Question

When Sambhaji Maharaj died?
a. 11 February 1689
b. 11 March 1689
c. 11 April 1689
d. 11 May 1689

Answer 1

Hint: Sambhaji was the second ruler of the Maratha empire. He was the eldest son of Chhatrapati Shivaji. He ruled over the kingdom for over nine years.

Complete Step by Step Answer: Sambhaji was born on 14th of May in 1657. He was the successor of the realm after his father’s death. His rule was largely shaped by the continuous wars between the Maratha kingdom and the Mughal empire along with other neighbouring states like the Siddis, Mysore and the Portuguese in Goa.
Sambhaji was born to Shivaji and his first wife Saibai. He was raised by his paternal grandmother, Jijabai. He and his father fought alongside the Mughals against the Sultanate of Bijapur in the period of 1666-1670.
Looking at the given options now:
Option a- Sambhaji did die in the year 1689 but was not executed on the 11th of February. This is a wrong answer.
Option b- Sambhaji was executed as per the orders of the Mughal ruler, Aurangzeb. There were already wars going on between the Marathas and the Mughals when Sambhaji took over the empire. It is said that after the Marathas were defeated, Sambhaji was made a captive and was brutally executed by the Mughals on 11th of March in the year 1689, after which his brother Rajaram I became the king. So, this is the correct answer.
Option c- Sambhaji died way before April 11, 1689. He was killed by the Mughals and tortured till death. Thus, it is an incorrect answer.
Option d- Sambhaji’s death occurred on March 11, 1689 and not on May 11, 1689. There are several reasons for killing Sambhaji but one main reason was that he refused to be let down by the Mughals.

Note: When Shivaji died in 1680, Sambhaji was put in captivity at Panhala fort. Some of the influential ministers, supported by Soyarabai, conspired against Sambhaji to prevent him from succeeding the throne. Soyarabai, who was Shivaji’s widow, made Rajaram I the king of the Maratha empire at a mere age of ten. So, Sambhaji plotted his escape and acquired the forts of Panhala and Raigad. After this, he formally ascended the throne in the year 1680.