Enlightenment · South Asia · War

1671

Shivaji Sacks Surat Again

1671

The Maratha warlord Shivaji Bhonsale, having raided the rich Mughal port of Surat in 1664, returned for a second assault. His fast-moving cavalry, operating from hill forts in the Western Ghats, was proving the single greatest military problem for the Mughal empire. Aurangzeb's armies chased shadows through the Deccan while Shivaji's guerrilla tactics redefined warfare on the subcontinent.