Bahirji Naik, (original name Bhairavnath Jadhav), was a 17th century Maratha spy and head of intelligence department in the army of Shivaji.
[citation needed] Not much is or was known about the early life of Bahirji, except that his expeditions and adventures as a spy in king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's army greatly contributed to the success of the Maratha Empire.
[4] It is said that when a knight from Adil Shah, Afzal Khan, started his journey towards the Maratha Empire in order to capture it, Bahirji poisoned the lead flag-bearing elephants.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj escaped to Sinhagad, while drawing Khan's army into a wild chase to a mountain pass in Katraj.
In a second expedition to Surat, Colonel Ikhlas Khan chased Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s army to Kanchan Bari (near Nasik), where they engaged in open battle.