Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Biography

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj also spelled as Sivaji was born on 19 February 1630. He was born at Shivneri which is a hill fort in Junnar in Poona, now known as Pune. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took birth into a family of bureaucrats. His father Shahji Bhonsale was a great Maratha general in the army of Bijapur Sultanate and his mother Jijabai was a great devotee of religion. He was the founder of the great Maratha kingdom of India. He was one of the bravest and marvelous rulers in the 17th century.

Life History of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the founder of the Maratha kingdom of India. The kingdom's security was entirely based on religious tolerance and the functional integration of Brahmans, Marathas, and Prabhus.

Shivaji Maharaj who was the descendant of a line of prominent nobles was very brave and fought many wars to consolidate India. At that time, India was under the Muslim rulers and divided. The Mughals were in north India and the Muslim sultans of Bijapur as well as of Golconda in the south of India. 

The ancestral estates of Shivaji Maharaj were situated in the Deccan region in the realm of Bijapur sultans. He found the suppression of the Muslim rulers and the persecution of all the Hindus in the region. He was sad due to the devastating condition of the Hindus that by the age of 16 he convinced himself to be the cause of the Hindu’s freedom. It was a conviction that was to sustain him throughout his whole life.

Childhood and Early Life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

He grew up studying Ramayana and also Mahabharata. He showed intense interest in the religious teachings, especially of the Hindu and Sufi Saints. He was brought up by his mother Jijabai and also by his administrator Dadoji Kond Deo. Dadoji taught him horse riding, archery, patta, and also several other fighting techniques after his father left for Karnataka with his second wife Tukabai.

Conquests of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

With this motive, Shivaji Maharaj began to seize the weaker Bijapur outposts and his followers. In this process, he ruined a few of his very influential coreligionists. They had aligned themselves with the sultans. His daring military skills and sternness towards the Hindus' oppression had him win many battles and administrations. His depredations grew very audacious, and various minor expeditions sent to chastise him always proved to be ineffective.

In 1659, when the Sultan of Bijapur sent an army of around 20 thousand soldiers under the leadership of Afzal Khan to defeat him, Shivaji Maharaj intelligently defeated Afzal Khan. He pretended to be intimidated and enticed the force deep into the difficult mountain terrains and then killed Afzal Khan at a meeting to which he had lured him by all submissive appeals. 

For the time being, the handpicked troops that had been previously positioned swooped down on the unwary Bijapur army and routed it. Overnight, Shivaji Maharaj became a daunting warlord with the possession of horses, guns, as well as ammunition of the Bijapur army.

Alarmed by the rising strength of Shivaji Maharaj, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb ordered his viceroy of the south to march against him. He encountered himself by carrying out a very daring and brave raid right within the encampment of the viceroy. In this raid, he lost his one hand and his son's fingers. 

Embarrassed by this reverse, the viceroy withdrew his force. After this incident, Shivaji was thought to provoke the Mughals. He attacked the rich coastal town of Surat and took immense booty.  Aurangzeb, disappointed and raged by this incident, could hardly ignore the loss, and to avenge Shivaji Maharaj, he sent out his most prominent general, Mirza Raja Jai Singh. Mirza Raja was sent along with 100 thousand men. 

The pressure that was exerted by this vast force which was also combined with the drive and tenacity of Jai Singh, very soon compelled Shivaji Maharaj to call for peace. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj undertook that he and his son would attend the court of Aurangzeb at Agra to be formally accepted as Mughal vassals. In Agra, hundreds and thousands of miles from their homeland, Shivaji Maharaj and his son were both placed under house arrest. During the house arrest, they lived under the threat of execution.

Fearlessly, Shivaji Maharaj feigned illness, and therefore as atonement, he began to send out enormous baskets filled with delicious sweets that were to be distributed among the poor. In the year 1666 of 17 August, he and his son had themselves carried past their guards in these baskets. His escape was the most thrilling and daring episode filled with very high drama, which was about to change the course of Indian history. 

His devoted followers welcomed him back as their great leader, and in the coming two years after this escape, he achieved many wars. He not only conquered and won back the lost territories but also expanded his domain. He collected tribute from the Mughal regions and also raided their rich cities. He also reorganized the army and instituted reforms for his subjects' welfare. 

