Bharat Ki Kahani

  Shivaji's plunder of Surat (6-10 th  January 1664) Surat was arguably one of the richest cities in the world during the seventeenth century. It was the principal port of the most prosperous empire in the world. Gujarati merchants traded across all major trade routes of the world, and their wealth was legendary. Surat fortress was impregnable for a cavalry force. But the city adjacent to it was entirely undefended. There was not even so much as a wall by way of a defensive structure. The Mughal empire was at the peak of its power at the time, and it was not imagined that some group of brigands could dare to mount a raid on its principal port. Early in the morning of Tuesday, 5 th  January 1664, Surat city administration received the alarming news that Shivaji was encamped with a cavalry force 28 miles to the south of Surat and seemed poised to advance over the city. Panic spread throughout the city. The poor were seen moving across the Tapti River with their valuables, women and c

I n the year 1607, Mirza Nathan, a young man barely out of his teens accompanied his father Ihtimam Khan to the eastern frontier of the empire, where he was to serve as  Mir Bahr  (commander of the imperial war fleet). Ihtimam’s armed riverboats were deployed to consolidate the imperial hold over recently conquered areas in Bengal, where restive Afghan zamindars still dreamt of restoring the Afghan Sultanate displaced by the Mughals during the previous century. Shortly after their arrival, Mirza Nathan fell seriously ill. His condition deteriorated rapidly till the seventh night when he had a life-changing vision. In his dream, ‘ the ruler of the spiritual and temporal domain ’, Emperor Jahangir appeared, and thus addressed himself to him, ‘O Nathan! Is this the time for a tiger to lie down? Arise, I have granted you security from pain and trouble through my prayers to the Almighty and Omnipresent Lord. Be quick, rise, and embrace manliness. Be a sincere comrade to your great father. B