Shivaji Maharajah's Muslim Commanders

If only Shiv Sena Chief Uddav Thackeray had followed his icon Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj he would have at least 13 Muslim MLAs and they would have remained loyal and not defect over to the BJP. Shivaji had at least 13 top commanders who were Muslim. Their names are: Siddi Halal, Daulat khan, Ibrahim Khan, Kazi Haidar, Siddi Ibrahim, Siddi Wahwah, Noor Khan Beg, Shama Khan, Hussain Khan Bigani, Siddi Mistri, Sultan Khan, Dawood Khan and Madari Mehetar. It is them who fought the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb in the mountains and the rivers, India's first example of guerilla warfare. Taking advantage of slow moving armies like the Russian army in Ukraine, he would send boulders hurtling down the mountains, creating havoc and then attacking the army. Aurangzeb called him a mountain rat. But none of Shivajis Muslim commanders defected to the Mughals. Rather the threat came from his own son Sambhaji whom he imprisoned. But he escaped with his wife and defected to the Mughal side for a year. Now Aurangabad has been named after the defector Sambhaji. One day Thane will become Eknath Shinde Nagar!