Sack of Surat
Topic: The Marathas · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 3 "The Marathas"
Meaning
The Sack of Surat was Shivaji's raid on Surat, a rich Mughal port in present-day Gujarat. He raided it twice, in 1664 and 1670. He did it to pay the Mughals back for invading his lands. The raids brought in money and embarrassed the Mughal empire. They also showed that Shivaji held back in some ways.
Example
The Marathas took treasure worth almost one crore rupees. They left religious places untouched. They also spared the house of Mohandas Parekh, a merchant known for his charity. The London Gazette reported the raid, including Shivaji's demand that European agents give him "immediate presents of money".
Don't confuse with
- Surat Split (1907): This was the split of the Indian National Congress into Moderates and Extremists at Surat. It has nothing to do with Shivaji.