The Mohites of Maratha, who emerged victorious against Aurangzeb in multiple battles

Mohite dynasty history: After the death of Shivaji Raje, the Maratha Empire fell onto the shoulders of Shambhuraje, also known as Sambhaji Maharaj. But his brutal murder in 1689 put the existence of the Maratha community and Hindavi Swarajya in peril. It seemed that the storm of Aurangzeb would blow away the torch of Swarajya, but then a unique warrior pair rose to the occasion.

In this article, you’ll learn about the Mohite dynasty, whose presence kept the Marathas and Hindavi Swarajya alive in Aurangzeb’s era. Hambirrao Mohite was a prominent warrior in the Maratha Empire. He was born in 1630 to Sambhaji Mohite, a military chieftain in the Mohite-Chavan clan of 96 coolies Maratha. Hambirrao was the brother-in-law of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj since his sister, Soyrabai, married the Chhatrapati. After the death of Prataprao Gujar, Shivaji Maharaj made Hambirrao his sarsenapati (commander).

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Mohite dynasty

Hambirrao served both Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje and his son loyally. On 30 January 1681, Hambirrao Mohite and Sambhaji suddenly attacked Burhanpur, a major trade center connecting southern and northern India. The Marathas got property worth more than 1 crore huns in this battle, while the Mughals did not have the strength to oppose Hambirrao’s army. But even before Sambhaji could expand his kingdom, Hambirrao died in 1687 due to a cannon shot on the front of Wai.

Tarabai, Hambirrao’s daughter, was a woman of great strength and original form of women power. After the untimely death of her husband, Rajaram Chhatrapati, Tarabai became the protector of the Maratha Empire and got her 4-year-old son, Shivaji Dittiya, coronated. From 1700 to 1707 AD, Tarabai gave an equal fight to Aurangzeb and played a very important role in uniting many chieftains to form the Maratha Empire. According to European historians, Maratha pride remained intact due to her glory, and Aurangzeb was never victorious over her while she was alive.

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Civil War

However, Tarabai’s craving for power led to a civil war in Maharashtra after the death of Aurangzeb. Shahu defeated Tarabai’s army in the war and destroyed them completely. Leaving this internal war aside, the contribution of the Mohite dynasty cannot be ignored. Without them, the Maratha dynasty would not have progressed beyond Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje. Many Maratha researchers still consider the skill of Maharani Tarabai as iron, and India will always be indebted to her.