Taking lessons from all the English traders and Portuguese traders who had already gained toeholds in India, he began to build a naval force. He was the very first Indian ruler of his time to use sea power for trade and also for the defence of his region.

Almost as though jabbed by Shivaji’s meteoric rise in power, Aurangzeb intensified his genocide and persecution of Hindus. Aurangzeb also imposed a poll tax on them, connived at forcible conversions, and also demolished temples, and erected mosques in their places.

Independent Sovereign (Purna Swaraj) 

In 1674 during the summer, Shivaji Maharaj had himself enthroned with great fanfare as an independent sovereign. The entire suppressed Hindu majority rallied to him as their great leader. He ruled his domain for almost six years through a cabinet of eight ministers. Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj who devout Hindu, who prided himself on the protector of his religion, broke the tradition by commanding that two of his relatives who had been forcibly converted to Islam should be taken back to Hinduism. 

Even though both the Christians, as well as the Muslims often kept on imposing their creeds on the population by force, he respected the beliefs and protected the religious places of both communities. Along with Hindus, many Muslims were also in his service. After his coronation, his most remarkable campaign was in the south. During this campaign, he allied with the Sultans and blocked the grand design of the Mughals to spread their rule over the entire subcontinent.

Spouses and Children of Shivaji Maharaj

Shivaji Maharaj had several wives and two sons. His elder son, at one stage, defeated the Mughals and was brought back with the utmost difficulty.  Many are unaware of the fact that Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj has eight wives. His first wife was Saibai, also known as Nimbalkar. 

The names of the other wives were Soyarabai, Mohite, Putalabai, Palkar, Sakvarbi Gaikwad, Sangunabai, and Kashibai Jadhav. His first wife, Saibai, bore him Sambhaji and three daughters. Soyarabai bore him a son named Rajaram and a daughter named Deepabai. His other children were Rajkunvarbai from his wife Sagunabai and Kamlabai from Sakvarbai. In 1659, his first wife, Saibai, passed away at a very young age due to a prolonged illness.

How Did Shivaji Maharaj Die? 

The exact reason behind the death of Shivaji Maharaj is still unknown. Reportedly, Shivaji Maharaj died on the eve of Hanuman Jayanti. Many scholars and historians say that he died after falling severely sick. Myths also claim that his second wife, Soyarabai poisoned him to make their 10-year-old son Rajaram the kingdom's successor.

The Rise of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

By the 16th Century, The Deccan region of India came under the rule of the Mughal Empire established in Delhi. The uplands of Maratha were captured by the Adilshahi Sultanate on its north, a tributary state of the Mughal Emperor.  Shahaji Bhonsle was established as the chieftain of this region which belonged to the family of Bhonsle clan. Later, he became a rebel and started campaigns and raids against the Mughal Empire establishing forts. However, he was supported by the Bijapur government but was never successful. So he had to run from fort to fort with his Jijabai and son Shivaji. The condition in which Shivaji grew up made him a great king later. 

By 16, he had his band of fighters and continued the fight for Shahaji. In 1647, he took over the administration of Poona against the Bijapur government. This was a major step and led to conflict with Bijapur. Subsequently, in a concise period, he also captured the forts of Purandhara, Kondhana, and Chakan. Then Supa, Baramati, and Inderpuri came into control of Shivaji Maharaj. The loot gathered helped him to build a capital fort at Raigad. Shivaji Maharaj is more famous for the new military tactics he formulated and used to fight his enemies in such terrains. This new method of gorilla tactics helped him to capture many forts within no time and brought a significant portion of the region under his control.

Bijapur government became conscious of his wins and imprisoned Shahaji in 1648. After his release in a year, Shivaji Maharaj stayed low and consolidated the region under his rule. In 1656 he again began his raids and campaigns and captured the valley of Javali near Mahabaleshwar. Additionally, Shivaji Maharaj successfully subdued many other families with Deshmukhi rights under Adilshah of Bijapur. 

In conclusion, Shivaji's life was full of hostilities with the kingdoms surrounding the Maratha region and also allianced to fight the wars. Finally, he established the Kingdom of Maratha and is still remembered as a great king of India.