This day, the 10th of November in 1659, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj disemboweled Afzhal Khan with his wagh nakh and stabbed him with a bichu near Pratapgad Fort. Afzhal Khan was eventually killed.1659. There was a possibility of battle between Adilshahi Sultanate and Maratha forces. Chhatrapati Shivaji was in Pratapgad Fort in Satara then. Afzhal Khan, commander of the Adilshahi Sultanate, offered for negotiations and a peace pact with Shivaji. By then Afzhal Khan had already desecrated the temples of Tuljapur, Pandharpur, and Shikhar Shingnapur. He sl@ughtered a cow in front of the temple of Goddess Bhavani in Tuljapur. Here is an excerpt from #SaffronSwords (https://www.amazon.in/Saffron-Swords…/dp/B07Q139493) from Chapter 5 on Bajiprabhu Deshpande:”Actually, it was the Muslim commander’s secret plan to kill Shivaji during the meeting and thereby subdue the Marathas without use of force. Afzhal Khan offered to meet Shivaji in person. The meeting place decided was Par, a village lying one mile south of Pratapgad Fort. A crest below Pratapgad Fort was chosen as the venue. The meeting was arranged with two personal bodyguards accompanying the leaders on each side.There was a track record of Afzhal Khan deceiving negotiators during meetings. In 1639, he treacherously murdered Kasturi Ranga, the king of Sera, a small South Indian kingdom, during a meeting. Shivaji went to meet Afzhal Khan after equipping himself with weapons hidden from view — bichu, a stiletto-like thin dagger and the wagh nakh (tiger claws), consisting of an iron finger-grip with four razor claws, which he concealed within his clenched fist. He wore armour under his clothes and a steel helmet under his turban.In the meeting, Afzhal Khan applied his treacherous tactics and secretly attacked Shivaji during an embrace. Shivaji immediately reciprocated, disemboweling him with the wagh nakh and stabbing him with the bichu. A combat followed. Sambhaji Kavji, Shivaji’s bodyguard killed the heavily injured Afzhal Khan.After the death of Afzhal Khan, the Bijapuri army fled. Shivaji with his army pursued them and pushed into the Bijapuri territory. The Marathas captured Panhala Fort located near the city of Kolhapur. This fort was under the Bijapuri Sultanate from the beginning of the 16th century. Another Maratha force under the commandment of Netaji Palkar attacked Bijapur. The Adilshahi army foiled their attempts. Shivaji with few of his commanders and soldiers retreated to Panhala fort. This was the fort where Shivaji spent the next 500 plus days till Bajiprabhu Deshpande facilitated his safe passage to another location.”
– Manoshi Sinha
