Our nation Bharat was the golden bird of the globe. It was undoubtedly the superpower militarily, economically, culturally, and politically. After the sultanate invasion into Bharat due to the backstabbing of Muhammed Ghori against Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan, the emperor of Delhi, our nation faced considerable upheavals, most importantly religious persecution against Hindus. The onslaught was defended by valiant warriors, who sacrificed their lives and kingdom, refusing to be slaves under these foreign invaders. It was in these circumstances that across Bharat we had multiple uprisings and rebellions against the Islamic Mughal empire. It was Vijayanagara in the east and the south, Ahoms in the northeast, Zamorins and Cheramaperumals in the southwest, and the Sikhs in the northwest. The most important of all of these were the Marathas under Suryatej Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj. After the surrendering of certain forts to Aurangzeb, Kondhana was recaptured by Subedar Tanaji Malusare of Umrat from Udaybhan Rathore (Mughal Vassal).
The Call For Swarajya
The clarion call for Swarajya was given by Maharaja Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje, to break the shackles and smash the chains of religious slavery which was sought to be imposed upon the Hindus by the Islamic Mughal conquerors. Swarajya was not just a word. It was a beacon of hope to the oppressed, a gateway for freedom against Mughal tyranny, and the only force to destroy religious and cultural slavery against the Hindus. This was not an ordinary vision. It was the ultimate goal to be achieved for every self-respecting Bhartiya Hindu and required the full measure of devotion to reclaim the lost glory of this great country called Bharat.
Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj was not an ordinary person; he was the enigma that every Hindu had hoped for against tyrannic Mughal rule. The bhagwa and Talwar was not only a symbol, but a divine ornament gifted to him by Maa Bhavani of Tuljapur. The desire and thirst for swarajya against tyrannic rule was unquenchable, which gave rise to a phoenix in the form of Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj and the Marathas. The victorious Chhatrapathi coronation of Shivaji Raje Maharaj sent shock waves and deep anguish coupled with jealousy not only to the Mughals but across the globe. The British, the Dutch, the French, and the Portuguese were envious as they did not expect this rise in the late seventeenth century post-1645, as the colonial powers were lurking around Bharat trying to have a stronghold in the mainland. For the Hindus of Bharat, this was a pivotal movement in history that demonstrated to the outside world that Hinduism and Bharat cannot be destroyed and will always remain as resurgent as the Sun and the Moon.
During this period, slavery in India was being practiced by the colonial powers in collusion with the Islamic rulers in Bharat—the victims often being the poor, gullible native Hindus. The Hindu rulers at this time wanted to come under the umbrella of either Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj or the Vijayanagara samrajya. In certain areas in the south, the Vijayanagara Samrajya had fallen due to infighting and was not in a position to defend against the continuous Islamic onslaught. This breach in protection had a direct impact on the safety of Hindus in the Deccan (south). Swarajya was founded not for self-enhancement but for a specific purpose: to break the shackles of slavery imposed upon Hindus and the country by Islamic invaders.
The Deccan Digvijayam
When the Mughals started eyeing the Deccan, Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj could not remain a mute spectator as the founder of the Maratha empire. To fulfill the promise he gave to his father of achieving total swaraj of Bharat from Islamic invaders, he set out on a mission rightly named Deccan Digvijayam. This required him to travel deep into south India, including various places in Tamil Nadu along with his brother. He also visited the Kaalikambhal temple in Chennapatnam, present-day Chennai. After various wars that ensued in Tamil Nadu, swarajya was established there to protect Tamilians and Hindus from Islamic onslaught. Thus began the journey of the Bhosle clan rule in Tamil Nadu, a journey that started 350 years ago.
Being the Chhattrapathi, Shivaji Maharaj knew well the deep scar of slavery imposed by the Mughals and Aurangzeb on the Hindus and Bharat. The spectacle of slavery was in full display as the Mughals and the Deccan sultanate were involved in shipping native slaves including prisoners of war abroad at the request of colonists through Firmans. At this point, Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj was encamped in Tamil Nadu with the mission of total swarajya. This was eventually achieved 100 years later when the Swarajya empire extended from Attock in Afghanistan to Tanjore in South India, Pune in the west up to Bengal in the East.
In Tamil Nadu, the colonists wanted to ensure that trade could be facilitated with the establishment of factories on equal terms with Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj. Maratha economic policy was inclusive of better trade relations with colonists provided the European trading partners would treat them as equals. The recognition given by the colonists established the
Marathas as an undeniable military, political, and economic power. Swarajya and the Marathas became the next superpower in Bharat, especially after the decline of the Mughal empire.
The VOC (Dutch East India Company) in Coromandel had fortified settlements and trading centers extensively on the coast. The northernmost was Bimlipatnam (Now Bheemunipatnam in Northern Andhra Pradesh) and the southernmost was Nagapattinam (in Tamil Nadu, captured from the Portuguese in 1658). The capital was Pulicat (30 km North of Chennai). The fort at Pulicat was named Geldria and was built as early as 1613. In 1676, Ekoji, the half-brother of Shivaji, ousted the Nayak of Madurai from Thanjavur. Shivaji started his famous Karnataka campaign in the same year and captured the whole of Adilshahi Karnataka swiftly in 1677.
