Being a Maharashtrian I can take the liberty to say proudly that our culture is the richest
culture in the world because it’s not about only being wealthy but also about being rich in the
culture, traditions, and values. These are the most important factors of every human who
stays in Maharashtra or who belongs to Maharashtra. As its name itself suggests it is the great
land, Maha (“great “) and Rashtra (“nation/dominion “). Religions and Social Activities in
Maharashtra are a mixture of well-diverse democracy and all mixed cultures like the rest of
India.
Today’s generation of those living in the digital era has not had very deep knowledge about
their history but our elder generation has made sure that we are well aware of our history, so
there are so many mediums nowadays where we can actually learn about our historic
movements like books, plays, documentaries, museums, and many more, and importantly big
thanks to our Indian cinema which restore all the memories in our mind by creating historical
movies. After knowing the culture and the historic characters no one can deny the fact that
due to their sacrifices and efforts, we all are living a good and safe life, don’t you agree??
So, let’s get to know more about the Empire:
Maharashtra was ruled by Maurya Empire and then by the Sattvavahana dynasty, the Buddhist
Ajanta Caves in present-day Aurangabad display influences from the Sattvavahana and
Vakataka styles. Shivaji Bhosle, the founder of the Maratha Empire, did a lifelong struggle
against the Mughals.
Shivaji Maharaj was a great warrior and one of the finest rulers of India, so he holds the
highest place in Maratha history. The present state was formed in 1960 with Bombay as the
capital when the Marathi and Gujarati linguistic areas of the former Bombay state were
separated. Maharashtra became the main channel of cultural exchange between southern to
northern India.
Famous Royals of the Maratha Empire:
1. Shivaji Maharaj:
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
Shivaji Maharaj (1967 – 1680) was a Maratha aristocrat of the Bhosale clan who in the
founder of the Maratha empire. Surprise attacks, guerrilla warfare techniques, and the
utmost information about the opponents, about their strengths and weaknesses with the
help of a very strong spy network led by Bahirji Naik were the top techniques of Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj in a war. He is one of the revered historical figures of Maharashtra. He
created an independent and sovereign state in the Maharashtra Region.
2. Sambhaji Maharaj:
Sambhaji Maharaj (Shambhu Raje)
Shivaji Maharaj had two sons – Sambhaji & Rajaram, who had different mothers and were
half-brothers. In 1968, Sambhaji Maharaj succeeded to the crown after his father’s death
and resumed his expansionist policies. Sambhaji’s rule was largely shaped by the ongoing
wars between the Maratha Empire and the Mughal Empire, as well as other neighboring
powers such as the Siddis, Mysore, and the Portuguese in Goa. He Shows exemplary courage
in facing death only to protect three of the things he held most dear in his life and i.e, Dev,
Desh and Dharma (God, Country and Region). This is the reason why he is revered in
Maharashtra.
3. Rajaram Maharaj:
Upon the death of Sanbhaji Maharaj, his half-brother Rajaram Bhosale ascended the throne. He
Faught with the Mughals with the help of his two brave noblemen Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji
Jadhav, It is even said that in 1689, Santaji sneaked into the Mughal camp at Tulapur and exhausted
Aurangzeb. However, Aurangzeb successfully took to heels from there.
4.Maharani Tarabai:
Tarabai Bhosle was the wife of Rajaram Bhosale, the third Chhatrapati of the Maratha
Empire. Following the death of Rajaram, she became the regent of the empire from 1700 to
1708.
She is widely known for her role in keeping alive the flame of Maratha’s resistance against
the invading Mughal Empire. Her actions ensured that the Marathas would not only survive
but endure, going on to become a predominant force in the Indian subcontinent.
5. Shahu Maharaj:
Shahu Maharaj, son of Sambhaji Raje was released by Bahadur Shah – 1, the new Mughal
emperor. During Shahu Maharaj’s region, Ranghoji Bhosale expanded the empire Eastwards,
reaching present-day Bengal. Khanderao Dhabade and later his son, Trimbakrao, expanded
it Westwards into Gujrat.
Shahu Chhatrapati was the Maharaja or the king of the Indian princely state of Kolhapur.
Also known by the name of Rajarshi Shahu, he was known to be a great social reformer of
his time. He is also known to have done a lot for the upliftment of the poor and the
downtrodden. He tried his level best to make education and jobs available to all those living
in his domain. He also passed laws to allow the training of non-Brahmin men as temple
priests.
6. Balaji Vishwanath:
Shahu Maharaj appointed Peshwa Balaju Vishwanath in 1713 and Peshwa became supreme
while Shahu Maharaj became a figurehead. His first major achievement was the conclusion
of the treaty of Lonavala in 1714 with Kanhoji Angre , the most powerful naval chief on the
Western Coast. He later accepted Shahu Maharaj as Chhatrapati, In 1719, an army of
Marathas marched to Delhi after defeating Sayyed Hussain Ali, the Mughal governor of
Deccan, and deposed the Mughal emperor.
7. Baji Rao – 1:
Baji Rao 1, commonly known as Bajirao Ballal, was the seventh Peshwa of the Maratha
Empire, born as Visaji. During his 20- year tenure as a Peshwa, he defeated Nizam-ul-Mulk at
several battles like the Battle of Delhi and the Battle of Bhopal. Bajirao contributed to
Maratha supremacy in Southern India and Northern India. Thus he was partly responsible
for establishing Maratha Power in Gujrat, Malwa, Rajputana, and Bundelkhand and
liberating Konkan from Siddis of Janjira and portuguese rule.
Baji Rao’s relationship with his Muslim wife, a controversial subject has been adapted in
Indian novels and cinema.
8. Peshwa Madhav Rao 1:
Peshwa Madhavrai 1, was the fourth Peshwa of the Maratha Empire and it was during his
tenure that the Maratha Resurrection took place. He worked as a unifying force in the
Maratha Empire and moved to the south to subdue Mysore and Nizam of Hyderabad to
assert Maratha Power. He sent generals such as Bhonsle, Scindia, and Holkar to the north,
where they re-established Maratha authority by the early 1770s. Madhav Rao died in 1772,
at the edge of 27. His death is a fatal blow to the Maratha Empire and from that time
Maratha’s power started to move on a downward trajectory, less an empire than a
confederacy.
Today the spirit of the Maratha Empire is preserved in the Indian state of Maharashtra,
“Great Nation,” which was created in 1960, as a Marathi-speaking state. The territories of
Baroda was combined with Kutch to form the state of Gujarat. Gwalior and Indore were
merged with Madhya Pradesh and Jhansi with Uttar Pradesh. Vestiges of Maratha control
over Delhi can still be found in Old Delhi in the area surrounding the “Nutan Marathi” school
and Maharashtra Bhavan.
It was a great pleasure for me to write about these great rulers and pass on this information
to the readers. We all have a lot of things learned from all of them, everyone should utilize it
in a good way and try to make our nation a great place.