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Shivaji and Afzalkhan: How to Overcome a Powerful Enemy

Bronze bust of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Podcsats by gaathastory

On occasion of birth Anniversary of Shivaji, we are presenting a story from his life. Shivaji was a great warrior King and he established the Maratha empire in the second half of 1600s.
In this story, Shivaji used guile to overpower Afzal Khan, who was a very powerful warrior. The moral of this story is that with wit and guile, one can overcome even a powerful enemy.

Listen to this story by clicking below


According to Wikipedia,

In 1659, Adilshah sent Afzal Khan, an experienced and veteran general to destroy Shivaji in an effort to put down what he saw as a regional revolt.
The two met in a hut at the foothills of Pratapgad fort on 10 November 1659. The arrangements had dictated that each come armed only with a sword, and attended by a follower. Shivaji, either suspecting Afzal Khan would attack him or secretly planning to attack, wore armour beneath his clothes, concealed a bagh nakh (metal “tiger claw”) on his left arm, and had a dagger in his right hand.In the fight, Afzal Khan’s dagger was stopped by Shivaji’s armour, and Shivaji’s weapons inflicted mortal wounds on the general; Shivaji then signalled his hidden troops to launch the assault on the Bijapur troops.

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