| In
the meantime, the Hindu power in the south which Shivaji had founded was forcing its way
into Gujarat, then ruled by the Moghul Emperors. As if it was a predestined coincidence,
Aurangzeb's destruction of Somanatha in 1706 coincided with the rise of its avengers. In 1705 Dhanaji Jadhava defeated the Muslim army at the battle of
Ratanpur; 3 the hold of the Moghuls was broken and the Hindu power was knocking at the
doors of Saurashtra. As soon as Aurangzeb silenced the temple-bells of Somanatha, the
victorious shouts of 'Har Far Mahadeva' rent the skies of Saurashtra.
3 Ibid., Vol. XXII, p. 294. |
