Shivaji

Shivaji Bhonsle (Marathi [iai bos()le]; c. 1627/1630[1] 3 April 1680), also known as Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian warrior king and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out an
enclave from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire. In
1674, he was formally crowned as the Chhatrapati (Monarch) of his realm at Raigad.
Shivaji established a competent and progressive civil rule with the help of a disciplined military and wellstructured administrative organisations. He innovated military tactics, pioneering the guerrilla warfare methods
(Shiva sutra or ganimi kava), which leveraged strategic factors like geography, speed, and surprise and
focused pinpoint attacks to defeat his larger and more powerful enemies. He revived ancient Hindu political
traditions and court conventions and promoted the usage of Marathi and Sanskrit, rather thanPersian, in court
and administration.
Shivaji's legacy was to vary by observer and time but began to take on increased importance with the
emergence of the Indian independence movement, as many elevated him as a proto-nationalist and hero of the
Hindus. Particularly in Maharashtra, debates over his history and role have engendered great passion and
sometimes even violence as disparate groups have sought to characterise him and his legacy.

Early life
Shivaji was born in the hill-fort of Shivneri, near the city of Junnar in Pune district on 6 April 1627 or 19 Feb.
1630.[3] The Government of Maharashtra accepts 19 February 1630 as his birthdate; other suggested dates
include 6 April 1627 or other dates near this day.[4][5][6]Per legend, his mother named him Shivaji in honour of the
goddess Shivai, to whom she had prayed for a healthy child.[7] Shivaji was named after this local deity.[8]
[9]
Shivaji's father Shahaji Bhonsle was Maratha general who served the Deccan Sultanates.[10] His mother was
Jijabai, the daughter of Lakhujirao Jadhav of Sindkhed (Sindkhed Raja). At the time of Shivaji's birth, the power
in Deccan was shared by three Islamic sultanates: Bijapur, Ahmednagar, and Golconda. 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 with him.[10]
Shivaji was extremely devoted to his mother Jijabai, who was deeply religious. This religious environment had
a great impact on Shivaji, and he carefully studied the two great Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata;
these were to influence his lifelong defence of Hindu values. [11] Throughout his life he was deeply interested in
religious teachings, and regularly sought the company of Hindu and Sufisaints.[5]
Shahaji, meanwhile had married a second wife, Tuka Bai of the Mohite family, and moved to Karnataka to lead
a military campaign on behalf of Adilshahi. He left Shivaji and Jijabai in his Pune holdings in the care of his
administrator, Dadoji Konddeo. Dadoji Konddeo made significant contributions in teaching Shivaji basic fighting
techniques such as horse riding, archery and marksmanship, patta and others. [12]Shivaji as a boy was a keen
outdoorsman and, though he received little formal education and most likely could neither read nor write, he is
said to have possessed considerable erudition.[13][14][15] Shivaji drew his earliest trusted comrades and a large
number of his soldiers from the Maval region,[when?] including Yesaji Kank, Suryaji Kakade, Baji Pasalkar, Baji
Prabhu Deshpande and Tanaji Malusare.[16] In the company of his Maval comrades, Shivaji wandered over the
hills and forests of the Sahyadri range, hardening himself and acquiring first-hand knowledge of the land, which
was to later prove applicable to his military endeavours.[11]:128