Afjal khan biography of william

Afzal Khan November 12, Make PDF. Bijapur had been a province of the Bahmani Sultanate —before its political decline in the last quarter of the 15th century and eventual break-up in The founder of the dynasty, Yusuf Adil Shah —was appointed Bahmani governor of the province, before creating a de facto independent Bijapur state. Yusuf and his son, Ismail, generally used the title Adil Khan.

Even then, Bijapur rulers recognized Safavid Persian suzerainty over their realm. After constant wars, a coalition of Bijapur with the three other Muslim Deccan states—Golconda, Bidar, and Ahmadnagar—overthrew the Hindu Vijayanagar empire at the Battle of Talikota in He reverted to the Sunni form of Islam but remained tolerant of other religions, including Christianity.

Thereafter, increasing weakness permitted Mughal encroachment and the successful revolt of the Maratha king Shivaji, who killed the Bijapur general Afzal Khan and scattered his army. The dynasty left a tradition of cosmopolitan culture and artistic patronage whose architectural remains are to be seen in the capital city of Bijapur.

Afjal khan biography of william: Labour MP for Manchester Rusholme started

Source: The Indian Express. Subsequently a meeting was arranged where the two leaders met face to face for the first and last time. The meeting was supposed to be one of peace; however that was not to happen. What exactly happened is still rather unclear and is shrouded in mystery. But the widely held belief is that the Khan tried to attack Shivaji by holding him in a vice-like grip.

Shivaji, who was prepared for this moment, drew out a baghnakh and tore apart Afzal Khan. Thus was the end of the Bijapur general. However, Shivaji did give Afzal Khan a proper burial with full military honours. Afzal Khan Afzal Khan was an army general in the Bijapur army. Afzal Khan is most well remembered for his confrontation with Shivaji, in which he met his death at the hands of the Maratha leader.

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Afjal khan biography of william: Mohammad Afzal Khan is the

History of Indian Photography An overview of the development of photography, through the various stages in India. It was a clever strategy. While Shivaji's advisors allegedly told him to sue for peace, he vowed to either kill Khan in a battle or die fighting. According to some texts, Goddess Bhavani came in Shivaji's dreams and warned him that Khan wanted to kill him treacherously.

Shivaji sent his envoy Gopinath to Khan's camp who gave the impression that he considered Khan an elder and an associate of his father. The real motive was to gauge Khan's true intentions. Shivaji gave the impression that he was afraid of Khan and refused to meet him in Wai where his troops were garrisoned. He asked him to come to Javli, a small place near the fort with selected bodyguards.

The chosen place was heavily forested. He asked his troops to clear a way for the general and his bodyguards. The place was near a river. Khan's troops were stationed in a scattered fashion across the river. Also read: Maharashtra villagers clash over Shivaji statue, 30 cops injured, over persons booked. At the meeting, Khan called Shivaji a peasant boy.

He also asked him to submit to the authority of the Adil Shahi dynasty and become a vassal lord. Khan then embraced him and held his head in the crook of his arm and stabbed him in the back with a concealed weapon. Shivaji, who knew about Afzal Khan's intentions, was wearing chainmail inside his robes which blunted the attack. Shivaji himself was carrying a concealed weapon called the Wagh Nakh or the nails of the tiger.

The weapon could be easily concealed in the palm of the hand. He tore open his belly with the weapon. His bodyguards neutralized the attack of Khan's bodyguards. Khandoji Khopde agreed to support Afzal Khan on the condition that he would be made the deshmukh of Rohidkhore, which was held by Shivaji's loyalist Kanhoji Jedhe. He promised that he would use his influence in the Bijapur court to get the king to officially recognize Shivaji's control over Konkan and various forts.

He also promised to secure further distinction and military equipment for Shivaji from Bijapur.

Afjal khan biography of william: Afzal Khan was born on December

Finally, he declared that Shivaji was welcome to attend the Bijapur court, or be granted an exemption from personal attendance, if he so desired. Meanwhile, Afzal Khan's unchallenged march to Wai had greatly frightened Shivaji's followers. His well-equipped army had freely plundered the territory of Shivaji, who had confined himself to a fort instead of challenging Afzal Khan in an open battlefield.

