Question

What was the title of shivaji?
A)Mahavira
B)Rajadhiraj
C)Chatrapati
D)Nayaka

Answer 1

Hint: Kings in the medieval era used to take up titles or were given one based on their achievements.In India, titles like Maharaja, raja, nawab, were very common among Indian rulers.

Complete answer:
The growth of Maratha power under the command of Shivaji during the 17th century is a noteworthy event in the history of India. before the advent of Shivaji on the political scenario in the region of Maharashtra was under the domination of Muslim rulers of Golconda and Bijapur. They liberated themselves from the yoke in the middle of the 17 th century and not only did they establish a sovereign state but also brought the destruction of the vast Mughal Empire. The word meaning of ‘Chhatrapati’ can be understood by dividing it in two parts; chhatra means parasol or umbrella and pati means master/lord/ruler in Sanskrit which implies a symbolic representation of the protector of people. Now let's see the options.

Mahavira- Mahavira the title was given to Vardhaman, the founder of Jainism. He was given the title as Jina, or “Conqueror” which means conqueror of enemies such as attachment and greed and hence this isn't the correct option.

Rajadhiraj - It means king of kings and this title was very common between Indian rulers like Maurya, and Gupta empire kings hence this is not correct.

Chhatrapati - It was the title of Shivaji Maharaj as mentioned above.In 1674 Shivaji declared himself an independent ruler of Maharashtra and grandeur celebrated his coronation ceremony and he assumed the title of Chhatrapati and hence this is the correct option.

Nayaka- It is also referred to as Naik who were the governors of feudal states in medieval India, hence this is incorrect.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C)

Note: For the first time, Shivaji fondly adopted the title Chatrapati since he wanted a unique title that would mean the protector of his subjects as against the other titles like Raja or Maharaja that would merely mean ‘King’.The term Chatrapati was first used by Shivaji during his coronation and later it was adopted by all his successors.