The Maratha Empire

The Maratha Empire was the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century before British supremacy. It emerged from the western Deccan under Shivaji and grew into a vast confederacy.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1627–1680)

Born in Shivneri fort (1627) to Shahaji Bhonsle and Jijabai, Shivaji is revered as the founder of the Maratha nation and a symbol of Hindu resistance against Mughal domination.

Military Achievements:

• Captured Torna Fort (1645) at age 16 — his first conquest.
• Seized Kondana Fort (later renamed Sinhagad) and many other strategic forts in the Sahyadri range.
• Battle of Pratapgarh (1659): Shivaji killed the Bijapur general Afzal Khan in a daring and controversial meeting, then routed the Bijapur army.
• Sack of Surat (1664 and 1670): Raided the wealthy Mughal port city of Surat twice, accumulating massive wealth.
• Escape from Agra (1666): After being invited to Aurangzeb's court and confined, he famously escaped in baskets of sweets (mithai) and fled back to the Deccan. He was aided by his loyal companion Hiroji Farzand.
• Coronation (June 6, 1674): Formally crowned at Raigad Fort as Chhatrapati (Lord of the Umbrella/Paramount Sovereign) by the Brahmin scholar Gaga Bhatt of Varanasi. This gave the Marathas a legitimate political identity.
• Conquest of Karnataka (1677–78): "South Digvijay" — Shivaji marched through the Deccan obtaining revenue from kingdoms and liberating territories from Mughal/Bijapur control.

Shivaji's Administration:

Ashtapradhan (Council of Eight Ministers):

• Revenue System ("Chauth" and "Sardeshmukhi"):
  • Chauth: A tribute equal to 1/4 (25%) of the revenue of an area collected from neighboring territories as an implicit payment for not raiding. This was NOT taxation of his own farmers — it was a form of protection tribute.
  • Sardeshmukhi: An additional 10% levy claimed on the grounds that Shivaji was the hereditary "Sardeshmukh" (chief headman) of Maharashtra.
• Naval Force: Shivaji built a strong navy — the first Indian king to seriously develop a navy. Forts like Sindhudurg (Sea Fort) and Vijaydurg were sea forts. His admiral was Kanhoji Angre.
• Military: Used guerrilla warfare (Ganimi Kawa — "enemy's way"), light cavalry, and mountain forts strategically. Avoided pitched battles against superior Mughal forces.
• Administration: Divided territory into provinces under Subehas; emphasized clean administration and welfare of subjects. Abolished the Watan system (hereditary rights of local deshmukhs) and replaced it with salaried administration.
• Treatment of Women and Religion: Famous for his respect for women and protection of all religions. Destroyed no mosque or temple.
• Died in 1680 at Raigad Fort, age 52.

Post-Shivaji: Sambhaji, Rajaram & Tarabai

Sambhaji (1680–1689):

• Valiant ruler; successfully resisted Auranzgeb's forces for 9 years.
• Captured and brutally executed by Aurangzeb in 1689.

Rajaram and Tarabai (1689–1707):

• Rajaram continued resistance; after his death (1700), his queen Tarabai acted as regent for her minor son.
• Tarabai's guerrilla campaign against Aurangzeb's forces (1700–1707) is one of history's most brilliant examples of asymmetric warfare — she kept the Maratha flame alive despite overwhelming odds.

The Peshwa Era and the Maratha Confederacy

• After Shivaji's grandson Shahu was released by the Mughals (1707), he became king and effectively transferred real power to his Prime Minister — the Peshwa.
• Balaji Vishwanath (1713–1720): The first effective Peshwa; reorganized the Maratha state after years of war.
• Baji Rao I (1720–1740): The greatest of all Peshwas — called the "Napoleon of India." He rapidly expanded Maratha power across India. Said: "Let us strike at the trunk of the withering tree, and the branches will wither themselves." Under him the Marathas reached Delhi, Rajputana, Bundelkhand, and extended into Gujarat and Malwa.
• Balaji Baji Rao (Nana Saheb) (1740–1761): Expanded the empire further. The Third Battle of Panipat (1761) — defeat to Ahmad Shah Abdali — shocked him profoundly; he died just months later of grief.

The Maratha Confederacy:

The empire functioned as a confederacy of powerful chiefs:

• Peshwa of Pune (Prime Ministers, dominant power)
• Bhonsle of Nagpur
• Scindia (Shinde) of Gwalior
• Holkar of Indore
• Gaekwad of Baroda

Anglo-Maratha Wars:

• First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782): Treaty of Salbai — status quo maintained.
• Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805): British defeated Scindia and Bhonsle.
• Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818): Final defeat of the Peshwa (Baji Rao II); Peshwaship abolished. Marathas were incorporated into British India.

Legacy of the Maratha Empire

• The Marathas were the last great indigenous power to challenge — and nearly succeed in establishing dominance over — the entire Indian subcontinent.
• Their administrative, revenue, and military innovations influenced later British governance.
• Their tradition of Bhakti (devotion) and Marathi language and culture was an important strand of Indian civilization.