Onset of prolonged illness for Maharani Saibai post-childbirth.

Following the birth of her son, Prince Sambhaji, at Purandar Fort in May 1657, Maharani Saibai's health took a severe and irreversible turn. As the chief queen consort (Pattrani) of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Saibai had played a central diplomatic and administrative role in the fledgling Maratha kingdom, often acting as a stabilizing advisor during her husband's early political consolidating efforts across the Desh region.

By mid-1658, her condition had deteriorated into a chronic, debilitating illness that confined her to Rajgad Fort, the primary administrative capital of Hindavi Swarajya. Despite treatment from royal physicians (vaidyas), her body failed to recover from postpartum complications. This lingering medical crisis occurred at a precarious geopolitical juncture, as news arrived of Afzal Khan's massive Adilshahi expedition marching south from Bijapur to crush Shivaji's rising sovereignty.

The queen's prolonged illness cast a deep gloom over the royal court at Rajgad. Shivaji was forced to balance the emotional strain of his chief wife's failing health with the existential military threat posed by Bijapur, leaving the young infant Sambhaji largely in the care of his grandmother, Jijabai. Saibai's declining health marked a poignant turning point in the internal life of the early Maratha royal household.