“States fall, empires break up, dynasties become extinct, but the memory of a true ‘hero as King’ like Shivaji Maharaj remains an imperishable historical legacy for an entire human race.”
One of the most progressive and sensible rulers in the history of our country was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The tales of his valor are countless and his victory over his enemies innumerable. The Great Maratha King and also the founder of the Maratha empire was born on 3rd April 1627.A fierce warrior, he unified the Marathas against the Mughals’ and for the first time it was during his reign the flag of “Poorna Swaraj”(complete self-rule) was raised.
Shivaji Maharaj was the worst enemy of the Mughals who feared the wrath of his Sword, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a valiant king and a secular ruler who respected all religions equally.He was crowned as Chatrapati of Raigad on June 6, in the year 1674.He was a master in all the fields from warfare to politics. At the age of 12, Shivaji Maharaj was taken to Mysore (current Bengaluru) where he and his elder brother Sambhaji and his half-brother Ekoji I were formally trained further. Shivaji’s mother Jijabai and his guru Ramdas inspired him with the noble and patriotic ideas and infused in him love for the religion and the motherland. Shivaji Maharaj got military training and learnt the art of government from Kondadev. He organized a number of Marathi hill-folk into a fighting force and began to raid neighboring territories.
Administration under Shivaji Maharaj :-
The administrative system of Shivaji Maharaj was largely borrowed from the administrative practices of the Deccan states. It was also influenced by the principles laid down in Kautilya’s Arthasastra and the Dharmasastras. In the discharge of his duties he was assisted by a council of ministers.
Dr. R.C. Majumdar writes of him, “He was not merely a daring soldier and successful military conqueror but also an enlightened ruler of his people.” Shivaji Maharaj was readily accessible to his all subjects. He was a popular monarch. He kept a close watch on the administrative affairs of the state. All powers were concentrated on him but he ruled with the advice of his ministers. The common people regarded him with great devotion. They considered him as their greatest benefactor.
Structure OF administrator :-
Under his reign, the Maratha administration was established where Chhatrapati was the supreme sovereign and a team of eight ministers were appointed to oversee the proper enforcement of various policies. These eight ministers reported directly to Shivaji and were given a lot of power in terms of execution of policies formulated by the King. These eight ministers were –
(1) The Peshwa or Prime Minister, who was head of general administration and represented the king in his absence.
(2) The Majumder or the Auditor was responsible for maintain the financial health of the kingdom
(3) The PanditRao or Chief Spiritual Head was responsible for overseeing the spiritual well-being of the kindom, fix dates for religious ceremonies and oversee charitable programs undertaken by the king.
(4) The Dabir or Foreign Secretary was entrusted with the responsibility of advising the king on matters of foreign policies.
(5) The Senapati or Military General was in charge of overseeing every aspect of the military including organization, recruitment and training of soldiers. He also was the strategic advisor of the king in the time of a war.
(6) The Nyayadhish or Chief Justice saw formulations of law and their subsequent enforcement, civil, judicial as well as military.
(7) The Mantri or Chronicler was responsible for keeping elaborate records of everything the king did in his daily life.
(8) The Sachiv was in charge of royal correspondence.
Some General Features of Shivaji Maharaj Administrator :
1. He employed members of all castes and tribes to maintain balance among them.
2. He assigned separate responsibilities to the ministers and each of them was made responsible for his work to him.
3. He made no office hereditary.
4. In general he did not assign jagirs to his civil and military officers.
5. He gave special attention towards the administration of the forts.
6. In matters of administration, he gave superior position to his civil officers as compared to military officers.
MILITRY :-
Shivaji Maharaj expanded his army from 2,000 soldiers to 100,000 and established a navy to protect the Goa and Konkan coastline.He was the first to realise its importance amongst the Indian kings; naval forts were built in Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg and Jaigad, while docks for repair of naval vessels were set up in Ratnagiri. With the help of a disciplined military and well-structured administrative organisations, Shivaji Maharaj established a competent and progressive civil rule.
Shivaji Maharaj was a born leader and a great administrator. He had a successful military career. He is known for establishing a well-managed administrative and military system. His charisma drew people around him. In him they found the leader who never hesitated to risk his own life in times of danger. Shivaji Maharaj had a constructive genius of a high order. The army of Shivaji Maharaj was well organized. The most significant achievement of Shivaji Maharaj was the welding of the Marathas into a nation. He infused a new spirit of unity and dignity into the Maratha people consisting of 96 clans.
