Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the making of Swarajya

Few figures loom as large in Maharashtra's history and imagination as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. His life has been told in ballads (powadas), novels, films and textbooks. For MPSC, however, what matters is a clear understanding of what he built, in what order, and why it lasted — along with the ability to tell the difference between historical evidence and popular legend.

Background

Shivaji Maharaj was born at Shivneri fort, near Junnar in Pune district. The Government of Maharashtra observes 19 February 1630 as his birth date (Shiv Jayanti), though a traditional tithi-based date is also celebrated.

• Father: Shahaji Bhosale, a noble who had served Ahmadnagar and then Bijapur, and held the jagir of Pune, Supe and Chakan.
• Mother: Jijabai, daughter of Lakhuji Jadhav of Sindkhed.
• He grew up in Pune under the care of Jijabai and the administrator Dadoji Konddev.

The Maval region — the hilly valleys west of Pune — gave him his first companions and soldiers, the Mavalas.

Building a base: the forts (1640s–1650s)

Shivaji Maharaj began by securing forts in the Sahyadri.

• He took Torna in the mid-1640s and built Rajgad, which became his early capital.
• He secured Kondhana (later Sinhagad), Purandar and other forts.
• In 1656, he took Javli from the More family, opening the route to the Konkan. Pratapgad was built nearby.

Forts were the backbone of Swarajya — secure bases in difficult terrain that were hard for large armies to besiege.

Confronting Bijapur

Afzal Khan (1659)

Bijapur sent its general Afzal Khan to crush Shivaji Maharaj. They met at the foot of Pratapgad in 1659. Shivaji killed Afzal Khan in the encounter, and his forces routed the Bijapur army. The victory greatly raised his prestige.

Panhala and Pavan Khind (1660)

Soon after, Bijapur's Siddi Jauhar besieged Shivaji Maharaj at Panhala. He escaped towards Vishalgad. At the pass of Ghodkhind, Baji Prabhu Deshpande held off the pursuing army until Shivaji reached safety; Baji Prabhu was killed. The pass was renamed Pavan Khind ("the sacred pass").

Confronting the Mughals

Shaista Khan (1663)

Aurangzeb sent his maternal uncle Shaista Khan, who occupied Pune and stayed in Shivaji's own residence, the Lal Mahal. In 1663, Shivaji Maharaj led a daring night raid on the Lal Mahal; Shaista Khan escaped with the loss of his fingers and was soon recalled.

Surat (1664)

In 1664, Shivaji Maharaj raided Surat, the richest Mughal port, gaining wealth for Swarajya and striking at Mughal prestige.

Treaty of Purandar (1665)

Aurangzeb then sent Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amber, who besieged Purandar fort. Under the Treaty of Purandar (1665), Shivaji Maharaj agreed to:

• surrender 23 forts to the Mughals, keeping 12;
• help the Mughals against Bijapur;
• send his son Sambhaji to serve as a Mughal mansabdar.

The Agra visit (1666)

Shivaji Maharaj visited Aurangzeb's court at Agra in 1666. Insulted by the treatment he received, he protested and was placed under house arrest. He escaped — the popular account says in baskets of sweets — and returned to Maharashtra.

He then recovered the forts ceded at Purandar, including Kondhana (after which, tradition says, it was named Sinhagad in honour of Tanaji Malusare, who died capturing it in 1670). In 1670 he raided Surat again.

The coronation (1674)

On 6 June 1674, Shivaji Maharaj was crowned at Raigad by Gaga Bhatt, a scholar from Varanasi. He took the title Chhatrapati.

Why did the coronation matter?

• It declared Swarajya a sovereign kingdom, not the rebellious jagir of a Bijapur noble.
• It gave legal and moral authority to his grants, treaties and administration.
• It began a new era, the Rajyabhishek Shaka.

A second, Tantric coronation was performed later in 1674 after the death of Jijabai.

The southern campaign (1677–78)

In alliance with the Qutb Shahi ruler of Golconda, Shivaji Maharaj led a campaign into the south, capturing Jinji (Gingee) and Vellore and extending Maratha influence into present-day Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Jinji would later become a vital refuge for the Marathas during Aurangzeb's campaigns.

The navy

Recognising the threat from the Siddis of Janjira, the Portuguese and the English along the coast, Shivaji Maharaj built a navy and sea forts.

• Sindhudurg, built on an island off Malvan in the 1660s.
• Vijaydurg, strengthened as a naval base.
• Suvarnadurg and Kolaba (Alibag) forts.

He is often called the father of the Indian navy, a recognition the Indian Navy itself has drawn on.

Death and legacy

Shivaji Maharaj died at Raigad in April 1680.

His legacy includes:

• a sovereign state in the Deccan, independent of both Bijapur and the Mughals;
• a system of administration — the Ashtapradhan, revenue reforms, a salaried army (see our next guide);
• a network of forts and a navy;
• the use of Marathi and Sanskrit in administration — he commissioned the Rajavyavahara Kosha, a glossary of Sanskrit terms to replace Persian ones;
• a tradition of religious tolerance — contemporary accounts note his respect for places of worship and religious texts of all faiths.

A timeline to memorise

Questions to practise

Prelims-style:

1. Who performed Shivaji Maharaj's coronation, and where?
2. Under the Treaty of Purandar, how many forts were ceded to the Mughals?
3. Who defended Ghodkhind, which was later called Pavan Khind?
4. Which sea fort was built off Malvan?

Mains-style:

• "Shivaji Maharaj was not merely a warrior but a state-builder." Discuss.
• Examine the significance of the coronation of 1674.

Learn the sequence first, then the significance of each step. That combination is what both the Prelims and the Mains reward.