As soon as he won most of the Adilshahi Karnataka, Shivaji started paying attention to the administration of the province. In this background, treaties known as Kauls were sought with the Marathas. These kauls were both treaties and agreements signed by the Marathas with external powers including Europeans in Tamil Nadu, comparable to the firmans issued by the Mughals. The Dutch had forts at Tarangambadi, Cuddalore, Tanjore, Palaverkadu (Pulicat near Ponneri), and Colachal among other places in Tamil Nadu.
The treachery of Tallikota and the backstabbing by all the sultanates against the Vijayanagara samrajyam was a wake-up call to all Hindu rulers down south. This was another reason for the ascendance of Raghunatha Nayak to the throne of Tanjore. Fresh from his victory against the Golkonda sultanate, he established his kingdom and capital in Tanjore. He allied with the Dutch and wanted to remove all threats against his kingdom. However, the descendants of Raghunatha Nayak were not as formidable, leading to the Dutch extending their influence into the Nayak administration in Tanjore. This weakened the position of the Nayaks and was seen as a threat to the Hindu kingdom. The attempted smuggling of the Murugan idol from Thiruchendhur Murugan temple by the Dutch, though it ultimately failed, gave perfect reason for the establishment of firm Swarajya rule in Tanjore.
In this situation, Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj utilized the opportunity and laid the foundation for swarajya in Tanjore. As a consequence, the Dutch along with the French realized the potential and power of the Marathas and voluntarily came forward to sign a peace treaty with them. This was the first time in the south that European colonial superpowers sought to establish treaty, alliance, and trade relations with Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj and recognized his power in Tamil Nadu, highlighting the success of his Deccan Digvijayam.
Victory At Gingee And The End of Slave Trade
On 26 June 1677, a Maratha vanguard comprising 6000 troops engaged Sher Khan’s army near Thiruvadi. Sher Khan was forced to retreat and was pursued by Maratha cavalry. The next day, he reached the forests of Bhuvanagiri, south of Thiruvadi, and was promptly besieged there. He surrendered on 5 July 1677, and agreed to give up all his territory and pay 20,000 Hons, with his son Ibrahim Khan kept as hostage. Many other smaller fortresses were also captured. In September 1677, after capturing the famous fort of Gingi, Shivaji began reorganizing the administration of the newly won province.
The fort of Gingee, previously administered by the Islamic Adhil Shahji sultanate, suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj, jeopardizing Islamic hegemony in Tamil Nadu and paving the way for Swaraj. The European colonists wanted continuity of trade, while Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj demanded equality, honor, respect, dignity, and freedom from all forms of oppression. The shackles of slavery lingered in the minds of every Maratha soldier, and Shivaji Maharaj was determined to break the chain of Islamic imposition upon native Hindus in Bharat.
To reach a mutual understanding, the French and Dutch submitted to and recognized the dominance of the Marathas in Tamil Nadu. This was the first time European colonists treated a resurgent Hindu empire with equal respect and accepted conditions in a treaty even when against their interests. After reorganizing the administration in Gingee Fort, Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj granted two kauls to the Dutch.
He granted two kauls to the Dutch East India Company (VOC), one to Albert van Weede, head of Tegenapatnam factory, and one to Jacques Caulier, governor of Dutch Coromandel, continuing their trading rights given by the Adilshah except for the purchase of slaves. Herbert de Jager and Nicolas Clement met Shivaji at his camp at Waligondapuram on 6th August. Shivaji, accompanied by Raghunath Pandit and Janardan Pandit, listened to the VOC’s demands and promised to honor previous kauls. He also held a friendly conversation with Nicolas Clement.
The transliteration of these Kauls, especially the one dated 24th of August 1677 signed in Tegenapatnam (Gingee fort), highlights one vital matter: under the insistence of Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj, the issue of slavery was struck down. He made it clear that “slavery practiced previously in Islamic rule from Gingee, by transporting various native Hindus as slaves abroad in ships can never be continued as long as Swaraj is in force.”
This Kaul significantly highlights that slavery existed in Tamil Nadu through the Gingee Fort under Muslim Adhil Shahi’s rule. There was an agreement between the Islamic Adhil Shahi rulers and the European colonists to continue slavery, primarily involving native Hindu commoners. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj refused to agree with the Dutch to continue this policy and made it clear that there would be no slavery under Swarajya rule as long as he was Chhatrapathi.
This content in the Kaul symbolizes the Hindu religion and Bhartiya culture, which does not permit or recognize slavery of any kind and represents inherent tolerance and equality. The existence of this kaul has been deliberately kept from public view to suit a Hindu-phobic narrative. The evidence clearly shows that it was the Dutch and Islamic rulers who were responsible for institutionalized slavery in Gingee, while Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj stood firmly against it.
For clarity, the exact words pertaining to the abolition of slavery found in the translated Kaul are: (24.08.1677, Gingee)
“During the Muslim rule, you were allowed to buy slaves (male & female) from here and transport the same (abroad), without being hindered by anybody. But now, as long as I am the master of this country, you can neither buy slaves nor transport them elsewhere. And if you were to do it, and bring slaves on board, my people will oppose it in all ways and not permit that they were reduced to slavery in your house. As such, you must observe and honour the same“
- Credit for Translation & inputs from Nikhil N. Bellarykar
- Copyright of document & acknowledgement of assistance from National Archives Netherlands, Hague
B Jagannath is an advocate at Madras High Court and has authored the book The First Native Voice of Madras.
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