Some Of the Battles fought by chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj :
Name of Battle | Description |
Battle of Pratapgad | Fought on November 10, 1659, at the fort of Pratapgad near the town of Satara, Maharashtra, India between the forces of the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Adilshahi general Afzal Khan. |
Battle of Kolhapur | Fought on December 28, 1659, near the city of Kolhapur, Maharashtra between the Maratha Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Adilshahi forces. |
Battle of Pavan Khind | Fought on July 13, 1660, at a mountain pass in the vicinity of fort Vishalgad, near the city of Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India between the Maratha Sardar Baji Prabhu Deshpande and Siddi Masud of Adilshah. |
Battle of Chakan | Fought between the Maratha Empire and the Mughal Empire in the year 1660. |
Battle of Umberkhind | Fought on 2 February 1661, between the Maratha under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Kartalab Khan of Mughals. |
Sacking of Surat | Fought on January 5, 1664, near the city of Surat, Gujarat, India between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Inayat Khan, a Mughal captain. |
Battle of Purandar | Fought between the Mughal Empire and Maratha Empire in 1665. |
Battle of Sinhagad | Fought on 4 February, 1670 on the fort of Sinhagad near the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India between Tanaji Malusare, a commander of Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj and Udaybhan Rathod, fortkeeper under Jai Singh I who was a Mughal Army Chief. |
Battle of Kalyan | Fought between 1682 and 1683 in which Bahadur Khan of the Mughal Empire defeated the Maratha army and took over Kalyan. |
Battle of Bhupalgarh | Fought between the Mughal and Maratha empires in 1679 in which Mughal defeated the Marathas. |
Battle of Sangamner | Fought between the Mughal Empire and Maratha Empire in 1679. This was the last battle in which the Maratha King Shivaji Maharaj fought. |
Achivements Of Shivaji Maharaj in Different Conquests :-
Shivaji Maharaj entered into military career even before attaining the age of 20. He captured the fort Toran with the help of Mavalis. He also captured many forts like Chakana, Simhagad, Kondana and Purandar from Adil Shah of Bijapura. The Sultan of Bijapura, having incurred heavy losses imprisoned Shahaji. Shivaji through his diplomatic intelligence got the release of his father. Then Shivaji tuned his attention to Konkan coast and occupied the region of Javali. Here he built the new fort of Pratapagadha.
Shivaji Maharaj and Afzal Khan : 1659 CE
Shivaji Maharaj's military activities against the Adil Shah’s continued. So the Sultan of Bijapur wanted to punish Shivaji Maharaj and sent Afzal Khan against him. Shivaji Maharaj very tactfully (with the help of “Tiger’s” Claw) killed Afzal Khan and looted his camp. In 1661 CE, the Sultan of Bijapur made peace with Shivaji Maharaj and recognized his conquests.
Shivaji Maharaj and Aurangzeb :
Shivaji Maharaj conquered many territories and forts belonging to Aurangzeb. To check his expansion Aurangzeb appointed Shaista Khan as the new governor of Deccan. Shaista Khan succeeded in occupying a vast Maratha territory, (Konkan and Chakan forts) including Poona. The Shaista Khan stayed in the house where Shivaji had spent his childhood at Poona. In 1663, Shivaji Maharaj entered the city of Poona with a few hundred soldiers, disguised as a marriage party. Finding his way into the house easily, Shivaji attacked Shaista Khan. Khan lost his fingers, but escaped with his life. This increased the fame of Shivaji.
Shivaji Maharaj's coronation
Shivaji Maharaj was crowned as King in 1674 C.E. His coronation took place at Raigadha with pomp and as per the Vedic rites, he took the title “Chatrapati”. Sometimes later Shivaji occupied Hubli, Jinji and Vellore. He brought under his control, his step brother Venkoji, the ruler of Tanjore. Shivaji Maharaj died in the year of 1680 CE.
Leadership Lessons of Shivaji Maharaj :-
1) Great organizational skills
2) Military strategist
3) A skillfull diplomat
4) Enlightened Administrator
5) An Inspirational Leader
6) Foresight and Vision, Values and Ethics
7) Respect for others faith
8) Never giving up
No comments:
Post a Comment