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Maratha Navy | |
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Active | c. 1650–1818 |
Country | Maratha Empire |
Type | Navy |
Role | Naval warfare |
Commanders | |
Sarkhel (Admiral of the Mahratta Fleet) [1] | Supreme commander |
Notable commanders |
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The Maratha Navy was the naval wing of the armed forces of the Maratha Confederacy, which existed from around the mid-17th century to the mid-18th century in the Indian subcontinent. [2]
Historian Sir Jadunath Sarkar noted:
Nothing proves Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's genius as a born statesman more clearly than his creation of a navy and naval bases. [3]
In early Modern India, significant Muslim powers such as the Mughal Empire had paid less attention to building the naval arm of their military forces. This scenario changed, however, when the Portuguese arrived in India and started monopolizing and controlling trade on the western coast of the continent. Shivaji realized the importance of a strong navy and commissioned the building of the first Maratha naval vessel in a creek near Kalyan around 1654. He did this to mainly check the power of the Siddis of Janjira. [4]
Shivaji took up the task of constructing multiple naval bases along the coast of present-day Maharashtra. He organized two fleets – one under the command of Admiral Maynak Bhandari and the other under Dαutαt Khan. The Maratha Navy consisted mostly of native Konkani sailors; however, it was commanded mostly by mercenaries, including Siddi and Portuguese. [5] Circa 1659, the Maratha Navy consisted of around 20 warships. Hiring mercenaries was relatively common in Maratha military culture and the Navy was no exception to this practice. The Portuguese naval officer Rui Leitão Viegas was hired as fleet commander, in part because the Maratha wanted to get insight into the Portuguese naval technology and capabilities. The Maratha knew the Portuguese had a powerful navy. The Portuguese convinced their mercenary officers to leave the service of the Maratha; however, the Portuguese allied with the Maratha when the latter went to war against the Mughals. [6]
In 1679, Shivaji annexed the island of Khanderi, which was 11 miles (18 km) off the entrance to Mumbai. In response the English and the Siddi repeatedly attacked the island, but they were unable to oust the Maratha from the islands. [7]
In 1674, the year of Shivaji's coronation, the Portuguese at Goa acknowledged the Maratha naval power and sent their emissary to Shivaji with gifts; they signed a treaty of friendship. Around this time, the Maratha Navy's strength was around 5,000 men and 57 warships. During its expedition to Karwar (present-day Karnataka), the navy possessed around 85 assorted Gallivats (warboat) ranging from 30 to 150 tons and 3 three-masted Gurabs/Grabs (warship). [8]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(October 2023) |
The Maratha Navy fought many battles during Sambhaji Maharaj's reign from 1680 to 1689. Maynak Bhandari, Darya sarang and Daulat Khan were the admirals of the Maratha Navy in Sambhaji's reign.
In the years 1678–79, Shivaji Maharaj started to build the naval forts of Khanderi and Colaba near Mumbai to check the alliance between the Siddis of Janjira and the English East India Company. The construction of these forts was incomplete at the time of Shivaji Maharaj's death in April 1680. Sambhaji succeeded him and immediately completed the remaining construction on these forts. Sambhaji fortified these positions as his strongholds.[ citation needed ]
The Siddis of Janjira formed an alliance with Aurangzeb and started to raid Maratha villages in Konkanin 1681. Aurangzeb had planned to blockade Sambhaji's territories from all sides and raids by the Siddis was part of that strategy. On his part, Sambhaji wanted to capture the strategically important fort of Janjira to dominate trade in the Arabian Sea.In late 1681, Sambhaji launched an amphibious siege on Janjira with 20,000 soldiers from the army and navy, commanding the force personally. Sambhaji planned to win the fort by deceiving Siddi. He sent a party led by senior Maratha Commander Kondaji Farzand to Siddi under the pretext of a fake quarrel with him. The real plan was that Kondaji and his men would explode the gunpowder storage in the fort causing a great loss of soldiers, collapsing the walls and causing panic so that Maratha forces on shore would be able to attack and capture the shell-shocked fort. However, Siddi learned of the plan from one of the female party members and he executed the party members along with Kondaji Farzand. Only two members of the party managed to make it back to shore to Sambhaji's camp.
