Battle of Kolhapur : All Important Facts For UPSC Notes!

The Battle of Kolhapur took place on 28 December, 1659, near Kolhapur city, Maharashtra. It was fought between the Maratha Empire, led by Shivaji, and the Adilshahi forces, led by Rustam Zaman. The battle is renowned for Shivaji’s masterful flank movement, which was similar to Babur’s strategy against Rana Sanga. The Marathas defeated the Adilshahi forces. It was the second significant military victory of the Marathas after the battle of Pratapgarh.

The Battle of Kolhapur is one of the most important topics for the UPSC IAS exam. It covers a significant part of the Medieval History subject in the Mains General Studies Paper-1 syllabus and General Studies Paper-1 of the UPSC Prelims Syllabus.

In this article, we shall study the historical background of the Battle of Kolhapur, the movement and clash of Adilshah and Maratha forces, and all other important facts for the UPSC IAS Exam.

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Battle of Kolhapur: Historical Background

On November 10, 1659, Shivaji defeated Afzal Khan at the Battle of Pratapgarh, killing him and destroying his army. Taking advantage of this victory, he launched a massive attack that captured a big hilly area that stretched up to 200 km. Many forts, including Vasota, fell to the Marathas. Shivaji first came close to the Panhala fort in December 1659. Bijapur served as the direction for Rustam Zaman. On December 27, 1659, he arrived in the neighborhood of Kolhapur, nearby Miraj.

Who was Rustam Zaman?

Rustam Zaman, also known as, Rustam-i-Zaman. In the Battle of Kolhapur against Shivaji’s soldiers, Rustam Zaman was the Bijapur general in charge of Adil Shah’s 10,000-man army. He was the son of Ranadulla Khan, the foremost guardian, and mentor of Shahaji, and an experienced senior general of Bijapur. He took part in Afzal Khan’s campaign against the Marathas.

Rustam Zaman was defeated, but Shivaji’s military leaders, Tanaji Malusare and Noor Khan Beg helped him to return to Bijapur. He commanded the 10,000-man Bijapur army that faced the Maratha light cavalry of 3500. The Marathas prevailed in the conflict owing to Shivaji’s skilled use of flanks, and Rustam Zaman and Fazal Khan retreated to Bijapur.

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Battle of Kolhapur: Important Facts & Figures for UPSC

The table below shows the important facts about the Battle of Kolhapur.

Events	Battle of Kolhapur
Date	28 December 1659
Location	Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Forces Involved	Maratha Dynasty and Adil Shahi Dynasty
Result	The victory of the Maratha Empire under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

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The Siege of Panhala, 1660

Panhala means “Home of Serpents”. It was one of the 15 forts built by the Shilhara ruler, Bhoja II, between 1178 and 1209 AD. This fort is thought to be connected to the renowned Raja Bhoj, also known as Gangu Teli. Singhana, the most powerful leader of the Devagiri Yadavas, overthrew Bhoja Raja and took control of the fort. Following that, control passed from many hands until the Adil Shahi dynasty made it one of their important strongholds in 1589 and heavily fortified it with ramparts and gateways.

Composition of Adilshah’s Forces

Adilshah’s Forces were led by Rustam Zaman, and he was assisted by other chieftains, including Fazal Khan, Malik Itbar, Sadat Khan, Yakub Khan, Aankush Khan, Hasan Khan, Mulla Yahya, and Santaji Ghatage. Adilshah’s forces were made up of a few distinguished cavalry units. Elephants were also used as the initial line of defense. Rustam Zaman was in charge of the center, Fazal Khan led the left flank, and Malik Itbar led the right flank. On the rear guard were Mullah Yahya and Fateh Khan. A total of 10,000 cavalrymen made up Rustam Zaman’s army.

Composition of Maratha Forces

Maratha Forces was led by Chhatrapati Shivaji, and he was assisted by Maratha Cavalry leaders, including Netaji Palkar, Sardar Godaji Jagtap, Hiroji Ingale, Bhimaji Wagh, Sidhoji Pawar Jadhavrao, Hanmantrao Kharate, Pandhare, Siddi Hllal, and Mahadik. Shivaji himself controlled the Center. On the left side were Jadhavrao and Siddi Hilal. On the right side, Ingale and Sidhoji Pawar are. On the back guard are Mahadik and Wagh. Netaji Palkar commanded the off-center position. In comparison to his competitor Rustam, who had 10,000 cavalries, Shivaji had an army of only 3,500 light cavalries.

