Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj 1627 A.D.

[raajveer]

Shivaji (also Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shivaji Raje Bhosale) was the Founder of Maratha Empire in India.

Birth and Early Life: Shivaji Maharaj was born in 1627 A.D. (or 1630 A.D.) at Shivneri, a hill fort near Puna. Shivaji’s father Shahaji Raje Bhosale was employed as an officer in the army of the Sultan of Bijapur. Shivaji was brought up under the care of his mother Jijabai and guardian Dadoji Kondadev.

Shivaji’s mother Jijabai and his guru Ramdas inspired him with the noble and patriotic ideas and infused in him love for the religion and the motherland. Shivaji got military training and learnt the art of government from Kondadev. He organized a number of Marathi hill-folk into a fighting force and began to raid neighboring territories.

In 1640, he was married to Saibai.

Shivaji started his conquests: Chhatrapati Shivaji began his early career of conquests at the age of nineteen by capturing the fort of Torna, about twenty miles from Puna. After this he conquered other forts like Chakan, Singhagarh and Purandar, situated within the territories of the Sultanate of Bijapur. In order to put pressure on Shivaji the Sultan of Bijapur imprisoned Shahaji Raje Bhosale, Shivaji’s father. After that Shivaji kept quiet for a few years. Shahaji Raje Bhosale was released by the Sultan. But Shivaji again started his activities of conquest. By 1655 Shivaji had occupied the northern part of Konkon and the fort of Javali.

These acquisitions provoked the Sultan of Bijapur who sent against Shivaji in 1659 a large army under a senior general named Afzal Khan, with instructions to bring Shivaji to the court dead or alive. In a clash between Afzal Khan and Shivaji, Afzal Khan was killed by Shivaji.

The army of Shivaji defeated the Bijapuri Sultanate in the Battle of Pratapgarh (November 10, 1659). Huge quantity of weapons and war-materials were collected, which further strengthened the Maratha army. This success gained him much reputation among the Marathas. He became a Hero.

The Sultan of Bijapur again sent a large army, under the leadership of Rustam Zaman, which also failed to curb the power of Shivaji. The battle took place on December 28, 1659. The Maratha army of Shivaji defeated the Bijapuri army in the Battle of Kolhapur. A large number of horses, elephants and warfare materials were gained by the Marathas.

Shivaji and the Mughals: Emboldened by his success Chhatrapati Shivaji began raiding Mughal territories in 1657. Aurangzeb felt the necessity of chastising him and sent a big army under Shaista Khan. He occupied Puna and encamped there. One night Shivaji made a surprise attack on Puna. A large number of Mughal soldiers were killed and Shaista Khan had a narrow escape.

Thereafter, in 1661, Kartalab Khan was sent to counter Shivaji. In the Battle of Umberkhind, the large Mughal forces were defeated by relatively smaller forces of the Marathas.

After this incident in 1664, Shivaji sacked Surat and carried off a huge booty.

Treaty of Purandar: Aurangzeb then sent Raja Jai Singh of Amber and Dilir Khan to subdue Shivaji. Jai Singh captured a number of forts held by Shivaji and compelled Shivaji to close the treaty of Purandar (1665 A.D.). By the terms of the treaty Shivaji had to cede 23 forts to the Mughals, acknowledge the supremacy of the Mughal emperor and agreed to help the Mughals in their fight against Bijapur. Jai Singh also persuaded Shivaji to pay a visit to the imperial court at Agra.

Escape of Shivaji: Aurangzeb did not treat him well and kept Shivaji and his son Shambhaji, imprisoned under careful watch. But Shivaji managed to escape from Agra with his son. Reaching home he started war against the Mughals with renewed vigor. At last Aurangzeb was obliged to recognize him as a Raja (king).

In 1674 Shivaji declared himself an independent ruler of Maharashtra and amid great pomp and grandeur celebrated his Rajyabhishek (coronation ceremony). He assumed the title of Chhatrapati. Then he conquered Jinji, Vellore and a large part of Tanjore. Shivaji died in 1680 A.D.

Estimate of Shivaji: Shivaji was a born leader and a great administrator. He had a successful military career. He is known for establishing a well-managed administrative and military system. His charisma drew people around him. In him they found the leader who never hesitated to risk his own life in times of danger. Shivaji had a constructive genius of a high order. The army of Shivaji was well organized. The most significant achievement of Shivaji was the welding of the Marathas into a nation. He infused a new spirit of unity and dignity into the Maratha people consisting of 96 clans.

