Renewal of hostilities as Sambhaji departs Mughal camp at Aurangabad

By late 1669, the fragile peace between the Maratha state and the Mughal Empire began to collapse rapidly. Emperor Aurangzeb adopted an aggressive political and religious policy across Northern India, issuing orders to demolish prominent Hindu temples and enforcing stricter orthodoxy. At the same time, imperial officials in Delhi grew suspicious of the growing autonomy of Prince Mu'azzam and Raja Jaswant Singh in the Deccan. To recover the financial costs incurred during Shivaji's stay and subsequent escape from Agra in 1666, the imperial treasury abruptly issued orders to confiscate Sambhaji's revenue Jagir in Berar.

Recognizing that a fresh confrontation was inevitable, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj decided to act before the Mughals could move against Maratha assets. Secret dispatches were sent to Aurangabad instructing Senapati Prataprao Gujar and young Sambhaji to abandon their residence at the imperial court and return immediately to Maratha territory. On March 15, 1670, Sambhaji and his Maratha contingent quietly withdrew from Aurangabad under the cover of night, evading potential detention by imperial guards.

Internal discord within the Mughal camp greatly facilitated the Maratha withdrawal. Prince Mu'azzam and his chief imperial general, Diler Khan, were locked in bitter personal and political rivalries, resulting in administrative paralysis. Before the imperial command at Aurangabad could organize a unified response or pursue the departing Maratha prince, Sambhaji and his retinue had safely crossed into the rugged terrain of the Western Ghats, rejoining Shivaji Maharaj at Rajgad.

The departure of Sambhaji marked the formal resumption of hostilities between the Marathas and the Mughal Empire. Immediately following Sambhaji's safe return, Shivaji launched a brilliant, high-speed offensive to recapture the twenty-three mountain fortresses that had been surrendered to the Mughals under the 1665 Treaty of Purandar. Within months, Maratha warriors recaptured iconic strongholds such as Sinhagad, Purandar, Karnala, and Mahuli, followed by the dramatic second sack of the wealthy Mughal port city of Surat in October 1670. For thirteen-year-old Sambhaji, this narrow departure from Mughal territory reinforced the treacherous nature of imperial politics and marked his transition into active wartime leadership.