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Series of Events of Battle of Kolhapur

• After the Battle of Pratapgad, Rustam-e-Zaman, and Fazal Khan fled and retreated at the Battle of Kolhapur.
• Ali Adil Shah decided to personally fight against Shivaji. He announced his intention to use the full force of the Bijapur army.
• Siddi Jauhar, an African slave of Bijapuri noble Malik Abdur Wahah, declared his candidacy for this position. This posed a threat to Chhatrapati Shivaji.
• Upon hearing of Siddi Jauhar's advance towards Panhala, Shivaji assumed charge at the fort and turned to face Panhala.
• The Bijapur forces attempted to encircle Shivaji due to his tenacity and determination to win.

Problems Faced by the Maratha Army

• Siddi Jauhar's army contacted the Mughals, who had recently besieged Bijapur.
• Fateh Khan was ordered to charge from Janjira and reclaim Konkan.
• Siddi Jauhar sent the Sawants of Sawantwadi to attack Shivaji's southern and western borders.

Series of Actions Taken by the Maratha Forces

• Chhatrapati Shivaji warned his commanders of the impending attacks.
• Raghunathpant Korde was assigned to defend the Konkan region against Fateh Khan.
• Abaji Sondev was appointed to defend the areas of Kalyan and Bhivandi.
• Baji Pasalkar was tasked with repelling the Sawants' attack.
• Moropant Pingle was in charge of the Sahyadri plateau region and its forts. This included Purandhar, Sinhagad, and Pratapgad.
• On March 2, 1660, Shivaji moved into the fort. Kadtoji Bargujar managed Panhala's defense from within.
• Shivaji instructed Netaji Palkar, the Commander-in-Chief, to launch an outside attack on Siddi Jauhar's army while he was campaigning near Bijapur.

Fazal Khan and Rustam-e-Zaman allied with Siddi Jauhar after being defeated by Shivaji's forces. Baji Ghorpade, Pid Nayak, Sadat Khan, Siddi Masood, Bhai Khan, and Bade Khan joined this already sizable force. Panhala was eventually under siege by the end of March 1660.

Movement and Clash of Forces

• Rustam Zaman intended to proceed in the direction of the Panhala fort. On the morning of December 28, 1659, Shivaji saw this movement coming and quickly moved with 3,500 cavalrymen to confront the 10,000-man Adilshahi forces to engage the enemy.
• Shivaji ordered his generals to flank the opposition as he rushed the center.
  • As a result of attacks by other Maratha commanders on their respective flanks, 2,000 members of Rustam Zaman’s army perished.
• Rustam Zamani’s forces began to disintegrate and flee the conflict as 20% of their army was destroyed, and Shivaji was applying heavy pressure from the middle.

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The Outcome of the Battle of Kolhapur

• Shivaji secured the front of his expanding empire and gained a sizable amount of territory.
• The Marathas took roughly 2000 horses and 12 elephants from the Adilshahi army. Under Shivaji’s direction, the Marathas continued to annex additional Adilshahi lands.
• In one instance, Shivaji attempted to take control of the Adilshahi fort Khelna, but he encountered difficulties due to the fort’s challenging topography.
• The Adilshahi garrison at the fort was resolutely guarding it as well. As a result, Shivaji devised a strategy.
• As a result, a group of Marathas walked up to the fort and persuaded the Adilshahi leader there that they had come to serve Adilshah because they were unhappy with Shivaji’s authority.
• After the Marathas were successful, they rose up in mutiny the following day and caused havoc inside the fort.
• Shivaji stormed the fort simultaneously from the outside and quickly took control of it. The fort was renamed Vishalgad by Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Casualties of the Battle of Kolhapur

• The Battle of Kolhapur resulted in significant casualties for both the Maratha and Bijapur forces.
• Loss of lives occurred among soldiers, commanders, and civilians involved in the conflict.
• The battle had a profound impact on families and communities, causing immense grief and loss. 
• The casualties were estimated to be 7,000 on the Adilshahi side. It was 2,000 on the Maratha side, adding to the total casualties of the conflict, including the Battle of Pratapgarh.

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Battle of Kolhapur: Aftermath

On December 28, 1659, one month after the battle of Panhala, Bijapur gave Rustam-e-Zaman permission to attack Shivaji and recapture Panhala. He was joined by Fazal Khan, the deceased Afzal Khan’s son, who was fiercely seeking revenge for the killing of his father.

Shaista Khan was appointed the Viceroy of the Deccan in the north by Aurangzeb. By May 1660, Shaista Khan had taken control of Pune and moved into Shivaji’s palace, Lal Mahal. On September 22, 1660, Panhala, Pawangad, and other neighboring forts all surrendered to Bijapur as part of a truce between Shivaji and Ali Adil Shah. Rangna and Vishalgad, however, stayed with Shivaji.

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Conclusion

The Battle of Kolhapur was another game-changing for the Maratha Empire battle after the battle of Pratapagarh. The Maratha forces led by Chhatrapati Shivaji won two battles one after the another.

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