2025-02-19 Wed

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born on February 19, 1630, in the hill fort of Shivneri, near Junnars, now in the Pune district.

At the age of 16, he captured the captured Torna Fort. In the following two years, he captured several key forts near Pune, which include Purandar, Kondhana, and Chakan.

On November 10, 1659, he killed Afzal Khan using bagh nakh (metal "tiger claw") at the foothills of Pratapgad fort. On the night of April 5, 1663, Shivaji led 400 men in a surprise attack on Shaista Khan's camp, wounding him in his bedroom and causing him to lose three fingers.

The remarkable escape from the Agra Fort by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Sambhaji Maharaj in 1666 is a momentous occasion in Indian history. Aurangzeb dared not set his sights on Maharashtra while Chhatrapati Shivaji was alive, fully aware of the formidable power that the king wielded.