#THREAD

Shivaji Maharaj's dream of freeing the land from the clutches of Islamic invaders was taking shape,he was expanding his territory,he was gathering an army of faithful men who were ready to die for the cause.
One such great warrior was Veer #bajiprabhudeshpande
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In 1660, Shivaji Maharaj was trapped in the fort of Panhala, under siege and vastly outnumbered by an Adilshahi army led by an Abyssinian named Siddi Masud. The Adilshahis were the dynasty which ruled Bijapur for many centuries. The ruler at the time was Ali Adil Shah II.
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An ambitious plan was hatched by Maharaj to escape to the fort of Vishalgadh, which was administered by a Maratha chieftain named Rango Narayan Orpe, who was under allegiance to the Adilshahis,
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but who had come to a clandestine arrangement to switch sides and join Shivaji at an opportune moment. There was also a Moghul garrison stationed at Vishalgadh which maharaj would have to defeat.
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Shivaji Maharaj, Baji Prabhu, and around 600 of their best troops, hardened mountaineers of the the Maval region, would dash through the Adilshahi force at night.
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A Mavla named Shiva Kashid, who resembled Maharaj in appearance, had volunteered to dress like the king and get captured. It was envisioned that this would buy some time, before Siddi Masud apprehended the error and gave chase.
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Shivaji Maharaj made his escape on the night of July 13th, with the small contingent of troops. Baji Prabhu was second in command of the contingent.
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Baji Prabhu would have perhaps won no place in history and ended his life in relative obscurity if Shivaji Maharaj and his party had managed a good lead towards their destination...
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But the Adilshahis gave hot and rapid pursuit, with an army of 10,000. It was clear that there was no way to shake of the enemy, and that the Marathas would not simultaneously prevail over both the Moghul garrison at Vishagadh and the chasing Adilshahi army
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The only option was for a section of the Marathas to stay back and fight the vastly larger Adilshahi forces, while the rest of the Marathas would carry on. Shivaji Maharaj decided that this was inevitable.
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Baji Prabhu agreed to face the troops of Bijapur with half of the contingent. Maharaj said that Baji Prabhu would hear the cannon fire from Vishalgadh (the destination fort), as a signal of his safety.
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The strategic position of Ghod Khind (Horse Pass) was chosen for the defense. It was very narrow and only a few soldiers could pass at any one time.
Baji Prabhu occupied Ghod Khind, blocking the path of the pursuers, and made a determined stand against them.
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He knew the great importance of his task – he had to protect the safety of a man of destiny. He was resolved to stand until the last man, outnumbered vastly. Baji Prabhu was severely wounded but carried on fighting for hours, possessed as it were by his sense of mission.
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The Adilshahi army repeatedly tried to break through the defenses of the pass, but were constantly repulsed. The unequal battle raged for hours, with the valiant defenders clinging to their positions, rapidly depleting in numbers.
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Only a handful of Marathas survived, and around over a thousand soldiers of the Adilshahi army were slain
At last,5 hours after the battle started, the cannon fire announcing Maharaj's return to Vishalgadh was heard. Hundreds of valiant Marathas had by then laid down their lives

Baji Prabhu was fatally wounded and died. The dying hero was however jubilant.Having made his way to Vishalgadh, Rango Narayan Orpe switched sides and the combined Maratha forces easily surprised and routed the ill-prepared Moghul garrison

Baji Prabhu had earned them a breather before the Adilshahi forces arrived which had carried on chasing Shivaji Maharaj to Vishalgadh. The Marathas repulsed the Adilshahis inflicting heavy losses upon the latter.
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Shivaji Maharaj later personally visited the house of the slain Baji Prabhu, which was in the village of Kasabe Sindh in the Raigad district and honoured his family, including giving his eldest son a position of leadership and honour in the forces.
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The defence of the pass of Ghod Khind by 300 Marathas led by Baji Prabhu was renamed “The Battle of Pavan Khind” which in Marathi means “The Battle of the Sacred Pass”.
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“The defense…,” says historian Dennis Kincaid, “has become legendary in Western India. The action is remarkable as an example of the spirit which Shivaji Maharaj's leadership infused into his followers.”
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Poems have been composed in his memory, some of which are still sung today. Sri Aurobindo, the great yogi, mystic and revolutionary of the 20th century wrote a splendid poem dedicated to Baji Prabhu,
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Let us hope that Baji Prabhu and his men will be remembered and honoured as long as good and brave deeds are considered worthy of commemoration
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