The Battle of Pratapgarh in 1659 is known for a singular event – the assassination of Afzal Khan, the formidable commander of the Bijapur army, by Sivaji, using iron claws. Because of the singularity of the event, many historians consider the event not as a battle, but a mere duel, an act of deception in diplomacy, or an act of cleverness. The sophisticated military tactical doctrine behind that incident is often overlooked.
Before going any further, let's talk about Sivaji. By far, he was one of the most innovative and most ingenious strategists in India’s military history—one of the few Indian commanders who innovated his own combat strategies that were suitable for the terrain and his military strength, rather than relying on any textbook theories from Arthashastra or Dandaniti. Whereas most commanders in Indian history till then had stuck to rather known and proven tactics that had been handed down through the generations, Sivaji brought a dynamism into tactical thinking in Indian military tradition. He shaped the tactics that suited his terrain, its weather, his requirements, and the resources available to him.
ALSO READ: Washington’s many ferries to victory
Maharashtra, which was his turf, is a region filled with hills, mountains, bushes, and rocky terrains. Sivaji realised that deploying a large field army in such an area would negatively impact the army's agility. Therefore, he prepared his army in small groups of cavalry that were capable of quick movements. This proved to be his masterstroke in the ‘battle’ of Pratapgarh.
Afzal Khan had a fairly large field army, equipped with large cannons and other equipment suitable for fighting in the plains. Knowing this, Sivaji refused to leave his fort in the hills and descend to the plains. With the intention of crushing the enemy in his own stronghold, Khan moved towards the hills.
As the paths leading to the mountains were very narrow, Afzal Khan was forced to abandon his large cannons and war materials in the plains and ascend the ghats. Knowing that the advancing Bijapur army would need places to rest and camp in the mountains, Sivaji instructed the local people along the route to vacate their villages. He calculated that the advancing Bijapur army, upon seeing the deserted villages, would establish encampments there and rest.
That's exactly what happened. The Bijapur army, divided into three parts, camped in small formations and advanced in a leisurely manner. Sivaji, observing all this from his hilltop fort, also divided his army into three and kept them ready under the leadership of Netaji Palkar, Kanhoji Jedhe, and Baji Pasalkar. The Maratha troops, who reached behind the enemy quietly through the narrow mountain passes known to them, cut down trees and blocked the enemy's downhill escape routes.
It was against the backdrop of these preparations that the famous meeting between Sivaji and Afzal Khan took place, and Sivaji assassinated the giant-sized Afzal Khan using iron claws. And as soon as the Khan fell, the Maratha army, as they had planned, attacked and defeated the Bijapur army.
Sivaji was the first commander in Indian history to devise a guerrilla warfare style that avoided direct frontal assaults and instead delivered small, damaging blows to the enemy from the flanks.
