Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj : Also knownas Shivaji Bhosale, was a Maratha warrior king who lived from 1627 to 1680.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, also known
as Shivaji Bhosale, was a Maratha warrior king who lived from 1627 to 1680.
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest warriors in Indian history and is particularly
celebrated for his military genius, administrative skills, and his efforts in establishing the
Maratha Empire in western India. Here are some key points about him.
Early Life: Shivaji was born in the hill-fort of Shivneri, near Junnar in Pune district, Maharashtra,
India. He belonged to the Bhosale clan of the Maratha caste.

Military Campaigns: Shivaji was known for his guerrilla warfare tactics and brilliant military strategies.
He established a strong naval presence along the Konkan and Goa coastline and used forts strategically to defend his territories and launch attacks on enemies.

Establishment of Maratha Empire: Shivaji laid the foundation of the Maratha Empire by capturing several
forts and territories from the Adilshahi Sultanate of Bijapur and the Mughal Empire.

Administration: He implemented innovative administrative policies, such as promoting local self-government,
religious tolerance, and a disciplined military system.

Religious Policies: Shivaji was known for his religious tolerance and respect for all faiths. He treated his
Hindu and Muslim subjects with equality and even employed Muslims in high-ranking positions in his
administration.

Legacy: Shivaji’s legacy is celebrated in Maharashtra and across India. He is revered as a hero who fought
against oppression and established a kingdom based on principles of justice and governance.

Inspiration: Shivaji continues to inspire people in India, particularly in Maharashtra, where he is
considered a symbol of Marathi pride and nationalism.

Shivaji’s life and achievements have been the subject of numerous books, films, and cultural works, and he
remains a revered figure in Indian history.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, born Shivaji Bhosale, was a renowned Indian warrior king and the founder of the
Maratha Empire in western India in the 17th century. He was born in 1630 in the hill-fort of Shivneri, near the city of Junnar in present-day Maharashtra, India.

Shivaji Maharaj is celebrated for his exceptional military and administrative skills, as well as his vision of
establishing a sovereign Maratha state. He initiated guerrilla warfare tactics known as “Ganimi Kava”
(meaning “guerrilla tactics” or “war of movement”) to challenge the powerful Mughal Empire and
regional powers.

Throughout his life, Shivaji Maharaj fought numerous battles against the Mughals, Adil Shahi Sultanate, and
other adversaries to establish an independent Maratha kingdom. His military campaigns, strategic alliances,
and administrative reforms were instrumental in expanding Maratha influence across the Indian subcontinent.

Shivaji Maharaj is revered as a hero in Maharashtra and is widely respected for his valor, leadership, and
commitment to justice. His legacy continues to inspire generations of Indians, and he is often depicted in
literature, art, and popular culture as a symbol of resistance against oppression and tyranny. The forts,
monuments, and institutions associated with Shivaji Maharaj remain significant cultural landmarks in
Maharashtra and beyond.

Shivaji I
Shakakarta
Haindava Dharmoddharak

Portrait of Shivaji (c. 1680s), British Museum
1st Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire
Reign 1674–1680
Coronation
6 June 1674 (first)
24 September 1674 (second)
Predecessor Position established
Successor Sambhaji
Born 19 February 1630
Shivneri Fort, Ahmadnagar Sultanate (present-day Maharashtra, India)
Died 3 April 1680 (aged 50)
Raigad Fort, Mahad, Maratha Empire (present-day Maharashtra, India)
Spouse
Sai Bhonsale
​
​(m. 1640; died 1659)​
Soyarabai ​(m. 1650)​
Putalabai ​(m. 1653)​
Sakvarbai ​(m. 1656)​
Kashibai Jadhav
Issue including Sambhaji and Rajaram I
House Bhonsle
Father Shahaji
Mother Jijabai
Religion Hinduism
Signature Shivaji I’s signature
Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale; Marathi pronunciation: c. 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680[5]) was an
Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom
from the declining Adilshahi Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire. In 1674,
he was formally crowned the Chhatrapati of his realm at Raigad Fort.

Over the course of his life, Shivaji engaged in both alliances and hostilities with the Mughal Empire, the
Sultanate of Golkonda, the Sultanate of Bijapur and the European colonial powers. Shivaji’s military forces
expanded the Maratha sphere of influence, capturing and building forts, and forming a Maratha navy. Shivaji
established a competent and progressive civil administration with well-structured administrative institutions.
He revived ancient Hindu political traditions, court conventions and promoted the use of the Marathi and
Sanskrit languages, replacing Persian at court and in administration. Praised for his chivalrous
treatment of women, Shivaji employed people of all castes and religions, including Muslims and
Europeans, in his administration and armed forces.

Shivaji’s legacy was to vary by observer and time, but nearly two centuries after his death he began to take
on increased importance with the emergence of the Indian independence movement, as many Indian nationalists
elevated him as a proto-nationalist and hero of the Hindus.

