THE STORY OF ICHALKARANJI
Sambhaji, the brave son of a brave father, wasted his chances and neglected his opportunities, it is true; but even he by his reckless impulses and unfortunate vices could not smother the desire for national progress. The Mahratta nation was in no way daunted or discouraged by the tragic end of Sambhaji when he was caught in a trap by the Moghuls in 1689 and cruelly executed in the camp of Aurangzeb, the last of the great Moghul emperors not understanding, and therefore not realising, the exact character of the new empire that had grown up around Shivaji. Aurangzeb gloated over the fall of the intrepid son of the unconquerable Shivaji and naturally thought that with the death of Sambhaji the new Mahratta Kingdom would speedily die away, or at least be shattered into fragments. But once again Aurangzeb miscalculated the power and tenacity of his opponents, and sitting there in the luxury of his gorgeous camp he probably did not even dream that this very kingless kingdom of the Mahrattas would, in the not far distant future, actually shatter the foundations of his own Moghul Empire.
Shivaji had died in glory; Sambhaji had died in shame; but the spirit of independence in the subjects of Shivaji and Sambhaji glowed more brightly than ever. The duty of defending the Mahratta Kingdom was quickly realised by the great generals of Sambhaji, who were of course really the great captains drilled and disciplined under the banner of Shivaji. Amongst
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