Here at Raigad, all Shivaji Maharaj’s last rites, were performed by Sabaji Bhosale Shingnapurkar in Rajaram’s presence. Rajaram was installed on the throne on 21 April 1680 and the conspirators began preparations to secure Raigad against any probable attack. Annaji ordered Aavji Ballal to write letters and dispatched them with messengers Khandoji Naik and Ganoji Kavla. They were addressed to Hiroji Farzand and Sonaji Naik Banki. The purport of the letter was, “Keep Sambhaji under tight security and stay alert around him.”
It was impossible for anybody to have kept the news of Shivaji Maharaj’s death secret for more than one or two days. Even though Raigad’s gateways had been kept closed for the security, the families of the ministers were living beneath the fort at Pachad, from where the news naturally spread everywhere. The news had travelled up to Rajapur even before 19 April. It had to be relayed to Moropant and others too. Sambhajiraje got this news within ten days. The people he had dispatched to various places to gather some information began returning and meeting him. Even before these people began returning, he had himself performed the related auspicious post-death bathing rites. The spies brought him the news that Hambirrao was not on his sister’s side and was supporting Sambhajiraje. People did not want a young king in a crisis when Badshah himself was about to enter the Deccan political scene. Rajaram had been made to ascend the throne and the ministers were amassing an army by paying appropriate salaries in advance. They were no longer ashamed of openly declaring against Sambhajiraje.
Based on various contemporary news reports, Sambhajiraje had dispatched his trusted men even before 19 April to Rajapur and other places and tried to collect provisions at Panhala. Similarly, he had invited all the Subedars and Havildars in the kingdom to Panhala. So, everybody was travelling there. Whoever did not accept his power immediately, all of them were suspended, and some were transferred. The contemporary letters prove this without doubt. Annaji had to recruit new soldiers by providing them advance salary, meant that either the people around Raigad had not accepted the takeover of the administrations by the ministers, or they did not have their own forces. Since everybody had begun to go to Panhala, the preparations there were in full swing. Sambhajiraje wrote a letter to Hambirrao to the effect, that Shivaji Maharaj had entrusted the responsibility of the kingdom to him. He had asked Hambirrao to relay the news to Anandrao and Manaji as well and asked him to remain ready to protect the kingdom against the Mughal invasion. Sambhajiraje was not even counting the movements by Annaji or Moropant. His view was, to rise against him was to bring destruction upon themselves. If the Badshah’s impending invasion had not been hovering over the kingdom, the ministers could have easily propped up the young heir, disregarding scripture, Hindu tradition, and their own pledges taken in front of the sacred fire at the time of Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation and carried out the administration through Soyarabai’s offices. Not only this, but the contemporary opinion of the general public seems to have been that these shrewd ministers would also invite the Mughals and would finish-off the Hindavi Swarajya of the Sahyadri for their own selfish interest. Therefore, it was necessary for Hambirrao to join Sambhajiraje with the whole army and remove the crisis that had arisen for Hindavi Swarajya. Therefore, it looks like all, including the Commander-in-Chief, subordinate officials, all of Maharashtra’s castes, came together and prepared to check the activities of a few selfish ministers at the top. As per the contemporary accounts, at least till the end of April, Sambhajiraje had only imprisoned or suspended people suspected of treason. The British had begun discussions regarding the administration with Sambhajiraje. Even the Portuguese at Goa, amid the political moves leading to open hostilities between them and the Marathas, had stopped their moves, and on 28 April, had informed their consolations for Shivaji Maharaj’s death, and their willingness to maintain friendly relations with the Marathas to Sambhajiraje through his Subedar. In summary, instead of quickly leaving Panhala, and raising the dust at Raigad, Sambhajiraje had quietly begun to oversee the administration while staying at Panhala itself.
To be continued…
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