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“Tarabai was a stronger ruler than her husband. She became all in all and regulated things so well that not a single Maratha leader acted without her order”.
Bhimsen’s memoirs – an officer in the Mughal Army
An artist’s depiction of Rani Tarabai Bhonsle
Throughout the course of Indian history, very few names that belong to women have sprung up. While we know of women like Rani Laxmi Bai, Sarojini Naidu, and Indira Gandhi, we often forget other such women who fought for a cause, and managed to find their place in a list which is otherwise filled with names of only kings and other male soldiers. Women like Anandibai Joshi, Madam Bhijaki Cama, Rani Durgawati, Nur Jahan, Chand Bibi and Rani Abbakka Chowta, were also women of immense valour and courage. In an effort to remember such woman, I bring to you the story of yet another woman who, despite being recently widowed with an infant son, broke all barriers to save the great Maratha Empire – Rani Tarabai Bhonsle.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – Founder of the Maratha Empire
Born in 1675 CE, to the famous commander-in-chief of the Maratha army, Hambirrao Mohite, Tarabai was married off at the early age of 8 years to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s second son – Rajaram I. Barely 5 years after her marriage to Rajaram, Shivaji passed away in 1680 CE at the age of 52, leaving no able heir to the mighty Maratha throne. Shivaji’s eldest son Sambhaji was held captive at Panhala Fort, by the emperor himself before his death. Now this is where the whole trouble began. Rajaram’s mother, Soyarabai, who also happened to be Hambirrao Mohite’s sister and thus Tarabai’s aunt, very cleverly installed her young 10-year-old son to the throne before Sambhaji had the chance to do so. But, as soon as the ambitious Sambhaji received the news, he plotted his escape by killing the commander of the Panhala fort and soon captured Raigad Fort (the capital of the vast Maratha Empire). He ascended the throne in 1680 CE, but the trouble was far from over.
Statue of Sambhaji at Tulapur
Soyarabai had always been an extremely greedy and ambitious woman herself, and that is probably why there were several allegations against her stating that she poisoned Shivaji to install her son to the throne. Despite Sambhaji ascending the throne in 1680 CE, Soyarabai did not accept defeat. Sambhaji, recognizing the threat, had Soyarabai, her son Rajaram and his first wife Janki Bai imprisoned. After her foiled attempt to get rid of her stepson, Sambhaji by poisoning him, she was executed in August, 1681. In February 1689, Sambhaji and 25 of his advisors were captured by Aurungzeb. Sambhaji was tortured and killed by the Mughal Emperor, post which Tarabai’s husband Rajaram I ascended the throne as the Third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire. However, the chaos was just beginning to brew.
Chhatrapati Rajaram I (seated on the horse), husband of Tarabai Bhonsle
Soon the Mughals, who were well aware of the recent execution of Chhatrapati Sambhaji, decided to take advantage of the situation and laid siege on the Maratha capital – Raigad. The young 19-year-old Rajaram was sent to stronghold the Pratapgad Fort. However, the strong Mughal army of over 15,000 soldiers got the better of them, and fortunately, Rajaram managed to escape with his wife Tarabai under a disguise. What’s even more surprising is that the couple managed to make it all the way to the Fort of Gingee in Tamil Nadu, which is approximately a 160 kms from Chennai! Gingee was the southernmost part of the Maratha Empire, at the time, that Shivaji had carved out. It’s location, far away from the centre of the troubles that plagued the Marathas, was ideal for the newly crowned king. Or so they thought…
Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu
The Mughals refused to leave their trail till the time they had killed the Chhatrapati and subsequently, ensured the downfall of the great Maratha Empire. The Mughal General Zulfiquar Ali Khan followed them all the way to Gingee, laying siege to the Gingee Fort as well. For 8 long years, between September 1690 and January 1698, the Mughals continued the military blockade around the fort. This siege, at Gingee, was by far the longest by a Mughal army at any fort in recorded history.
