Rajput General Jai Singh I begins comprehensive siege of Purandar Fort

In early 1665, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb determined that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s growing power in the Deccan represented a major threat to imperial authority. Shivaji’s successful raid on Shaista Khan in Pune and his lucrative sack of the wealthy Mughal port city of Surat in 1664 had deeply embarrassed the imperial court. Seeking to crush the Maratha movement, Aurangzeb dispatched his most capable military strategist, Mirza Raja Jai Singh I—a veteran Rajput ruler of Amber—along with the veteran Afghan general Diler Khan Daudzai and a massive force comprising over 14,000 elite cavalry, heavy artillery, and financial resources.

Jai Singh adopted a calculated, multi-pronged campaign strategy that differed sharply from previous Mughal commanders. Rather than charging blindly into the rugged terrain of the Western Ghats, he combined diplomatic isolation, scorched-earth tactics, and deliberate siege craft. Jai Singh forged alliances with local Deshmukhs, the Adilshahi Sultanate of Bijapur, the Siddis of Janjira, and the Portuguese in Goa to completely encircle the Maratha territory. On March 30, 1665, Jai Singh initiated a comprehensive siege of Purandar Fort, a crucial mountain stronghold south of Pune that housed important Maratha administrative facilities, military reserves, and family members.

Diler Khan was tasked with directing the frontline artillery bombardments against Purandar and its adjacent twin ridge fort, Vajragad (also known as Rudra Mahal). Mughal forces established heavy siege batteries on surrounding elevated points, continuously shelling the fortress ramparts day and night. Inside Purandar, Shivaji’s loyal officer Murarbaji Deshpande commanded a dedicated Maratha garrison of roughly 1,000 Mavala soldiers. While Diler Khan squeezed the fort's defenses, Jai Singh sent auxiliary columns to devastate the surrounding Maratha countryside, cutting off supply convoys and political communications.

The siege exposed the vulnerabilities of mountain strongholds when confronted by integrated imperial siege warfare and systematic diplomatic encirclement. Jai Singh’s pressure placed Shivaji in a critical strategic dilemma. The campaign ultimately forced Shivaji to enter direct peace negotiations to preserve his military force and civilian population, resulting in the Treaty of Purandar later that June, under which Shivaji ceded 23 key forts to the Mughal Empire.