Capture of Kalyan and Bhiwandi, securing access to the Konkan maritime coastline

In late 1657, the geopolitical landscape of Western India underwent a significant shift. The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan fell critically ill, igniting a war of succession among his sons. This crisis forced Prince Aurangzeb, then the Mughal Viceroy of the Deccan, to withdraw his armies northward to fight for the imperial throne. Recognizing the sudden vacuum created by the Mughal retreat and the internal instability of the Adilshahi Sultanate of Bijapur, Shivaji Maharaj executed a swift tactical campaign into the rich coastal lowlands of the Northern Konkan.

Shivaji dispatched his trusted commander, Abaji Sondev, to seize control of the valuable trade hub of Kalyan and its neighboring town, Bhiwandi. On October 24, 1657, Maratha forces launched a surprise attack on Kalyan, easily overpowering the local Adilshahi garrison. Mulla Ahmad, the Bijapuri governor of Kalyan, was caught unprepared and defeated. The Marathas seized massive stores of treasure, war horses, and armaments, along with vital administrative control over the entire Kalyan-Bhiwandi province.

A legendary episode occurred shortly after the conquest. According to historical chronicles, Abaji Sondev brought the daughter-in-law of Mulla Ahmad before Shivaji as a captive, expecting his leader to accept her as a trophy of war. Shivaji was deeply displeased by this breach of ethical conduct. Addressing the young woman with immense respect, he famously remarked that if his own mother Jijabai had been as beautiful, he too might have been handsome, thereby conferring upon her the status of a mother. He immediately ordered that she be treated with honor, presented with fine clothes and gifts, and escorted back safely to her family under Maratha protection. This incident set a strict moral precedent for the conduct of Maratha soldiers during wartime.

The capture of Kalyan and Bhiwandi gave Shivaji his first firm foothold on the Arabian Sea coast. Access to these coastal plains brought rich commercial revenues from land and maritime trade routes passing through the Sahyadri passes. Moreover, the dense forests of Bhiwandi provided abundance of high-quality teak timber, which Shivaji immediately envisioned utilizing for an unprecedented venture: constructing an indigenous navy to protect the sovereign waters of Swarajya.