Subedar Tanaji Malusare was a military leader in Chhatrapati Shivaji’s Maratha Empire. He is remembered for his role in the Battle of Sinhagad in 1670.
Wiki/Biography
Tanaji Malusare was born in 1600 (age 70 at time of death) in Godavli, Javali Taluka (Satara, Maharashtra, India).
Family, Caste & Wife
Tanaji was born into a Maratha family. His father’s name is Sardar Kaloji and his mother’s name is Parvatibai. He has a brother- Sardar Suryaji. He married ‘Savitri Malusare,’ and their son’s name is Rayaba Malusare.
History of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Tanaji Malusare
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Tanaji Malusare were close friends, and during their childhood, they used to strategize to capture the fort. Later, Shivaji won many battles with the help of Tanaji, Baji Prabhu, and thousands of Maratha warriors. Tanaji became immortal in history for fighting in the battle of Sinhagad 1670. Tanaji was preparing for his son’s marriage when Shivaji called him to battle. He left his son’s marriage and followed Shivaji. Tanaji fought bravely till his last breath and died in the battle. Shivaji was greatly affected by the death of his friend, and at his death, he said,
‘Gad ala pan sinh gela’ which means ‘The fort has been captured but the lion has died.’
Sketch of Tanaji Malusare with Shivaji
Battle of Sinhagad 1670
In 1670, Tanaji was summoned by Shivaji for a meeting, where Shivaji told him that he had to recapture the fort of Kondana near Pune from the Mughals. It was an honor for him. Tanaji replied that he would liberate the fort from the Mughals at any cost. The Mughal leader ‘Udaybhan Rathore,’ who led 5 thousand Mughal soldiers to guard the fort was a Hindu, but due to selfish motives, he joined the Mughal army. The entire fort was controlled by the Mughals except the western part of the fort which was covered by high rocks. Tanaji decided to attack the fort through this route for which he took the help of a Bengal Monitor Lizard (Ghorpad) named ‘Yashwanti.’ They tied a rope to the lizard and went crawling up to the fort. He managed to enter the fortress with the help of 342 soldiers.
Invasion of Kondhana Fort with the Help of Lizards
Picture Depicting the Invasion of Kondana Fort
Tanaji’s brother ‘Suryaji’ with 300 Mavalas moved close to the gate of the fort- Kalyan Darwaja. Tanaji and Udaybhan had a great fight where Udaybhan broke Tanaji’s Dhal, but Tanaji continued the fight by tying a cloth around his left hand for protection. Udaybhan tricks Tanaji and kills her. Suryaji and Shelar Mama (an old Sardar in her 70s) retreat and kill Udaybhan. The Marathas managed to recapture the fort from the Mughals.
Sinhagad Fort Entrance
Kondana Fort
Picture Depicts Fight Between Udaybhan and Tanaji
Sculpture Depicting Conversation Between Shivaji and Tanaji
Death
He died in 1670, Sinhagad Fort, Thoptewadi while fighting with the Mughal leader Udaybhan.
Facts/Trivia
- After recapturing the fort of Kondana, Chhatrapati Shivaji renamed the fort to Sinhagad in Tanaji’s memory.
- In honor of Tanaji, ‘Wakadewadi’ in Pune city has been renamed as ‘Narbir Tanaji Wadi.’
- In medieval times, the popular poet, Tulsidas composed the poem ‘Powada’ which describes the bravery of Tanaji.
- Vinayak Damodar Savarkar wrote the ballad ‘Bajiprabhu,’ which depicts the story of Tanaji’s bravery.
- A book named ‘Garh Ala Pan Singh Galla’ was published in 1903.
- Now, Kondana Fort has become one of the best tourist spots in Maharashtra.
- Reportedly, the original memorial of the legendary warrior, Tanaji Malusare was found in the Sinhagad Fort, during restoration works. Dr Tejas Garge, director of the Directorate of Archeology & Museums, Maharashtra, said,
While we were restoring the Tanaji memorial, which was built in the 1940s and consists of a base, a bronze statue and a concrete canopy, we came across the original memorial stone under the current site.”
- In 1933, a Marathi film named ‘Sinhagad’ was released in which actor ‘Shankarrao Bhosle’ played the role of Tanaji.
- In 2019, the release date of ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior,’ based on Tanaji’s life has been announced. The star cast of the film includes- Ajay Devgan as Tanaji Malusare, Kajol as Tanaji’s wife, Sharad Kelkar as Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Saif Ali Khan as Udaybhan, Jagapathi Babu as Shelaar Mama, and Devdatta Nage as Suryaji Malusare.
Tanhaji Pahlawan No Dendang
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
