Context: On Navy Day (December 4), last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra. However, the statue collapsed recently on August 26, causing embarrassment for the state government. The statue's collapse has sparked a war of words between the ruling and opposition parties in Maharashtra, which is headed for elections.
Introduction
- The Marathas played a pivotal role in the decline of Mughal power in India.
- Under the dynamic leadership of Shivaji, they posed a formidable challenge to the Mughal Empire in the 1670s.
- By the mid-18th century, they had successfully displaced Mughal authority in central India.
- In 1674, the Maratha General Venkoji, Shivaji's half-brother, led an invasion of Thanjavur, ending Nayak rule and establishing Maratha dominance in the Tamil region.
- This Maratha rule in Thanjavur continued until the death of Serfoji II in 1832.
Early life of Shivaji
- Shivaji (1627–1680) was born in Shivner near Junnar to Shahji Bhonsle and Jijabai.
- Shahji was a descendant of the Yadava rulers of Devagiri on his mother’s side and the Sisodias of Mewar on his father’s side.
- Shahji served under Malik Ambar, a prominent Abyssinian minister of Ahmed Shah of Ahmednagar.
- Following Malik Ambar's death, Shahji played a crucial role in Ahmednagar's politics before entering the service of the Sultan of Bijapur after Ahmednagar's annexation by the Mughals.
- Shivaji and his mother were placed under the care of Dadaji Kondadev, who managed Shahji's jagirs at Poona.
- Shivaji earned the trust of the Mavali peasants and chiefs, familiarizing himself with the hilly terrain around Poona.
- He was also influenced by religious leaders Ramdas and Tukaram, with Ramdas being regarded as his spiritual guru.
Military conquests:
- In 1646, he captured the fortress of Torna from the Sultan of Bijapur, followed by the fort of Raigad, which he rebuilt.
- After the death of Dadaji Kondadev in 1647, Shivaji took control of his father’s jagirs and several forts, including Baramati, Indapura, Purandhar, and Kondana.
- Despite a temporary lull in military activities due to his father’s imprisonment by the Sultan of Bijapur, Shivaji resumed his campaigns in 1656, capturing Javli and constructing the fort of Pratapgarh.
Conflict with Bijapur:
- Following the death of Mohammad Adil Shah of Bijapur in 1656, Shivaji and the Bijapur Sultan Adil Shah II made peace with Aurangzeb, who was engaged in a war of succession in Delhi.
- Taking advantage of Aurangzeb's absence, Shivaji invaded north Konkan and captured key cities and forts.
- In 1659, Bijapur's Sultan sent Afzal Khan with a large army to subdue Shivaji.
- However, Shivaji out maneuvered Afzal Khan and his forces, capturing the fort of Panhala and securing his recognition as the ruler of his territories.
Conflict with the Mughals:
- Aurangzeb, who became Emperor in 1658, appointed Shaista Khan as Governor of the Deccan to crush Shivaji.
- Shivaji responded by launching a daring attack on Shaista Khan's residence in Poona in 1663, forcing Aurangzeb to recall him.
- In 1664, Shivaji attacked and plundered Surat, a major Mughal port.
- In response, Aurangzeb dispatched Raja Jai Singh to defeat Shivaji, leading to the Treaty of Purandar in 1665, where Shivaji ceded his forts and agreed to serve as a Mansabdar.
- Shivaji's visit to Agra and renewed hostilities:
- Persuaded by Jai Singh, Shivaji visited the Mughal court in Agra in 1666 but was humiliated and briefly imprisoned.
- Upon his escape, Shivaji resumed his military campaigns, reclaiming lost forts and sacking Surat again in 1670.
- He also imposed a chauth, or tribute, on Surat.
Coronation:
- In 1674, Shivaji was crowned at Raigad.
- He assumed the title of ‘Chhatrapati’ (supreme king).
Deccan campaigns:
- In 1676, Shivaji began his career of conquests in the south.
- A secret treaty was signed with the Sultan of Golkonda.
- Shivaji promised him some territories in return for his support.
- He captured Senji and Vellore and annexed the adjoining territories which belonged to his father, Shahji.
- He allowed Venkoji or Ekoji to carry on administering Thanjavur.
- The Nayaks of Madurai promised a huge amount as tribute.
- The Carnatic campaigns added glory and prestige to Shivaji.
- Senji, the newly conquered place, acted as the second line of defence for his successors.
Administration:
Central administration
- Shivaji established a robust system of administration that was deeply influenced by the Deccan style, particularly drawing inspiration from Malik Amber's reforms in Ahmednagar.
- As the supreme head of the state, Shivaji held ultimate authority, but he was supported by a council of eight ministers known as the ‘Ashtapradhan’.
- Among these ministers, the Peshwa (also referred to as the Mukhya Pradhan) was initially the head of the advisory council, playing a crucial role in assisting Raja Shivaji in governance.
Revenue administration
- Shivaji made significant reforms in revenue administration by abolishing the Jagirdari System and introducing the Ryotwari System, which emphasized direct relationships between the state and the cultivators.
- He also redefined the roles of hereditary revenue officials, such as Deshmukhs, Deshpandes, Patils, and Kulkarnis, ensuring stricter supervision over the Mirasdars, who held hereditary rights in land.
- The revenue system was modeled after Malik Amber's Kathi system, where each piece of land was measured using a Rod or Kathi.
- In addition to land revenue, Shivaji introduced two significant levies: Chauth and Sardeshmukhi.
- Chauth, accounting for one-fourth of the revenue, was essentially protection money paid to the Marathas to avoid raids by Shivaji's forces in non-Maratha territories.
- Sardeshmukhi was an additional levy of 10% imposed on areas outside the Maratha kingdom.
Military administration
- Shivaji organized a well-disciplined and efficient military force that became a cornerstone of his administration.
- The ordinary soldiers in his army were paid in cash, while the chiefs and military commanders were compensated through Jagir grants (known as Saranjam or Mokasa).
- His army was composed of three main divisions:
- Infantry (Mavali foot soldiers)
- Cavalry (horse riders and equipment holders)
- Navy
Shivaji’s last years were troubled by his eldest son Sambhaji’s rebellion. He died in 1680, leaving behind a kingdom that spanned the Western Ghats, Konkan, and parts of Karnataka, although some southern provinces were still unsettled at the time of his death.