In recruitment to services Shivaji showed no partiality to any community. There was no discrimination, no casteism, and no communalism. He, however, laid emphasis on the recruitment of the son of the soil. Though a champion of Hinduism, he extended his liberality to the people professing other religions.

Art and Culture: Shivaji was a patron of art and culture, piety and letters. Prominent among the saintly persons whom Shivaji admired were Ramdas, Tukaram, Baba Yakub, Mauni Baba, etc. Sanskrit poets like Jairam, Paramananda, Gaga Bhatt, and some Hindi poets received his patronage.

Administrative system of Shivaji: The administrative system of Shivaji was largely borrowed from the administrative practices of the Deccan states. It was also influenced by the principles laid down in Kautilya’s Arthasastra and the Dharmasastras. In the discharge of his duties he was assisted by a council of ministers.

Provincial administration: Shivaji divided the territory under his direct rule (which he called the Swaraj territory) into a number of provinces. The ancient institution of the Panchyat was preserved in the rural areas. The head of the village, administered the village with the help of the panchyat.

Revenue system: Shivaji laid down an excellent revenue system based on the principles adopted by Todar Mal and Malik Ambar. His officers made an elaborate survey of the land and fixed the rent at 33 per cent of the gross produce. Shivaji afterwards demanded a consolidated rent of 40 per cent. It is however, wrong to assume that Shivaji abolished the jagirdari system.

Chauth and Sardeshmukhi: Chauth and Sardeshmukhi were also the main sources of income of the state. They were levied on the territories which were not under the direct control of Shivaji. The inhabitants of these areas paid the Chauth or one fourth of the standard revenue as protection money against the plundering raids of Shivaji. The territories and principalities which paid chauth were also required to pay an additional tax called Sardeshmukhi. This was one tenth of the revenue of those areas. Those who paid Sardeshmukhi received Marathi protection against other invaders. Both the taxes together made a sizeable income for the Maratha kings.

Military system: Shivaji created and maintained an organized and disciplined army consisting of infantry, cavalry and navy. Shivaji recruited only able persons in his army. He had the skills to manage a huge army. His army mostly composed of light infantry and light cavalry was admirably well-adapted to guerilla warfare and hill campaign. The army movements were extremely quick.

Forts played an important role in Shivaji’s military system. Every fort was kept under three officers of equal status. They acted together but served as a check on one another.

Shivaji recognized the necessity of a strong navy. He had a navy of about 200 warships. The creation of a navy shows the foresight of Shivaji. A number of coastal fortresses kept guard over the sea. The Portuguese, the British, the Siddis and the Mughals were thus effectively kept in check.

Nor were Shivaji’s intelligence service neglected. The espionage system formed a well-paid and efficient wing of the Maratha army.

Death of Shivaji: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj died on April 3, 1680. After the death of Shivaji, his son Sambhaji Maharaj(1680-1689) succeeded him. After the death of Sambhaji , his brother, Rajaram Maharaj, assumed the leadership of Maratha Empire and continued the struggle.

[raajveer]

Empire of Shivaji Maharaj


The Empire of Shivaji Maharaj was huge from Ramnagar (modern Dharampur) in the north to Karwar in the south, in the east it included Baglan, half of the Nasik and the Poona districts, the whole of Satara and much of Kolhapur district. These territories formed his Swaraj. In addition to the above, he had conquered the Western Karnataka extending from Belgaum to the bank of the river Tungabhadra. All this territory was divided into three provinces, each under a governor. Besides the above, Shivaji had conquered and annexed the country extending from the Tungabhadra opposite Koppal to Vellore and Jinji. This included the northern, central and eastern parts of the modern state of Mysore, and parts of the districts of Bellary, Chittur and Arcot in Madras. In addition to these, he had imperfectly conquered the Kanara region which included the principalities of Sunda and Bednur and southern part of Dharwad.

Outside the above regions, a large area in the Dakhin was under his sphere of influence, though it did not recognize his sovereignty. This area consisted of a large part of the Mughal Dakhin from where Shivaji levied chauth or one-fourth of the standard assessment of the land revenue.

Shivaji’s kingdom contained two hundred and forty forts and yielded good revenue.

[raajveer]

The clash between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Mughal emperor Aurangzeb took place in early 1657. Aurangzeb attacked Bijapur at that time.

As the Prince Aurangzeb was seducing important Bijapur nobles and officers, Shivaji also offered his services to him on the condition that:
1.He should be recognized as the legal master of the Bijapur forts and the territory which he had conquered, and
2.also of the fort of Dabhol and the territory appertaining to it that he had recently annexed.

