Tanaja Rao Koli

. TANAJI RAO MALUSARE - GENERAL OF SHIVAJI'S ARMY

Tanaji Rao Malusare was a great Maratha Mahadev koli (more details about Mahadev koli are given at the bottom of this article) warrior and brave General in the army of Chatrapathi Shivaji. The kolis are a well known fishing community in Maharastra and Gujarat. They are also spread all over other states in North India with the same community name. These koli people who migrated and expanded into South India came to be known as Mudiraj / Muthuraj. Kolis believe that the emperor Mandhata was a koli king and descendant of Manu, the progenitor of human race on the earth. The kolis being a warrior community, they became chieftains, ministers and administrators in different kingdoms and even they established their own dynasty rule in some parts of North as well as South India.

Tanaji was the Commander-in-chief of the army of Chatrapathi Shivaji, who established his Maratha kingdom in Maharastra region and expanded it to far down South India. Shivaji was a great devout Hindu king who took inspiration from his mother and owed to protect the Hindus from the on slaught of invading muslim rulers from North India. Shivaji had several koli Generals in his army along with Tanaji. Shivaji's early intimacy with the hillmen of the Maval community along the Western Ghats was of immense value to him in his subsequent years. Maratha soldiers were known as Mavlas. Through his mother he was descended from the Yadava rulers of Devagiri, and on his father's side he claimed descent from the brave soldiers of Mewar. Thus, the sentiment of glorious heredity and the influence of early training and environment, combined to rouse.

Mavali => Mavala => Mavla => Maval

Tanaji was a lion hearted warrior man and master's confidant companion :

Tanaji Malsure has also achieved legendary fame; this man from the Konkan was among Shivaji's earliest companions. He was not a military genius but was a lion-hearted man. He was his master's inseparable companion and confidant. His personal courage, his integrity and resourcefulness in the face of danger were in themselves the best recommendation for his close companionship with Shivaji. Tanaji's name has become memorable not because of his closeness to Shivaji, but because he gave his life in circumstances which were both tragic and grand. Even today the Ballad of Sinhagad is sung in every home in Maharashtra.

Some of Shivaji's close associates were also his primary army chieftains, and have entered folklore along with him. These include Tanaji Malusare, Baji Pasalkar, Bajiprabhu, Firangoji Narsala, Murarbaji, Haider Ali Kohari, Prataprao Gujar, Kanhoji Jedhe, Kondaji Farjand, Balaji Avji Chitnis, Netaji Palkar and Lay Patil Koli, and Khando Ballal Under Shivaji, many men of talent and enterprise rose into prominence. Tanaji also known as Sinha ("the Lion"), was a renowned warrior and military leader in the army of Shivaji, a maharaja of Maharashtra in 17th century India. Shivaji called his childhood friend, and one of his ablest men, Tanaji Malusare, for the mission of recapturing Sinhagad. Shivaji had the faith in Tanaji, a giant of a man, and a fiercely loyal general. On February 4, 1670 Shivaji deputed Tanaji, one of his most senior and trusted generals to head a mission to capture Kondana.

Chhatrapati Shivaji had Hindus of all castes and tribes in his army. There were many Kolis, many of them Mahadev Kolis, who are descendants of Maharishi Valmiki. Tanaji Rao Malusare was always referred to as "my lion" by Shivaji Raje and he was the general of the army of Shivaji ( reference : The Story of Historic People of India-The Kolis). The Rani of Jhansi also had several kolis in her army and hence, a number of them were trying to save her life; amongst them was Jalkari Bai who duped the British army by dressing herself as Rani Laxmi Bai and misled the chasing British army in a wrong direction ( reference : The Story of Historic People of India-The Kolis).

'A History of the Marathas' note with pride the bravery of Sivaji's army consisting mainly of Mavalis and Kolis. His General, Tanaji Rao Malusare, who was always referred to by Sivaji as 'My Lion' was a koli. Tanaji was truly a lion and he recaptured the fort of Sinhagad for his master and friend Shivaji by paying his life as price for the fort. When Tanaji fell fighting for and winning the 'Kodana Fort', Sivaji renamed the fort as 'Sinhghadh' in his memory.

Mavalis were the Mahabalis. Mahabalis were the bana warrior people who spread cross Central, Deccan and South India. They are believed to be the descendants of Chakravarty Mahabali and hence they came to be known as Mahabalis. Kaduvetti Muttarasa (Muthuraja) is said to be a Bana king who assumed the title of "Muttarasa". The Mudiraj people are the kolis who spread into South India. Mudiraj community have the descendants of both Mavalis and Kolis in its fold today.

