Chhaava This film is being talked about a lot today. This film tells the story of Sambhaji, the son of the Maratha king Shivaji. It is also shown in this film that Sambhaji was sentenced to death by the Mughal king Aurangzeb for not accepting Islam. We have already written an article about this, those who have not read it, go and read it!
READ MORE: Did Aurangzeb Punish Chhatrapati Sambhaji for not Accepting Islam ? Historical Evidence
Now, why did the Mughal king Aurangzeb sentence the Maratha king Sambhaji to death? What kind of person was Shivaji’s son Sambhaji? Let’s take a detailed look at it based on the evidence given by history books!
chhaava – Sambhaji’s Bad Childhood
Historical books indicate that Sambhaji’s childhood was very bad.
We know that Shivaji grew up separated from his father and grew up alone, and his eldest son had a troubled relationship with Sambhaji. Sambhaji left his father at one point and joined the Mughals. People talk a lot about Sambhaji:
- He sexually abused Brahmin women.
- He lived a life affected by drugs.
- He had connections with unreliable, controversial female priests. People talk a lot about Sambhaji about such things.
After Shivaji’s death, Sambhaji accused Shivaji’s second wife and Rajaram’s mother, Sairabhai, of poisoning Shivaji and sentenced her to death.
Such incidents do not fit into the family affairs of today’s middle-class India. Therefore, they are generally hidden and not talked about much. Shivaji had Rajaram and three daughters. But we do not get any information about Shivaji’s relationship with those children. The reason why Shivaji is praised as great is only because of the general good deeds he did! People say that since he was a great man, he must have had good qualities in his family too. But in reality, we do not know anything about his family life.
[SHIVAJI – Hindu King in Islamic India , Page 93]
In early 1678, Shivaji returned to Rayagada and was faced with the problem of properly fulfilling his right of succession to the Bhonsla kingdom. The Maratha king and his cabinet proposed an official plan to divide the property between Shivaji’s two sons after his death.
On this basis, Shivaji’s homeland was divided among his younger son, Rajaram. Sambhaji was then 19 years old. It was planned that Sambhaji should be given the recently conquered Mysore and Jinji territories. Sambhaji openly expressed his opposition to this division of property……
In December 1678, Sambhaji, disgraced by the accusation of molesting a respected Brahmin woman, fled from his father’s watch.
[ THE MUGHAL EMPIRE, Page 215 ]
King Shivaji Tried to Reform Sambhaji
After Shivaji was crowned in 1674, complaints came to Shivaji’s ears that Sambhaji was completely involved in bad habits. So in 1676, Shivaji kept his son in a place called Srinagarpur and kept him under surveillance in the presence of some people. He also arranged for Sambhaji to stay with Samiyar Ramdas for some time to turn him towards the path of devotion. But… No change was seen in Sambhaji’s habits. He continued his old bad habits.
On his return from the Carnatic invasion in 1678, Shivaji noticed that his son Sambhaji’s behavior had changed very badly. Due to this, he kept Sambhaji under surveillance in Panhala Fort. Sambhaji could not bear this harsh action and expressed his anger and resentment against it. On the night of 13 December 1678, Sambhaji took his wife Yesu Bai and quietly fled from Panhala Fort.
[ NEW HISTORY OF THE MARATHAS VOLUME 1 PAGE 250, 251 ]
Sambaji Destroyed the Christian Church
Sambaji attacked Goa with his army of 20,000 soldiers, 4,000 to 5,000 cavalrymen, and 10 elephants. At that time, Sambhaji’s forces entered the Bardez and Salsade regions of Goa (which are parts of Goa) and
- They beat and damaged the villages.
- They destroyed the Christian churches.
- They broke the holy images in those churches.
- They raped many Christian women.
- They carried away the men, women, and children.
Some of these prisoners were given as gifts to Sambhaji’s soldiers.
Some were sold as slaves to Arabs and Dutch merchants at the port of Vengurla.
