Aurangzeb forces of the Mughal emperor. Mughals In 1687, Bijapur fell to the Mughals. In 1680, Santaji Ghorpade became Deshmukhi of Miraj and six years later, the town was captured by Aurangzeb. In 1730, Chatrapati Shahu of Satara instructed Pant Pratinidhi to attack the town.Miraj remained under Mughal rule until 3 October 1739. On that day, it was captured by Shahu after a military campaign of two years, reflecting the fall of the last defences of the Mughals. Shahu gains power in Miraj on 3 October 1739 and brings Maratha rule. In 1761, Harbhat Patwardhan's son, Gopalrao, took the Miraj Jagir from Peshwa Madhavrao. British Raj The Patwardhan dynasty ruled Miraj as the capital of a principality, overseen by British rule. Miraj was part of the southern division of the Bombay Presidency which in turn was part of the southern Mahratta Jagirs, and later the Deccan States Agency. In 1820, the state of Miraj was divided into Miraj Senior and Miraj Junior. The territory of both regions was distributed among other native states and British districts. The area of Miraj Senior was . In 1901, its population was 81, 467. Its revenue was £23,000 and the tax paid to the British was £800. The population of the town of Miraj in 1901 was 18, 425. It lay on a junction on the Southern Mahratta Railway. Independence On 8 March 1948, Miraj Senior acceded to the Dominion of India & Princedom of Miraj becomes part of the Republic of India. At the present day, it is a part of the Maharashtra state. Climate Demographics As of the 2011 census, the population of the Miraj area is as follows. Marathi is the official and most widely spoken language of the city. A unique kind of Hindi (Dakhini hyderabadi type) blended with Marathi is also spoken. Hindustani classical music Miraj is a popular place for artists to perform at Urus. The administrative office of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya is at Miraj. The city is known for its finesse in playing and manufacturing Sitars. Musicians Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande Hirabai Badodekar Vinayakrao Patwardhan Bal Gandharva made his debut performance at Hans Prabha Theatre, Miraj. In the same location, the Balgandharva Natyagruha was named for him. Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, a doyen of the Kirana gharana, lies interred within the Hazrat Khawaja Shamna Mira RH and Hajrat Mira Saheb RH Dargah. An annual music