The mighty Mughal general Shaista Khan, uncle of Emperor Aurangzeb, had captured Pune and was living in the Lal Mahal — the very palace where young Shivaji had grown up. He had brought a huge army and was making life hard for the people.

One night during the festival of Ramzan, Shivaji disguised himself and his men as a wedding procession. They entered Pune, slipped into Lal Mahal through a secret passage Shivaji remembered from childhood, and surprised the Khan in his bedroom. Shaista Khan barely escaped, leaping out of a window — but he left three of his fingers behind, cut off by Shivaji's sword.