Tanaji Malusare The warrior in Chhatrapati Shivaji’s army whose courage, dedication and sacrifice gave a new lease of life to the struggle for the establishment of the Maratha Empire. Birth: Tanaji Malusare belonged to a small village named Godoli in Javali taluka of Satara district of the State of Maharashtra. Being a childhood companion of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Tanaji was his most trusted ally and a party to all of Shivaji’s important political movements, right from the establishment of Swarajya. Shivaji Maharaj had assigned a force of a thousand Mavale to a few trusted chieftains during the campaign against Afzal Khan. Tanaji and his army fought bravely in that battle and defeated the enemy. Tanaji was exceptionally focused when in battle – such was his nature. He never accepted defeat against any odds. After capturing Sangameshwar in the Konkan campaign, Shivaji had appointed Tanaji and another chieftain Pilaji to protect Sangameshwar. One night, Surve led a surprise attack on Sangameshwar. Pilaji retreated in fear but Tanaji put up a brave fight and demonstrated true heroism. He was given the responsibility of controlling the delinquent tribes in the Konkan area adjoining Raigad fort in the kingdom. He settled at Umarthe village in the region for this purpose. He transformed them through his friendship and motivated them instead to participate in the building of Swarajya. They contributed in capturing Kondhana (known by the name of Sinhagarh today) fort. Tanaji’s contribution in capturing the Kondhana fort will never be forgotten by the people of Maharashtra. The Kondhana fort was a strongly fortified, heavily guarded fort, commanded by the valiant warrior, Udaybhan. For the sake of Swarajya and to fulfil the wishes of Jijabai, Tanaji vowed to capture the Kondhana fort. Only a man with such immense fortitude could undertake such a courageous mission. Lest the opportunity - to be part of this campaign - slip away from his hands, he decided solely to put Swarajya before family matters. Not a word of his son’s marriage, scheduled during the campaign, reached Chhatrapati Shivaji. His courage, valour and leadership challenged the enemy and inspired his army. To reach Kondhana, he chose Dronagiri cliff, the sheerest cliff, which the enemy left least guarded considering it impregnable. With a small army of 500 soldiers he attacked the fort at night and caught the enemy unawares. In a sword fight with Udaybhan, he lost his shield. But completely disregarding the fatal wounds that Udaybhan’s sword caused him, and using his left hand as a shield, he continued his battle with Udaybhan. Only after ensuring that Udaybhan was indeed killed did he fall down dead. This was the fateful day of 4th February 1670. Though it was a joyous occasion as the fort was captured, Chhatrapati Shivaji was sad in losing his friend. He remarked “Gadh aala pan Sinha gela" (We have gained the fort, but lost a lion). The Kondana fort was subsequently renamed after him and came to be called Sinhagarh. (Sinha = lion, garh=fort) The ballad Shoor amhi Saradar, amhala kaya kunachi bhiti, ...ladhun marava, marun jagava, hech amahala thav (We are brave soldiers, we fear no one, Dying in battle, surviving as legends is all we know) aptly fits Tanaji Malusare and his Mavale. Every Maharashtrian has images of this brave and faithful warrior etched in their minds. In remembrance of his conquest, Tanaji Malusare has a memorial in the form of his bust installed atop Sinhagarh. The village of Umarthe also has a statue and a memorial installed in his name. Death: 4th February 1670
Posted on: Sun, 04 Aug 2013 19:07:24 +0000
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