| Skirmish at Sangameshwar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Deccan Wars | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Mughal Empire | Maratha Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Kavi Kalash Ikhlas Khan Bahadur Khan Fath Jang Hyderabadi |
Sambhaji I (POW) Kavi Kalash (POW) Maloji Ghorpade † Raiba Malusare † Suryaji Jake † Mahumad Ghazi † Santaji Ghorpade (WIA) Dhanaji Jadhav (WIA) and 25 other officers........ | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
2000 Mughals |
1000 Marathas | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Nearly entire Maratha Army killed by the Mughals along with capture of Sambhaji, Rajaram I coronated as new Chhatrapati on March 1689 | |||||||||
A millitary engagement between under Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and Mughals under Muqqrab Khan in which Marathas were defeated resulting in death of Maloji Ghorpade and Raiba Malusare as well as capture and execution of Sambhaji and Kavi Kalash.
While Aurangzeb was besieging Golconda and Bijapur, Sambhaji observed from Panhala. After capturing these forts, Aurangzeb deployed Sarja Khan, a seasoned general, to the Deccan. In December 1687, the Marathas, led by Hambirrao Mohite, defeated the Mughals at the Battle of Wai, though Mohite was killed. Following the battle, Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj's forces weakened, and his movements were betrayed by Soyarabai and the Shirkes to the Mughals.Too fearful to meet his foe on an open battlefield, the Mughal commander Muqarrab Khan relied on a spineless snare to secure a capture supported by Ganoji Shirke, after a defeat at Samgamneshwar on 1 February 1689. He was captured along with his minister Kavi Kalash and 25 officers. Aurangzeb, pleased with the capture, renamed Akluj to Asadnagar.
Sambhaji grew jealous of Kavi Kalash’s growing influence and plotted with others to remove him from power, spreading lies that led to his dismissal as Diwan. Disgraced, Kavi Kalash moved to the fort of Khulna, but Sambhaji’s hostility continued, forcing him to seek refuge at the Mughal court, where the emperor rewarded him and his supporters with positions. Enraged, Sambhaji imprisoned their families and lost many followers to the imperial service, weakening his rule. When Mughal forces advanced and captured nearby forts, Sambhaji, fearful and desperate, tried to reconcile with Kavi Kalash through letters, pretending regret. Outwardly forgiving, Kavi Kalash secretly planned revenge and lured Sambhaji to Khulna. Once Sambhaji arrived, Mughal commanders Ikhlas Khan and Bahadur Khan surrounded the fort. Lacking supplies and hope, Sambhaji tried to break out with a few men but was defeated after heavy fighting. Four hundred of his men were killed, and he was finally captured by imperial soldiers, while Kavi Kalash, pretending loyalty, was also “arrested” for safety.
Kavi Kalash and Sambhaji, captured by the Mughals, were humiliated and paraded through the Mughal camps before being presented to Aurangzeb. He offered to spare Sambhaji’s life if he surrendered his forts, disclosed his treasuries, and revealed Mughal officers aiding the Marathas, even offering him conversion to Islam. However, Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj insulted Aurangzeb and Muhammad, leading the Ulema to sentence him to death.Then he was tortured, blinded with red-hot irons, and beheaded on 11 March 1689 at Koregaon marking the end of resistance in the region.