Question

When did the Battle of Chakan between the Maratha Empire and the Mughal Empire take place?
A) 1664
B) 1655
C) 1650
D) 1660

Answer 1

Hint: The Mughal Empire had existed in India since 1526 when Babur came and defeated Ibrahim Lodi. The Maratha Empire had existed in India since 1645. They were constantly under attack from the Mughals but they successfully managed to defend their empire to the very end. Eventually, the Mughal could not take over major portions of India which were controlled by the Marathas.

Complete answer:
The Mughal were proceeding towards Pune and they had to face the Fort of Chakan on the way. The Battle of Chakan between the Marathas and the Mughals took place in 1660 at Chakan, Maharashtra. The Marathas had an infantry of only 800 soldiers at the fort and were led by Firangoli Marsala. The Mughal Empire, on the other hand, had an army of 20,000 soldiers which was led by Shaista Khan. He thought that the numerically inferior Marathas would surrender very quickly.

But it was not the case. The Marathas fought relentlessly and killed around 3000 to 5000 Mughal soldiers. Shaista Khan was surprised by the huge amount of resistance that the small fort and its small artillery had shown. The war, which was supposed to end quickly, lasted for two and a half months. The Mughals could not defeat the Marathas. Finally, the Mughals decided to explode the towers of the fort. This broke the Maratha defence and they had no other option but to surrender to the Mughals.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (D) i.e, 1660.

Note: The Marathas were very observant during the siege of their fort at Chakan. They had found out the weak points of Shaista Khan’s army, his poor strategies and his overconfidence. The Marathas used this knowledge to defeat the Mughal army that was deployed at Konkan and even Shaista Khan’s camp in Pune.