LIONS 300 STRONG

 

This is a poetic representation of the Battle of Pavan Khind, based on the Wikipedia accounts of a glorious war between the Marathas and the Adil Shahi forces. 

The library of history

Beholds many tales,

Of the brave warriors

And gallant generals.

Who had challenged

All the numeric odds,

And had crushed enemies

With their blazing swords.

Such a war has soaked

History's pages with blood,

Has triggered sentiments

Unstoppable as flood.

But over all they had shown

With sheer strike of zeal,

How to rewrite facts

And turn impossible deals.

Often we had heard of

The Spartans' last stand,

Who fought against some tons

With just 300 grand.

But in Kolhapur

There were Spartans of my land,

Whom time has lost

And are no talk of brand.

The day was of monsoon

On the 13th of July,

When the Chhatrapati summoned

With his roaring battle cry.

"If we don't act now

It will be too late,

And the Adil Shahis won't

Block the escape gate."

Baji Prabhu, his general

Suggested an escape,

Before those uncouth

Could cause a further harm.

As monsoon was the cover

That the king and his men needed,

To rebase and organise

Before the locusts swarm.

As suggested, all 600 men

Left from Fort Panhala,

Aiming to rebase

At the Fort of Vishalgad.

Putting each step

With utter precaution,

And confuse the enemies

With the art of war.

Shivaji's body double

Took the charge to divert,

The formidable enemies

Away from the course.

And smilingly sacrificed

His life for the Chhatrapati,

As he was captured

By those ruthless grunting boars.

But somehow the Adil Shahis

Found a trace to the plan,

And chased back the army

Towards Vishalgad fort.

But never did they knew

There was a bigger demon,

Ready to chop them clean

As they proceed forth.

At the constant pleading

Of Baji Prabhu and his men,

Unwillingly Shivaji

Left them 300 strong.

And promised to fire

Three cannon shots from Vishalgad,

As they entered their fort

After the journey long.

With a stone upon his chest

Departed the Chhatrapati,

As Prabhu Deshpande

Became the rear guard.

Cheering his men

With the glory of Bhavani,

Lighting each candle

With his flaming word.

Masters of the Guerilla

Monarchs of the pass,

Waited Baji Prabhu

To end enemy amass.

And with no long delay

Appeared the prey,

And stepped on the trap

As a greedy goat feeds on the grass.

And there pounced the lions

Shouting glories to Mahadev,

Crushing each enemy

In seconds, like a storm.

So baffled they made

Their out-numbered counters,

That Adil Shahi forces

Were broken off their norm.

However Siddi Masud

The leader of the dogs,

Barked to his men

To keep striking back.

But all they could do

Were kill one or two,

But could not overpower

The invincible pack.

In a battle of 12 hours

Amidst the swamp and mud,

Just 300 lions

Had preyed 5 tons.

And showed them all

With the language of swords,

Why the Marathas were called

"The Deccani Dons".

But long couldn't this strike

Behold on the snake,

Slowly the poison

Was travelling to the heart.

Baji lost his brother

In the ruthless battle

Which somewhere had made him

Mentally fall apart.

And the cruel Siddi

Ordered to fire a shot,

To bring down Baji

Who had been the thorn.

And a bullet struck

Just in his heart,

Knocking him unconscious

On the soil he was born.

But Prabhu remembered

About the cannon shots,

Which were yet

To be fired from the fort.

Signaling his king

Had made a safe passage,

Only then his duty

Could come to accord.

He raised his broken body

And blazed his swords around,

Slaying half a dozen

After he rose.

Seeing an almost dead

Rise and fight back,

The Adil Shahi forces

Had shiver on their toes.

Luckily Prabhu heard

The three cannon shots,

With no more delays

From the Vishalgad fort.

The Chhatrapati has reached

His goal safe and sound,

Now he could abandon

His duties of the court.

And slowly Prabhu succumbed

To his uncurable wounds,

Blessing each rock

With his pious name.

The one who never bowed

To the toughest of challenges,

Great are the Marathas

Immortal are their fame.

Had there been

Some otherwise that day,

Perhaps the saffron kingdom

Could never reach glory.

Lost one lion

To the cause of Swaraj,

Tears turned to fire

And fire turned to fury.

One by one

The Mughals lost forts,

As the great Chhatrapati

Raged with his sword.

Lions came and joined

The cause of Swaraj,

As fear of the Marathas

Had nightmared Mughals.

The sacrifice of Prabhu

And his brave men,

Have mingled in the breeze

As the unsung song.

As they stand undaunted

In the passes of Pavan Khind,

Roaring with full vigour

Lions 300 Strong.

- Lucifer.