Question

The battle of Pratapgad took place in:
A. 1670
B. 1659
C. 1665
D. 1669

Answer 1

Hint: The Battle of Pratapgad was fought at the land of Pratagad near the town of Satara, Maharashtra, it was fought between Shivaji and Adil Shahi general Afzal Khan and in the battle, the Marathas defeated the Adilshahi forces. The battle was the Marathas first significant military victory against a major regional power and led to the establishment of the Maratha Empire.

Complete answer:
The Battle was fought on November 10, 1659.
Let us discuss the details of the Battle-
Starting from Bijapur, General Afzal Khan began by demolishing the temple of Bhavani at a place called Tuljapur. Then he moved on to the Vittal temple at Pandharpur. He was trying to entice Shivaji out of the mountainous areas he occupied and onto the plains where Afzal Khan’s army which was huge in number and was trained and also equipped for warfare on plain grounds they would have an immense advantage and on the other hand, Shivaji had encamped at Pratapgad which was a hilly area was advantageous for mountainous guerrilla warfare.
Afzal Khan moved his army to Pratapgad, he had experience with the geography of the region, he tried to enhance his position by obtaining the support of the independent landlords of the region, although they acknowledged the supremacy of the Adilshah as directed by Shahaji, helped Shivaji to counter these moves and gather their support.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note:The extraordinary victory of Shivaji made him a hero of Maratha Folklore and a legendary figure among his people. Having established his military dominance and successfully winning a major attack by a powerful empire, he had founded the nucleus of what would become a Maratha Empire.