Last updated: 5 November 2026
Quick answer: Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was executed on Aurangzeb’s orders on 11 March 1689 at Tulapur, near Pune, at the confluence of the Bhima and Indrayani rivers. He was 31. Captured at Sangameshwar in February 1689, he was paraded, blinded and tortured for weeks after refusing Aurangzeb’s terms, then put to death with his minister Kavi Kalash.
How did Sambhaji Maharaj die? Not in battle and not of illness. The second Chhatrapati of the Maratha kingdom was captured in an ambush, held for about five weeks, and executed by the Mughal emperor who had moved his entire court to the Deccan to destroy the Marathas. His death was meant to end Maratha resistance. It did the opposite.
Sambhaji Maharaj’s Death at a Glance
| Date of death | 11 March 1689 |
| Age | 31 (born 14 May 1657 at Purandar Fort) |
| Place | Tulapur, at the confluence of the Bhima and Indrayani rivers, about 40 km north-east of Pune; Aurangzeb’s camp was at nearby Koregaon on the Bhima |
| How he died | Executed on Aurangzeb’s orders after weeks of torture |
| Captured | At Sangameshwar, Konkan (Ratnagiri district), around 1 February 1689, by the Mughal commander Muqarrab Khan |
| Executed with | Kavi Kalash, his minister and closest adviser |
| Memorials | Samadhis at Vadhu Budruk and Tulapur, Pune district |
| Successor | His half-brother Rajaram |
Who was Sambhaji Maharaj?
Sambhaji was the eldest son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his first wife Saibai, who died when he was two. He fought his way to the throne after his father’s death in April 1680, when a court faction tried to crown his ten-year-old half-brother Rajaram instead. Sambhaji took Raigad and was formally crowned in January 1681.
His nine-year reign was spent almost entirely at war. In 1681 he sheltered Aurangzeb’s rebel son, Prince Akbar, which convinced the emperor that the Marathas had to be crushed. Aurangzeb came south in 1681 and never returned to the north. For eight years Sambhaji held him off while also fighting the Siddis of Janjira, the Portuguese at Goa and the Wodeyars of Mysore. For the full story of his reign, see our profile of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
How was Sambhaji Maharaj captured?
By early 1689 Aurangzeb had conquered Bijapur (1686) and Golconda (1687) and could turn his whole army on the Marathas. In late January 1689 Sambhaji was at Sangameshwar in the Konkan with a small escort, reportedly to settle affairs in the region. A Mughal force under Shaikh Nizam, titled Muqarrab Khan, reached the town through the Sahyadri passes far faster than anyone expected.
Maratha tradition holds that Ganoji Shirke, Sambhaji’s own brother-in-law, who had a grievance over his family’s watan rights, guided the Mughals through the hills. Mughal chroniclers credit Muqarrab Khan’s speed. Either way, the escort was overwhelmed in a short fight. Sambhaji was found and seized, along with Kavi Kalash and about 25 officers.
What happened after the capture?
The prisoners were taken to the imperial camp at Bahadurgad (Pedgaon, in today’s Ahilyanagar district). According to the Persian chronicles, Sambhaji and Kavi Kalash were dressed as clowns, mounted on camels and paraded through the camp to drums and jeers before being brought before the emperor.
Aurangzeb’s demands, as recorded by the historian Jadunath Sarkar from the Mughal sources, were three: surrender all Maratha forts, hand over the treasure, and name the Mughal officers who had secretly worked with the Marathas. Later Maratha accounts add a demand to convert to Islam. Sambhaji refused everything, and the chronicles say he answered with open insults to the emperor.
The punishment was savage. The chroniclers Khafi Khan and Ishwar Das Nagar record that he and Kavi Kalash were blinded with red-hot irons, and his tongue was cut out. A panel of Islamic scholars then sentenced him to death for the killing of Muslims and the sacking of Mughal towns during his raids.
How was Sambhaji Maharaj executed?
