Afzal Khan, like the ruler of Bijapur, was a Muslim, while Shivaji was a Hindu. According to "Shiva-Bharata" (1674), composed under Shivaji's patronage, Afzal Khan's army started its march amid several evil omens, such as falling meteors and thunderbolts in cloudless sky. The text states that Afzal Khan first came to Tuljapur, where he destroyed the idol of Shivaji's family goddess Bhavani, and slaughtered a cow (considered holy by the Hindus) in front of her temple. "Afzal Khan Vadh" states that Afzal Khan challenged the goddess to show her some miracle. He went on the desecrate the Hindu temples at Pandharpur and Shingnapur (Shambhu Mahadev).