After coming out successfully the War of Succession among the sons of Shah Jahan. Aurangzeb turned his attention on the Deccan and ordered Shaista Khan to crush Shivaji who had grown enormously strong. Shaista Khan captured a number of forts and ultimately occupied Poona. However, he was surprised within his camp on the night of 5 April, 1663 by Shivaji who was accompanied by a light body of Marathas. Shaista Khan narrowly escaped with his life. Aurangzeb condemned him for his carelessness and incapacity and transferred him.

Shivaji and Raja Jai Singh

Raja Jai Singh was sent by Aurangzeb to deal with Shivaji. By a clever combination of force and diplomacy, Jai Singh forced Shivaji to come to terms with him. By the Treaty of Purandar (1655). Shivaji resigned 23 of his forts and lands yielding 4 lacs of Huns as annual revenue and retained only 12 forts and lands yielding one lac of Huns.

Shivaji further agreed that if lands yielding 4 lacs of Huns a year in the low lands of Konkan and 5 lacs of Huns a year in the uplands were granted to him by Aurangzeb and if he was assured by an Imperial Firman that those lands, after he had conquered them from Bijapur Authorities by his own troops, would be given to him, he would pay 40 lacs of Huns in 13 yearly installments.

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Jai Singh accepted those terms because he considered them to be the best means of fomenting local rivalry between Shivaji and Bijapur. Jai Singh wrote to Aurangzeb, “This policy will result in a three-fold gain: First, we get 40 lacs of Huns or 2 crores of rupees; secondly, Shivaji will be alienated from Bijapur; thirdly, the imperial army will be received from the arduous task of campaigning in these two broken and jungly regions, as Shiva will himself undertake the task of expelling the Bijapuri garrisons from them.” Shivaji had also agreed to help the Mughals in their war against Bijapur with 2000 cavalry under his son and 7000 infantry under him. Aurangzeb accepted those terms in June 1665.

Jai Singh’s War against Bijapur

After the Treaty of Purandar with Shivaji, Jai Singh turned his arms against Bijapur. The Ruler of Bijapur had not carried out the terms of his treaty with the Mughals. He had not paid one crore of rupees. He had not surrendered the Fort of Parenda with the adjoining Territories. He had not ceded to the Mughals the Nizam Shahi Konkan Territory. He had no assisted Shaista Khan and Jai Singh against Shivaji. Hence a war was decided upon against Bijapur.

For a month, the march of the Mughal Forces in Bijapur was uninterrupted and the forts surrendered without resistance. With high hopes, Jai Singh pushed on and fought a pitched battle on 25 December, 1665. On 29 December, 1665, he halted within 12 miles of Bijapur. At this time, he was threatened with a serious danger. He found that all around the country had been laid waste. The tanks had been emptied and the wells had been filled up. There was not a green brands on shade-giving wall left standing.

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The result was that Jai Singh retreated on 5 January, 1666. The return of Jai Singh forced the Bijapur Troops to evacuate the imperial territory but there were other difficulties. Shivaji failed to take the Fort of Panhala. His Lieutenant Netaji deserted to the side of Bijapur.

The Ruler of Golcunda sent an army of 52,000 to the assistance of Bijapur. The allied forced converged on the Mughals. There was deadly warfare for 6 months during which Jai Singh fought and won 9 sanguinary battles. He was so hard-pressed and harassed that he ultimately decided to retreat. By this time, the Bijapuris also felt exhausted. Golcunda withdrew her troops. Both parties were anxious for peace.

In the meanwhile Shivaji who had been induced by Jai Singh to go to Agra to meet Aurangzeb in March 1666 on solemn assurance of safe return, had been insulted and imprisoned by Aurangzeb. However, he escaped in August 1666. This synchronised with the failure of Jai Singh in the Deccan.

Aurangzeb was so much annoyed that he openly censured Jai Singh and forbade his son Ram Singh to attend the court and ultimately deprived him of his rank and pay. Jai Singh himself was superseded by Prince Muazzam in the Viceroylty of the Deccan. This was too much for Jai Singh who had done so much for the Mughal Empire. He was broken hearted and he died at Burhanpur on 2 July, 1667.