05-13-2008, 11:08 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-Bharatvarsh+May 13 2008, 08:04 AM-->QUOTE(Bharatvarsh @ May 13 2008, 08:04 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->In fact I would say this was one of Shivajis bad decisions that fortunately didn't backfire, I can understand if he did it during the early days when he was in need of soldiers, but it was dangerous to hand over control of something crucial like the Navy to a Muslim, all that was needed was one betrayal and a decisive defeat to set back or totally crush the fledgling Hindu movement. There were a few Muslims like Ibrahim Khan Gardi and Shamsher Bahadur who fought and died on the Maratha side in Panipat but these were exceptions in the long history (anyway Shamsher was related by blood being the son of Mastani and Baji Rao, he was only brought up as a Muslim because of the myopic insistence of Hindu orthodoxy, otherwise Baji Rao wanted his thread ceremony performed).
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As ever BhV's lucidity on the matter is admirable. I would however say that looking at Shivaji's records he was fully conscious of the possibility of Islamic perfidy. He never placed a command entirely in Islamic hands. They were always backed up or sandwiched by Hindu commanders. On the naval front the overall command was under the Angre-s (Angria) Tanoji and Kanhoji. With great foresight Shivaji directed Kahnoji Angre to attack the Christian navies on the West coast of India. As Angre launched attacks on Portuguese and British Mullah Haidar Ali Kohari led a part of the Maratha fleet under Angre's command. Shivaji knew well that the Mullah, who was a local Moslem did not have particular affinities to White Christians to turn against the Maharattas. He also gauged that the local Moslem was less likely to make common cause with the African Moslems in case they appeared on the scene against the Maharattas.
I believe there is temple in Pune where apparently Shamsher Bahadur's upanayanaM was performed. I am not sure if this is apocryphal though.
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As ever BhV's lucidity on the matter is admirable. I would however say that looking at Shivaji's records he was fully conscious of the possibility of Islamic perfidy. He never placed a command entirely in Islamic hands. They were always backed up or sandwiched by Hindu commanders. On the naval front the overall command was under the Angre-s (Angria) Tanoji and Kanhoji. With great foresight Shivaji directed Kahnoji Angre to attack the Christian navies on the West coast of India. As Angre launched attacks on Portuguese and British Mullah Haidar Ali Kohari led a part of the Maratha fleet under Angre's command. Shivaji knew well that the Mullah, who was a local Moslem did not have particular affinities to White Christians to turn against the Maharattas. He also gauged that the local Moslem was less likely to make common cause with the African Moslems in case they appeared on the scene against the Maharattas.
I believe there is temple in Pune where apparently Shamsher Bahadur's upanayanaM was performed. I am not sure if this is apocryphal though.