Who is malik ambar

Sold and resold several times he was brought to Baghdad before eventually landing up at the hands of Chengiz Khan ,who was then the Chief Minister or Peshwa of Ahmadnagar. This was around Himself a Habshi, Chengiz Khan was a great master from whom Malik Ambar learnt a lot about statecraft, military matters and administrative affairs.

From amongst the thousands of Habshis who were in service in Bijapur and Ahmadnagar several gained freedom and became free soldiers or officials. Building on years of toil, both in neighbouring Bijapur and in Ahmadnagar, Malik Ambar shot into prominence in last decade of the 16th Century. Around this time Akbar had set his sight on the southern kingdoms and the powerful Mughal army was closing in on Ahmadnagar.

In December of Malik Ambar proved his mettle by harassing Mughal supply lines and established himself as a military genius, largely adopting guerrilla tactics. Eventually the Mughal troops tightened their grip on the Ahmadnagar Fort after laying siege to it. Nizam Shahi forces gave in and the Fort fell in Yet Mughal control could barely extend beyond the environs of the fort.

Soon Malik Ambar was commanding more than 50 thousand troops and by now thousands of Habshis and Marathas were in his service. He was a rare combination of a skillful administrator, even handed ruler and an outstanding military commander. He was truly an extra-ordinary figure and his administrative reforms had a lasting impact.

He could be ruthless when needed. By now Malik Ambar was not only commanding an army, he had a navy too. In his bid to contain the Mughals, he had to conduct parleys with the Portuguese, the Dutch and the English which were at times friendly and at other times hostile.

Jehangir, who by now was the Mughal emperor, was obsessed with Malik Ambar. Perhaps envious of his qualities, he wanted to see him crushed at any cost. That simply would not happen. Unable to defeat him in reality, Jehangir had to take to fantasy. In actuality Malik Ambar, respected by the people and feared by neighbouring Sultans, grew from strength to strength.

He was to see his crowning glory in the battle of Bhatwadi around October After crossing the Bhima, Malik Ambar took position and confronted the combined assault of the Mughals and the Bijapur army. In the ensuing rout of the alliance, Malik Ambar, aided by his Maratha light cavalry, established his clear supremacy.

This battle saw an unprecedented scale of Maratha participation leading to a collaboration that blurred all religious lines. And in the military town of Kirki which Malik Ambar founded, now Aurangabad, he named all the quarters after great Maratha chiefs — Malpura, Khelpura, Vithapura and so on.

Muslims and Marathas had united to resist Mughal hegemony in their bid to preserve their own distinct political and regional identity. Malik Ambar provided the inspiring leadership for this enterprise. At the height of his fame and remaining victorious as ever, Malik Ambar died on May 14, at the age of 78, at Ambarpur, bringing to close an eventful chapter.

After his death, the Marathas, fostered and trained by him, would soon be a force to reckon with. He was the son of her who gave the title of Malik king or chief in Arabic to Ambar. Chand Bibi after leaving the Sultanate of Bijapur to his son returned to Ahmednagar.

The northern armies begin to prepare for an invasion. From April , Akbar took authority to get involved in Deccan region. He began by using diplomacy to succeed in subduing the Deccan sultanate. Mughals are very sensitive to lack of respect. This is why Akbar ordered his son, Prince Daniyal, to correct the sultan. He died shortly after. His son did not stay in power for long, as he was killed in a battle against the Sultanate of Bijapur.

A period of instability began. Malik Ambar was disappointed with the lack of recognition he received from the Sultan of Bijapur, so he decided to help Chand Bibi. The latter had taken control of the fort of Ahmednagar. He rode with riders to returned to Ahmednagar. Together, they repulsed the Mughal armed power for the first time. She began a siege around the fort. Malik Ambar and his army of horsemen succeeded in breaking through this siege with stealthy night attacks.

For 4 years, the fort resisted the siege of the Mughal army. In , a rumour settled in the fort. Chand Bibi would be ready to offer the fort and the sultanate to Akbar. Officers decided to eliminate Chand Bibi.

Without it, the troops were disorganized and on August 16, , the Mughal army entered the fort. An armistice is signed and the suzerainty of Akbar is recognized over the sultanate of Ahmednagar. After the fall of the fort of Ahmednagar, Malik Ambar went underground to fight against the Mughal empire.

In , his army numbered over 7, men. He used guerrilla tactics to attack the Mughal lines north of the sultanate. But his ambition was more important than being a little rebel in the boot of the empire.

He wanted his name to be known throughout imperial territory. He therefore undertook to revive the sultanate of Nizam. For this, he went to Bijapur to look for the nephew of the last sultan. And to be sure of being named Prime Minister, he got his daughter married to this last prince.

