Question

Give reason.

It was decided that the Raigad fort should be fought under the leadership of Maharani Yesubai.

Answer 1

1. After the death of Sambhaji Maharaj, Aurangzeb thought that his dream of winning the Maratha kingdom would come true, and hence, he sent Zulfikarkhan to put Raigad under siege.
2. During this time, Rajaram Maharaj, his wife Maharani Tarabai, Sambhaji Maharaj’s wife Maharani Yesubai, and his son Shahu were in Raigad. But all members of the royal family staying at one place was risky.
3. Maharani Yesubai bravely resolved that she would not surrender to the Mughals under any conditions and took many important political decisions on Raigad.
4. She decided that Rajaram Maharaj should escape from Raigad and go to a far-off place like Jinji.

It was thus decided that in the absence of Rajaram Maharaj, the fight to defend Raigad would continue under the leadership of Maharani Yesubai.