Early life
Main article: Early life of Shivaji
See also: Bhonsle § origin

Young Shivaji (right) meets his father Shahaji. (left)

Shivneri Fort
Shivaji was born in the hill-fort of Shivneri, near the city of Junnar, which is now in Pune district.
Scholars disagree on his date of birth; the Government of Maharashtra lists 19 February as a holiday
commemorating Shivaji’s birth (Shivaji Jayanti). Shivaji was named after a local deity, the
goddess Shivai Devi.

Shivaji belonged to a Maratha family of the Bhonsle clan. Shivaji’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.
His paternal grandfather Maloji (1552–1597) was an influential general of Ahmadnagar Sultanate,
and was awarded the epithet of “Raja”. He was given deshmukhi rights of Pune, Supe, Chakan, and Indapur
to provide for military expenses. He was also given Fort Shivneri for his family’s residence (c. 1590).

At the time of Shivaji’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 Ahmadnagar, the
Adilshah of Bijapur and the Mughals, but always kept his jagir (fiefdom) at Pune and his small army.

Conflict with Bijapur Sultanate
Background and context

Map of Southern India c. 1605
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 of
rewards of jagir land in the conquered territories, the taxes on which he could collect as an annuity.

Independent generalship
In 1646, 16-year-old Shivaji captured the Torna Fort, taking advantage of the confusion prevailing in the
Bijapur court due to the illness of Sultan Mohammed Adil Shah, and seized the large treasure he found there
. In the following two years, Shivaji took several important forts near Pune, including Purandar,
Kondhana, and Chakan. He also brought areas east of Pune around Supa, Baramati, and Indapur under his direct
control. He used the treasure found at Torna to build a new fort named Rajgad. That fort served as the seat
of his government for over a decade. After this, Shivaji turned west to the Konkan and took possession
of the important town of Kalyan. The Bijapur government took note of these happenings and sought to take
action. On 25 July 1648, Shahaji was imprisoned by a fellow Maratha sardar called Baji Ghorpade, under the
orders of the Bijapur government, in a bid to contain Shivaji.
Combat with Afzal Khan

An early-20th-century painting by Sawlaram Haldankar of Shivaji fighting the Bijapuri general Afzal Khan

Pratapgad fort
The Bijapur sultanate was displeased with their losses to Shivaji’s forces, with their vassal Shahaji
disavowing his son’s actions. After a peace treaty with the Mughals, and the general acceptance of the
young Ali Adil Shah II as the sultan, the Bijapur government became more stable, and turned its attention
towards Shivaji. In 1657, the sultan, or more likely his mother and regent, sent Afzal Khan, a veteran
general, to arrest Shivaji. Before engaging him, the Bijapuri forces desecrated the Tulja Bhavani Temple, a
holy site for Shivaji’s family, and the Vithoba temple at Pandharpur, a major pilgrimage site for Hindus.

Pursued by Bijapuri forces, Shivaji retreated to Pratapgad fort, where many of his colleagues pressed him to
surrender. The two forces found themselves at a stalemate, with Shivaji unable to break the siege, while
Afzal Khan, having a powerful cavalry but lacking siege equipment, was unable to take the fort. After two
months, Afzal Khan sent an envoy to Shivaji suggesting the two leaders meet in private, outside the fort,
for negotiations.

The two met in a hut in the foothills of Pratapgad fort on 10 November 1659. The arrangements had dictated
that each come armed only with a sword, and attended by one follower. Shivaji, suspecting Afzal Khan would
arrest or attack him, wore armour beneath his clothes, concealed a bagh nakh (metal “tiger claw”) on
his left arm, and had a dagger in his right hand. What transpired is not known with historical certainty,
mainly Maratha legends tell the tale; however, it is agreed that the two wound up in a physical struggle that
proved fatal for Khan. Khan’s dagger failed to pierce Shivaji’s armour, but Shivaji disemboweled him;
Shivaji then fired a cannon to signal his hidden troops to attack the Bijapuri army.

In the ensuing Battle of Pratapgarh, Shivaji’s forces decisively defeated the Bijapur Sultanate’s forces.
More than 3,000 soldiers of the Bijapur army were killed; and one sardar of high rank, two sons of Afzal
Khan, and two Maratha chiefs were taken prisoner. After the victory, a grand review was held by Shivaji
below Pratapgarh. The captured enemy, both officers and men, were set free and sent back to their homes with
money, food, and other gifts. Marathas were rewarded accordingly.

Siege of Panhala
Having defeated the Bijapuri forces sent against him, Shivaji and his army marched towards the
Konkan coast and Kolhapur, seizing Panhala fort, and defeating Bijapuri forces sent against them,
under Rustam Zaman and Fazl Khan, in 1659. In 1660, Adilshah sent his general Siddi Jauhar to attack
Shivaji’s southern border, in alliance with the Mughals who planned to attack from the north. At that time,
Shivaji was encamped at Panhala fort with his forces. Siddi Jauhar’s army besieged Panhala in mid-1660,
cutting off supply routes to the fort. During the bombardment of Panhala, Siddi Jauhar purchased grenades
from the English at Rajapur, and also hired some English artillerymen to assist in his bombardment of the
fort, conspicuously flying a flag used by the English. This perceived betrayal angered Shivaji, who in
December would retaliate by plundering the English factory at Rajapur and capturing four of the owners,
imprisoning them until mid-1663.

