First Sack of Surat: Marathas raid wealthy Mughal port to finance defenses

Following the expensive campaign against Shaista Khan and years of continuous warfare against Bijapur and the Mughals, Shivaji Maharaj faced a severe financial strain on the Maratha treasury. To rebuild his kingdom, pay his regular standing army, and fortify the Sahyadri hill forts, he needed substantial economic resources. Shivaji turned his attention to Surat, the premier commercial port of the Mughal Empire situated on the banks of the Tapti River in Gujarat. Surat was the wealthiest trading hub in Western Asia, generating vast revenue for Emperor Aurangzeb through maritime trade, customs tariffs, and pilgrim traffic bound for Mecca. Despite its immense wealth, Surat’s defense infrastructure was woefully inadequate, protected only by a weak mud wall and an incompetent governor, Inayat Khan.

Shivaji planned the operation with meticulous secrecy. He spread rumors that he was moving south toward Konkan, while his commander Netaji Palkar mounted diversionary feints. Meanwhile, Shivaji personally led a disciplined force of around 4,000 to 8,000 cavalrymen on a rapid march through dense forests and rugged terrain, arriving at the gates of Surat on January 6, 1664. Panic gripped the city as Governor Inayat Khan abandoned the civilian population and retreated inside the security of Surat Fort, leaving the wealthy merchant quarters completely undefended. Shivaji demanded a contribution from the city's richest merchants, but when met with evasion or defiance, his troops systematically plundered the merchant mansions and warehouses over four days.

The Marathas targeted the vast wealth of the Mughal elites and prominent moneylenders, such as Baharji Borah and Haji Said Beg. However, Shivaji enforced strict orders regarding civil conduct during the raid. Foreign European trading factories, such as the English East India Company under Sir George Oxenden and the Dutch factory, mounted armed defenses around their compounds and were largely left alone or repelled attacks. Crucially, Shivaji forbade the harm of common citizens, religious institutions, women, and the poor. The Marathas also explicitly spared the house of Father Ambroise, a Capuchin Christian missionary who was known for his charitable work among the local poor.

On January 10, 1664, receiving news that a Mughal relief army under Mahabat Khan was approaching from Ahmedabad, Shivaji ordered a swift withdrawal. The Marathas departed with immense plunder estimated at over ten million rupees in gold, silver, pearls, and precious fabrics. This treasure directly financed the expansion of Maratha naval shipyards, fort construction, and army recruitment. Politically, the sack of Surat dealt a humiliating economic and reputational blow to Emperor Aurangzeb, proving that the Marathas could strike at the very economic engine of the Mughal Empire far beyond their mountain homeland.

Why it matters

The First Sack of Surat transformed Shivaji’s conflict with the Mughal Empire from a regional border insurgency into an all-out war with imperial economic ramifications. By plundering the empire's richest port city, Shivaji secured the immense financial capital required to build a permanent Maratha navy, fortify maritime strongholds like Sindhudurg, and sustain a standing army. The raid exposed the military vulnerability of wealthy Mughal urban centers and demonstrated Shivaji's ability to execute long-range, high-speed logistical operations hundreds of miles deep inside hostile imperial territory.

Interesting fact

Shivaji strictly commanded his troops not to harm the residence or chapel of the French Capuchin missionary Father Ambroise because of his selfless charity toward the city's poorest residents.