Vicky Kaushal ‘Chhaava’ fervour: How did Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Kavi Kalash die? 5 FACTS

Vicky Kaushal-starrer ‘Chhaava’, a historical drama based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is running successfully in theatres. The Laxman Utekar directorial had won the critics and masses alike, crossing the Rs.100 crore mark in the opening weekend. 

Historically, Sambhaji went down fighting against Aurangazeb of the Mughal dynasty during the Deccan Wars. The young monarch's ultimate sacrifice after years of war resulted in further solidification of the Marathas, who got a new-found cause to fight the Mughal aggression. 

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Fans on social media praised Vicky Kaushal's transformation as the Maratha King, who is a forgotten hero of Indian history. According to reports, many viewers are leaving theatres teary-eyed, shocked by the great horrors and torture that was inflicted on Sambhaji before his execution. Justifiably, a commercial movie may add, omit or fictionalise historical facts for cinematic purposes. While ‘Chhaava’ is widely praised as an earnest attempt to pay homage to a brave Indian warrior, some details of the war and the King's demise were likely to be left untold. Here are five things that reliable reports say about the Maratha-Mughal conflict and Sambhaji's execution.  

1. How did Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj die? There are multiple theories about the final days of Sambhaji after his capture at Sangameshwar. Sambhaji was in the company of a small party of his soldiers when ambushed by a larger Mughal army led by Muqarrab Khan. He was betrayed by Soyarabai Bhosale and the Shirke clan, who leaked information about his position to the enemy. Although the Marathas fought back the first wave, allowing their King and his minister Kavi Kalash to escape unhurt, he was later caught from a temple by by Muqarrab Khan's forces. 

2. Sambhaji and Kavi Kalash were chained and presented before Aurangzeb at Bahadurgad. The Sultan had them dressed as buffoons -- putting the long fools’ caps on their heads and bells tied before being paraded on camels for the public to see. The people loyal to Aurangzeb spat and insulted them further, reports claimed. 

3. One theory claimed that Aurangzeb was willing to spare Sambhaji's life if he was ready to embrace Islam. In exchange for his life, the Mughal ruler also demanded the surrender of all forts held by Sambhaji, revealing locations of hidden Maratha treasures and exposing Mughal officers who were Maratha informants in disguise. Sambhaji responded by asking for the hand of the Sultan's daughter in return for his cooperation before hurling the worst abuses imaginable at Aurangzeb and his Prophet, BusinessLine said in a report. An angry Aurangazeb ordered Sambhaji's execution by torture.

4. JL Mehta's 'Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813' stated that the torture of Sambhaji and Kavi Kalash went on for over a fortnight. For the insults he made, Sambhaji was blinded using hot iron rodes, the same night. Some reports claim the duo's tongues were also plucked. Over the days, the King's bones were crushed one by one and flayed on a daily basis, peeling off his skin. Tiger claw was used to inflict wounds on them so that a slow, painful death awaited them, Wikipedia claimed.

When taken for execution, Sambhaji could hardly walk as a consequence of the torture. On a new moon night, they were taken to Koregaon on the Bhima river banks. Before decapitation, Mughal soldiers hacked off the King's limbs and fed them to the dogs, multiple reports said. Sambhaji and Kavi Kalash's severed heads, stuffed with straw, were taken around the nearby cities and put on display before being thrown away. “Therefore, after the arrival of the Emperor (Aurangzeb) at Koregaon on Sunday the 3rd March, he was executed along with Kavi Kalas with the sword on Monday, the 11th March 1689,” 'Maasir-I-Alamgiri', Persian text authored by Saqi Must'ad Khan on Aurangzeb reportedly says about the execution.

5. Civilians were warned to leave the body parts, particularly the heads, behind to rot. Any attempt to honour or create them would attract the Sultan's wrath, the subjects were told. However, memebers of the Dalit community, who saw the heads at a village called Vadhu, found the courage to pay homage to the fallen heroes. They searced and found more body parts and stitched it to the head before conducting the cremation. This theory is reportedly contested by the Kunbi-Marathas, who claim it was their ancestors who stitched the King's body parts together to give him a respectful farewell.