Editing Shivaji (section)

== Reconquest ==
[[File:Shivaji Rijksmuseum.jpg|thumb|[[Dutch East India Company|Dutch]] painting depicting Shivaji {{Circa|1680}} ]]

The peace between Shivaji and the Mughals lasted until 1670, after which Aurangzeb became suspicious of the close ties between Shivaji and Mu'azzam, who he thought might usurp his throne, and may even have been receiving bribes from Shivaji.<ref name="Deopujari1973">{{cite book|author=Murlidhar Balkrishna Deopujari|title=Shivaji and the Maratha Art of War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iF8MAAAAIAAJ|year=1973|publisher=Vidarbha Samshodhan Mandal|page=138}}</ref>{{sfn|Eraly, Emperors of the Peacock Throne|2000|p=460}} Also at that time, Aurangzeb, occupied in fighting the Afghans, greatly reduced his army in the Deccan; many of the disbanded soldiers quickly joined Maratha service.{{sfn|Eraly, Emperors of the Peacock Throne|2000|p=461}} The Mughals also took away the jagir of Berar from Shambhaji to recover the money lent a few years earlier for his father's trip to Agra.<ref name="Richard"/>{{rp|212}}{{sfn|Sarkar, History of Aurangzib|1920|pp=173–174}} In response, Shivaji launched an offensive against the Mughals and in a span of four months recovered a major portion of the territories that had been surrendered to them.{{sfn|Sarkar, History of Aurangzib|1920|p=175}}

Shivaji sacked Surat for a second time in 1670; the English and Dutch factories were able to repel his attack, but he managed to sack the city itself, including plundering the goods of a Muslim prince from [[Mawara-un-Nahr]], who was returning from [[Mecca]]. Angered by the renewed attacks, the Mughals resumed hostilities with the Marathas, sending a force under [[Daud Khan Panni|Daud Khan]] to intercept Shivaji on his return home from Surat; this force was defeated in the Battle of Vani-Dindori near present-day [[Nashik]].{{sfn|Sarkar, History of Aurangzib|1920|p=189}}

In October 1670, Shivaji sent his forces to harass the English at Bombay; as they had refused to sell him war materiel, his forces blocked English woodcutting parties from leaving Bombay. In September 1671, Shivaji sent an ambassador to Bombay, again seeking materiel, this time for the fight against Danda-Rajpuri. The English had misgivings of the advantages Shivaji would gain from this conquest, but also did not want to lose any chance of receiving compensation for his looting their factories at Rajapur. The English sent Lieutenant Stephen Ustick to treat with Shivaji, but negotiations failed over the issue of the Rajapur indemnity. Numerous exchanges of envoys followed over the coming years, with some agreement as to the arms issues in 1674, but Shivaji was never to pay the Rajapur indemnity before his death, and the factory there dissolved at the end of 1682.{{sfn|Sarkar, Shivaji and His Times|1920|p=393}}

=== Battles of Umrani and Nesari ===
{{See also|Battle of Umrani}}

In 1674, [[Prataprao Gujar]], the ''sarnaubat'' (commander-in-chief of the Maratha forces) and [[Anandrao]], was sent to push back the invading force led by the Bijapuri general, Bahlol Khan. Prataprao's forces defeated and captured the opposing general in the battle, after cutting-off their water supply by encircling a strategic lake, which prompted Bahlol Khan to sue for peace. In spite of Shivaji's specific warnings against doing so, Prataprao released Bahlol Khan, who started preparing for a fresh invasion.{{sfn|Sarkar, History of Aurangzib|1920|pp=230–233}}

Shivaji sent a letter to Prataprao, expressing his displeasure and refusing him an audience until Bahlol Khan was re-captured. Upset by this rebuke, Prataprao found Bahlol Khan and charged his position with only six other horsemen, leaving his main force behind, and was killed in combat. Shivaji was deeply grieved on hearing of Prataprao's death, and arranged for the marriage of his second son, [[Rajaram Chhatrapati|Rajaram]], to Prataprao's daughter. Prataprao was succeeded by [[Hambirrao Mohite]], as the new ''sarnaubat''. [[Raigad Fort]] was newly built by [[Hiroji Indulkar]], as a capital of the nascent Maratha kingdom.<ref name="Malavika_1999">{{cite journal | author= Malavika Vartak| title =Shivaji Maharaj: Growth of a Symbol | journal =Economic and Political Weekly| volume =34 | issue =19 | pages =1126–1134 | date =May 1999| jstor =4407933 }}</ref>