Amit Bedi

13 July 1660 CE. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had been under siege for 4 months at Panhala Fort by Siddi Jauhar, general of Bijapur Sultanate. Food over. Monsoon pounding. On the night of 12 July, Shivaji slipped out with 600 men in heavy rain. 10,000 strong Siddi's army pursued him. Shivaji had to get to Vishalgad, 70km away. He had to pass through Ghod Khind. It was a narrow pass, just wide enough for a few men. At the mouth of the pass, his general, Baji Prabhu Deshpande, stopped. He was in his 50s, a Deshpande (village administrator) from Bhor. He had been with Shivaji since the beginning. He said: "Raje, you go to Vishalgad. I will hold here until you are safe. When you reach Vishalgad, fire the cannon - 3 shots. Until I hear that, I will not leave this pass." Shivaji said: HOLD. So Baji Prabhu took 300 Marathas (the Bandal army - his own men) and formed across Ghod Khind. What happened next is in every Marathi household's blood. Siddi's advance guard hit them. 10,000 men. They could not outflank in a narrow pass. 10k had to fight 300 one at a time. The fight went on for 18 hrs. Through the night & into next morning. In pouring rain. The Marathas fought with dandpatta - a 4 feet of blade extending from your fist. They HELD the line. On the other side, Shivaji fought his way to Vishalgad (held by Bijapuri loyalists). He had to take it first. When he finally entered Vishalgad, he ordered the cannon fired. In Ghod Khind, Baji Prabhu was already mortally wounded. He was shot, bleeding. His men later said he was still standing, propped against rock, sword in hand, when the distant cannon thumps rolled through the valley. Only then did he fall. He had held. Of 300, almost all died. Of 10,000, Siddi lost hundreds trying to push through. Siddi Jauhar was never able to get hold of Shivaji again. He went on to found Hindavi Swarajya. Afterwards, Shivaji renamed the pass Pavan Khind (Sacred Pass). It had been purified by blood. Marathi children still learn the line: "Ghod Khind ladhli, Baji Prabhu padla..." #BajiPrabhu #Maratha #ShivajiMaharaj #Hindutva