there was no rain from 1702 to 1704, but instead plague prevailed. In these two years have expired over two millions of soul; fathers compelled by hunger, offering to sell their children for a quarter to half a rupee and yet forced to go without food, finding none to buy them.”

Famine, pestilence and flood fought on the side of the Marathas, According to J.N. Sarkar, “The soldiers and camp-followers suffered unspeakable hardships in marching over flooded rivers and rain-soaked roads, porters disappeared, transports beasts died of hunger and overwork, scarcity of grain was chronic in the camp.”

Tara Bai managed the affairs of the state in the name of her son Shivaji II. She was assisted in the work by Paras Ram rrimbak, Dhanaji Jadav and Shankerji Narayan. She moved from place to plate with a view to guiding the Maratha operation against the Mughals. She was the very soul of the Maratha resistance. No amount of suffering could weaken her resolve. Her indomitable personality was responsible for the success of the Marathas.

According to J.N. Sarkar, “The difficulties of Aurangzeb only multiplied by the disappearance of a common head and a Central Government among the Marathas, as every Maratha captain with his own retainers fought and raided in a different quarter and on his own account. It now became a people’s war, and Aurangzeb could not end it, because there was no Maratha Government or State Army for him to attack and destroy.

It was not a simple military problem but had become a trial of endurances and resources between the Mughal Empire and indigenous people of the Deccan. They were no longer a tribe of banditti or local rebels, but the one dominating factor of Deccan politics, the only enemy left to the Empire, and yet an enemy all pervasive, from Bombay to Madras across the Indian Peninsula, elusive as the wind, without any headman or stronghold whose capture would naturally result in the extinction of that power.”