Battle of Shivneri Fort

Shivneri Fort, a mile west of Junnar, was of strategic importance as it guarded the Mughal frontier in the north of Pune district and blocked the shortest route by which he could raid the Deccan from North Konkan. Another important fact was that it was the birthplace of the Maratha king, Shivaji. The Mughal governor of Shivneri Fort was Abdul Aziz Khan, a Brahman convert to Islam and a loyal servant of Aurangzeb. Shivaji attempted to persuade him to surrender the fort by giving him a large amount of gold. Abdul Aziz pretended to comply with his terms and asked Shivaji for 25,000^[1] cavalry, but at the same time informed the Mughal general Bahadur Khan of the plot. The Maratha army fell into an ambush planned by the Mughals and retired with heavy losses.^[2][3][4]