Prologue-A nation grows, reaches pride of place among the comity of nations, commands recognition

and respect from everyone, not due to its natural wealth, physical size, population density but, on the
quality and calibre of its citizens, their patriotic spirit, eagerness and enthusiasm to excel in every field,
ability, acumen, probity and purity, virtues and veracity of its nonpareil leaders. To boost the morale and
bolster the vitality of the people, to make them feel that they belong to a holy, honoured, hallowed
heritage, they should be amply and adequately exposed to the history of the heroic deeds, conquests,
exploits, triumphs of their past heroes like kings, monarchs, emperors, warriors etc.
Early Years-Tara Bai was born in 1675 as the daughter of Hambir Rao Mohite, commander-in-chief in the
army of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. She lost her mother when she was just three years old and she grew
up under the exclusive care of her father in the battle environment. At the tender age of eight itself she
learnt horse riding, at ten, archery and at twelve, fencing and pistol shooting. Fiercely independent as a
young girl and with the tutelage of her father, she was well-trained in sword fighting, archery, cavalry,
military strategy, diplomacy and all other subjects of statecraft.
At the age of eight she was married to Shivaji’s younger son Rajaram.
The Scenario-After Chatrapati Shivaji, his eldest son Sambhaji ascended the throne in 1680.
Unfortunately, he was betrayed by his own kinsmen, tortured and killed by Aurangzeb. His younger
brother, Rajaram Maharaj became the king but he also died due to ill health in 1700.
The Maratha empire was orphaned and the moghul sultans of Delhi, Bijapur, Golconda, Bahmani,
Ahmednagar gleefully joined together and on the third day of the demise of Rajaram Maharaj, they
threatened the marathas to surrender.
Instead of surrendering thus, young widow Tara Bai made an announcement on the seventh day,
inviting leaders to take over charge of the kingdom and protect it from the sultanates. None came
forward. At that moment, without wasting time on tears, she herself volunteered forthwith and took
charge of the regime.
Her Glorious Period-Agile, alert, active, astute that she was, she started taking aggressive and assiduous
action against the enemy forces with such rapidity that, taken by complete surprise, they were
flabbergasted and floored to failure in just three days!
An intelligent woman, Tara Bai had earned a reputation during her husband’s lifetime itself for her civil,
diplomatic and military skills. She thus led from the front, travelling between forts, forging crucial
partnerships, mobilizing resources and men. A skilled cavalry warrior herself, she motivated her
commanders and soldiers by personally leading aggressive attacks on the enemy. She lived in the camps
along with her soldiers, eschewing all the royal privileges.
She mastered the art of bribing the enemy commanders so that she could penetrate into the enemy’s
camp to sabotage and subvert their strategies at their embryonic stage. While she was ruthless and
relentless towards her foes, she was extremely affable and amiable towards her own subjects, as a
result of which lot of youth volunteered to join her army.
Tara Bai, herself being a savvy, sharp, skilled warrior and a supreme strategist, accompanied the soldiers
personally on the missions from the front. Some of her major military campaigns were:
In 1700, she sent a forces of 50000 soldiers in the region of west Chanderi (present day Madhya
Pradesh)
In 1702 she invaded Khadesh (region of northwestern Maharashtra), Berar and Telangana.
In 1703, she attacked urban centers in Khandesh.
In 1705, the Marathas under Tarabai again attacked Gujarat and Khandesh. By extending war to Gujarat
and Malwa, which the Mughal army had not anticipated, she gave a clear message to Aurangzeb that
Marathas are equally determined for the fight to finish.Thus the mighty Aurangzeb died in 1707, a
defeated emperor by her at the age of 82.
She died at the age of 86 in 1761 after third battle of Panipat. To sum up her life, she was an
extraordinary and inspirational figure. She led the Maratha Empire, in its existential crisis, from the
front. By the time of her death in 1761, she witnessed the transformation of a nascent Maratha state in
a Pan-India Empire.
Her courageous efforts alone saved the Maratha Empire from the wrath of Aurangzeb and the Marathas
dream of Swaraj survived. Had she not taken charge of the Maratha Empire at the time she did, it would
not have survived to reach the glory it did and Aurangzeb would have snuffed out Maratha rule, and the
history of India would have been very different.
Why Indian History Needs To Be Re-Written-The above narration is a skeletal account of just one
extraordinary warrior queen. If one pores through the hidden pages of history, one can discover
hundreds and hundreds of such personages spread all over our motherland during different periods of
history.
Now, a point for deep deliberation and necessary emendation.
While the foreign historians cannot be expected to sing paeans on efforts, enterprises and exploits of
our heroes, yet, at the dawn of freedom, when the nation should have started feeling justifiably proud
of such adventures of daring warriors like Tara Bai and consequently should have prominently
highlighted their episodes in all history books so that the spirit of patriotism is sown and grown in the
nascent hearts of the children so that they face the world with courage, confidence, composure, why did
the pseudo historians of free India continue to repeat parrot-like for seven long decades, the false
narration of the foreigner, glorifying their fake victories and never bothering to rewrite real history,
presenting it in the proper perspective? What was their detestable, demoniac, damnable, diabolical
intention in concealing and censoring the achievements and accomplishments of our own heroes and
heroines? Did they, propelled by mordacity and malice, aim to continue to keep the mood and mindset
of the masses in eternal mope and morbidity, with a permanent inferiority complex penetrating their
psyche and pervading in all their transactions with the rest of the world?
The time has come to make amends. Let us start before it is too late; in fact, it is already late.
References:
Sudesi magazine August 2022.
https://www.esamskriti.com/e/History/Indian-History/Life-of-TARABAI,-the-Maratha-Warrior-Queen–
1.aspx
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/tarabai-13313.php
Legacy
Hailed as Bhadrakali, her name is still celebrated in countryside in parts of Maharashtra. Noted
historian Jadunath Sarkar has written about her, "In that awful crisis her character and strength saved
the nation". Rani Tarabai or the (dowager) Queen Tarabai (b.1675-d.1761) was the wife of Chatrapati
Rajaram Maharaj, and the daughter in law of the great Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj . Incidentally she was
also the neice of Shivaji’s wife Soyrabai (Rajarams mother and her mother in law) and the daughter of
Hambirao Mohite the famed Sarsenapati (commander in chief) of the Maratha army. Rani Tarabai or the
(dowager) Queen Tarabai (b.1675-d.1761) was the wife of Chatrapati Rajaram Maharaj, and the
daughter in law of the great Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj . Incidentally she was also the neice of Shivaji’s
wife Soyrabai (Rajarams mother and her mother in law) and the daughter of Hambirao Mohite the
famed Sarsenapati (commander in chief) of the Maratha army.

Nishigandha Wad portrayed Tarabai in the 1993 historical drama film Shivrayachi Soon Tararani,
directed by Dinkar D. Patil. Pallavi Joshi plays the role of Tarabai in the 2017 TV series Peshwa Bajirao.
Tarabai's greatest strength was that she never stopped
learning, even from her enemies. Aurangzeb had a particular
strategy in bribing the commanders of the enemy army. Tarabai
did the same against the Mughals and as a result her army
penetrated into Mughal territory as far as MALWAand gujarat