Chhatrapati Shivaji

Why is in news? PM pays homage to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his Jayanti

He was born on 19th February, 1630 at Shivneri Fort in District Pune in the present-day state of Maharashtra.

He was born to Shahaji Bhonsle, a Maratha general who held the jagirs of Pune and Supe under the Bijapur Sultanate and Jijabai, a pious woman whose religious qualities had a profound influence on him.

He 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.

He carved out an enclave from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire.

In 1674, he was formally crowned as the Chhatrapati (Monarch) of his realm at Raigad.

The kingdom’s security was based on religious toleration and the functional integration of the Brahmans, Marathas, and Prabhus.

He had a council of ministers (Asht Pradhan) to advise him on the matters of the state but he was not bound by it. He could appoint or dismiss them.

He revived ancient Hindu political traditions, court conventions and promoted the usage of Marathi and Sanskrit, rather than Persian, in court and administration.

India's first-ever navy in the modern era was built by Shivaji to protect the coast of Maharashtra.

The Maratha Navy guarded the Jaigad, Sindhudurg, Vijaydurg and other forts along the coast of Maharashtra.

He established a competent and progressive civil rule with the help of disciplined military and well-structured administrative organisations.

He innovated military tactics, pioneering non-conventional methods (guerrilla warfare) and leveraged strategic factors like geography, speed, and surprise.

He focused on pinpoint attacks to defeat his larger and more powerful enemies. He placed the well-being of his people above everything.

A brave and genuinely secular ruler, he respected women and cared for the downtrodden and farmers.

The brave warrior died in 1680 but is still known for his courage and intelligence.

Battles:

Battle of Pratapgad, 1659: Fought at the fort of Pratapgad near the town of Satara, Maharashtra, between the forces of the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Adilshahi general Afzal Khan.

Battle of Pavan Khind, 1660: Fought at a mountain pass in the vicinity of fort Vishalgad, near the city of Kolhapur, Maharashtra, between the Maratha Sardar Baji Prabhu Deshpande and Siddi Masud of Adilshahi.

Sacking of Surat, 1664: Fought near the city of Surat, Gujarat, between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Inayat Khan, a Mughal captain.

Battle of Sinhagad, 1670: Fought on the fort of Sinhagad near the city of Pune, Maharashtra between Tanaji Malusare, a commander of Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj and Udaybhan Rathod, fortkeeper under Jai Singh I who was a Mughal Army Chief.

Battle of Kalyan, 1682-83: Bahadur Khan of the Mughal Empire defeated the Maratha army and took over Kalyan.

Battle of Sangamner, 1679: Fought between the Mughal Empire and Maratha Empire. This was the last battle in which the Maratha King Shivaji fought.