Aurangzeb sent a diplomatic reply; and Shivaji feeling that his interest would be better served by creating a diversion in favour of Bijapur, attacked the south-western corner of the Mughal Dakhin while Aurangzeb was engaged in the siege of Kalyani. Shivaji led an expedition to Junnar and carried away three lakhs of hun in cash. Aurangzeb was obliged to detach a part of his army to drive away the Marathas and take steps for the defense of the south-*western frontier of the Mughal Dakhin. Shivaji submitted after Bijapur,made peace with the Mughals.

[raajveer]

Treaty of Purandar

The Treaty of Purandar was signed between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Raja Jai Singh (on behalf of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb). The treaty was signed on 11th June, 1665.

Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had sent Raja Jai Singh to fight against Shivaji. Jai Singh captured several forts of Shivaji and compelled him to sign the treaty.


Shivaji waited on Jai Singh to fix up the terms of peace, which has come to be known as the treaty of Purandar (June 1665).

Shivaji agreed to surrender 23 forts to the Emperor while the Emperor recognized Shivaji’s authority over 12 forts including Rajgarh and its revenue.

Shivaji promised to supply for imperial service 5000 soldiers under his son Shambhaji and the Emperor agreed to assign a suitable jagir for their maintenance.

Shivaji declined to accept any mansab but promised to fight on behalf of the emperor whenever demanded. There were some secret clauses in the treaty as well, which provided for Shivaji’s participation in the war against Bijapur on behalf of the Emperor.

[raajveer]

Tarabai, also known as Rani Tarabai, was the Maratha Queen and the wife of the Rajaram, son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. After the death of Raja Ram Maharaj, Tara Bai became the became the de facto head of government. She crowned her son Shivaji II, then a child of four, and became his regent.

Tarabai is remembered for continuing the Maratha War of Independence and defending the territories of the Marathas. The Queen of Maratha Empire was a spirited lady who did not waste time or tears on the fall of the new Maratha capital Satara within a month of Rajaram‘s death. She infused vigor in her people and organized a tough opposition to Aurangzeb.



Tarabai exhibited wonderful powers of organization and inspired the Marathas with a sense of devotion to their national cause. Aurangzeb, therefore, directed his forces for the conquest of Panhala and Vishalgarh, the two strong fortresses which became the seats of the Maratha court. The Marathas constantly hovered round the emperor’s camp and carried away everything that they could. The emperor captured several Maratha forts, but lost them one by one.

Under the leadership of Rani Tarabai, the Maratha power grew stronger and stronger with the result that Aurangzeb was compelled to be on the defensive. The Maratha Empire in India, during the last year of the aged emperor’s reign, proceeded beyond Maharashtra and led distant expeditions into Malwa and Gujarat. They ravaged Burhanpur, Surat, Broach and other rich towns of the western coast. They established their rule over Southern Karnatak. In the midst of these difficulties Aurangzeb died on March 2, 1707.

Tarabai skilfully managed the affairs of Maharashtra in the name of her son, Shivaji II. The main Supporters of Tarabai were were Paras Ram Trimbak, Dhanaji Jadhav and Shankarji Narain, with whose assistance she prosecuted the war with vigor and success. She moved constantly from fort to fort in order to direct operations and encourage her men. The success of Maratha war of independence was in no small measure due to the indomitable personality of the Maratha Queen.

After the death of Chhatrapati Shahu, Rani Tarabai claimed that Ramaraja is the son of Shivaji II. She also managed to crown Rajaram to the throne. But, Tarabai exercised too much control over Ramaraja which led to a quarrel between the two.

However, Tarabai had much influence over the Maratha Empire. She remains one of the most celebrated women in Indian History.

[raajveer]

The Maratha army of Shivaji Maharaj was a well organized and disciplined force. He had more than 32,00o horses and 300 elephants. The Shivaji Maharaj Army had a infantry of more than one lakh soldiers. There were also troopers who supplied their own horses and arms. The infantry of Shivaji army were splendidly equipped, dressed and armed at great expense of the state.

The most important part of the army was the famous state cavalry. Twenty-five troopers formed a unit which was placed under one havaldar.


The infantry was the next important branch of the army of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. In this nine soldiers formed a unit and were placed under one head.

Shivaji’s army was highly mobile and disciplined, and carried little baggage. No women were permitted to accompany the troops. Even the king had as little of baggage as possible. On account of its organization, rigorous discipline and extreme simplicity, the Shivaji Maharaj army was irresistible in the seventeenth century.