The new sultan, son-in-law of Malik Ambar, appointed him to the post of Prime Minister. Thanks to this, he was able to carry out the reconstruction of the sultanate around the detestation of the Mughal Empire. Malik Ambar had to fight to keep his place because many enemies wanted to take his place. In , the Mughal Emperor Akbar died. Malik Ambar sees it as an opportunity to declare the independence of the sultanate from Mughal influence. Prince Salim becomes Emperor, Jahangir cannot let this affront pass.

A new war begins between the empire and the sultanate. Until the death of Malik Ambar, the Mughals was not able to enter the Deccan region. A fantasy that never become truth. Meanwhile, Malik Ambar also had to deal with intrigues at court. He also wanted to stop being a puppet. Malik Ambar was enraged, went to court and killed the Sultan and his mother. Having become the new regent, he decided to build a new city north of Ahmednagar.

He transferred his capital there and Khadki in fact became the new capital of the Nizam Sultanate. He continued to fight against the Mughals all his life while developing his kingdom. On May 11, , he died at the age of He was buried in a tomb just outside Khuldabad, the former Sufi capital of India.

Due to its political importance, Malik Ambar has shaped a territory and ideas. He also left an important architectural heritage. Maharashtra is a mosaic of different beliefs and peoples. Thanks to his diplomatic skills and his tolerance, he succeeded in supporting different communities in his capital Khadki Aurangabad today.

He finally taught the methods of guerrilla warfare to the Marathas who applied it with Chatrapati Shivaji in the following century against the Mughals.

Malik Ambar used his administrative skills in the formation of his capital, Khadki. He endowed it with an irrigation system that brought the necessary water to the city, the Nahr-e-Ambari.

This 8-kilometer-long system between the source and the city works only by the force of gravity and is still in operation today. Thanks to this ingenious system, the city of Khadki had many lush gardens. A feat in the arid region of Aurangabad. Being by far the underdog, Ambar had to rely on his tactical brilliance to beat his superior foe.

Regarded as the pioneer of guerilla warfare in the Deccan, Ambar confounded the Mughals who were used to straightforward battles. Ambar would lure the enemy into his territory. Then, with his Maratha raiders, he would destroy their supply lines. In the harsh Deccan, the large Mughal armies could not live off the land in the unforgiving Deccan — in effect, Ambar turned their numbers against them.

Malik Ambar thus completely stopped Mughal expansion for two decades. The Mughal emperor Jahangir considered Ambar his arch-nemesis. He would repeatedly go off on angry tirades against him. Being completely frustrated by the Abyssinian, he would fantasize about defeating Ambar, as was the case when he commissioned the below painting. Widely regarded as weak and incapable, he has been called the Indian Claudius. Perhaps the only notable thing about his intoxicated and opiated reign, apart from his persecution of various people, is his wife.

After the death of her husband under dubious circumstances, Nur Jahan married Jahangir in She quickly became the real power behind the throne. She is the only Mughal woman to have coins minted in her name. When the emperor was sick, she held court by herself. When he was ridiculously captured by a lowly general, she rode into battle on an elephant to free him.

It was this remarkable woman that Malik Ambar really faced. Jahangir has the dubious honor of having not one but two of his sons rebelling against him.

The first son he would have blinded. The second revolt came in Nur Jahan was trying to set up her own son-in-law to be declared heir. Over the next two years, the rebel prince would fight against his father. Malik Ambar would be a key ally of his. Although Khurram would lose, Jahangir was forced to forgive him. This paved the way for his eventual succession to the Mughal throne as Shah Jahan — the man who built the Taj Mahal.

The Mughals, perhaps irked by his hand in the princely rebellion, raised a great host. Moreover, the Bijapuri Sultan, previously an ally of Ambar, broke from the Deccani coalition. The Mughals had enticed him with the promise of carving up Ahmednagar, leaving Ambar completely surrounded. Undeterred, the now year-old general set off on his most brilliant campaign.

He raided the territories of his enemies, forcing them to seek battle on his terms. The combined Mughal-Bijapuri army arrived on 10th September to the town of Bhatvadi, where Ambar was waiting. Taking advantage of heavy rain, he destroyed the dam of a nearby lake. While he held the upper ground, the enemy army camped in the lowlands was rendered completely immobile by the resulting flood.

The demoralized enemy soldiers began to defect. Finally, Ambar led a great cavalry charge that forced the enemy force to retreat, utterly destroyed. It would be the crowning achievement of his incredible career. The might of the great Mughal Empire had tried to destroy him for two decades and failed utterly. Malik Ambar died peacefully in , at the ripe old age of His son succeeded him as Prime Minister, but unfortunately, he was no substitute.

It was under him that the Marathas first emerged as a military and political force. His mark can be found all over Aurangabad, which remains a vibrant and diverse Indian city, home to over a million Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, and Christians. But perhaps most importantly, Malik Ambar is a symbol. Ambar reminds us that history is not a monolith, not just what we assume of it.

He reminds us that our diversity is ancient and worth celebrating, and that incredible stories can be found in our shared past; we need only look. He has an avid interest in alternate history and science fiction. He enjoys reading, music, and travel.