In 1629, Raja Shahaji Bhonsle's in-laws and patrons were murdered as a result of factional politics in the Ahmadnagar court. Therefore, Shahaji defected to the Mughals, with a 2,000-strong cavalry.The Mughals sent him to occupy Junnar and Sangamner, and gave these districts to him as jagir. 2 years later Shah Jahan transferred one of the Jagirs of Raja Shahaji to Fateh Khan, sin of Malik Amber. This angered Raja Shahji and he rebelled against the Mughals plundering their regions and later taking over the reigns of the weakened Ahmednagar Kingdom as the Imperial Regent.
Raja Shahaji Bhonsle became the HukumatPanah or the Imeprial Regent of the
Ahmednagar Sultanate installing a juvenile Murtaza Nizam Shah III on the throne with the help of Bijapur King in 1633. He further went on to unite the forces of Bijapur, Ahmednagar, Maratha Samants and Sardars against the Imperial Mughal forces of Shah Jahan that had poured into the Deccan.
Within a year, Shahaji's army captured Junnar and a large part of northern Konkan region. Shahaji resided in Junnar, and raised an army, which at its height, included 12,000 soldiers. The strength of his army kept changing because of the changing loyalty of the various subordinate chiefs, including Ghatge, Kate, Gaikwad, Kank, Chavan, Mohite, Mahadik, Pandhre, Wagh, and Ghorpade.He set up his capital at Shahabad, and gained control of several large forts. A contemporary Brahmin newsletter of Bijapur states that the area controlled by him, not including his jagir of Pune and Indapur, yielded 7.5 million rupees in revenue. This estimate was based on the potential rather than the actual revenue: the area had been devastated by war and famine, and the actual revenue collected was probably far smaller.The warring armies had destroyed several villages in the area to deny their enemies revenue, and most of the remaining villages yielded revenue only when forced to do so. According to the newsletter, his forces included a 3,000-strong cavalry, plus an additional 2,000-strong contingent from Bijapur.
By 1634, Shahaji had started raiding the area near the Mughal-controlled Daultabad, prompting the Mughals to initiate a major campaign against him.[11] In the ensuing battle of Parenda (1634), in which Maratha soldiers fought on both sides, the Mughals defeated the Bijapur army led by Shahaji. In early 1635, the Mughal army forced Shahaji to retreat from the Daulatabad area, capturing his supply train and 3,000 of his soldiers. Subsequently, the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan personally arrived in Deccan with a major army, and forced Shahaji to leave northern Maharashtra. Shahaji lost control of several cities, including Junar and Nashik, and retreated to Konkan.
Bijapur had two political factions: the first, including Shahaji, favoured resisting Mughal influence in Deccan; the second favoured establishing peace with the Mughals by recognizing their control over parts of the former Ahmadnagar territory. In 1636, the second faction emerged more powerful, and a peace treaty was signed between Bijapur and the Mughal Empire.As part of this treaty, Bijapur agreed to help the Mughals subjugate Shahaji, or to depute him away from the Mughal frontier if he chose to join the Bijapuri service.The Mughals then besieged the Mahuli fort, where Shahaji and Murtaza, the pretender to the Ahmadnagar throne, were residing. In October 1636, Shahaji surrendered Mahuli and Junnar to the Mughals, and returned to the Bijapur service.As a result, the Mughals now controlled a major part of present-day Maharashtra, including Pune and Indapur.
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