After months of siege, Shivaji negotiated with Siddi Jauhar and handed over the fort on 22 September 1660,
withdrawing to Vishalgad; Shivaji would retake Panhala in 1673.

Battle of Pavan Khind
Main article: Battle of Pavan Khind
Shivaji escaped from Panhala by cover of night, and as he was pursued by the enemy cavalry, his Maratha
sardar Baji Prabhu Deshpande of Bandal Deshmukh, along with 300 soldiers, volunteered to fight to the death
to hold back the enemy at Ghod Khind (“horse ravine”) to give Shivaji and the rest of the army a chance to
reach the safety of the Vishalgad fort.

In the ensuing Battle of Pavan Khind, the smaller Maratha force held back the larger enemy to buy time for
Shivaji to escape. Baji Prabhu Deshpande was wounded but continued to fight until he heard the sound of
cannon fire from Vishalgad,signalling Shivaji had safely reached the fort, on the evening of 13 July

1660. Ghod Khind (khind meaning “a narrow mountain pass”) was later renamed Paavan Khind (“sacred pass”)
      in honour of Bajiprabhu Deshpande, Shibosingh Jadhav, Fuloji, and all other soldiers who fought there.

Conflict with the Mughals

Shivaji with his personal guards by Mir Muhammad c. 1672
Until 1657, Shivaji maintained peaceful relations with the Mughal Empire. Shivaji offered his assistance
to Aurangzeb, the son of the Mughal Emperor and viceroy of the Deccan, in conquering Bijapur, in return for
formal recognition of his right to the Bijapuri forts and villages in his possession. Dissatisfied with the
Mughal response, and receiving a better offer from Bijapur, he launched a raid into the Mughal Deccan.
Shivaji’s confrontations with the Mughals began in March 1657, when two of Shivaji’s officers raided the
Mughal territory near Ahmednagar.This was followed by raids in Junnar, with Shivaji carrying off 300,000
hun in cash and 200 horses.Aurangzeb responded to the raids by sending Nasiri Khan, who defeated the
forces of Shivaji at Ahmednagar. However, Aurangzeb’s countermeasures against Shivaji were interrupted by
the rainy season and his battles with his brothers over the succession to the Mughal throne, following the
illness of the emperor Shah Jahan.

Attacks on Shaista Khan and Surat
Main articles: Battle of Chakan and Battle of Surat

A 20th century depiction of Shivaji’s surprise attack on Mughal general Shaista Khan in Pune by M.V.
Dhurandhar
At the request of Badi Begum of Bijapur, Aurangzeb, now the Mughal emperor, sent his maternal uncle
Shaista Khan, with an army numbering over 150,000, along with a powerful artillery division, in January
1660 to attack Shivaji in conjunction with Bijapur’s army led by Siddi Jauhar. Shaista Khan, with his
better equipped and well provisioned army of 80,000 seized Pune. He also took the nearby fort of Chakan,
besieging it for a month and a half before breaching the walls. He established his residence at Shivaji’s
palace of Lal Mahal.

On the night of 5 April 1663, Shivaji led a daring night attack on Shaista Khan’s camp. He, along with
400 men, attacked Shaista Khan’s mansion, broke into Khan’s bedroom and wounded him. Khan lost three
fingers. In the scuffle, Shaista Khan’s son and several wives, servants, and soldiers were killed.
The Khan took refuge with the Mughal forces outside of Pune, and Aurangzeb punished him for this embarrassment
with a transfer to Bengal.

In retaliation for Shaista Khan’s attacks, and to replenish his now-depleted treasury, in 1664 Shivaji
sacked the port city of Surat, a wealthy Mughal trading centre. On 13 February 1665, he also conducted
a naval raid on Portuguese-held Basrur in present-day Karnataka, and gained a large plunder.

Shahaji was released in 1649, after the capture of Jinji secured Adilshah’s position in Karnataka. During
1649–1655, Shivaji paused in his conquests and quietly consolidated his gains.Following his father’s
release, Shivaji resumed raiding, and in 1656, under controversial circumstances, killed Chandrarao More,
a fellow Maratha feudatory of Bijapur, and seized the valley of Javali, near the present-day hill station
of Mahabaleshwar. The conquest of Javali allowed Shivaji to extend his raids into south and southwest
Maharashtra. In addition to the Bhonsle and the More families, many others—including Sawant of Sawantwadi,
Ghorpade of Mudhol, Nimbalkar of Phaltan, Shirke, Mane, and Mohite—also served Adilshahi of Bijapur, many
with Deshmukhi rights. Shivaji adopted different strategies to subdue these powerful families, such as forming
marital alliances, dealing directly with village Patils to bypass the Deshmukhs, or subduing them by force.
Shahaji in his later years had an ambivalent attitude to his son, and disavowed his rebellious activities.
He told the Bijapuris to do whatever they wanted with Shivaji. Shahaji died around 1664–1665 in a hunting
accident.