Maratha–Mughal Tensions

Timeline

1. 1641–1645Western Deccan hills · MaharashtraThe Shahji Bhosale family shifted its allegiance between Bijapur and the Mughals, while Shivaji won the support of jagirdars and other strongmen in the Pune hills. Mughal administrative penetration of the Deccan and Bijapur's local decentralization gave Maratha armed forces room to exploit.
2. 1645–1647Trindvad Fort · MaharashtraCombining surprise attacks with inside help, Shivaji successively captured forts such as Trindvad and Rulla, establishing an initial base. The Bijapur court dispatched generals to suppress him without success, and the Mughal Deccan authorities also began to take alarm at the rise of this local power.
3. 1648–1650Deccan · DeccanBy around 1650, though the Mughals and Bijapur remained the main powers, Shivaji's guerrilla warfare and fort network already threatened taxation and trade routes in the southern Deccan. Relations reached a tipping point from indirect friction to open military confrontation, building toward larger conflicts in the 1650s.