King Shivaji returns to his fort

You have heard about the Taj Mahal, which was built by King Sajahan. Sajahan's son was Aurangazeb. Aurangazeb was very bad. He killed all his brothers, put his father into prison and did many other terrible things. Then, towards the end of his life, he repented.

Once Aurangazeb invited King Shivaji, the great King of Maharastra, to come to his palace. King Shivaji accepted because he did not want to appear to be afraid of Aurangazeb. When he arrived with his son, the two of them were arrested and put into prison. King Shivaji and his son escaped in a fruit basket and began making their way back to their own kingdom disguised as religious mendicants.

After quite a few days of walking, they reached a fort that belonged to King Shivaji. It was King Shivaji's order that the fort remain closed from sunset to dawn. No matter who came to the fort, the guard was not allowed to open the gate.

When King Shivaji and his son reached the fort, the guard knew perfectly well that it was King Shivaji and his son, who had come back after so many months, and he knew what kind of ordeal they had gone through. Still he would not open the gate.

The guard went to the roof of the fort and tied one end of a rope to a post. Then he climbed down the rope to the ground. As soon as he touched the ground, he fell at King Shivaji's feet, crying and embracing him.

King Shivaji was also crying because he was so proud that the guard was carrying out his order not to open the gate. King Shivaji and his son waited outside the fort until daybreak, even though the guard had the key.