Daulat Khan (admiral)

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Daulat Khan
Shrimant Sarkhel
Sarkhel of Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg Maratha Empire
Reign1657–?
PredecessorPosition Established
Successor Kanhoji Angre
Allegiance Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg Maratha Empire
Monarch Shivaji (1657–1680)
Sambhaji (1680–?)
OccupationNaval Admiral
Military career
Battles / wars Battles of Janjira
Naval Battle of Satavali
The Khanderi Campaign
Battle of Mumbai

Daulat Khan was the first Naval Admiral or Subhedar of Maratha Navy alongside Maynak Bhandari. Under Shivaji he took part in various Naval expeditions and safeguarded the coast of Maratha Empire. [1] [2]

Contents

Under the leadership of Daulat Khan, Marathas won their naval battle against the Portuguese at Satavali in 1659. Alongside Maynak Bhandari he was a leading commander in the Khanderi Campaign of Shivaji. [3] [4] He also battled with the Siddis in 1680 at Mumbai under the reign of Shivaji. After Shivaji's death he continued to serve his son Sambhaji.

Military career

In a letter from Raigad to the Deputy Governor of Mumbai dated April 4, 1674, Narayan Shenvi described how Siddi Sambul's forces and those of Daulat Khan met in battle on the Satavli River. [1] Reports indicated that Siddi Sambul sustained[ clarification needed ] over 100 men in his ranks, Daulat Khan - 44, but was the winner in spite of an arrow injury. [1] After the battle, he[ who? ] retreated to Harihareshwar. [1]

In April 1672 Sivaji had initially attempted to fortify the island of Khanderi, work was slow however and in September a combined English and Mughal fleet arrived forcing both Daulat Khan and fellow admiral Mai Nayak to withdraw as they were outnumbered and outgunned by the combined fleet. [5]

Seven years later, in 1679, Sivaji sent 300 soldiers and 300 labourers to Khanderi, when the English heard of this they then claimed the island as part of Bombay, the Portuguese in turn claimed it as an old settlement. [6]

Two attempts to turn out the Marathas failed; and even after a naval battle in which the British fleet of eight ships put to flight 50 sail, the English were not able to prevent the Marathas strengthening their forces on Khanderi. The Sidi, as Mughal admiral, joined the English with a strong fleet; but the English commander found that the Sidi did not mean to give up the island if he took it, and held aloof. The Sidi continued to batter Khanderi and then suddenly fortified Underi.

Daulat Khan, Sivaji's admiral, tried to stop this, bringing guns on the mainland opposite. But he was defeated and severely wounded, his small open boats not being able to stand against the Sidi's stronger and larger vessels. For several years after this there were constant struggles between the Sidi and the Marathas for the possession of these islands. [7]

After working with the English for some time in blockading Khanderi, where Daulat Khân (Sivaji's admiral) had established himself, Sidi Kasim suddenly took possession of Underi in January, 1680, and began to fortify it. Two engagements followed between the Sidi and the Marathas. In the second fight Daulat Khan brought guns to bear from the mainland on Underi. After about a fortnight, Daulat Khan again came out with his whole fleet and engaged the Sidi for four hours, but lost heavily. On August 1, 1680, Sambhaji, who had succeeded Sivaji (April, 1680), taking advantage of a dark night, landed two hundred men on Underi. They got within the works before they were discovered; but here the Sidi attacked them and either took or killed the greater number. [8]

See also

References

This article incorporates text from the Imperial Gazetteer of India , a publication now in the public domain.

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gajanan Bhaskar Mehendale. Shivaji His Life & Times. pp. 830–949.
  2. ↑ Sardesai, H. S. (2002). Shivaji, the Great Maratha. Cosmo Publications. pp. 642–650. ISBN   978-81-7755-287-4.
  3. ↑ Imperial Gazetteer of India. Clarendon Press. 1908. p. 225.
  4. ↑ Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: History of the Konkan Dakhan and Southern Marátha Country. 1896. p. 73.
  5. ↑ CAPTURE OF KENNERY (OR KHĀNDERI) ISLAND BY SIVĀJĪ Bulletin of the Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Vol. 4, No. 1 (September 1942), pp. 81-90 (10 pages)
  6. ↑ Khanderi Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume 15: p. 224
  7. ↑ Khanderi Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume 15: p. 225
  8. ↑ Underi Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume 24: p. 131


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