What were the Consequences of Shivaji’s Visit to the Mughal Court?

Aurangzeb now deputed Mirza Raja Jai Singh, a veteran of many battles along with Diler Khan. The Raja elicited the support of all the enemies of Shivaji including the English and the Portuguese. He captured as many as 23 forts before he laid siege to Purandhar.

The Prabhu commander, Murarji Baji Deshpande, boldly faced the unequal contest and did not surrender the fort till he laid down his life with 300 of his brave Mavles.

Even Rajgarh and Raigarh (Raigad), the seats of Maratha power were threatened. On Jai Singh’s advice, Shivaji agreed to sign the treaty of Purandhar by which he surrendered twenty hill forts to the Mughals and acknowledged the suzerainty of the emperor. Like other rajas, he was to be exempted from attendance at the Mughal court but he agreed to render military aid to the Emperor in his Deccan wars.

Shivaji’s son Sambhaji was to be enrolled as a panjhazari mansabdar. Jai Singh also persuaded Shivaji to pay a visit to Aurangzeb. There are different versions by historians regarding the purpose of Shivaji’s visit to the Mughal court. Sardesai thinks that Shivaji agreed to it because he wanted to have “a personal knowledge of the Emperor, his court and sources of his strength, in order to form rightly his future plans of operations against him”.

Shivaji was fully aware of the risks involved in his visit to Imperial court but was prevailed upon by Jai Sigh. According to Sir Jadunath Sarkar, “Jai Singh has to secure his consent to his proposal by holding out high hopes of reward and honour and by taking solemn oaths along with his son Kunwar Ram Singh that they would be responsible for his safety at the imperial capital”.

It was 12 May, 1666, when Aurangzeb’s 50th birthday was being celebrated with pomp and glory that Shivaji went to the darbar. However, he felt greatly disillusioned and frustrated when the emperor treated him merely as a commander of 5,000 and not as a sovereign prince. He was made to stand and wait in a row of ordinary tnansabdars. Shivaji was furious and complained to Ram Singh about the treatment meted out to him.

There was some commotion in the darbar and the Emperor enquired as to what was the matter. Ram Singh diplomatically replied, “The tiger is a wild beast of the jungle, and feels oppressed by the heat of a place like this and has taken ill”. Shivaji returned, without receiving any royal gift and under the Emperor’s orders he was kept under surveillance. Shivaji hit upon a plan to make a bid for escape.

He pretended to be very sick. Arrangements were soon made to distribute sweets, etc. among the poor as a gesture of charity and baskets full of sweets were sent Shivaji hid himself in one of the baskets on 17 August, 1666 and escaped.

There-after he travelled in the guise of a sadhu and passing through Allahabad, Benaras, Gaya, Puri, Gondwana country and the territory of Bijapur and’Golkonda reached Rajgarh safely in December 1666 after an absence of nine months. Aurangzeb was greatly annoyed and suspected Ram Singh of conniving at Shivaji’s escape. He recalled Jai Singh from Deccan (May 1667) and appointed Prince Muazzam in his place.