Murarbaji Deshpande (17th century) was a general in the early

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

during the reign of

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adil ...

. He is best remembered for his defense of the Purandar Fort against Dilir Khan, a Mughal general who accompanied Jai Singh I in the 17th-century siege on Purandar.

Early life

Murarbaji Deshpande was born into a

Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) is a caste group mainly found in Maharashtra. Historically, they made equally good warriors, statesmen as well as writers. They held the posts such as Deshpandes and Gadkaris and according to the historian, ...

family and his native land was the Javali Satara District. He was the gallant commander who commanded 700 (maratha troop) to attack Diler Khan.History of Aurangzib: Based on Original Sources, Volume 4 By Sir Jadunath Sarkar

Battle of Purandar

{{Unreferenced section, date=October 2019The battle for Purandar fort was a landmark battle of symbolic importance for both the Marathas and Mughals. It was essential for the

Marathas The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...

to hold off the Mughals for as long as possible, thus demonstrating the difficulty of conquering the mountainous Maratha Empire. It was equally imperative for the Mughals to conquer Purandar as swiftly as possible to demonstrate the futility of resistance of the dominant Mughal empire. In the end, superior European cannons fielded by the Mughals, under the leadership of the European mercenary Mannucci, blasted away the walls of Purandar. In spite of crumbling defenses, Murarbaji and his troops sustained a dogged defense. When the Mughals breached the outer walls, Murarbaji and his soldiers, though overwhelmingly outnumbered, mounted a fierce counterattack. Maratha folk history mentions that Murarbaji showed incredible skills as a swordsman and was an aggressive and inspiring leader who pushed back and caused a retreat of a larger Mughal force. Diler Khan, impressed with the bravery of Murarbaji, offered him a truce and employment in the Mughal forces with a handsome salary. Murarbaji turned down the offer due to his loyalty to the ideals of

Hindavi Swarajya The Hindavi Swarajya (; "self-rule of Hindu people", meaning independence from foreign rule): "Chhatrapati Shivaji's coronation and setting himself up as a sovereign prince symbolises the rise of the Indian people in all parts of the country. It w ...

. He was extremely enraged at this very suggestion and in an act of extreme daredevilry charged with his commandos right into the heart of the Mughal troops, killing hundreds. The remaining Marathas retreated inside the inner walls (baalekilla) of the fort, refusing to surrender and willing to fight to the last man. The battle of Purandar, made the Marathas realize the difficulty, facing the overwhelming force led by Mirza

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

Jai Singh, but also revealed to the Mughals the tenacity of the Marathas. Thereafter

agreed to surrender to Mirza Raja rather than risk the decimation of his forces and the ruin of his homeland. Aurangzeb sought to sign the treaty of Purandar and invited Shivaji to Agra rather than face a protracted and expensive campaign to conquer Marathas. As a part of the settlement Shivaji agreed to give up 23 of his forts and 4,00,000

hons Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, or ...

to the Mughals.

References

Military history of India Indian military leaders People of the Maratha Empire Marathi people People from Maharashtra People from Satara district 17th-century Indian people