After the plan's failure, Sambhaji launched a fierce attack on Janjira. Maratha artillery started to damage the fort walls. 300 ships of the Maratha Navy were trying to attack the fort but the strong artillery of the Siddis managed to defend the fort.[ citation needed ] Both sides suffered great losses and neither side was able to gain an upper hand. Sambhaji Maharaj maintained a constant pressure on Janjira and his artillery managed to inflict heavy damage to the fort walls. The Maratha Navy blockaded Janjira from three sides cutting off any supplies to the fort. Maratha forces started constructing a sea bridge from the shoreline to the fort. The bridge started to take shape. Siddis were caught in a dire situation and were battling a severe food shortage. The Siddis realized that if the same situation continues for a few days then Sambhaji's would capture the fort. Hence they pleaded to Aurangzeb for help. Aurangzeb was well aware of the strategic importance of Janjira. He immediately sent General Hasan Ali Khan to destroy the Kalyan and Bhiwandi regions with a 35,000 strong force to divert Sambhaji's attack on Janjira. Hasan Ali Khan destroyed Kalyan and Bhiwandi and was threatening to attack Raigad, the Maratha capital. Sambhaji had almost captured Janjira but was forced to retreat from Janjira to check Hasan Ali Khan's advance. In absence of Sambhaji Maharaj, his naval commander Dadaji Raghunath Deshpande of Mahad took control of the siege. Sambhaji Maharaj later on beat back Hasan Ali Khan to Ahmadnagar but Janjira was saved due to his advance on Kalyan-Bhiwandi. Nevertheless Sambhaji Maharaj and the Maratha Navy managed to inflict severe losses on the Siddis of Janjira and they never ventured against the Marathas for the rest of Sambhaji's reign. The political goal of Sambhaji Maharaj to stop the Siddis from helping Aurangzeb was achieved successfully, even though his military goal of capturing Janjira was not achieved.[ citation needed ]
The Mughal sardars Rahullakhan and Ranmastakhan had captured Kalyan and Bhiwandi in the year 1682. They destroyed the Durgadi fort near Kalyan. Sambhaji immediately wanted to capture the cities back and arrived in the region quickly. He immediately ordered the construction of Parsik fort on the Parsik Hill overlooking the Thane Creek as the Portuguese ships were using the Thane Creek to supply the enemies. Sambhaji Maharaj ordered his forces at Parsik to bombard any Portuguese supply ships crossing the Thane Creek. Sambhaji Maharaj later on defeated Rahullakhan and Ranmastakhan in the Battle of Kalyan-Dombivali and recaptured Kalyan and Bhiwandi. He immediately ordered repairs of the Durgadi fort at Kalyan. Kalyan was an important naval base for the Marathas.
In the year 1682 the Marathas defeated the Portuguese in many small battles along the Konkan coastline, capturing Tarapur, and several other positions. Sambhaji Maharaj was well aware of the strategic importance of Goa. Sambhaji Maharaj wanted to build a fort on Anjadiva Island off the coast of Karnataka in order to block Portuguese naval activity in the Goa region. His forces from the Karwar region landed on the island with construction material to construct the fort. When Portuguese got the news they reached the island and ousted the Marathas. Sambhaji Maharaj later on inflicted a crushing defeat on Portuguese in his Goa campaign of 1683. After this defeat, the Portuguese did not fight against the Marathas in rest of Sambhaji Maharaj's reign.[ citation needed ]
In late 1683 Aurangzeb had sent his son Muazzam with a force of 100,000 troops, thousands of camels, war elephants and cavalry to save the Portuguese from Sambhaji Maharaj's attack on Goa. He ordered him to descend via the Ramdara Ghat into Goa to help the Portuguese. Muazzam's primary objective was to attack Maratha territories in Konkan from the south. Aurangzeb ordered his Mughal Navy at Surat to supply Muazzam's huge force in Goa. The Maratha Navy raided these supply ships and managed to capture a large portion of these supplies. This created a huge food shortage among Muazzam's forces. Consequently Muazzam's army had to retreat because of starvation, disease and constant guerilla attacks by Maratha army.[ citation needed ]
The Maratha Navy reportedly raided Bharuch, an important trading center in Gujarat in 1687.
