Battle of Wai

About 

  • The Battle of Wai was fought in the fall of 1687 as a part of the Mughal–Maratha Wars.
    • Sambhaji sent his forces under his senapati, Hambirao Mohite, to oppose the Mughal army led by Sarja Khan. 
  • The Mughal’s were drawn into the dense jungles near Wai and Mahabaleshwar where the battle ensued and the Marathas were eventually victorious.

Who was Sambhaji?

  • He was the eldest son of the celebrated Maratha emperor, Chhatrapati Shivaji, and the second ruler of the kingdom after his father’s death. 
  • He ruled the Maratha empire for a short nine-year period.  He is remembered for sacrificing his life to protect his people and beliefs. 
  • After Sambhaji’s key commander Hambirao Mohite was killed by the Mughal troops in the Battle of Wai in 1687, the Maratha army began to fall apart, and the emperor was spied on by his own relatives.  
    • Finally, Sambhaji and his advisors were arrested by the Mughal forces of Muqarrab Khan in a skirmish at Sangameshwar in February 1689 and were taken to Bahadurgad, present-day Ahmednagar district, by the troops of Aurangazeb. 
    • Sambhaji and other captives were tortured and humiliated in front of the Mughal troops and finally sentenced to death. 

Source: IE