Tanhaji Malusare[1] was a warrior and commander of
Shivaji. A local poet Tulsidas,[a] wrote a
powada describing Subhedar Tanhaji's heroics and sacrifice of life in the
Battle of Sinhagad, which has since made him a popular figure in Indian folklore.[2][3][4][b]
Background
According to the historian David Hardiman,
Kolis were the early helpers of
Shivaji in a revolt. Tanhaji Malusare is one such prominent example of a Koli whose name is memorizalized due to his act of capturing the fort of Singhad and handing it to Shivaji.[6] Tanhaji's father's name was Kaloji Malusare.[citation needed]
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar had written a ballad on him, which was banned by the colonial British government.[7]
Gad aala pan sinh gela (
Marathi: गड आला पण सिंह गेला) (
transl. We won the fort but we lost the lion) a Marathi novel by
Hari Narayan Apte was written in 1903, based on his life.[8][9]
In 1922 Bengali poet
Jatindramohan Bagchi wrote a poem named Singhagarh stating the heroic death of Tanaji Malusare while recapturing the fort.[10]
Bollywood actor
Ajay Devgn produced and played the role of Tanhaji Malusare in
Tanhaji. It was based on the Battle of Kondhana, Tanhaji film theatrically released on 10 January 2020. It was a box-office hit.[14]
In the 2023
Marathi-language epic Subhedar, Tanhaji Malusare is portrayed by Ajay Purkar.
^The text has not been dated conclusively. It is popularly accepted to be written not long after the Battle; however, some scholars have claimed the text to have been written in the eighteenth century.[5]
^Kantak, M. R. (1978). "The Political Role of Different Hindu Castes and Communities in Maharashtra in the Foundation of Shivajiraje's Swarajya". Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute. 38 (1/4): 51.
ISSN0045-9801.
JSTOR42931051.
^Rao, Vasanta Dinanath (1939). "SIDE-LIGHT ON THE MARATHA LIFE FROM THE BARDIC (शाहिरी) LITERATURE OF THE 18th CENTURY". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 3: 1194–1212.
ISSN2249-1937.
JSTOR44252466.
^Hardiman, David (1996).
Feeding the Baniya: Peasants and Usurers in Western India. Oxford University Press. p. 221.
ISBN978-0-19-563956-8. When Shivaji began his revolt in the following decade, the Kolis were amongst the first to join him under the leadership of the Sirnayak Khemi and they played a leading role in helping Chatrapati Shivaji to consolidate his power. The Koli Tanhaji Malusare, is remembered in Maharashtra to this day for his courage in capturing the almost impregnable fort of Singhad for Shivaji.