Rani Tarabai Bhonsale - Marathi Queen

                    Rani Tarabai Bhonsale - 

Marathi Queen who took charge of the empire at its lows and resisted Aurangzeb for 7 years against all odds. Rarely has there been a female personality like her in Indian history who saved a kingdom from collapse through her sheer courage and willpower. A woman whose indomitable spirit was unarguably at par with that of the legendary Rani of Jhansi, she deserves more than a passing mention.

Of the years 1700–1707, Jadunath Sarkar, a prominent Indian historian especially of the Mughal dynasty, has opined: "During this period, the supreme guiding force in Maharashtra was not any minister but the dowager Queen Tarabai. Her administrative genius and strength of character saved the nation in that awful crisis."

A daughter of a General of the Maratha army & well versed in the art of warfare, Rani Tarabai ( 1675 - 1761 ) was the wife of Chatrapati Rajaram Maharaj & daughter in law of the great Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Tarabai who at the age of only 25 successfully led several wars against Aurangzeb and protected the Maratha Empire from disintegration. 

The war between the Marathas and the Mughals continued for 27 years. Later it was known as the Maratha war of Independence.. After the death of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1680, Aurangzeb relentlessly attacked the Maratha Empire. In 1680 Aurangzeb himself arrived in Deccan to conquer his arch enemies.

However, after the death of Shivaji Maharaj his elder son Sambhaji gave stiff resistance to the Mughal forces for almost ten years. But he was eventually captured in 1689 and mercilessly tortured to death. After his death, the Marathas under Rajaram Bhonsale (crowned at Raigad) continued the war through Guerilla tactics.

When the Mughal army laid siege to the fort, she took command owing to Rajaram’s deteriorating health and managed to hold the fort for eight years. There she also gave birth to Shivaji II in 1696. But unfortunately Rajaram died in 1700 due to a lung ailment. The Mughals were delighted after hearing this news. There were no legal heirs to the throne, due to this Tarabai proclaimed her son Shivaji II (age 4 years) as the heir to the throne and successor of Rajaram and declare herself as Queen Regent and took charge of the administrative, judiciary and military powers of the empire.

At the age of only 25, Rani Tarabai decided to collide against Aurangzeb - She started raiding the Mughal territories beyond Deccan and was able to establish a secure base for collecting revenue there. She moved from fort to fort to mobilize resources and men for war. Apart from being a genius strategist and diplomat Maharani Tarabai was herself a skilled horsemen and warrior. She not only oversaw the resistance against enemy occupation, but also planned and supervised many of her army’s raids and military operations.

Khafi Khan (court historian of Aurangzeb) wrote about the continuous raids waged by Rani Tarabai : 

“They penetrated deep into the old territories of the Imperial throne, plundering and destroying wherever they went.''

Some of her major military campaigns were:

In 1700, she sent a forces of 50000 soldiers in the region of west Chanderi (present day Madhya Pradesh)

In 1702 she invaded Khadesh (region of northwestern Maharashtra), Berar and Telangana.

In 1703, she attacked urban centers in Khandesh.

In 1705, the Marathas under Rani Tarabai again attacked Gujarat and Khandesh.

 In 1706, Rani Tarabai was captured by Mughal forces for a brief period of 4 days but she escaped after she bribed one Mughal soldier in letting her go by giving him expensive jewellery including her bangles, which themselves were estimated to be worth Rs 10 million.

When her power was taken away from her first by Chhatrapati Shahu, and later by Sambhaji II, she came back stronger each time. Thanks to her political acuity, she not only outlived her adversaries but also the Maratha Empire and defeat in 1761 in the 3rd Battle of Panipat at the hands of Ahmad Shah Abdali. In the pantheon of great Maratha warrior heroes, Rani Tarabai has reserved for herself a special place.

She passed away on 9th December 1761, aged 86, in Satara, having had outlived her family as well as her political adversaries.

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Sources - Jadhav, Bhagyashree M (1998). "Ch. 5 – Her Contribution to Maratha History"