Latest / Aurangzeb: The Emperor Who Expanded and Broke the Mughal Empire — Fexingo History / Aurangzeb's Maratha War: The Guerrilla Tactics That Broke an Empire
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Aurangzeb's wars — the Deccan, the Marathas, the long sieges. But I think there's one aspect we haven't really dug into: the actual guerrilla tactics that the Marathas used to bring the Mughal Empire to its knees. Luna: You mean like hit and run? Because I've heard that term applied to the Marathas, but I'm not sure what it meant on the ground. Lucas: Exactly. It wasn't just random raids. The Marathas developed a systematic form of warfare that played to their strengths. Their light cavalry could cover enormous distances quickly, and they knew every pass, every forest track, every river crossing in the Deccan. Lucas: Aurangzeb's Mughal army, by contrast, was built for pitched battles. Heavy artillery, massive supply trains, elephants. It was powerful but slow. The Marathas refused to give them the battle they wanted. Luna: So they just... didn't show up? That sounds frustrating for the Mughals. Lucas: Exactly. They'd shadow the Mughal army, picking off stragglers, cutting supply lines, raiding baggage trains. If a Mughal detachment went out foraging, the Marathas would ambush it and vanish back into the hills. Lucas: One of the most effective Maratha commanders in this style was Santaji Ghorpade. He was a master of the 'dahad' — a night raid on a camp. In 1690, he actually captured the Mughal general Zulfikar Khan's camp at Paranda, making off with treasure and war elephants. Luna: He captured the general's entire camp? How did he get away with that? Lucas: Speed and surprise. The Marathas would strike at night, cause chaos, grab what they could, and be gone before the Mughals could organize a response. They didn't try to hold ground — they just wanted to weaken the enemy over time. Lucas: Another key figure was Dhanaji Jadhav. He was a brilliant tactician who often operated alongside Santaji. Together they made the Mughal position in the Deccan untenable. Luna: Were there any famous set-piece battles, or was it all raids? Lucas: There were a few. The siege of Jinji is probably the most famous. That fort held out for eight years — from 1689 to 1698 — against the full might of the Mughal army. The Maratha king Rajaram holed up there, and the Mughals just couldn't take it quickly. Lucas: The siege became a symbol of Maratha resistance. While the Mughals were tied down at Jinji, Maratha raiders spread out across the Deccan, hitting everything the Mughals couldn't defend. Luna: So it was like the Marathas were using the fort as a decoy to keep the Mughals busy while they ravaged the countryside? Lucas: Pretty much. And it worked. The Mughal treasury was hemorrhaging money — the Deccan campaign cost Aurangzeb an estimated 100,000 horses and 10 million rupees a year. And he had no end in sight. Lucas: The Marathas also used a network of hill forts — over 300 of them — as bases. They'd retreat to these forts, stockpile supplies, and then sally out again. The Mughals would capture a fort, but as soon as they left, the Marathans would retake it. Luna: That must have been incredibly demoralizing for the Mughal soldiers. Lucas: It was. And it wasn't just on land — the Marathas had a navy too. Kanhoji Angre led a fleet that harassed Mughal shipping and even fought the British and Portuguese. He controlled the western coast from his base at Suvarndurg. Luna: Wait, Maratha navy? I didn't know they had ships. Lucas: Oh yes. Shivaji himself built a strong navy. Kanhoji Angre was the most famous admiral. He used fast, maneuverable ships — ghurabs and galbats — to raid merchant vessels. The British East India Company called him a pirate, but he was acting under Maratha authority. Lucas: So between the land raids and the naval attacks, the Marathas were choking the Mughal economy. Aurangzeb spent his last 25 years in the Deccan, trying to crush them, but he never succeeded. Luna: And after Aurangzeb died, the Marathas just took over, right? Lucas: Not immediately, but within a few decades. The Maratha Empire under the Peshwas became the dominant power in India. They expanded north, raided Delhi, and controlled much of the subcontinent until the British arrived. Lucas: So in a way, the guerrilla tactics that the Marathas perfected against Aurangzeb became the template for their later success. It's a fascinating story of how a decentralized, mobile force can defeat a massive, hierarchical empire. Luna: It really makes you think about how much strategy matters over sheer numbers. Lucas: Absolutely. And it's a reminder that Aurangzeb's biggest mistake might have been trying to fight a war he couldn't win in a terrain he didn't understand. The Deccan consumed his empire.