Rajmata Jijabai

                        Death of Shivaji maharaj

Shivaji Maharaj died around 3 April 1680 in Raigad Fort at the age of 50, on the eve of Hanuman Jayanti. The cause of Shivaji's death is disputed. he was being sick for 12 days.

Different sources have quiet similar reasons for the  death of  Shivaji maharaj -
1) Sabhasad, autobiographer of Shivaji, says – fever of type Navajwar.
2) British records says – Bloody Flux
3) Portuguess says – Abscess (Anthrax)
4) Mughals says – Vomiting of Blood.

Shivaji Raje was sick for three years before his death or we can say from 1677. His doctors had already said him to take rest but all were in vain as he wanted to fight till his last breath. And at that time even 50 years was called an old age due to less life expectancy. few historians say that he may have been poisoned by his wife Soyarabai as she wanted her son to become king. But these are only assumptions as there is no historical proof for it. This kind of fact arises because of events that happened after Shivaji death. Soyarabai and Sambhaji fought for succession and in the end Soyarabai was executed.

Shivaji Maharaj lived a very difficult life , starting his journey at age of 16 and dieing at 50 , in these 34 years , he was always in extreme physical and mental agony . He was almost always on a horse back , taking very less meal and above all facing huge amount of mental stress. Stress can make anyone old quickly even today. He did not live a lavish life as Mughals and always lead from front , he had a choice of having a comfortable life by becoming a jagirdar or anything like that , but for him , his love of nation was more than anything else. These physical and mental stress were the reasons of his death.

It was due to various risk factors like tension, depression, over load, etc. according to Shivaji Maharaj's history. One of the reason of Shivaji Maharaj's death is Visham Jwara which is Typhoid.

Shivaji's reportedly died on the eve of Hanuman Jayanti. While many scholars say diffrent diffrent reason for his death, that he died after falling sick, myths claim he was cursed opposing Muslims leaders of the time because he totaly try to destroy them. Yet another rumour claims that his second wife Soyarabai poisoned him to make their 10-year old son Rajaram the successor king.