Sambhaji purchased Elephanta island to check the influence of the English East India Company (EIC) near Mumbai.[ citation needed ]
Sambhaji Maharaj wanted to modernize the Maratha Navy. Hence he allied with the Arab naval commander Jange Khan. Sambhaji Maharaj invited him to Konkan to train the Maratha Navy in quick ship building and usage of artillery. Jange Khan accepted the offer and stayed with his troops in Konkan for six months in 1681. His men trained the Maratha Navy in various aspects of shipbuilding and artillery usage.
Sambhaji Maharaj was captured, tortured and then executed by Mughal forces under Aurangzeb in the year 1689. In his nine year reign the Maratha Navy had increased in size. He continued Shivaji Maharaj's policies to strengthen the navy. During his reign the Maratha Navy firmly held the control of coastline from Tarapur In North Konkan to Karwar in North Karnataka barring the regions of Mumbai, Janjira and Goa. He was well aware of importance of naval warfare and navy. [9]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(October 2023) |
After the death of Admiral Sidhoji Gujar around 1698, the Maratha Navy survived because of the extensive efforts of Koli [10] Admiral Kanhoji Angre. Under his leadership, the influence of European trading companies was checked along the western coast of India. Kanhoji owed allegiance to supreme Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shahu and his first minister Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath. He gained their support to develop naval facilities on the western coast of India, or Konkan. Under the leadership of Kanhoji, the Maratha developed a naval base at Vijayadurg featuring dockyard facilities for building vessels, mounting guns, and making the ships sea-worthy. Their naval fleet consisted of ten gurabs/grabs (warship) and fifty gallivats (warboat). A gallivat had a displacement lower than 120 tons, while a grab could go as high as 400 tons. [11]
Another ship type used was the Pal (Maratha Man-of-war), which was a cannon-armed, three-masted vessel. The grabs had broadsides of 6- and 9-pounder guns, and carried two 9- or 12-pounders on their main decks. These guns pointed forward through port-holes cut in the bulkheads. The gallivats were mostly armed with light swivel guns, but some also mounted six or eight cannons, either 2- or 4-pounders. These boats were propelled by forty to fifty oars. [12] Even during the reign of Kanhoji Angre, the Maratha Government signed a treaty of friendship with the Portuguese in 1703. As per the treaty, the Portuguese agreed to supply cannon and gunpowder to the Maratha, supplies which they needed as they had only a few cannon foundries producing their own armaments. The Marathas signed a treaty with the Siddi as well, thus concentrating all their forces against the English East India Company.
By the beginning of the 18th century, Kanhoji Angre controlled the entire coastline from Sawantwadi to Mumbai, which is the entire coastline of present-day Maharashtra. He built fortifications on almost all creeks, cove, and harbours, such as a fortress or citadel with navigational facilities. Any ship sailing through Maratha territorial waters was to pay a levy called Chouth, which expressed Angre's dominance. [13] Between 1717 and 1720, the EIC made at least two attempts to defeat the Maratha Navy, but were unsuccessful. In response to a EIC ship being captured by Kanhoji's seamen, the British attempted to capture Vijayadurg and Khanderi, but these attempts were unsuccessful.
The Maratha Navy was primarily a coastal "green water" navy, compared to an ocean-going or "blue water" navy. Their ships were dependent on land/sea breezes. The Maratha did not build ships large enough to engage European ships out at sea far from the coastal waters. [14]
Some of the battle tactics of the Marathas (during the reign of Admiral Kanhoji Angre) were as below:
By the mid 1700s, especially when compared to the Bombay Marine, the Maratha Navy declined in power rapidly. Unlike Kanhoji Angre, his successor Admiral Tulaji Angre resisted the authority of the ruling Peshwa (the de facto chief or the First Minister of Maratha Empire). The Peshwas (under Nanasaheb) (in concert with the British) engaged in a war against Tulaji, in which the British managed to get an opportunity to capture and burn a portion of the Maratha naval fleet.
