Shivaji escapes house arrest in Agra along with his young son Sambhaji

Following his outburst at the Mughal court on May 12, 1666, Shivaji Maharaj and his young son Sambhaji were placed under strict house arrest at the haveli of Ram Singh in Agra. For over three months, surrounded by hundreds of armed guards under the direct command of Agra's city police chief, Fulad Khan, Shivaji realized his life was in constant danger. Rumors inside court indicated that Emperor Aurangzeb was preparing to either execute him or exile him to the lethal battlefronts of Afghanistan. Facing imminent doom, Shivaji meticulously devised one of the most famous escapes in military history.

To diminish guard vigilance and create logistical freedom, Shivaji feigned severe illness, complaining of agonizing internal pain. He requested permission to send large baskets of sweets, fruits, and legal charities to local Brahmins, religious mendicants, and Mughal officials to invoke divine blessings for his recovery. For several weeks, large covered wicker baskets (petaras) were carried out daily past the house guards. Initially, Fulad Khan's troops thoroughly inspected every basket, but over time the repetitive process bred indifference, and guards ceased checking the containers rigorously.

On the afternoon of August 17, 1666, Shivaji executed the final stage of his plan. Shivaji and his son Sambhaji climbed inside two separate sweet baskets and were carried right past the unsuspecting guards. To delay discovery, Shivaji's loyal half-brother, Hiroji Farjand, lay on Shivaji's bed wearing his royal ring and blanket, while a young servant named Madari Mehtar massaged his feet. The guards looking through the window concluded that Shivaji was resting quietly in bed. By the time Hiroji and Madari slipped away the following morning and the deception was discovered, Shivaji was already miles outside Agra.

To confound Mughal search parties dispatched across the empire, Shivaji avoided the direct southern road back to Maharashtra. Instead, he traveled northeast toward Mathura, where he left young Sambhaji in the care of a trusted Brahmin family. Disguised as a ash-smeared Hindu ascetic (sanyasi), Shivaji covered over 1,500 miles on foot and horseback through Varanasi, Gaya, Cuttack, and Golconda. He reached his mountain capital of Rajgad in December 1666 to the immense joy of his mother Jijabai and his people. The escape thoroughly humiliated Aurangzeb and solidified Shivaji's reputation as an unyielding leader of Maratha independence.