Mahabalis => Mahavalis <=> Mavalis

Mavalis => Mavlis => Mavalas

Imortance of Sinhagad Fort for Maratha kingdom :

Sinhagad or Kondhana, as it was originally called, is situated on the eastern side of the great Sahayadri range and is twelve miles from Poona. It communicates with the Purandhar hill on the east and west by very high, narrow ridges, while on the north and south it presents a huge rugged mountain with a very steep ascent of nearly half a mile. From the slope rises a great wall of black rock more than forty feet high, crowned by fortifications of Sinhagad. The fortifications consist of a strong stonewall flanked with towers and enclose a nearly triangular space about two miles round. The exterior presents on all sides a stupendous barrier so that, except by the gates, access to the fort is almost impossible.

It was this fort of singular strength that Tanaji was commissioned to capture. It had been surrendered to the Moghuls and was now under the command of a very able Rajput soldier, Udai Bhan, who guarded it with a picked body of troops. The loss of Sinhagad, the pride of Maharashtra, had made Shivaji's spirited mother disconsolate. She feared that the tender plant of Swaraj reared by her son would not grow in safety unless the fort was wrested from the Moghuls.

Sinhagad is the most prominant and popular fort in Pune. Sinhagad was once known as " Kondhana ". It is 25 km away from Pune. It is on a high hill 1290 m high. Tanaji Malusare - Shivaji's trusted and one of the brave generals fought a battle here all alone with the Mughal army. He fell dead while fighting in this place and after his death Shivaji renamed this Kondana fort as "Sinhagad ". Sinhagad means fort of the Lion i.e. it was named so because Tanaji fought like a lion.

The Sinhagad Fort looks hardly like a fort today. Broken walls, two ornate gates and a few other structures stand as testimony to what was once a much sought-after place. Its record is marked by tales of bravery and derring-do. How Shivaji's general, Tanaji Malusare, captured the fort, and how the Koli chieftain, Nag Naik, defended it for nine months, are part of the lore. The monument was named so after Tanaji's valiant struggle as he took on the Bijapur monarch's forces successfully. Legend has it that about three centuries ago in 1670 A.D, Shivaji's general Tanaji Malusre, led a force of men who scaled the fort on steep hillside in the dark armed with ropes with the help of giant lizards and defeated the unprepared forces of Bijapur. Tanaji valiantly fought and captured the fort but lost his life in the process. When heard the news, a grieving Shivaji is known to have said, "Gad aala pan sinh gela" (The fort is won but the lion has gone). And this is how the fort got its name, 'Sinh' (lion's) 'Gad' (fort). He means that "We won the fort but lost the lion". This was how it came to be called Sinhagad - the Fort of the Lion. The fort has a memorial inside with a statue of Tanaji. There is also the tomb of Rajaram, the son of Shivaji.

From the time when a Koli chieftain, Nag Naik stoutly defended this fort (AD 1328) against the might of the Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq for nine months to Jaswant Singh, Aurangzeb's commander, who dragged his guns up the fort's steep shoulders to avenge the insult to Shaista Khan, who was rebuffed by Shivaji, this fort has been infused by tales of bravery. It was here that Shivaji's general, Tanaji Malusare launched an attack to recapture the fort. In the ensuing battle, Tanaji valiantly laid down his life, but captured the fort. A grieving Shivaji is known to have said,"Gad ala pan sinh gela" (The fort is won but the lion has gone). And this is how the fort got its name: sinh (lion's) gad (fort).

Tanaji was an eminent assult planner and a valiant fighter :

After Shivaji was crowned, the Kondana fort on the outskirts of Pune, , was stil under the control of a Mughal general. An order was accordingly sent to Umrathe in Konkan, where Tanaji lived, asking him to hasten to Rajgad with his armed retainers. Although he was preparing for the wedding of his son Rayaba, he hastened to go and his men rode post-haste to Rajgad and presented themselves before the great chief. Shivaji cordially received him and took him to his mother by whom the summons had been sent. She famously told Tanaji "If you free Simhagad from the enemies you will be like Shivaji's younger brother to me." Tanaji went forth, for what others advised to be an impossible mission. Tanaji who got his mission from Jijabai set off for his prey.

Shivaji requested his most senior and trusted general Tanaji to head a mission to recapture Kondana. Tanaji Malusare was already occupied with his son's marriage. But for him duty came first, and he chose to go for the mission although Shivaji tried to convince him to attend his son's marriage. Kondana was heavily guarded by the Mughals, and there was only one way to gain access: an almost impossible to climb, steep edge of the fort. Tanaji's soldiers braved all odds and climbed the steepest side of the fort. In the bloody battle that followed, Tanaji led from the front but was seriously wounded. Two pieces of news arrived in quick succession at Shivaji's palace: first that Kondana fort had been captured by Shivaji's soldiers; and second that General Tanaji had gone down fighting. Shivaji quipped "Gadh ala, pan Sinha gela" (paraphrased and translated): "The fort is captured but the Lion is dead !" In Tanaji's honour, Kondana was renamed Sinhagad = "the fort of the lion".