Raigad Fort – The Capital of the vast Maratha Empire
It was during this period that Tarabai was forced to take control of the Maratha army, owing to her husband’s frail and deteriorating health. It was the Maratha Queen who was, in reality, directing the Maratha troops not just in the Fort of Gingee, but also in far off Maharashtra where they were being troubled yet again, by the Mughals. Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav, two extremely able generals who have been immortalized in Maratha history for their guerilla exploits, helped the young and relatively inexperienced Tarabai in fending off the invaders.
A 1927 depiction of Tarabai in battle by noted Marathi painter M. V. Dhurandhar
After holding off the Mughal siege for 8 years, Tarabai and her husband Rajaram managed to escape the Gingee Fort quietly and safely, and make it back to Maharashtra in 1698 CE. But, like I said before, the trouble was far from over and chaos had just started brewing. Two years into a relatively peaceful reign, Rajaram I, Tarabai’s husband passed away due to a lung disease on 3rd March, 1700, at the age of 30 years. While Tarabai took over the reins of the Maratha Empire as the regent after his death, Rajaram’s other wife Janaki Bai committed Sati on his funeral pyre. Despite being widowed at the young age of 25, Tarabai Bhonsle did not lose hope and continued to fight the invaders in a desperate attempt to save the Empire that her late father-in-law had established after much trouble.
A memorial atop Sinhgad Fort marking the place of death of Rajaram.
And so, began the next phase in Rani Tarabai’s life – becoming Queen Regent, for her minor 4-year-old son – Shivaji II. During this time Mughal onslaught upon the Marathas was particularly very harsh, owing to the fact that it was Emperor Aurungzeb himself who led the Mughal army. Knowing that there was no one else more able than her to defend the powerful Maratha Empire, Rani Tarabai took command of the Maratha Army. While the idea of a female leading them irked some of the senior Maratha officials, what they didn’t realise was how well versed their new Queen was in both – military, civil and political affairs. In fact, the Mughals were extremely relieved upon hearing that the Chhatrapati’s wife, Tarabai had taken control of the Maratha Empire. They assumed that a woman and an infant king would not be able to offer much resistance.
A family chart of Shivaji’s lineage
But alas, the young Queen proved them wrong yet again! Khafi Khan, the Mughal court chronicler writes about her in his book Muntkhab al-Lubab –
[The Mughals felt] that it would not be difficult to overcome two young children and a helpless woman. They thought their enemy weak, contemptible and helpless; but Tara Bai, as the wife of Ram Raja [i.e. Rajaram] was called, showed great powers of command and government, and from day to day the war spread and the power of the Mahrattas increased.
Khafi Khan in his book Muntkhab al-Lubab
He goes on to say that after Rajaram I’s death in 1700, Aurungzeb and his officers “ordered the drums of rejoicing to be beaten”.
Emperor Aurungzeb, the last able Mughal Emperor
When the Mughals realised that it was not possible for them to sideline Tarabai using their military prowess, they used a very clever political strategy instead. As counterstrike, the Mughals released Shahu, Sambhaji’s son, with a force of 50 men, thinking it would be beneficial to them to have a friendly face in the Maratha Kingdom. Shahu had been taken captive as a child along with his mother in 1689, by the Mughals. By the time he was finally released, the year was 1707 and the last prominent Mughal Emperor – Aurungzeb, was already dead. Releasing Shahu was a very clever move made by the Mughals as it now meant that there was a new claimant to the Maratha throne and one who was not a minor. Therefore, this would mean that Shahu would become the new Chhatrapati, albeit a puppet in the hands of the Mughals, and Tarabai and her 11-year-old son would be sidelined.
Chhatrapati Shahu, Tarabai’s nephew
And thus, ensued yet another battle for the throne, between Tarabai Bhonsle and her nephew Shahu. The latter won the battle owing to the fact that he had support from Balaji Vishwanath who later went on to become the Sixth Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. But, as most of you must have realised by now, Tarabai was not one to give up so easily. She established a rival court at Kolhapur in 1709, but yet again tragedy struck and Tarabai and her son were deposed by her another one of her husband’s (Rajaram I) widow – Rajasabai, who put her own son Sambhaji II to the throne in 1714. For the next 16 years, Tarabai remained in a prison, along with her son who passed away on 14 March 1726. With 4 more years left in prison, Tarabai held on to a very important secret – the existence of her grandchild, Rajaram II.
