Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
| Reign | 1664 – 1680 |
|---|---|
| Coronation | June 6, 1674 |
| Titles | High Protector of the Maratha Empire |
| Born | February 19, 1630 |
| Birthplace | Shivneri Fort, near Pune,India |
| Died | April 3, 1680 |
| Place of death | Raigad Fort |
| Successor | Sambhaji |
| Wives | Sai bai Soyarabai Putalabai Kashibai Sagunabai Manjulabai Sakavaarbai Gunvantibai |
| Offspring | Sambhaji, Rajaram, and six daughters |
| Father | Shahaji |
| Mother | Jijabai |
Shivaji Bhosle, also known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhosle(Marathi: छत्रपती शिवाजीराजे भोसले) (Born:February 19, 1630, Died:April 3, 1680) was the founder of Maratha empire in western Indiain 1664.
He is considered a great hero in India, especially in the present-day state of Maharashtra.
Historical background
The land of Maharashtra, in central-west India, was ruled for long by Satavahana dynasty (300 BCE-230 CE) and later by the Rashtrakuta dynasty (735-982), after which it constantly morphed into many different kingdoms, including those of Maratha chieftains. In 1292, Ala-ud-din Khilji, the ruler of Delhi Sultanate, defeated the Yadavas of Devagiri. Although the Maratha capitals fell to the Khiljis, the regional lords held their power-base and influence and a branch of the Yadavas continued to rule parts of Konkan and Khandesh regions of Maharashtra for a century thereafter, till 1310.
In 1453, a Bahamani invasion of Vishaalgarh region resulted in a defeat of Yadavas. Over time, an understanding evolved between the sultanate and the local regional lords and their erstwhile master the Yadavas; the Yadavas became a vassal of Bahamani rulers. In 1492, the Bahamani sultanate broke into five kingdoms each called a Shahi.
In 1565, the allied Deccan sultanates vanquished the Vijayanagara Empire at Talikota. Most of the Marathas continued as soldiers and noblemen of the Sultanates as the sultanates engaged in a continuous game of mutual alliances and aggressions. Like his ancestors, Shahaji (Shivaji’s father) was a major player in the Deccan Wars. At that time, Shahaji was a regent for the youngNizam of Ahmednagar. Together with the prime minister of Nizamshah, Malik Amber, he put up a stiff resistance to the advancing forces of the Mughal emperor and thereafter defeated them. However, tired of the unsettled conditions, Shahaji Raje left Nizamshah’s service and joined Adilshah of Bijapur, who gave him a higher title of ‘Sar Lashkar’.[1]
The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan again attacked the Ahmednagar Kingdom of Nizamshah. At this critical hour, Shahaji Raje returned to the military service of Nizamshah to help stiffen-up the defences. Meanwhile, a prominent Maratha sardar Lakhuji Jadavrao was murdered on the order of the Nizamshah, and this was not acceptable to Shahaji, and it prompted him to raise the banner of independence and establish an independent kingdom.
By the time Shivaji began his military career, power in the region of Deccan was shared by three Sultanates – Bijapur, Ahmednagar, and Golconda.
Early life
Shivaji Maharaj With Jijabai
It was during this unsettled period that Shivaji was born. His birth was in independent country, as proclaimed by his father, Shahaji. Perhaps, that was the main contributing reason for his life long desire for independence.
The actual date of Shivaji’s birth was under controversy but now settled on date as 19 February 1627. Shivaji was born on Shivneri Fort, Junnar, 60 kilometres north of Pune and about 100 kilometres east of Mumbai. He was named Shiva, after the local Goddess Shivai, to whom his mother Jijabai had prayed for a son. Jijabai had several other sons before Shivaji who did not survive.
Shahaji, Shivaji’s father, attempted to build on the ruins of the Nizamshahi kingdom of Ahmednagar, but was defeated by a much larger combined force of the Mughals and Adilshah in 1636. He was forced to leave the region around Pune. He was inducted byAdilshah of Bijapur and was offered a distant jagir – land holdings, at present-day Bangalore, but he was allowed to keep his old land tenures and holdings in Pune.
Shivaji started his rise to power in what is now the state of Maharashtra in the coastal Deccan or central western regions, close to the power centres of South-Central India.
Foundation of empire
Given these circumstances, Shahaji appointed the young Shivaji under the care of his mother Jijabai to manage the Pune holdings. A small council of ministers was appointed to assist and train Shivaji in the administration which included Shamrao Nilkanth as Peshwa (Prime Minister), Balkrishna Pant as Muzumdar, Raghunath Ballal as Sabnis, Sonopant as Dabir and Dadoji Konddeo as teacher. Apart from these ministers, military commanders Kanhoji Jedhe and Baji Pasalkar were appointed to train Shivaji in martial arts. In 1644, Shahaji had Lal Mahal built in Pune for his wife and his son Shivaji.
Thus Shivaji started his career as an independent young prince of a small kingdom on a mission. Shivaji used the title of Raja (king) only after Shahaji’s death.
His mother made an indelible impression on him with her teachings, with her love for the homeland and its people. Shivaji learned much from his father’s failed attempts at political independence: his exceptional military capabilities and achievements, his knowledge of Sanskrit, Hindu ethos, patronage of the arts, his war strategies and peacetime diplomacy. He was inspired and informed by his family’s vision of independence and freedom.
Furthermore, his mother, having lost her father and three brothers to a treacherous plot hatched by the regional king Nizamshah, was opposed to those who she considered alien rulers, due to their derision and callousness toward the local population. Jijabai thus instilled in Shivaji a natural love for self-determination and an aversion to external political domination.
Her piety and commitment to indigenous culture and her recounting of tales from the great Indian epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana moulded Shivaji’s character and helped him to be peerless (as confirmed by even otherwise inimical chroniclers, Khafi Khan) especially in his tolerant attitude towards other religions as well as in his fair and kind treatment of women and non-combatants.
Shahaji‘s vision, Jijabai‘s and Dadoji Konddeo‘s teachings and motivation, and the able training by military commanders such asGomaji Naik Pansambal and Baji Pasalkar were the main influences which groomed Shivaji into a brave and fearless military leader as well as a responsible administrator. Shivaji along with his mavla friends took a blood oath to fight against the Mughal empire at Rohideshwara temple. And young Shivaji, energetic and enthusiastic as he was, wasted no time in setting off on a path of freedom and glory.
Battle of Pratapgarh
In the ensuing Battle of Pratapgarh fought on 10 November 1659, Shivaji's forces decisively defeated the Bijapur Sultanate's forces.The agile Maratha infantry and cavalry inflicted rapid strikes on Bijapuri units, attacked the Bijapuri cavalry before it was prepared for battle, and pursued retreating troops toward Wai. More than 3,000 soldiers of the Bijapur army were killed and two sons of Afzal Khan were taken as prisoners.
This unexpected and unlikely victory made Shivaji a hero of Maratha folklore and a legendary figure among his people. The large quantities of captured weapons, horses, armour and other materials helped to strengthen the nascent and emerging Maratha army. The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb now identified Shivaji as a major threat to the mighty Mughal Empire. Soon thereafter Shivaji, Shahaji and Netaji Palkar (the chief of the Maratha cavalry) decided to attack and defeat the Adilshahi kingdom at Bijapur.