Shivaji Raje realised that to regain control over the Deccan and further the cause of Hindavi Swarajya, the capture of Kondana fort was a must because it was strategically located between Rajgad, Purandar and Torna. Shivaji Raje had several meetings with his top generals, including Tanaji and Suryaji Malusare (Tanaji's brother) and Shelar mama (Tanaji's uncle). Tanaji also gained clandestine entry into the main fort precinct, incognito of course. He went dressed as a Gondhali (devotee of the Goddess Bhavani of Tuljapur) and was allowed free access to the villages surrounding Kondana. He had won the trust of Mahadev Koli who was in the service of Udai Bhan. It was also rumored that Koli presented Tanaji (as a Gondhali) to Udai Bhan, who was suitably impressed by this "devotee" and allowed him free access to the fort.

Tanaji felt that it will be foolhardy to attack the fort from the three sides where the well fortified and continuously manned turrets are. The fourth side had a turret overhanging a sheer cliff. Because of the sheet un-scalability of this cliff, the overhanging turret is very lightly guarded. Tanaji also came to know that Udai Bhan had nightly parties with nearly all his 5000 troops, where alcohol is freely consumed. The attack was planned on a moonless night from the cliff-side.

Tanaji carried out a careful surveillance of the fort and at that very night when he was told that at the overhanging cliff Udai Bhan and all his senior commanders would be celebrating a usual party with an alcohol and dance orgy; Tanaji decided that he should seize this opportunity. With almost all his troops, Udai Bhan had a roaring party on top of the overhanging cliff. Unknown to them after midnight, Tanaji and his brave followers who numbered 300 scaled the cliff using ropes tied to a reptile called Ghorpad. The Ghorpad can stick fast to any surface and a number of adults can use this force to scale a vertical cliff with the help of a rope, one end of which is tied to the Ghorpad. Silently Tanaji and his comrades slunk up to the top of the cliff.

On the other side his uncle Shelar Mama and his brother Suryaji had moved close to the other gates of the forts with another 300 Mavalas (Maratha Soldiers). On a signal from Tanaji, all his comrades who has taken up strategic position all round the celebrating Mughal army, broke into the party and mercilessly fell upon their enemies. They started slaughtering the surprised and ill-prepared and drunken Muslim soldiers. When Udai Bhan saw that Tanaji - the leader of this invading band of Marathas was no other than the devotee whom he had given permission to visit the fort, he flew into a mad rage. On seeing Tanaji, Udai Bhan rushed at him and we are told that for a few fatal seconds, Tanaji started dancing in the same fashion as he had done as a Gondhali (devotee) when he had met Udai Bhan earlier in the day. The enraged Udai Bhan lunged at dancing Tanaji and cut off the arm with which Tanaji was holding his shield. But undaunted Tanaji used his turban to ward off further thrusts from the blade of Udai Bhan's sword and continued fighting him for 2 hours in this state with his wristless left arm bleeding profusely. It is for this feat of Tanaji, that he is called Narvir - Brave amongst Men.At the end of this ordeal, the exhausted Tanaji fell to a fatal swish of Udai Bhan's sword. But Udai Bhan too was throttled by Shelar Mama and thus lost his life. Shivaji Maharaj is said to have said on this occasion "Gad aala, paan Simha gela" (We have won the fort but have lost the Lion - Tanaji). The fort of Kondana was renamed as "Sinhagad" in honour of Tanaji's brave deed.

Shivaji's most conspicuous success was the capture of kondana from Udai-Bhan, its Rajaput Qiladdar (4th Feb 1670). One of the outstanding qualities of Shivaji was in making a correct estimation of men. He seldom made mistakes in the choice of his lieutenants. Among the men whom he selected as his lieutenants, two stand out; they were Baji Prabhu and Tanaji Malsure. Tanaji was accompanied by one thousand seasoned Mavlis. They secretly assembled at the foot of the fort for the escalade. It was a clear, moonless night, the ninth of the dark fortnight of the month of Magh, and it was cold and still. Assisted by some koli guides who knew the place well, in the dark winter night Tanaji Malasure, with 300 picked Mavle infantry men, scalled the less abrupt hill side near the kalian gate by means of rope-ladders and advanced into the fort, slaying the sentinels. The alarm was given; the rajaputs, stupefied with opium, took some time to arm and come out; but in the mean time the Marathas had made their footing secure. The garrison fought desperately, but the mavles with their war cry of Hara ! Hara ! Mahadev ! Carried havoc into their ranks. The two chiefs challenged each other and both fell down dead, after a single combat. The Marathas disheartened by the fall of their leader, was rallied by his brother Suryaji Malusare, opened the kalian gate to their supporting columns, and took complete possession of the fort. The rest was butchery. Twelve hundred Rajaputs were slain, and many others perished in trying to escape down the hill side, The victors set fire to the thatched huts of the cavalry lines and the signal blaze informed Shivaji at Raigarh, nine mils Southwards, that the fort had been taken. He mourned the death of Tanaji as too high a price for the fort, and named it Singh-Garh (Sinhagad) after the lion heart that had won it.

