Shivaji's Sack of the Port of Surat

Timeline

1. 1663West coast of India · West CoastThe Mughal governor Shaista Khan strengthened the blockade of the west coast, restricting the Marathas' access to gunpowder and salt and seizing their merchant ships. Shivaji responded by raiding the empire's fiscal center, intending to break the economic siege and demonstrate military strength.
2. 1664Surat · GujaratShivaji led elite troops in a night attack on Surat, seizing the city gates and customs district, and plundering the Mughal treasury, the mansions of wealthy Hindu and Muslim merchants, and the English East India Company and Dutch trading posts. Resistance from the garrison and citizens was limited, and the Marathas withdrew within days carrying large quantities of gold, silver, cloth, and spoils.
3. 1664–1665Delhi · North IndiaAurangzeb was enraged upon hearing the news, ordering the strengthening of west coast defenses and planning a large-scale expedition against the Marathas. European trading posts reported the raid to their home countries, exposing the vulnerability of Surat as the Mughals' largest port and prompting the empire to wage continuous frontier wars against the Marathas in the following years.