The camp moved to Tulapur and Koregaon on the Bhima. On 11 March 1689, after roughly five weeks in captivity, Sambhaji was put to death. The court history Maasir-i-Alamgiri says he and Kavi Kalash were executed with the sword that day. Maratha traditions describe a slower death: his body torn with metal tiger claws (wagh nakh), dismembered with an axe, and the pieces thrown into the river.
Local tradition at Vadhu Budruk says villagers defied the Mughals, gathered the remains and cremated them. That is where his main samadhi stands today, with Kavi Kalash’s beside it. A second memorial marks the site at Tulapur.
Who killed Sambhaji Maharaj?
He was executed on the direct orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, after being captured by Aurangzeb’s commander Muqarrab Khan. No other figure was responsible for the sentence.
What happened after Sambhaji’s death?
- A new Chhatrapati: His half-brother Rajaram was proclaimed king at Raigad within weeks and soon escaped south to Jinji fort, carrying the war across the peninsula.
- His family in Mughal hands: Raigad fell to Zulfiqar Khan in November 1689. Sambhaji’s wife Yesubai and seven-year-old son Shahu were captured. Shahu was released only in 1707, after Aurangzeb’s death; Yesubai was not freed until 1719.
- The war turned: Instead of breaking the Marathas, the execution hardened them. Commanders such as Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav fought a guerrilla war that pinned down the Mughal army for 18 more years.
- Aurangzeb never went home: The emperor died in the Deccan in 1707, still at war. Read how Aurangzeb died.
Why is Sambhaji’s death in the news again?
The 2025 Hindi film Chhaava, starring Vicky Kaushal, dramatised Sambhaji’s capture and execution and drove a surge of searches about how he died. In March 2025 the debate spilled into politics with demands to remove Aurangzeb’s grave at Khuldabad. The film draws on Shivaji Sawant’s Marathi novel; the dates and core facts above come from the Persian and Maratha records, not from the film.
What the sources agree on, and where they differ
Mughal and Maratha sources agree on the capture at Sangameshwar, the parade, the blinding, the refusal and the execution on 11 March 1689. They differ on three points: whether betrayal by Ganoji Shirke made the ambush possible, whether conversion was demanded, and exactly how he was killed. The Persian chronicle records an execution by sword; Maratha tradition records a far crueller death. Both describe deliberate torture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Sambhaji Maharaj die?
He was executed on Aurangzeb’s orders at Tulapur near Pune on 11 March 1689, after being captured, paraded, blinded and tortured for refusing the emperor’s terms.
When did Sambhaji Maharaj die?
On 11 March 1689.
At what age did Sambhaji Maharaj die?
He was 31. He was born on 14 May 1657.
Where was Sambhaji Maharaj killed?
At Tulapur, at the confluence of the Bhima and Indrayani rivers in Pune district, Maharashtra.
Who betrayed Sambhaji Maharaj?
Maratha tradition names his brother-in-law Ganoji Shirke as the man who guided the Mughal force to Sangameshwar. The Mughal chronicles do not confirm this.
What happened to Yesubai after Sambhaji’s death?
She was captured with her son Shahu when Raigad fell in November 1689 and remained a Mughal prisoner until 1719, long after Shahu was released in 1707.
Where is Sambhaji Maharaj’s samadhi?
At Vadhu Budruk, near Tulapur in Pune district, beside the samadhi of Kavi Kalash.
Sources and Further Reading
- Jadunath Sarkar, History of Aurangzib, Vol. 4, and Shivaji and His Times.
- Saqi Must’ad Khan, Maasir-i-Alamgiri, translated by Jadunath Sarkar.
- Khafi Khan, Muntakhab-ul-Lubab.
- Stewart Gordon, The Marathas 1600–1818 (Cambridge University Press).
- “Execution of Sambhaji”, Wikipedia, for a consolidated reference list.
Related: Shivaji Maharaj Family Tree · How Did Shivaji Maharaj Die? · Indian Rulers Timeline · More history quizzes
Quiz: The Death of Sambhaji Maharaj
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