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Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1630 - 1680)
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, great Maratha ruler was born on 19 February 1630 at Shivneri Fort in District Pune, Maharashtra. Shivaji Jayanti is observed on this day.
Shivaji was given excellent training in military warfare and administration. He was married for the first time in 1640 to Saibai.
Shivaji displayed his military zeal for the first time in 1645, when as a teenager, he successfully got control of the Torna Fort which was under Bijapur. He also acquired the Kondana Fort. Both these forts were under Adil Shah of Bijapur.
Shah then got Shivaji's father (Shahji) imprisoned in a bid to contain Shivaji. Shivaji surrendered these forts to get his father released.
He achieved great name when he defeated Afzal Khan, a veteran general of Adil Shah.
In the Battle of Pratapgarh in 1659, Shivaji’s forces vanquished the Bijapur Sultanate’s army.
In the same year, another battle was fought with the Adilshahi camp at Kolhapur where Shivaji’s army defeated the enemy force. This victory now alarmed Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Shivaji raided Mughal territory near Ahmednagar and in Junnar. Aurangzeb’s forces under Nasiri Khan defeated Shivaji at Ahmednagar in 1657.
Shivaji defeated a large force of Shaista Khan (Aurangzeb’s maternal uncle) and the Bijapur army in Pune.
In 1664, the wealthy Mughal trading port of Surat was sacked by Shivaji.
In June 1665, the Treaty of Purandar was signed between Shivaji and Raja Jai Singh I (representing Aurangzeb). As per this treaty, many forts were relinquished to the Mughals and it was agreed that Shivaji would meet Aurangzeb at Agra. Shivaji also agreed to send his son Sambhaji as a Mughal general.
At Agra in 1666, when Shivaji went to meet the Mughal emperor, Shivaji felt he was insulted by Aurangzeb and stormed out of the court. He was arrested and kept prisoner.
However, the Maratha warrior with his son escaped the prison. After that there was peace between the Marathas and the Mughals until 1670.
The jagir of Berar which was granted to Sambhaji by the Mughals was taken back from him. Shivaji in response, attacked and recovered many territories from the Mughals in a short span of four months.
In October 1670, he also harassed the English forces at Bombay for their support of the Mughals.
Through his military tactics, Shivaji acquired large part of land in the Deccan and western India.
He was crowned as the king of the Marathas on June 6, 1674 at Raigad. He took on the title of Chhatrapati, Shakakarta, Kshatriya Kulavantas and Haindava Dharma Dharak.
The Maratha Kingdom founded by Shivaji was about 4.1% of the Indian subcontinent but it grew larger over time and became the dominant Indian power in the early 18th century.
Shivaji fell ill and died of ill-health on 3 April 1680 at Raigad.
Shivaji established a strong army and a navy across the Konkan coast. His admiral Kanhoji Angre is called the ‘Father of Indian Navy’.
Shivaji was also considered a master of the guerrilla warfare. He is today considered a national hero in India and especially in the state of Maharashtra.
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