The Peshwas reconfigured and re-established the navy under the leadership of the Dhulap family, in particular Rudraji Dhulap, as he succeeded Tulaji as the Admiral or Sarkhel of the Maratha Navy. The British were easily able to overpower the declining Maratha Navy during the First Anglo-Maratha War. [16] Through the 1760s and 1780s, the Maratha Navy was commanded by Rudraji Dhulap and by Anandrao Dhulap. In the late 1700s, whenever the Marathas were engaged in battles or conflicts with either the British or Hyder Ali of Mysore, the Maratha Navy undertook operations against enemy ships.
In 1818, after the end of the third and final Anglo-Maratha War, the Angre family became a vassal of the British however a small Angre state lingered on till 1840, after which it was finally annexed to British India. [17]
The 2007 Hollywood film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End portrays a character named Sri Sumbahjee, which is a purported reference to Sambhaji, son of Maratha Naval officer Kanhoji Angre.
Sambhaji, also known as Shambhuraje, was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Kingdom. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing wars between the Marathas and the Mughal Empire, as well as other neighbouring powers such as the Abyssinians of Janjira, Wadiyars of Mysore and the Portuguese Empire in Goa. After Sambhaji's execution by Aurangzeb, his brother Rajaram I succeeded him as the next Chhatrapati and continued the Mughal–Maratha Wars.
Kanhoji Angre, also known as Conajee Angria or Sarkhel Angré was a Maratha Navy officer. Kanhoji became known for attacking and capturing European East Indiamen and collecting jakat, seen by Europeans traders and colonists as ransoming of their crews. British, Dutch and Portuguese ships often fell victims to these raids.Despite attempts by the Portuguese and British to put an end to his privateering activities, Angre continued to capture and collect jakat from European merchant ships until his death in 1729. Kanhoji's naval prowess in capturing dozens of European trading ships and avoiding capture has led to many historians to appraise Kanhoji as the most skilled Indian navy chief in the maritime history of India.
Shahu I was the fifth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Confederacy founded by his grandfather, Shivaji I. He was born into the Bhonsle family, and was the son of Sambhaji I and Yesubai. At a young age, he was taken into custody at the Siege of Raigad by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and held captive. He was released from captivity after the death of Aurangzeb in the hope of engineering an internecine struggle among the Maratha factions of Tarabai and Shahu. Shahu emerged victorious in the bloody Battle of Khed and was crowned as Chhatrapati.
Balaji Vishwanath Bhat was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Empire and the Mughal vassals of the Marathas during the early 18th century. Balaji Vishwanath assisted a young Maratha king Shahu to consolidate his grip on a kingdom that had been racked by civil war and persistently intruded on by the Mughals under Aurangzeb. He was called the Second Founder of the Maratha State. He secured a grant from the Mughal court that confirmed Shahu as the legitimate Mughal vassal, at the expense of his rival Sambhaji. Later, his son Bajirao I became the Peshwa.
Murud-Janjira is the local name of a famous fort and tourist spot situated on an island just off the coastal town of Murud, in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. Malik Ambar is credited with the construction of the Janjira Fort in the Murud Area of present-day Maharashtra India. After its construction in 1567 AD, the fort was key to the Sidis withstanding various invasion attempts by the Marathas, Mughals, and Portuguese to capture Janjira.
Suvarnadurg is a fort that is located between Mumbai and Goa on a small island in the Arabian Sea, near Harnai in Konkan, along the West Coast of India, in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
Murud is a town and a municipal council in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated at a distance of 150 km (93 mi) from Mumbai, Murud is a tourist destination. The Palace of Nawab is located in Murud. The palace was built in 1885 for administration purposes. The palace is still owned by the descendants of the Nawab and is a private property.
Kolaba Fort located at Alibag beach is an old fortified maritime base in Alibag, Konkan, India. It is situated in the sea at a distance of 1–2 km from the shores of Alibag, 35 km south of Mumbai, in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. It is a popular tourist destination and a protected monument.
Padmadurg, also known as Kasa fort, is one of five historical sea forts built by siddi malik amber little and located in Raigad District Maharashtra, India. It was built by the siddis to protect the bigger one I.e Janjira fort as it was attempted many times by the portuguese, marathas and other invaders Janjira which was controlled by the Siddis.
