Dhanaji Jadhav (1650–27 June 1708) also known as Dhanaji Jadhav Rao, was a prominent Maratha general and served as the Senapati of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

during the reigns of

Rajaram I Rajaram I (Rajaram Bhonsale, ; 24 February 1670 – 3 March 1700), also known as Ram Raaje, was the third king ( Chhatrapati) of the Maratha Kingdom, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of Shivaji, the founder of t ...

Tarabai Maharani Tarabai Bhonsle ( Marathi: ̪aːɾabaːi; ; 1675 – 9 December 1761) was the regent of the Maratha Empire from 1700 until 1708. She was the queen of Rajaram I, and daughter-in-law of the kingdom's founder Shivaji I. She is acclaim ...

, and

Shahu I Shahu I (Shivaji Sambhaji Raje Bhonsale; ; 18 May 1682 – 15 December 1749) was the fifth Chhatrapati or head of state of the Maratha Empire founded by his grandfather, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shivaji I. He was born into the House of B ...

. Alongside

Santaji Ghorpade Santaji Ghorpade (Santaji Mhaloji Ghorpade, ; 1660–1696) was a Maratha (caste), Maratha general and statesman who served as the 7th Senapati of the Maratha Empire during the reign of Chattrapati Rajaram I. He is widely regarded as one of the ...

, he conducted highly successful campaigns against the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

from 1689 to 1696, contributing significantly to the Maratha cause. Furthermore, he played a pivotal role in the initial expansion of the Gujarat Province while consistently defeating Mughal forces.

Background

Dhanaji was a member of the Jadhav Rao clan of Sindhkhed. He was the descendant of

Lakhuji Jadhav Lakhuji Jadhav Rao (1560 – 25 July 1629), also known as Lakhuji Jadhav was a Maratha statesman and Mansabdar who initially served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate and later joined the Mughals. He was a prominent figure in the politics of Deccan. Lak ...

. Dhanaji was raised by Shivaji's mother,

Jijabai Jijabai Shahaji Bhonsale (; 12 January 1598 – 17 June 1674), referred to as Rajmata Jijabai, was the mother of Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Kingdom. She was a daughter of Lakhujirao Jadhav of Sindkhed Raja. Early life Jijabai was born ...

, following the assassination of Dhanaji's great-grandfather, Achloji, who was Jijabai's brother. Achloji's son, Santaji, perished in the Battle of Kanakgiri. Santaji's son and Dhanaji's father, Shambhu Singh, was also nurtured by Jijabai. Shambhu Singh met his demise at the

Battle of Pavan Khind The battle of Pavan Khind ( ) was a rearguard last stand that took place on 13 July 1660, at a mountain pass in the vicinity of fort Vishalgad, near the city of Kolhapur by the Maratha general Baji Prabhu Deshpande and Shambhu Singh Jadhav ag ...

Early military career

At a young age, Dhanaji joined the

Maratha Army The Maratha Army was the land-based armed forces of the Maratha Confederacy, which existed from the late 17th to the early 19th centuries in the Indian subcontinent. 17th century Shivaji, The great the founder of Maratha Kingdom, raised a small ...

under the leadership of Shivaji's commander-in-chief,

Prataprao Gujar Prataprao Gujar (also ''Kudtoji Gujar'', ; – 24 February 1674) was a Maratha general who served as the 3rd Senapati of the Maratha Empire during the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji. He commanded the Maratha Army until 1674. Military career Pr ...

. During the battles at Umbrani and

Nesari Nesari is a village in Gadhinglaj Taluka of Kolhapur district in Maharashtra, India. As of 2011, it had a population of 21,000. It is about 20 kilometres from Gadhinglaj, and 30 kilometres from National Highway 48 (NH48). Geography Nesari ...

