Pratapgarh Fort

Afzal Khan’s plan to induce Shivaji to come out of the fortress was to unleash a wave of desecration of Hindu religious places. His forces defiled the temple town of Pandhapur, home of the famous Vithoba temple, and then proceeded to capture Tuljapur where the sultanate’s army is said to have levelled the murthi of goddess Bhavani to the ground.

While these acts of cruelty failed to force an error of judgement from Shivaji, it did succeed in uniting the Hindu chieftains from the region, led by Kanhoji Jedhe to back the Maratha army and its leader.

The stalemate continued until Afzal Khan sent his emissaries to Shivaji seeking a meeting to discuss terms for peace. Shivaji, knowing of Afzal’s history of duplicity in such meetings, insisted that the meet should be held close to Pratapgarh and not in Wai, as Afzal Khan had previously suggested.

Both leaders agreed to come unarmed accompanied by 10 envoys each, one of whom would be a bodyguard who would stay outside the tent while the terms of peace would be discussed inside. The remaining was to remain ‘an arrow’s shot away’ from the proceedings.

Afzal Khan brought his army to the Pratapgarh and set up camp near the meeting site. On the day of the meeting, his armies were kept ready while he proceeded to the meeting with Shivaji with a concealed katar (dagger). Sayyid Banda, Afzal Khan’s trusted bodyguard accompanied him to the meeting.

Shivaji was prepared for deception. He wore an armour under his clothes and a helmet under his turban. He also carried a waghnakh (tiger claw) in his clenched fist and a thin dagger called the bichawa. His company for the meeting included his trusted bodyguards – Jiva Mahala and Sambhaji Kavji.

Shivaji also planned for the eventuality of an all-out assault by Khan and his armies. He placed his soldiers in concealed positions all around the meeting site. The forces were led by his legendary captains, Kanhoji Jedhe, Ragho Atre, Netaji Palkar and Moropant Pinle.

When the towering Afzal Khan met the much smaller Shivaji, they proceeded towards the customary embrace whence Khan began to tighten his grip, then proceeding to stab the Maratha with his katar. Shivaji’s armour saved him and once he recovered from the initial attack, he proceeded to attack Khan with the waghnakh, disemboweling him and then stabbing him with the bichawa.