Subedar Tanaji Malusare Age, Wife, Family, Death, Biography, Facts & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Tanaji Malusare

• Tanaji was a legendary warrior in the Maratha Empire.

• He hailed from Malusare clan and fought several battles alongside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

• Tanaji is most famously known for his valour in the Battle of Sinhagad in 1670 A.D.

• In 1665, as per the Treaty of Purandar, Shivaji had to give up the fort of Kondana (located near Pune) to the Mughals. The fort was considered almost impenetrable as it was one of the most heavily fortified and strategically placed forts. The fort was commanded by Udaybhan Rathod, a Rajput warrior, appointed by Mughal Army chief Jai Singh I.
  

  The Kondana Fort

• The idea of Mughal’s control over the fort was deeply enraging to Shivaji’s mother, Rajmata Jijabai. She advised Shivaji to reconquer the fort.
  

  Tanaji with Shivaji

• To reconquer the fort Shivaji decided to choose Tanaji to lead the army in the battle. Shivaji entrusted Tanaji Malusare and summoned him while he was busy preparing for his son’s wedding. Tanaji left the festivities and took charge of the campaign and left for Kondana.
  

  Subedar Tanaji Malusare

• Upon reaching Kondana, he tried to scale the fort from the western side with his detachment of 300 troops.
  

  Tanaji Malusare Scaling the Kondana Fort

• According to one story, while scaling the fort, Tanaji took the help of a Bengal Monitor Lizard (Ghorpad) named “Yashwanti” to which he tied a rope and went crawling up top to the fort. He finally succeeded in scaling the steep hill fortress, after two failed attempts.
  

  Tanaji Malusare Scaling Kondana Fort With The Help of a Lizard

• Once inside the fort and after opening the “Kalyan Darwaza,” Tanaji and his men attacked the Mughal army. He was assisted in the event by another detachment of 500 troops headed by his younger brother, Suryaji.
  

  Kalyan Darwaza of Kondana Fort

• As the fort was commanded by Udaybhan Rathod, fierce combat took place between the army of Udaybhan and the forces of Tanaji.

• While fighting like a brave lion, Tanaji’s shield was broken. However, he tied his upper garment over his defending hand and continued fighting.
  

  Battle of Kondana

• Eventually, the fort was conquered by the troops of Tanaji, but in the process, Tanaji Malusare gave up his life fighting on the battlefield.

• When Shivaji heard about the demise of Tanaji, he expressed in grief by uttering- “Gad ala, pan sinha gela” (The fort has come, but the lion is gone).

• Later, Shivaji renamed the fort of Kondana to Sinhagad in the memory of Tanaji Malusare.
  

  Sinhagad Fort

• In 2019, Bollywood Actor Ajay Devgn took to Twitter to announce that a biopic will be produced by him on the life of Subedar Tanaji Malusare with the title ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior.’

• Here’s an interesting video about Tanaji Malusare’s biography: