Murarbaji

Murarbaji Deshpande (died 1665) was an associate of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He is best remembered for role in Battle of Purandar in which he was killed, and the Marathas lost the battle.

Early life

Murarbaji Deshpande was born into a Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) family and his native place was in Nadgaon (modern day Raigad district) as their family name "Nadkar" suggested, with roots in the Nachna town present in modern day Panna district, Madhya Pradesh. The Nadkar family's original clan name was Nachne, deriving from the town Nachna in Bundelkhand from where his ancestors migrated after the fall of Mandavgad. He commanded 700 (maratha troop) to attack Diler Khan.

Battle of Purandar

The battle for Purandar fort was a landmark battle of symbolic importance for both the Marathas and Mughals. It was essential for the Marathas to hold off the Mughals for as long as possible, thus demonstrating the difficulty of conquering the mountainous Maratha Empire. It was equally imperative for the Mughals to conquer Purandar as swiftly as possible to demonstrate the futility of resistance of the dominant Mughal empire.

In the end, the battle ended with the Marathas suing for peace. In spite of crumbling defenses, Murarbaji and his troops sustained a dogged defense. Murarbaji was later killed in the battle.