Ramchandra Neelkanth Bawadekar (1650–1716), also known as Ramchandra Pant Amatya, served on the Council of 8 as the Finance Minister (Amatya) to Emperor (Chhatrapati) Shivaji, dating from 1674 to 1680. He then served as the Imperial Regent to four later emperors, namely Sambhaji, Rajaram, Shivaji II and Sambhaji II. He authored the Adnyapatra, a famous code of civil and military administration, and is renowned as one of the greatest civil administrators, political thinkers, diplomats and military strategists of the Maratha Empire.
Khanderi is an island with a fort, located south of Mumbai, along the coast of Maharashtra, India.
Maynak Bhandari, born Mayaji Bhatkar, was one of the first Subhedar or Admiral of the Maratha Navy under Shivaji, and helped in both building the Maratha Navy and safeguarding the coastline of the emerging Maratha Empire.
Vijaydurg, the oldest fort on the Sindhudurg coast, was constructed during the regime of Raja Bhoja II of the Shilahar dynasty and restructured by Shivaji.
Gowalkot is a small fort located on the southern bank of Vashishti River, about 10.0 km (6.2 mi) from Chiplun in Maharashtra, India. This fort is guarded by the river on three sides and a trench on the fourth side. Its population which includes Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists. According to old natives of Gowalkot, the history of Gowalkot goes back to a King, who was Hindu and finally was converted in Muslim, his surname was "Chougle", and most of the land in Gowalkot is owned by the Chougle family. All other owner of land in Gowalkot must have either received the land as gift [or bought] from Chougle family must have lost in "kul kaida" a rule by the government.
The Maratha–Portuguese War of 1683–1684 refers to the Mahratta invasion of the Portuguese-controlled portions of Goa and the Bombay area of coastal Konkan. The conflict between the Mahratta Confederacy and the Portuguese in Goa and Bombay, continued on various fronts in between 1683–1684.
Mughal invasion of Konkan (1684) was a part of the Deccan wars. It was a campaign launched by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb to capture the Konkan region from the Maratha ruler Sambhaji. The Mughal forces were led by Mu'azzam and Shahbuddin Khan. The harsh climate and the Maratha guerrilla strategy forced the numerically strong Mughal army into a slow retreat. The Maratha army suffered small losses in this unsuccessful campaign of Mughal Empire.
Tulaji Angre, called Tulajee Angria by English historians was the grand admiral of the Maratha Navy and ruler of Colaba State in modern-day India. Similar to his famous father Kanhoji Angre, he too was an extremely skilled admiral and attacked several European trading ships. His achievements and naval prowess are considered to be greater than that of his father by some scholars and chroniclers. On various occasions he fought against the English, Dutch, Siddis And Portuguese maritime Powers. However, he alienated himself from the Maratha Peshwa, Balaji Baji Rao which led to his capture by the East India Company and Peshwa's forces at the Battle of Vijaydurg in 1756.
Colaba State, also known as Culaba State or Angria's Colaba was a Kingdom and later princely state in India. It was founded by the famous Maratha Navy admiral Kanhoji Angre in 1698. The ruling family of the state, the Angre, were skilled seafarers who controlled the western coast of India from the late 17th century- to the first half of the 18th century, until the Maratha Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao destroyed the major portion of their navy in the Battle of Vijaydurg.
The Siege of Janjira was a military campaign undertaken by the Maratha Confederacy, commanded by Sambhaji, the second Maratha ruler, against the Siddis of Janjira in January 1682. The Maratha forces, led by Sambhaji, withdrew from Janjira to the Konkan region in response to Mughal attacks, leaving a contingent behind under the command of Dadaji Raghunath Deshpande. Despite their efforts, the Marathas were unable to capture the fort, and the Siddis pursued the retreating forces, plundering Maratha territories.
The Shivaji's invasions of Janjira were a series of military campaigns launched by the first Maratha ruler, Shivaji, against the Abyssinian rulers of the sea fortress of Janjira named Siddis between 1661 and 1676. The Marathas attacked the Janjira fort annually, and during the final siege of 1676, the Maratha Peshwa Moropant faced a counterattack by the Siddis, forcing the Marathas to retreat with heavy casualties.