Maratha Raids on Khandesh in the 1670s

Timeline

1. 1671–1673Northern Khandesh · KhandeshAfter the great sack of Surat in 1670, Shivaji turned his attention north, sending small forces across the Western Ghats into Khandesh to attack local strongmen and Mughal tax collectors. Operations in this phase focused on scouting terrain and establishing contacts; no decisive battle was fought with Mughal main forces, but the governor of northern Deccan was already forced to strengthen frontier defenses.
2. 1674–1676Dhulia–Jalgaon line · MaharashtraAfter Shivaji's coronation in 1674, the Marathas launched more systematic raids in Khandesh: capturing several forts, collecting chauth (a one-quarter tax), and supporting local anti-Mughal forces. The Mughals dispatched Bahadur Khan and others in counterattack; the two sides seesawed, and the Marathas repeatedly escaped using their mobility advantage between mountains and plains, making Khandesh a prolonged battlefield that wore down Mughal military strength.
3. 1677–1679Khandesh · KhandeshAfter 1677, the Marathas maintained regularized raids in Khandesh, tying down Mughal northern-front forces and preventing them from concentrating on an all-out southern attack against the Maratha heartland. Coordinated with operations toward Bijapur on the southern front, this strategy reflected Shivaji's multi-front, offense-as-defense military thinking, and also pre-opened a corridor for later Maratha expansion into Gujarat.