300 which happened in India !!!!

Many people must have watched 300 movie and amazed at the valor of Greeks who stopped an army 10-20 times it’s size. The story is of the battle of Thermopylae but no movie maker would know a similar story which happened in India.

After killing Afzalkhan, Shivaji Maharaj had made a name for himself throughout India. Adilshahi which ruled the most of Deccan suffered a paralytic attack due to the death of it’s most famous and cruel general. No one in the Adilshahi court was ready to take on the “mountain rat”. Finally, it came down to Tiger of Kurnool called Siddi Johar an Abyssinian general. He attacked with a large army and vowed to arrest Shivaji. To avoid any discomfort to the people of his kingdom Shivaji took refuge in Panhala fort which was the border of Swarajya.

The game of cat and mouse had begun. Siddi Johar laid siege to Panhala with Shivaji trapped inside for months. Several Maratha attacks to break the siege and free Shivaji failed. Shivaji expected that torrential rains will loosen Siddi’s grip and he would escape easily. But Siddi was an experienced general and did not allow any lapses. To make matters worse Mughals and Britishers also helped him to fizzle out the torch of Swarajya.

Finally on a dark monsoon night, Shivaji escaped from the fort with 600 soldiers being led by his general Baji Prabhu Deshpande. The same day he had sent a letter of surrender to Siddi saying that he is ready to get arrested tomorrow. With help of his spies he escaped through a gap in the siege. As they were traversing the path to Vishalgad , another fort, they were spotted by the spies of Siddi. To trick the enemy, the group split into two, with Shiva Kashid, Shivaji’s barber sitting in the palanquin and original Shivaji escaping with another group. The first group was caught by the enemy and taken back to the camp, only to realize that they had been tricked.

The hot pursuit began again, and the enemy closed on the second group near a pass called Ghodkhind, named such because only one horse could pass through it. Bajiprabhu was requesting Shivaji to take half of the soldiers and proceed but Shivaji wanted to fight. It is said that Bajiprabhu told Shivaji, that you can get 100 Bajiprabhu but without you there will be no Baji. With a heavy heart Shivaji proceeded and Bajiprabhu with his 150-200 soldiers got ready to fight an epic battle. The enemy numbered in excess of 2000 and attacked several times to pass through. But all the soldiers and Baji himself showed indomitable courage and persistence to block the pass. The fight went on for 8-10 hours and finally when Baji heard the canon fire as a sign of Shivaji reaching safely to Vishalgad, he laid down his life. Maratha soldiers had walked and fought for 24 hours continuously without any sleep or refreshments.

Shivaji Maharaj was saved and so was FREEDOM. Today is the day when Bajiprabhu laid down his life to become immortal in the history of India.
HAR HAR MAHADEV !!!!