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Names
	Netoji alias Netaji Palkar ; Mohammad Kuli Khan

Netoji Palkar
Netoji Palkar
Senapati ; Sarnaubat
2nd Senapati of the Maratha Empire
Reign	1657 – 1666
Predecessor	Mankoji Dahatonde
Successor	Prataprao Gujar
Born	1620; Khalapur, Maratha Empire; (present-day Raigad District, Maharashtra, India)
Died	1681 (aged 61); Tamsa , Mahurgad province , Maratha Empire ( now in Nanded district )
Military career
Allegiance	Maratha Empire
Rank	Senapati
Battles / wars	Battle of Pratapgad;
Names
Names
	Netoji alias Netaji Palkar ; Mohammad Kuli Khan
House	Palkar
Religion	Hinduism ; Islam (converted); Hinduism (reconverted)

Netoji Palkar (1620–1681), also known as Netaji Palkar, served as a prominent Maratha general and held the esteemed position of the 2nd Senapati of the Maratha Army under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the visionary founder of the Maratha empire. He was also known as Prati-Shivaji (mr:प्रतिशिवाजी ; meaning Like-Shivaji) implying someone embodying traits or ideals similar to Shivaji Maharaj.^[1]^[2]

Background

Netoji Palkar was born in the small village of Chouk in Khalapur, Maharashtra, India, into a Marathi Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu family.^[3] Netaji's father held a prominent position as a major Jagirdar in Western Maharashtra under the Adil Shahi dynasty.^[4]

Military Career

Netoji was appointed as Senapati in 1657, following the demise of Mankoji Dahatonde. Throughout the period of Shivaji's ascendancy from 1645 to 1665, Netaji was entrusted with the leadership of numerous expeditions, all of which he executed with remarkable success. His most notable achievement was the campaign against the Adilshah of the Bijapur Sultanate, which ensued after the assassination of Afzal Khan. His reputation among the local populace was so profound that he earned the moniker "Prati Shivaji," signifying his embodiment of the image of Chhatrapati Shivaji.^[5]

He significantly disrupted the Mughal territories until the year 1665, and his failure to communicate the actions of Jai Singh and Dilerkhan left Shivaji deeply disappointed. Following the Treaty of Purandar in 1665, between Jai Singh and Shivaji, Shivaji was compelled to relinquish control of 23 forts to the Mughals and engage in hostilities against the Adilshah of Bijapur. During this period, Netaji Palkar switched allegiance to the forces of Adilshah, a strategic move orchestrated by Chhatrapati Shivaji to diminish his own military strength, as Aurangzeb sought Shivaji's support in his campaigns. Consequently, Shivaji's maneuvering successfully prevented the Mughals from subduing Adilshah, in line with his intended outcome.

After Shivaji's meeting with Aurangzeb in Agra, Netaji Palkar joined the service of Jai Singh. Subsequently, when Shivaji managed to escape from Agra, Mirza Raja fell out of favor with Aurangzeb.^[6]

Arrest and Conversion

After Shivaji's escape from Agra, Aurangzeb, seeking retribution, issued an order to Jai Singh to apprehend Netaji Palkar. Netaji Palkar was subsequently detained at Dharur Fort for a brief period. It is also recorded that during this time, Jijabai, Chhatrapati Shivaji's mother, sent funds to Jai Singh in response to Shivaji's request for distributing sweets in Agra. Netaji Palkar, eventually, underwent a conversion to Islam. His wives were later transported to Delhi and similarly underwent conversion, enabling Netaji to remarry them according to Islamic customs. Assuming the name of Muhammad Quli Khan, Netaji Palkar was appointed as the garrison commander of Kandahar Fort in Afghanistan. His attempt to escape was ultimately foiled, leading to his capture in Lahore. Subsequently, on the battlefields of Kandahar and Kabul, he fought on behalf of the Mughals against insurgent Pashtuns, thus earning the trust and favor of Aurangzeb. This resulted in his deployment to the Deccan, along with Commander Diler Khan, with the aim of subduing Shivaji's territories.

After arriving in Deccan, Netaji joined forces with Shivaji's troops and traveled to Raigad. Consequently, following a decade of captivity under the Mughal rule, Netaji presented himself at the court of Chhatrapati Shivaji, requesting reintegration into the Hindu faith. He underwent a formal re-conversion to Hinduism by the orders of Shivaji.^[7]^[3] After 1666, he retired from involvement in the Maratha campaigns. In 1665, the position of Senapati was bestowed upon Prataprao Gujar.

Death

He died in 1681, due to natural causes associated with old age in Tamsa village, Nanded.^[8]

References

^ सोळंके, धनंजय (2 July 2022). "Nanded:'प्रतिशिवाजी' म्हणून ओळख असणाऱ्या पालकरांच्या समाधी स्थळावर पोहचण्यासाठी शोधावी लागते वाट..." marathi.abplive.com (in Marathi). Retrieved 18 December 2024.
^ "प्रतिशिवाजी " सरनौबत नेतोजी पालकर (Netaji Palkar)". Retrieved 18 December 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Organiser, Volume 27". Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Ltd. 1974: 205. Aurangzeb converted Shivaji's general Netoji Palkar a Kayastha Prabhoo to Islam and named him Kuli Khan. He sent him to the north west frontier province. Netaji suspected that he would be murdered in the north west by some secret agent of the Emperor. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Saswadkar, P. L. (1974). "Netoji Palkar's Career Under The Mughals. (1666-1676)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 35 (1974): 121–126. JSTOR 44138773.
^ Government of Maharashtra (1984). Lokrajya. Vol. 40. Mumbai, India: Directorate-General of Information and Public Relations, Maharashtra State, India.
^ Netaji Palkar
^ "Hindu Vishva, Volume 16, No.9". May 1981. p. 19. Netaji Palkar, who, on account of his superb valour was known as a second Shivaji at his time, was lured by Mirza Jaisingh into Aurangzeb's services, and in 1667 was forcibly converted to Islam. ...Only in 1676 could he get an opportunity to escape to Deccan and straightway seek a meeting with Shivaji. He was not only brought back to Hinduism but was taken back into his own community of Kayastha Prabhus without the least objection from anyone. Thus, the doors of Hinduism were opened to all those who wanted to return to it. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
^ "नेताजी पालकर यांच्या तामसा येथील समाधीला प्रतीक्षा जीर्णोद्धाराची". Lokmat (in Marathi). 7 September 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2024.