Battle of Pavankhind
The Adilshah of Bijapur was vexed. A young Maratha named Shivaji had grabbed many of his forts. To make matters worse, he had killed one of his most experienced generals, Afzal Khan, and inflicted a crushing defeat on the Bijapur army at Kolhapur.
Thirteenth of July: In 1660, the Adilshah sent a force under the command of Siddi Jauhar to recover the fort of Panhala from Shivaji. Siddi Jauhar laid siege to the fort. For five months, Shivaji and his men resisted, but their provisions were running out. They had no choice but to find a way to escape.
Shivaji fled the fort under the cover of darkness on 13 July, 1660. Accompanied by a fleet-footed band of hardy soldiers, he hastened towards Vishalgad, about 65 km away across the ghats. As soon as the enemy camp got wind of the escape, they set off in hot pursuit. They caught up with the fleeing Marathas and captured Shivaji. But he turned out to be an imposter – a brave barber, Shiva Kashid, who had volunteered to disguise himself as Shivaji to buy him some time.
Siddi Jauhar sent his son-in-law Siddi Masood after them again. By this time, the Marathas had reached Ghodkhind, a mountain gorge so narrow that only fews oldiers could pass at a time. Shivaji’s commander Baji Prabhu Deshpande decided to take a last stand against the enemy while the leader made it to the safety of Vishalgad fort.
Unto the last: It was an unequal battle. 300 Maratha soldiers fought tooth and nail until their last breaths to prevent the mightier Bijapuri army from advancing further. Baji Prabhu waited to hear canon fire from Vishalgad —sign of Shivaji having reached the fort safely— before breathing his last. Siddi Masood and his men scrambled through the pass and attacked Vishalgad fort, but they were repulsed by a young officer named Rango Narayan.
Aftermath: Shivaji honoured Baji Prabhu’s sacrifice by renaming the pass as Pavankhind (Sacred Pass). Rango Narayan was also rewarded for his loyalty. The battle of Pavankhind was the last major face-off between the Marathas and the Adilshahi Sultanate. It became clear that the Sultan could do little to check the rise of the Marathas. Soon Shivaji came to the notice of Aurangzeb who regarded him with mounting unease.
Legacy: The legend of Baji Prabhu’s bravery inspires adventurous youths to relive history by trekking from Panhala to Vishalgad in July during the monsoon. A memorial is dedicated to Baji Prabhu at Panhala fort while another pays homage to the fallen heroes at Pavankhind.
