Origins
Born in the village Harnai in Ratnagiri district of Konkan in the year of 1669, he was born into a Sankapal family, whose original name was Kadu. They were guardians of small state named 'Vir Rana Sank' and therefore became known as Sankapal. His mother's name was Ambabai and his father's name was Tukoji. The couple did not have a child for many years, so Ambabai worshiped Kaniphanath, and said to Kaniphanath: "If I become a mother of a child by the blessings of your angara (burnt ash of holy wood) I will give your name to the child and change the surname to Angare," which later became Angre. Little is known about his early life except that he was involved in daring exploits at sea and that his father was Tanoji Angre, a commander under Maratha Chhatrapati (Emperor) Shivaji. He spent much of his childhood in the fort at Suvarnadurg Fort, of which he would later become governor.
He was originally appointed as Darya-Saranga by the chief of Satara in c. 1698. Under that authority, he was master of the Western coast of India from Mumbai to Vingoria (now Vengurla) in present-day state of Maharashtra, except for the property of the Muslim Siddis of Murud-Janjira who were affiliated with the powerful Mughal Empire.
Kanhoji initially started by attacking merchant ships of the British East India Company and slowly gained respect from the sovereign and notoriety with the colonial powers. When Maratha Chattrapati Shahu ascended the leadership of the Maratha Empire, he appointed Balaji Viswanath Bhatt as his Senakarta (Commander) and negotiated an agreement with Angre around 1707. This was partly to appease Angre who supported the other ruler who claimed the Maratha throne, Tarabai. Under the agreement, Angre became head of the Maratha navy. He also played a role in the Maratha conflicts against the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who was campaigning in the Deccan.
Read more about this topic: Kanhoji Angre
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