A painting of Maharani Tarabai
Finally, in 1730 things changed when Chhatrapati Shahu defeated the ruler of Kolhapur – Sambhaji II and released Tarabai and her grandson from prison. According to Richard Eaton, a prominent historian,
“For 18 more years she was kept under house arrest in Satara’s palace. Confined first by her co-wife and then by her nephew, this former ‘Queen of Marathas’, once so hyperactive, spent her next 34 years reduced to a political non-entity. Yet her story was not over.”
Historian – Richard Eaton
At the age of 73, when most women of the royal family would retire and enjoy life, Tarabai Bhonsle stepped out of the shadows once again. With the death of Shahu in 1749, she installed her grandson Rajaram II to the throne, in hopes that he would simply be a puppet in her hands and that she would retain the actual powers. She had presented the child as her grandson, and thus, a direct descendant of Shivaji. Shahu adopted the son since he did not have any son of his own. Tarabai claimed that his existence had been concealed due to security purposes and that he had been raised by a Rajput soldier’s wife. Delighted at Shahu’s death, Tarabai aimed at finally gaining control of the Maratha Empire, albeit through a puppet. However, Rajaram II did not meet his grandmother’s expectations at all and himself wielded all the control with the support of Balaji Baji Rao (8th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire).
Shrimant Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath
When Tarabai asked her grandson to remove the Peshwa from his position, he refused. And with yet another twist in the story, a furious Tarabai suddenly declared that Rajaram II wasn’t actually her grandson but an imposter from the Gondhali caste and she had falsely presented him as her grandson to Shahu. Saying this, she imprisoned him in a dungeon at Satara, on 24 November 1750. When the Peshwa heard of this news, upon his return the next year from a Mughal campaign, he surrounded the Satara Fort and asked Tarabai to release the Chhatrapati from prison. Rajaram II’s, physical and mental condition had deteriorated considerably during the interim period of a few months. Tarabai refused at first but then realised and admitted, very grudgingly, that she would not be able to fight a war against the Peshwa. So, the two reached a pact that both would acknowledge each other’s authority, in 1752.
Now, Rani Tarabai settled into the final role of her life. In the words of historian Richard Eaton –
“Tarabai settled into her life’s final role –that of a powerful quasi sovereign dowager. At Satara she maintained a regular court and conducted business of state, issuing orders, conferring grants, and receiving Maratha sardars, while the Peshwa at least publicly acquised to her will or sought her advice.”
Richard Eaton – A Prominent Historian
Despite being 77 years old at this time, Tarabai continued to play a huge role in the politics and administration of the Maratha Empire and wielded considerable power and authority.
“….in 1752 she ordered a Maratha chief to supply fodder for the cavalry horses at specified rates. The same year, the superintendent of Pratapgarh fort asked her to have some roofs in a temple compound re-thatched. And the next year, we find her settling a divorce case involving her Muslim maid.”
Richard Eaton – A Prominent Historian
The story and life of Rani Tarabai is a testimony to the fact that age and poor conditions do not determine how one lives their life. In her life span of 86 long years, Tarabai Bhonsle was a witness to the rise of the Maratha Empire, it’s glorious years, the decline of the Empire and its revival. Above all this, Tarabai was also a witness to the Third Battle of Panipat, which was a huge blow to the once glorious Maratha Empire. Just a few months after this battle (fought on 14th January, 1761), Maharani Tarabai Bhonsle passed away. Sadly, very few remember her name now and the condition of her tomb, located in Mahuli in the Satara district, is pitiable.
Maharani Tarabai Bhonsle’s Samadhi (Tomb) in the Satara District of Maharashtra
The Queen without whom the downfall of the Maratha Empire was guaranteed, surely deserves a better place in our history. This is an attempt, on my behalf, to ensure that the names of such valiant and courageous woman remain etched in our minds and our history.
Sources:
Rani Tarabai – A Formidable Maratha Warrior – Feminism in India
Tarabai: Saving the Maratha Empire – Live History India