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Fortress Struggle in South India

Type Event Region India Time 1660

In the 1660s, forts on the Western Ghats and Deccan Plateau became the core of a three-way contest among the Marathas, Bijapur, and the Mughals.

Timeline

  1. 1660–1663Raigad and other sites · MaharashtraShivaji built and fortified a series of hill forts in the Western Ghats, including Raigad, Torna, and Pratapgad, forming a mutually supporting defensive network. The forts stored grain and gunpowder, used steep terrain to offset enemy numerical superiority, and provided bases for prolonged guerrilla warfare.
  2. 1663–1664Pune region · MaharashtraThe Mughal governor Shaista Khan led a large army against the Maratha fort network, capturing the city of Pune and destroying some outlying forts. Shivaji withdrew into guerrilla warfare in the hills; in 1663 he launched a night raid on Shaista Khan's quarters, wounding him and killing his son, forcing the Mughal army to retreat without eradicating the fortress network.
  3. 1664–1669Deccan fortress belt · DeccanIn 1664 a Mughal-Bijapur coalition besieged key forts without success; after escaping in 1665, Shivaji made more active use of a 'capture–fortify–abandon' tactic, striking at supply forts behind enemy lines. By 1669 the number of Maratha-held forts had increased rather than decreased, the coalition was exhausted by constant marching, and the military balance in South India tilted toward the guerrilla defenders.

Sources