Mahadev Kolis:

Tanaji Rao Malusare was a Mahadev Koli warrior from Western Ghat region which was controlled by koli chiefs for several centuries till Peswas established their rule. The primitive Mahadev kolis are also called Bhills. A Bahamani record dated to the middle of the 14th century gives a convincing proof of the existence of fifty-two Koli chiefs with their Sarnaik (Sar Nayak = head chief), stationed at Junner. Peshwa Balajirao Bajirao in 1741-42 AD took the possession of the fort of Kurag that was under Kolis. After a decade, (1750-51 AD) he annexed fourteen Mahals- areas under the possession of Mahadev Kolis. Thus, all the Mahadev Koli forts in Prant Surgana fell to Peshwas.

Mahadev Kolis, primarily hunter-gatherers, and secondarily pastoralists and agriculturists, have been forest dwellers over many generations and their life revolves around this evergreen forest. Their name may be derived from the Mahadeo or Pachmarhi hills located in Madhya Pradesh. The Mahadeo Kolis occupy the mountainous parts of the Ghats, are skilled and settled agriculturists, and are the most well off among the three tribes.

Mahadev kolis are a sect of Indian koli community and they are the main profession is fishing community in Maharastra and Gujarat states in India. Mahadev Kolis, a part of the larger community 'Kolis', according to Ghurye "the largest and the most well known of the non-Brahmanic and non-dominant ethnic groups in Deccan". Ghurye traces the historicity of Mahadev Kolis back to the period of Ramayana by linking Mahadev Kolis of the tradition of Valmiki, the author of the epic Ramayana. This assumption primarily shoots out of the character of antisocial and tainted militancy among Mahadev Kolis. Mahadev Koli sources claim their descent from the first Sanskrit poet Valmiki, who wrote the famous epic Ramayana. It is not difficult to guess the source of such a popular belief, as one finds corroboratory depictions in the historical records. Some of the eighteenth century commentators on the Puranic texts identify Kolis with Nishadas, a forest living community often mentioned in the Puranic sources. One even today notices a strong sentimental attachment of the Kolis and others inhabiting the high peaks of the Sahyadri to the places, which according to them are attached to Rama, or other popular characters of epic Ramayana. Mahadev kolis worship Shiva and Hanuman besides their own dieties Hirva, Chavta and others.

Mahadev Kolis opposed the British due to its interference in their territories. Finally, before they could put the British administration into any trouble, in 1914 AD. under the criminal tribes act Mahadev Kolis were notified as a criminal tribe. The Maravars and Bedars who are related to Muthuraja community were also notified as criminal tribes by British.

The colonial Gazetteers of Bombay and Hyderabad Presidency bears several reference to Mahadev Kolis along with other segments of Koli population. S. S. Ul-Hassan in 1920 indicates the presence of the Mahadev Kolis in Hyderabad state but Ghurye in 1957 reports that despite his sincere effort, he could not find any Mahadev Kolis group there. Interestingly, captain Macintosh felt that the "Kolis" from the Mahadev Hills (north-west of Berar or modern Vidharbha, which was a part of the Hyderabad state) precipitated into Poona, Ahmednagar and Nasik districts of Maharashtra and therefore known as Mahadev Kolis. The presence of kolis in Telugu speaking lands in 1920s and their subsequent absence in 1950s is a proof that some of them gradually merged into Mudiaj / other fishing communities. It is seen that there are some Marathi kolis ( chunukwad gotram) in Hyderabad today who claim their subcaste as Mudiraj. There are also some Mudiraj people who clain their subcaste as Mudiraj koli. It could also be possible that these Hyderabad Mudiraj / kolis realised that the Mudiraj people of Hyderabad are same as that of Maratha kolis.

The Mahadev kolis have a record of militancy. The British while conquering Maratha dominions had to fight an army in North Konkan in 1818 which had Mahadev soldiers. Around 1830, Capt. Mackintosh was deputed to quell the rebellious Mahadev kolis. Mahadev kolis are also known for their skill in lezim, a jingling rod instrument. The Mahadev kolis are a sceduled tribe in Maharastra today.

In Surgana area Mahadev Kolis admit that most of them were originally Malhar Kolis. Mahadev Kolis assumed a superior position of farmer where as Malhar Kolis figured mainly as village servants. In Maharashtra 'Kolis' in general means fisherman, but it is the Son Kolis who are exclusively fishermen.