Santaji Ghorpade: The Man Who Almost Took Down Aurangzeb

Santaji Ghorpade was one of the most formidable Maratha warriors, known for his fearless military campaigns. He came incredibly close to assassinating Aurangzeb inside his own camp, despite being vastly outnumbered—facing 90,000 Mughal soldiers with just 20,000 of his own. He was responsible for the deaths of four prominent Mughal generals, including Mukkarab Khan, the man who had captured Sambhaji.

Mughal records state that anyone who fought against Santaji was either killed or captured. However, his ruthlessness in battle created tensions with Chhatrapati Rajaram. Ultimately, he was killed while unarmed and while he was praying to Shiv by someone avenging a relative Santaji had previously slain.

Had he survived, there's a strong possibility that Aurangzeb himself would not have lived to see the end of his reign.