The Portuguese, seeing these cruel events, complained to Sambhaji that this was not the right procedure.
[ PORTUGUESE MAHRATTA RELATIONS, PAGE 89 ]
The Incident in Which Sambhaji Got the Title of King
Three days after Shivaji’s death, his eldest wife Sairabai declared her son Rajaram as the king in Rajkot (Rayakat). But Sambhaji rejected this. He declared himself the direct king. That is, he declared himself the king here without the support of the people. Sambhaji, who had the full support of most of the Maratha army officers, captured the capital Rajkot without any opposition. He did not harm the deposed Rajaram. But Rajaram’s mother and 200 supporters were sentenced to death by Sambhaji’s government.
[ THE MUGHAL EMPIRE, Page 216 ]
Important Note: This history book clearly states that Sambhaji was not elected as king by the people. He chose the royal position as king himself.
Why did Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Punish Sambhaji
In 1681, Akbar (against his father Aurangzeb) declared himself king. Sambhaji invaded the region called “Khandesh” with 20,000 Maratha soldiers. He arrived at a city called “Bahadurpur”. This was a rich commercial area near the important city called “Burhanpur”. There were many big merchants and rich people in Bahadurpur. Goods from foreign countries (from seven regions) and goods brought from coastal cities were sold in the shops there. These were goods worth lakhs.
For three days, Sambhaji’s army completely plundered the city. The Maratha army plundered the people’s gold, silver and goods. Unlike his father Shivaji, Sambhaji allowed his soldiers to abuse women and commit serious atrocities against the people.
[ THE MUGHAL EMPIRE, Page 216 – 217 ]
The religious scholars (ulama) of the city of Burhanpur and the people of the city sent a written letter to Emperor Aurangzeb. In it, they complained that “Sambhaji’s forces are harassing us. The property of the Muslims is being destroyed. Their honor is being damaged. Moreover, in the future, the Jumma prayers will not be able to be held.” Aurangzeb was deeply affected by this petition and at the same time was upset by the chaos created by his son Akbar……
Aurangzeb brought his central army under his complete control from northern India. In addition, the remaining three princes’ regiments and the armies of the best generals joined him. The imperial women’s council, the royal family, the central administrative officers, clerks, and officials came with this army…..
[ THE MUGHAL EMPIRE, Page 219 ]
After Aurangzeb conquered the Golconda kingdom (present-day Telangana region) in 1688, he planned to capture Sambhaji (Shivaji’s son). For this, he chose Muqarrab Khan, a former Golconda officer. The spies sent by the Mughals informed him that Sambhaji was resting in his Pleasure Palace at Sangameshwar. Sangameshwar is a place in the mountains near Ratnagiri.
Mugarrab Khan immediately crossed the Western Ghats with his army and attacked.
He captured Sambhaji and one of his important ministers (Brahmin Chief Minister) alive. Sambhaji was brought to Aurangzeb’s camp.
Although Sambhaji was a king, he was not given any respect. He is made into a joke and dressed in ordinary clothes and presented before Emperor Aurangzeb. When Aurangzeb saw this, he immediately knelt down on the ground and thanked God for Sambhaji’s capture.
The Mughal officials interrogate Sambhaji. Then Sambhaji severely insults Aurangzeb and the Prophet Muhammad. Thus, it is decided that Sambhaji should be given a severe punishment. Sambhaji is given the death penalty for killing Muslims and for insulting their religious beliefs. They cut his body into pieces and fed it to dogs.
[ THE MUGHAL EMPIRE, Page 223 ]
Conclusion
This shows that some of the things shown in the movie chhaava about Sambhaji and the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb are fictional. The above is about what Sambhaji was like? Why did Emperor Aurangzeb sentence Sambhaji to death? The facts are given as evidence from historical books. This shows that Sambhaji had been on the wrong path since his childhood. This also clearly shows that he was subjected to a severe death sentence for harassing Muslims and speaking ill of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).