Samskruti Adhyayana Kendra(a unit Samskruti Foundation) and Shivaji Sphoorti Kendra,
Srisailam,Hydrabad conducted a National Conference on ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji’s
Statecraft: Lessons for Modern India’.
Many facets of his
personality and his Hindavi Swarajya were presented in this conference by more
than 35 experts.
I
was asked to present “Shivaji Maharaj Armed Forces, Ordnance Management,
Military Strategy and Tactics”. This presentation is covered in the form of three
articles.The first article covers the following aspects:-
·
Enemy Then- Mughal/Adil shahi/ Kutub Shahi Army
·
Their Organization
Of Camps/Firm Base For Campaigns
·
Their Battle Tactics
·
Analysis Weaknesses Mughal Army
Shivaji Maharaj was a
Statesman of outstanding ability, he was energetic and enterprising, far Sited
and secretive in his operations. His lively imagination, was tempered with a
profound common sense. He possessed the skill to fashion a Maratha army,an
instrument of War which was fitted his own military genius and the 16—1700
century in which he was fighting,the Mughals,Adilshahi and the Kutubshahi. He
was a staunch disciplinarian and a marvellous organizer. Throughout his life,
he never lost sight of his aim that was Swarajya. He was optimistic and
possessed indomitable spirit which could neither be quelled by adversary nor in
satiated by the success.
As a leader of men he was
not only the brain but the sound of the Maratha Army. He magnetised all who
came into contact with him and knew how to stir their hearts and make them do
heroic deeds. The wellbeing of his soldiers was his constant concern. He had
won their trust and devotion not only by leading from the front but also so by
his daily concern in their welfare and happiness. He rose naturally to be the
king of Marathas, all men saw him, that he was such. His highest moral virtue
was outlook towards women, he had an extra ordinary respect for them. He
abhorred rape, violence and punished severely those who were guilty of these
crimes.
All
in all he was a military genius and an all time great hero that all Indians
need to study and follow. In this article it is proposed to carry out an
analysis of the armed forces that he created ,which was based upon appreciated
weaknesses of the their armed forces, their strategy and tactics and also were
most suitable to the terrain in which he operated to fight the enemy in the
mountain ranges of Western Ghats.
Enemy
Then-
Mughal/Adil shahi/ Kutub Shahi Army
The enemy then was Mughal, Adilshahi, Kutubshahi, and subversieve
elements within. Shivaji Maharaj had studied the armies of the enemy, their
strategy and tactics, their strong points and weak points. He there after
organized his own army,evolved Indian way fighting,used innovative strategy and
tactics to out maneuver his enemy. A
brief analysis is given in succeeding paras.
Infantry
Infantry
was considered as inferior to the cavalry.Strength- was
10,000 with emperor.30,000 soldiers were assigned to Subas(states) and
forts.The weapon were swords and matchlocks. Shihabandi was a para military
force used for policing jobs.
Cavalry
Cavalry
was the strong point of these armies and
was the most powerful arm. Ahadis cavalalary were paid by emperor directly .Mansabdars
were required maintain numbers of cavalry as per their ranks some standing,
some reserve.The weapons used by them were sword,shield and long bow.The mounts
they used wereTurki,Tazi,Yabu Breeds mostly foreign.
Artillery
Super heavy artillery, was mainly used in forts for protection,the
projectiles/shot upto 100 kg were used.Siege artillery which was used to
capture forts ,used upto 50 kg of shot .
Elephants
Elephants were status symbol for important Sardars and were cause of many
defeats, as they could be identified easily and neutralized by
long range weapons such as bow and arrows. Attacking elephants and making them
run amok was also a common tactics used to defeat them.
Elephants
and camels were used for towing heavy artillery and for Ordnance management
,both during peacetime and campaigning season.
Strength Armed Forces
The strength of Mughal
army was 2 lakh horsemen but available
immediately was 50,000-60,000 cavalry,5-10,000 infantry. Adilshahi and Kutubshahi fielded-30,000
cavalary.There was no standard
uniform.The soldiers belonged to various ethnic groups,hence team work
,cohesive ness was lacking.
Organization Of Camps/Firm Base For Campaigns And Battles
The Mughal camp was like a mobile city .During
campaigns they had one lakh foot soldiers,50,000 cavalry. Sellers
of food far exceeded combatants.Their number was 500,000 persons,50,000
camels,3000 elephants.
Ordance,Supplies,Logistics
The supply required per horses was -6 kg/day, soldiers received 1.5-2 kg
/day.10,000 horse men required 70-80 tons/supplies
per day.Roads were necessary for artillery-hence arty was left behind but it required protection and was a good
target for the Marathas. Long line of supplies were not secure. As there
were no roads, plains of north India was
suitable for pitched battles but Shivaji Maharaj made them fight in the hills
of western Ghats, terrain very unsuitable for Mughal armies.
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