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PRATAPRAO
EARLY HISTORY OF THE FAMILY, MUDHOL
AFTER the
death of Pirajee, his son Prataprao got the Mansab of his father. He very soon
rose in the affections of the Emperor and was raised to a high post in the
Revenue Department by Ismail Adilshaha. Prataprao's son got the Mansab of his
father in A.D.1645 and served as Chief Minister of the Revenue Department for a
long time.
Pratapsinha Ghorpade showed
great valour in fighting the Moghuls. The Moghuls captured the Nizamshahi
dominions in A.D.1636 and marched against Bijapur. Kutubshaha of Govalkonda was
already reduced to submission. But the Adilshahi dominions were not an easy
morsel for the Moghul conqueror. He saw that he had to fight and fight
desperately for its capture. The Moghuls divided the army into three parts and
invaded Bijapur from three sides. During this Moghul invasion, Pratapsinha and
his son Bajee Raje were fighting on the side of the Bijapur forces. Having only
small armies, they had to carry on guerilla warfare against the big Moghul
forces. The Moghul forces neared Bijapur, but the Bijapur army obstructed the
enemy's march by letting off water from canals. At this juncture peace was
declared and both the Emperors stopped the war, But it was settled that the
Bijapur forces were to help the Moghul army in capturing the marauding bands
under Shahaji. Pratapsinha and his son Bajee Raje together with Randullakhan
were deputed to this work. The forces under these three generals besieged forts
including Junnar and Shivaneri and harassed the freebooters from all sides. They
were obliged to sue for peace and thus Nizamshaha was made over to the Moghul
Emperor. Shahaji then took service under the Bijapur Emperors and using the
influence of Murarpant rose slowly in the Bijapur Court.
In the year A.D.1637-38, Shahaji began his in the Bijapur Courts for a share in the dominions of Rao Raje Pratapsinha Ghorpade Bahadur. He induced the cousins of Pratapsinha Raje, namely, Baharji and his son Maloji to lodge complaints before the Bijapur King for their share in the Jahagir of Pratapsinha Ghorpade. Shahaji Bhosale succeeded to the following extent. He retained the Poona and Supa prants, which he had got as Jahagirs from the Nizamshahas of Ahmadnagar; and a portion of the Jahagir was given to the cousin of Prataprao Raje for he maintenance of two thousand cavalry. It was at this time that the Palegars in the Deccan and the descendants of the Vijayanagar Kings ruling at Chandragiri were being closely pursued and harassed. Kutubshaha's army was seeking to advance in this province from the East and South, but the Bijapur army effected an early advance and thus succeeded in extending the Bijapur dominions. The armies of all the Bijapur Sardars had been scattered throughout the whole kingdom. Randullakhan was the Commander-in-Chief and Bajee Raje Ghorpada was serving under him with his detachment. During this expedition against the Chandragiri Kings, much of the territory belonging to Shrirungraya fell into the hands of the Bijapur Emperors. It was about this time, i.e. in A.D.1645 that Rao Raje Pratapsinha died in his Jahagir in the Wai Province. A story about the death of this brave Ghorpada goes as follows: -- “When he had been to his Jahagir in the Ben Province he was attacked by some people while alone. He fought with them and though single-handed killed many of his assailants, but he was mortally wounded by a shot and died while being carried by his men towards Wai." His Chhatri is at Shilewadi. He was called by another name as Nahuji and in some places he is mentioned as Nawaji also.