Afzal Khan (general)
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Afzal Khan wa a Bijapuri general. Prominent in his own time, he is best known today for killing Shivaji's Father, Brother and his own death; he was killed as part of the Battle of Pratapgad by the Maratha king Shivaji outside Pratapgad in 1658.
Biography
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Afzal Khan was the most powerful Sardar (Lord) in the court of the Bijapur Sultanate. He was responsible for many victories for Adilshahi.
Death
He was sent by Ali Adil Shah II to curb the activities of Shivaji in the western Deccan. Afzal Khan was aware that Shivaji was on Pratapgad and tried to lure bring him down to the plateau of Deccan where he could destroy his forces. Khan's strength was his giant force. At that time he took with him a force of 12000 soldiers, many cannons, troops of elephants, horses, camels, etc. Which was more than enough for the Shivaji's newly established 'Swarajya'. In comparison Shivaji's men were very few in numbers. Khan was aware of this fact too. That's why he tried to bring Shivaji out in the open plains where he could be destroyed in few hours time and achieve his goal. Fighting in Satara wouldn't have been a good option for him as his troops were inexperienced when it comes to fighting in the valleys & dense forests. Shivaji's men in comparison were masters in 'guerrilla war' where you surprise the enemy with a sudden attack causing heavy casualties & also retreat in case you are weak at the time.
Afzal Khan met him at Pratapgad, a fort near the town of Satara, a location which was strategically advantageous for Shivaji's infantry. Afzal Khan attempted to garner support from local militarily independent landlords of Pratapgad, who nominally acknowledged the suzerainty of the Adil Shahi. The powerful nobleman Kanhoji Jedhe, as directed by Shahaji, helped Shivaji to counter these moves and attract their support.
Shivaji and Afzal arranged a meeting at a large tent at the foothills of Pratapgad. It was agreed that the meeting would be unarmed, and each man was to bring ten personal bodyguards, remaining one arrow-shot distance away. Shivaji treacherously wore armour under his clothes, and carried a weapon called wagh nakh ("tiger claws"), consisting of an iron finger-grip with four razor claws, which he concealed within his clenched fist.
As the two men entered the tent fixed for meeting, Khan went on to greet Shivaji with a hug (Need independent reliable record to support this statement), and Shivaji opened his fist and disemboweled Khan with his wagh nakh. Afzal managed to hold his gushing entrails and hurtled outside, faint and bleeding, and threw himself into his palanquin. But Khan was decapitated by one of Shivaji's bodyguards shortly down the slope. Sambhaji Kawaji and Jiva Mahala, two of Shivaji's bodyguards, were instrumental in protecting their king from Afzal's bodyguards.
Shivaji sped towards the fortress as his lieutenants ordered a bugle to be sounded. It was a pre-determined signal to his infantry, which had been strategically placed in the densely covered valley. All of Shivaji's generals, including his Senapati ("Army chief") Netaji Palkar launched a surprise attack and routed Afzal Khan's army. Afzal Khan's son managed to escape with help from Maratha generals including Khandaji Khopade. The severed head of Khan was sent to Rajgad to be shown to Jijabai, Shivaji's mother. She wanted vengeance for the death ofShahaji, Shivaji's father, in his captivity by Afzal Khan, and for the death of her elder son, Sambhaji, who was killed by Afzal Khan.
Communal Disputes
The above incident was the reason of recent communal clashes in South Maharashtra. During the annual Ganesh Visarjan procession in the city of Miraj, some Hindu groups put up posters depicting the slaying of Afzal Khan by Shivaji to hurt Muslim sentiments, attracting the ire of Muslim groups. It soon turned into widespread communal clashes throughout Maharashtra, with district administrations imposing curfew in some towns including Sangli, Miraj and other villages.
- Purandare, B.M. Raja Shivachhatrapati (in Marathi). Purandare publications, Pune.
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