, Dhanaji's exceptional performance drew the attention of Shivaji for the first time. He was subsequently appointed by Shivaji, even on his deathbed, as one of the six pillars of the

who would safeguard the kingdom during challenging times. Their unwavering struggle and continued resistance against the

Mughal Army The army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 16th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselve ...

played a crucial role in ensuring the survival and success of the Marathas in the 27-Year war between the forces of

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

and the Marathas.

Mughal-Maratha wars

Dhanaji and his fellow general ,

, are acknowledged for their pivotal role in combating the Mughal forces during the reign of

. Their dedicated service to the Maratha cause effectively thwarted the advances of Aurangzeb's

Mughal army The army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 16th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselve ...

for a quarter of a century. With the demise of

, Mughal influence in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

ultimately waned, never to regain prominence. During the conflict, the Marathas utilized both infantry and cavalry to effectively engage and disrupt the Mughal forces. Following the fall of Bijapur and Golkonda, a significant number of horsemen found themselves unemployed. As a result, they sought employment with the Maratha forces under the leadership of Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav. In the absence of central authority, these two commanders acted on their own initiative and swiftly developed expertise in coordinating cavalry movements over extended distances. Queen Tarabai praised Dhanaji and his colleague Santaji, for their daring attack on Aurangzeb's camp. A marathi drama 'Bhangale Swapn Maharashtra' written by

Bashir Momin Kavathekar Bashir Kamruddin Momin (1 March 1947 – 12 November 2021), also known as Bashir Momin Kavathekar and popularly known by his pen name Momin Kavathekar, also known as Lokshahir B. K. Momin Kavathekar, was a popular Marathi language poet and writ ...

depicts the thrill and adventures raid on Aurangzeb's camp at Tulapur and also brings out how stringently the guidelines laid down by Shivaji Maharaj were being followed by Maratha soldiers (which spared Aurangzeb's life because he was offering religious prayers). In November 1703, Aurangzeb initiated negotiations with Dhanaji through his son, Kambaksh, with the intention of transferring

to him. However, these talks proved unsuccessful due to what were perceived as exorbitant demands made by Dhanaji on behalf of the Maratha king.

Gujarat campaign

In 1705, a

, consisting of approximately 40,000 soldiers led by Dhanaji, launched a successful assault on

Surat Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...

, defeating the Mughal forces across the entire region of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, extending up to

Bharuch Bharuch () is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District. The city of Bharuch and surroundings have been settled since times of antiquity. It was a shi ...

, and subsequently imposing the

Chauth Chauth (from ) was a regular tax or tribute imposed from the early 18th century by the Maratha Empire in the Indian subcontinent. It was an annual tax nominally levied at 25% on revenue or produce, hence the name, on lands that were under nominal M ...

tribute on them. Dhanaji also achieved victory over the

commanded by Nazar Ali, the Nawab of Baroda.

Later years and death

In 1708, through the mediation of his assistant

Balaji Vishwanath Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1 January 1662 – 12 April 1720) was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Confederacy and other Mughal vassals during the early 18th centur ...

, who would later assume the position of

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

in 1713, Dhanaji disassociated himself from

and aligned with

Battle of Khed The Battle of Khed took place on 12 October 1707, between Shahu I and the forces of Tarabai led by Dhanaji Jadhav. The battle occurred at Khed, situated near the Bhima river to the north of Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously ...

. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, he died due to a leg injury at Vadgaon,

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Kolhapur is one of the most significant cities in South Maharashtra and has been a hub of historical, religious, and cultural a ...

. Subsequently, his post was assumed by his son, Chandrasen Jadhavrao.

Movies

* He was portrayed by Shubhankar Ekbote in the 2025 Hindi film ''

Chhaava ''Chhaava'' () is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language historical action film based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, the second ruler of the Maratha Empire, who is played by Vicky Kaushal. An adaptation of the Marathi novel ''Chhava'' by Shivaji Sa ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jadhav, Dhanaji People from the Maratha Empire Indian military leaders 1650 births 1708 deaths