Shivaji Maharaj: A Visionary Ruler of Maharashtra

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, one of the most celebrated rulers of Maharashtra, was born in the hill-fort of Shivneri, near the city of Junnar, now in Pune district. However, scholars disagree on his date of birth. The Government of Maharashtra lists 19 February as a holiday commemorating Shivaji Maharaj’s birth (Shivaji Jayanti). Shivaji Maharaj was named after a local deity, the goddess Shivai Devi. Shivaji Maharaj’s father, Shahaji Bhonsle, was a Maratha general who served the Deccan Sultanates. His mother was Jijabai, the daughter of Lakhuji Jadhavrao of Sindhkhed, a Mughal-aligned sardar claiming descent from a Yadav royal family of Devagiri. Shivaji Maharaj belonged to the Maratha family of the Bhonsle clan. His paternal grandfather, Maloji (1552-1597), was an influential general of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate and was awarded the epithet of “Raja”. He was given deshmukhi rights of Pune, Supe, Chakan, and Indapur for military expenses. He was also given Fort Shivneri for his family’s residence around 1590. At the time of Shivaji Maharaj’s birth, power in the Deccan was shared by three Islamic sultanates: Bijapur, Ahmednagar, and Golkonda. Shahaji often changed his loyalty between the Nizamshahi of Ahmednagar, the Adilshah of Bijapur, and the Mughals but always kept his jagir (fiefdom) at Pune and his small army. In 1636, the Adil Shahi sultanate of Bijapur invaded the kingdoms to its south. The sultanate had recently become a tributary state of the Mughal Empire. It was being helped by Shahaji, who at the time was a chieftain in the Maratha uplands of western India. Shahaji was looking for opportunities for rewards of jagir land in the conquered territories, the taxes on which he could collect as an annuity. Shahaji was a rebel from brief Mughal service. Shahaji’s campaigns against the Mughals, supported by the Bijapur government, were generally unsuccessful. He was constantly pursued by the Mughal army and Shivaji Maharaj and his mother Jijabai had to move from fort to fort. In 1636, Shahaji joined in the service of Bijapur and obtained Poona as a grant. Shahaji, being deployed in Bangalore by the Bijapuri ruler Adilshah, appointed Dadoji Kondadeo as Poona’s administrator. Shivaji Maharaj and Jijabai settled in Poona. Kondadeo died in 1647, and Shivaji Maharaj took over the administration. One of his first acts directly challenged the Bijapuri government. Shivaji Maharaj’s legacy continues to be celebrated in Maharashtra and beyond. He is revered for his military campaigns, administrative reforms, and his vision of a strong and independent Maratha state. His life and achievements have inspired countless books, movies, and other works of art. In the words of historian Jadunath Sarkar, “The history of the Marathas is a record of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s wonderful career.”