| The rise of Shivaji and the Marathas is an important factor in the history of India. Shivaji (1627-1680 A.D.) was the founder of the Maratha kingdom. He used the guerrilla tactics to confront even the mighty Moghul emperor Aurangjeb. The Mughal rulers against whom he fought utilizing guerilla tactics and sly means to escape from hostile situations, termed him a mountain rat He imposed a land tax called Chauth on the kingdoms he conquered and use it to build a powerful army. Shivaji was a brave and able administrator, and established a government that included such modern concepts as cabinet (Ashtapradhanmandal), foreign affairs (Dabir), and internal intelligence. Because of his crusade against an invading power, Shivaji became an icon of freedom fighters in the Indian independence struggle that followed two centuries later. |
| Early Life |
| Shivaji was born in1630 in the fort of Shivneri near the city of Pune. His father, Shahaji was a jagirdar. The greatest influence on him was of his mother Jijabai who imbibed in Shivaji a spirit of defiance and self assertion. In 1646, when Shivaji was 19, he launched his first military attack by capturing Torna fort, a part of Bijapur territory. In 1647 Shivaji had captured Kondana and Raigarh forts and had complete control of Pune. By 1649, Shivaji had captured some forty forts in theWestern Ghats & Konkan Coast. |
| War with Afjal Khan |
| Everyday Sultan Adilshah of Bijapur received news of some or other fort falling to Shivaji. His foster mother held a durbar and offered a cermonial paan to anyone who captures Shivaji. Bijapurs best general, Afjal Khan accepted the challenge to destroy Shivaji. Afzal Khan's campaign was largely successful, and resulted in Shivaji being besieged in the small fort of Pratapgarh near present-day Mahabaleshwar. Shivaji sued for peace, and a meeting was arranged in Afzal Khan's camp. Each had supposedly dispensed with attendants and weapons. |
| Escape from Panhalgadh |
| The Sultan of Bijapur again sent another general SiddiJauhar to attack Shivaji with a force seventy thousand strong. The general tried hard to capture Shivaji who was then in Panhalgadh. Even the English came to his assistance with their artillery. The attack gathered more and more strength. At the same time, in answer to a request from the Sultan of Bijapur, the Aurengzeb sent his maternal uncle Shaista Khan with an army, a hundred thousand strong, to attack Shivaji. Shivaji offered that he would surrender unconditionally the next day and that he should be given pardon. The moment news of this surrender reached the soldiers of Jauhar they spent the whole night in great merriment. Meanwhile Shivaji and 800 of his men got down the fort and proceeded stealthily towards Vishagadh. However, they were spotted by the enemy. At that moment, Shivaji give his clothes to one of his look alike and put him in a palanquin. He himself traveled in a different direction. In this way, Shivaji escaped but his look alike was captured. When the news that Shivaji escaped from Panhalgadh and reached his capital fell on the ears of the Sultan of Bijapur, he could not summon again the courage to attack Shivaji |
| Attack on Shaista Khan |
| Shahista Khan managed to seize Pune and the fort of Chakan. Shivaji has a constant danger from him. On the anniversary of Aurangzeb's coronation, when Shahista Khan's soldiers were merry making. Shivaji and a small group of soldiers entered the city in guise of a marriage possession. Shivaji led his small group to a daring attack on the residence of the Khan. According to folklore, the Khan managed to escape with the loss of three fingers, cut off by Shivaji as he jumped out of a window.Aurangzeb was put to unbearable shame and even transferred Shaista Khan to Bengal as a punishment. |
| Conflict with Moghuls |
| Shivaji frequently raided to loot and plunder the richer kingdoms surrounding his for wealth, particularly the wealthy trading city of Surat which is in the State of Gujarat now. This led to retaliation from his neighbors, including several Mughal invasions. Aurangzeb sent Raja Jai Singh of jaipur with fifteen thousand soldiers. Shivaji was outnumbered. Jai Singh besieged the fort of Purandar and forced Shivaji to sign the treaty of Purandar. �Shivaji had to submit to Aurangzeb and give Twenty Three of his forts. |
| In 1666� �Aurangzeb summoned Shivaji, along with his son Sambhaji, who was six years old at the time, to Delhi to talk to him. In Delhi, Aurangzeb made Shivaji stand with the lowly commoners in his court. Deeply insulted, Shivaji stormed out of court, and was promptly placed under house arrest. Shivaji designed a scheme to gain freedom. Shivaji feigned sickness, and requested to be allowed to have sweets sent to temples in Delhi as an offering. After several days of sending out boxes containing sweets, Shivaji and his son got into two of them, and managed to sneak out without being seen. Smuggled back into Maharashtra, he soon re-established his kingdom and continued attacking Aurangzeb. Notable was the success of the team of ministers he had established before visiting Delhi. Even in his absence, day to day business of the kingdom was run efficiently. |
| Coronation of Shivaji |
| In �1674, Shivaji was elevated to kingship in a traditional Hindu coronation ceremony, and took on the title of Chhatrapati, (representing the protection he bestowed on his people). After his coronation, he conducted a digvijaya attacking Mughal encampments in Berar and Khandesh. With his Maratha forces he defeated and captured the forts at Vellore and Jinji in south India. He also signed a friendship treaty with Kutubshah of Hyderabad. Shivaji died in 1680 �at Raigadh, at the age of fifty because of severe illness. |
| Shivaji's rule |
| Shivaji is remembered as a just and wise king. He established an effective civil and military administration and adopted a policy of religious tolerance to accommodate all religions and sects.Shivaji made it a policy never to desecrate a mosque or seize women. He also created a government with democratic structure, where 12 ministers were elected by the public - one of the first experiments in democracy in the Indian subcontinent. The chief of ministers (prime minister) was chosen by the public and was called "Peshwa". He was also only the second king in Indian history to have his own navy. Shivaji was suspicious of the East India Company and tried to restrict it from establishing its outposts or "Vakhar" in various coastal towns. His navy was built with a long term vision of checking the Company rule and also to keep pressure on the rich areas of Surat. |
| Coins on Shattrapati Shivaji |
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| Fort of Rajgadg built by Shivaji |
| Potrait of Shivaji |
| Postage Stamp on Shivaji |
| Coins on Shivaji |
| Shivaji -The Mountain Rat |
| GOI issued Comemorative Coins in the memory of Chattrapati Shivaji in the denominations of Rs 2, Rs 10, Rs 50 and Rs 100 |
| Nevertheless, both men came to the meeting armed. Amongst Shivaji's hidden arsenal was a small iron finger-grip with four curving razor claws which could be hidden by closing the palm. As the two men hugged each other, Afzal Khan nearly stuck a dagger at Shivajis side, but the Maratha passed his arm around the Khan's waist and, to quote from the admiring biography by Jadunath Sarkar, "tore his bowels open with a blow of steel claws |
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| Proof Set of Shivaji |