Both Sabhasad and Chitnis Bakhar state that Shivaji's counsellors urged him to avoid losses by negotiating peace with Afzal Khan. Texts such as Afzal Khan Vadh and Shiva-Bharata claim that the goddess Bhavani appeared in Shivaji's dream, warning him of Afzal Khan's treacherous plans, and assuring him of victory. After waking up, Shivaji prayed to the goddess, and resolved to either win against Afzal Khan or die fighting.

Shivaji treated Afzal Khan's envoy Krishnaji Bhaskar with respect, and met him secretly at night, urging him as a Hindu to divulge Afzal Khan's real intentions. Krishnaji hinted that Afzal Khan had treacherous plans. Sabhasad states that Gopinath bribed Afzal Khan's officers, and learned that Afzal Khan planned to arrest Shivaji at the meeting.

After learning these details from Gopinath, Shivaji pretended that he was scared of Afzal Khan, and refused to come to Wai for a meeting. The place chosen for the meeting was a crest located below Pratapgad, overlooking the Koyna River valley. One day before the meeting, Afzal Khan marched to Par, a village near Pratapgad, via the Radtondi pass.

His soldiers encamped in scattered places, close to water bodies near the source of the Koyna River. Meanwhile, Shivaji placed his soldiers in ambush at various intervals along the path leading to the meeting point. He set up luxurious tents at the meeting place. Before departing for the meeting, Shivaji left instructions for continuation of his government, in case he was killed at the meeting.

Shivaji took precautionary measures to defend himself against Afzal Khan: he put on thin chain mail and an iron armour under his clothes, and concealed two weapons: the bagh nakh "tiger claws" or metal hooks attached to fingersand a sword said to be "possessed" by the goddess Bhavani. Afzal Khan left his camp at Par with an escort of 1, soldiers.

However, Shivaji's envoy Gopinath argued that such a large escort would scare Shivaji away from the meeting, and convinced Afzal Khan to bring only two soldiers to the meeting, just like Shivaji. Accordingly, Afzal Khan left most of his escort at a short distance from the meeting place, and came to meet Shivaji in a palkiaccompanied by five men: two soldiers, his expert swordsman Sayyid Banda, and the envoys Krishnaji and Gopinath.

Shivaji, who was waiting at a distance from the meeting place, demanded that Sayyid Banda leave the tent where the meeting was scheduled. Afzal Khan agreed to the demand: both Afzal Khan and Shivaji now entered inside the tent, each accompanied by three men — two soldiers and an envoy.

Afjal khan biography of william: According to some historical

He pretended to embrace Shivaji, but then quickly stabbed him with a concealed weapon. Shivaji was protected by his chain mail, and retaliated. Afzal Khan was subsequently killed and beheaded. The various sources differ regarding who killed Afzal Khan, and how: [ 27 ]. Muntakhab-al Lubaba work by the Mughal chronicler Khafi Khanattributes the treachery to Shivaji instead: it states that Shivaji feigned humility and tears while approaching Afzal Khan, confessing his sins and asking for forgiveness after every 3—4 steps.

He then pretended to tremble with fear, and requested that Afzal Khan's companions withdraw to a distance. In reality, he had stationed his soldiers in ambush in every cave, and concealed a bichuwa daggerwhich he used to attack Afzal Khan. After Afzal Khan's killing, Shivaji's Maratha troops, hidden in the forest, came out and routed the Bijapur army at the Battle of Pratapgad[ 24 ] on 20 November 10 November in Julian calendar.

Afzal Khan's head was presented before the goddess Bhavani and Shivaji's mother Jijabai as a trophy, and later buried under the "Abdullah Tower" at Pratapgad. The rest of Afzal Khan's body was buried in Javli. Shivaji's victory over Afzal Khan caught the popular imagination of the local public, and ballads glorifying the event were sung by wandering bards gondhalis.

The Shiva-Bharata similarly describes Shivaji as an avatar of Vishnuwhile portraying Afzal Khan as a demonic incarnation.