The Marathas are natives of the hill country in the west of India which is now called Maharashtra.The Marathas are short in stature, well-built and hardy. Their country is, for the most part, covered with the mountains and forests. The surface is uneven, the soil unproductive, and the routes are intricate. The physical features and the bracing climate of their country have played a great part in molding the Marathas active, brave, warlike and simple in their habits.

Before the rise of Shivaji, the Marathas were scattered in different parts of South India. They were rather poor and were mainly engaged in agriculture. Some of the Marathas were employed in the service of the Deccan and acquired training in the art of administration and warfare. The religious reformers of the day like Eknath, Tukaram, Ramdas and others inspired in the Marathas love for their country, nation and religion. The Marathas had a common language, Marathi and a common religion, Hinduism. The only thing needed to make them a nation was political independence. This was achieved by Shivaji, the great Maratha leader. He made the Marathas a powerful nation which dominated India in the 18th century. In fact, the Marathas were the strongest power after the decline of the Mughul Empire.

Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire, was born in 1627 in the fortress of Shivneri, in the Western Chats near Poona. His father was a military officer in the state of Bijapur.

Shivaji was brought up at Poona under the careful supervision of his mother who had infused in him a spirit to defend his nation and religion. Under the guidance of his tutor Dadoja Kondadev, Shivaji became an expert soldier and an efficient administrator. He was also greatly influenced by the writings of the religious reformers of Maharashtra, which inspired him with boundless zeal for Hindu religion and love for his motherland.

All these influences made Shivaji to believe that it was his mission to liberate the Hindus and to weld the Marathas into one nationality and to free his country from the Muslim yoke. So he soon made himself the leader of his people.

Shivaji began his military career at the young age of 19. He conquered some forts in the Bijapur state in 1646 and shortly after, he captured some other forts of Rajgarh, Purandhar etc. The Sultan of Bijapur was alarmed by the rise of Shivaji and sent his general, Afzal Khan in 1659 against Shivaji. But he was killed by Shivaji. After this the Sultan sent a few more expeditions, but without any success. At last, in 1662, the king of Bijapur made peace with Shivaji and acknowledged him independent king of his conquered territories.

Encouraged by his success against Bijapur, Shivaji began to ravage the Mughul territories. At this, the Mughul Emperor, Aurangzeb sent Shaista Khan, the Viceroy of Deccan against him. However, Shaista Khan failed in this mission which further encouraged Shivaji to continue his plunder.

After the failure of Shaista Khan, Aurangzeb sent first his own son, Prince Muazzam, and at his failure Raja Jai Singh of Amber against Shivaji. Raja Jai Singh besieged Shivaji in Purandhar and persuaded him to submit to Aurangzeb. Shivaji also ceded 23 of his forts to the Mughul and retaine4d only 12 for himself. When Shivaji attended the Mughul court at Agra, he was treated with discourtesy and found himself a prisoner. But after 3 months he cleverly made his escape. Henceforward, he was an implacable enemy of the Mughul Empire. After his return from Agra, Shivaji conquered almost all the forts which he had surrendered to the Mughul.

In 1674, Shivaji made Rajgarh his capital. Shortly after he made a great expedition into southern India and conquered Jinji, Vellore and some other places in the Carnatic.

Shivaji died at Rajgarh in 1680, at the age of 53. He founded the Maratha Empire, which dominated India for a century and a half.

Administration of Shivaji:

Shivaji, besides being a brave general was a great administrator. He evolved an efficient administrative system through out his empire. Shivaji divided the whole territory into two divisions: (1) swarajya, i.e., the territory directly under his rule and (2) mughalai, i.e., the surrounding territory from which he collected chauth and sardeshmukhi.

Central Government: Shivaji was himself the supreme head of the civil government. He appointed a council of 8 ministers called the Ashta Pradhan who were in-charge of different department of the state. Shivaji carried on his administration with the helped of these ministers.

Provincial Government: The whole kingdom was divided into three provinces. Each province was under a Governor called Mamlatdar who was assisted by 8 chief officers. The provinces were divided into parganas and villages.

Revenue Administration: The land revenue was fixed at 2/5th of the gross produced payable in cash or kind. Proper care was taken that no hardship was caused to the cultivators. During they were advanced loan to buy seeds, cattle etc. The loans were payable in yearly installment at the convenience of the cultivators. Besides the land revenue there were other sources of income of the government such as chauth and sardeshmukhi from the Mughul territory.

Military Organization: Shivaji established a highly organized military system. He had a well-equipped standing army consisting both of infantry and cavalry. The Commander-in-chief was called Senapati or Sarnaubat and he was a member of Ashta Pradhan. The officers and soldiers were paid in cash and were not allowed to live on plunder. No jagirs were given to them. He evolved an excellent military discipline.

Shivaji's Character: Shivaji was a born leader of man and a great military genius. He was a wonderful horseman. He fought successfully against the Mughul Empire which was then at the height of its glory. His main achievement is that he infused a strong spirit of nationality among the Marathas and made them a united nation. As a result of his efforts the Marathas became the most powerful power in India in the 18th Century.

Shivaji private life was a model of piety and good character. He was devoted to his own religion but he also tolerates other religion.

Above all, Shivaji was a great politician and a shrewd judge of man. He was the glory of the Marathas and the terror of the Mughul Empire. He proved a source of inspiration to his successors. He was constructive genius and the state which he had created continued to flourish for over a century after his death. He united the Marathas and founded the Maratha Empire in India. In short, he was fearless leader, a good organizer and a deeply religious man.