She was the wife of Chhatrapati Sambhaji — the king Aurangzeb tortured and executed in 1689.

She was the mother of Shahu, the heir who spent 18 years growing up inside the Mughal camp.

And for 30 years, Maharani Yesubai remained a prisoner inside the empire that had destroyed her family.

But her captivity was not the end of her story.

After Sambhaji's execution, Yesubai chose to remain behind at Raigad so Rajaram could escape and continue the Maratha resistance. Later, inside the Mughal imperial camp, she endured years of captivity while maintaining secret connections with the Maratha side.

In 1707, her son Shahu was released.

She was not.

Twelve more years passed before the political changes of 1719 finally brought Yesubai home after three decades in captivity.

This is the story of the queen who stayed — a story of captivity, sacrifice, survival, and the extraordinary endurance of Maharani Yesubai.

Sources & Further Reading:

Maasir-i-Alamgiri
Khafi Khan, Muntakhab al-Lubab
Jadunath Sarkar, A History of Aurangzib and House of Shivaji
G.S. Sardesai, New History of the Marathas
Maratha bakhars
NDHistories chronology project
Times of India (2023)
REGALORE — Forgotten royalty. Silenced thrones. History nobody taught you.

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