Tanaji Malusare

Summary

Tanhaji Malusare[1] was a warrior and commander of Shivaji. A local poet Tulsidas,[a] wrote a powada describing Subhedar Tanhaji's heroics and sacrifice of life in the Battle of Sinhagad, which has since made him a popular figure in Indian folklore.[2][3][4][b]

Tanhaji Kaloji Malusare
Bronze bust of Subhedar Tanhaji Malusare at Sinhagad
BornGodavli, Javali Taluka, Satara, Maharashtra[citation needed]
Died4 February 1670
Sinhagad, Maharashtra, India
Allegiance Maratha Empire
Service/branchMaratha Army
Years of servicec. 1640–1670
Known for
  • Battle of Kondhana
Battles/wars
Spouse(s)Savitri Bai
ChildrenRaybaji Malusare

Background edit

According to the historian David Hardiman, Kolis were the early helpers of Shivaji in a revolt. Tanhaji Malusare is one such prominent example of a Koli whose name is memorizalized due to his act of capturing the fort of Singhad and handing it to Shivaji.[6] Tanhaji's father's name was Kaloji Malusare.[citation needed]

Military career edit

Malusare was with Shivaji Maharaj around the time when he took his pledge at Rayareshwar's temple to establish a sovereign kingdom. He was part of Maratha troops in the battle of Paratpgad, where Shivaji Maharaj killed Afzal Khan.[citation needed]

In popular culture edit

 
An early 20th century depiction by M.V. Dhurandhar of Tanhaji's vow to Shivaji and Jijabai in the presence of his son and uncle before the campaign for Kondana fort.
  • Vinayak Damodar Savarkar had written a ballad on him, which was banned by the colonial British government.[7]
  • Gad aala pan sinh gela (Marathi: गड आला पण सिंह गेला) (transl. We won the fort but we lost the lion) a Marathi novel by Hari Narayan Apte was written in 1903, based on his life.[8][9]
  • In 1922 Bengali poet Jatindramohan Bagchi wrote a poem named Singhagarh stating the heroic death of Tanaji Malusare while recapturing the fort.[10]
  • Sinhagad, a 1933 Marathi film was produced by Baburao Painter, based on the 1903 novel.[11][12]
  • Bengali writer Saradindu Bandyopadhyay wrote the Sadashib series where the younger version of Tanhaji was mentioned as a close associate of Shivaji.
  • In 1971 Amar Chitra Katha released a comic book called Tanhaji, written by Meena Talim and illustrated by Vasant B. Halbe.[13]
  • Tanhaji's character is portrayed by an actor in Raja Shivchatrapati serial of Star Pravah.
  • In the 2018 Marathi-language epic Farzand, Tanhaji Malusare is portrayed by Ganesh Yadav.
  • In the 2019 Marathi-language epic Fatteshikast, Tanhaji Malusare is portrayed by Ajay Purkar.
  • Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn produced and played the role of Tanhaji Malusare in Tanhaji. It was based on the Battle of Kondhana, Tanhaji film theatrically released on 10 January 2020. It was a box-office hit.[14]
  • In the 2023 Marathi-language epic Subhedar, Tanhaji Malusare is portrayed by Ajay Purkar.

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ not to be confused with Goswami Tulsidas
  2. ^ The text has not been dated conclusively. It is popularly accepted to be written not long after the Battle; however, some scholars have claimed the text to have been written in the eighteenth century.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ "Ajay Devgn's Taanaji: The Unsung Warrior will now be called Tanhaji due to numerological reasons". India Today. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  2. ^ Kantak, M. R. (1978). "The Political Role of Different Hindu Castes and Communities in Maharashtra in the Foundation of Shivajiraje's Swarajya". Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute. 38 (1/4): 51. ISSN 0045-9801. JSTOR 42931051.
  3. ^ K. Ayyappa Paniker, ed. (1997). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections, An Anthology, Volume One. p. 375. ISBN 9788126003655.
  4. ^ Rao, Vasanta Dinanath (1939). "SIDE-LIGHT ON THE MARATHA LIFE FROM THE BARDIC (शाहिरी) LITERATURE OF THE 18th CENTURY". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 3: 1194–1212. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44252466.
  5. ^ Raeside, Ian (July 1978). "A Note on the 'Twelve Mavals' of Poona District". Modern Asian Studies. 12 (3): 394. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00006211. ISSN 1469-8099. S2CID 145438073.
  6. ^ Hardiman, David (1996). Feeding the Baniya: Peasants and Usurers in Western India. Oxford University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-19-563956-8. When Shivaji began his revolt in the following decade, the Kolis were amongst the first to join him under the leadership of the Sirnayak Khemi and they played a leading role in helping Chatrapati Shivaji to consolidate his power. The Koli Tanhaji Malusare, is remembered in Maharashtra to this day for his courage in capturing the almost impregnable fort of Singhad for Shivaji.
  7. ^ Derek Jones, ed. (2001). Censorship: A World Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN 9781136798634.
  8. ^ Sisir Kumar Das (1991). History of Indian Literature, Volume 1. Sahitya Akademi. p. 532. ISBN 9788172010065.
  9. ^ Apte, Hari Narayan (1903). Gaḍa ālā, paṇa sīha gelā (in Marathi). Pune: Ramyakathā Prakāśana.
  10. ^ "পাতা:জাগরণী - যতীন্দ্রমোহন বাগচী.pdf/১৭ - উইকিসংকলন একটি মুক্ত পাঠাগার". bn.wikisource.org (in Bengali). Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  11. ^ Ashish Rajadhyaksha; Paul Willemen (2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Taylor & Francis. p. 239. ISBN 978-1-135-94325-7. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  12. ^ Nowell-Smith, Geoffrey (1996). The Oxford History of World Cinema. Oxford University Press. pp. 403. ISBN 978-0-19-874242-5. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  13. ^ Talim, Meena; Halbe, Vasant B.; Pai, Anant (1973). Tanhaji: The Maratha Lion. Amar Chitra Katha. ISBN 978-81-8482-159-8. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Taanaji The Unsung Warrior movie on Movie Alles". Movie Alles. 22 June 2018. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.