Greatest Indian Emperor

*He was a King who made Emperors piss in their Pants*

Chattrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj

Rewinding to the year 1630 A.D in India.

Shivaji Bhonsle (1630-80 A.D) also known as the "father of the Maratha nation." was born in 1630 AD, in the fort of Shivneri, 40 miles north of Pune.

His Father Shahaji Maharaj was a Chieftain serving under Adilshah,Sultan of Bijapur.

• Those days Maratha chieftains (Jagirdars or Land Owners) were originally in the service of Bijapur Sultans in the Western Deccan, which was under siege by the Mughals.
• Chieftains had revenue rights over their piece of land and had to pledge alleigance to the Sultan

A Map of India during the 1630's

Forts were of great strategical importance in that era and whoever controlled maximum number of forts had influence over surrounding lands as well as the entire Political Scene.

In 1645 , a 15 year old Shivaji captured the Torna Fort.

It was a huge incident because it marked the beginning of "Hindavi Swarajya" and the downafall of Mughal Empire.

List of Atrocities faced by Hindus living in Maharashtra under Mughal Rule (Pre-Shivaji era)

1. Levying Heavy Taxes on basic necessities like Farming,Animal Husbandry,Wells,Water bodies etc
2. Looting and pillaging of Territories conquered in war.Raping of Women,Slaughter of Children,Imprisoning Men to serve as slaves of Mughal Empire.
3. Forceful conversion to Islam and aggressive propaganda.

Tired of seeing his fellow countrymen live under oppression and face constant atrocities of Mughals Shivaji decided to change the scenario of his Motherland.

With a small council of ministers, Shivaji began managing his estate.

Shivaji was an autocrat like any one other ruler of his time, he however ensure that he did not misuse the great power vested in him. He had a council of 8 ministers, the Ashta Pradhan who assisted and was a kind of advisory council. They comprised the following.

1. Peshwa- Prime Minister, who looked after the overall welfare of the people and the state.
2. Amatya- Finance Minister, who looked after all the public accounts of the kingdom and some districts.
3. Mantri or Wakia Nawis- Chronicler who kept a daily account of what was happening in the court.
4. Samant/Dabir- Foreign Secretary who advised the king on all matters of war and peace, and those relating to foreign states. Also receiving foreign Ambassadors and envoys.
5. Sachiv- Home Secretary, who handled the king's correspondence, ensuring all royal orders were in proper style.
6. Pandit Rao- Equivalent to Muhtasib, the religious head, whose duty was to fix dates for religios ceremonies, oversee public morals and interpret religious laws,
7. Nyayadish-Chief Justice reponsible for civil and military justice.
8. Senapati- Commander in chief, who oversaw the recruitment and organization of the Army.

Here are some of his revolutionary reforms and ideas which enabled him to ease the suffering of his Masses.

Revenue

1. Did away with the existing system of taxing the farmers, through the Zamindars or Deshmukhs.
2. The Government would deal directly with cultivators and land was surveyed using a measuring rod called the Kathi.
3. The state's share was initially 30% of produce, though it was increased to 40% later on.
4. The farmer could pay the amount either in cash or kind. Similiarly for territories occupied by Shivaji, outside the Maratha region, two taxes were levied, Chauth which was 1/4th of the territory's income, and Sardeshmukhi which was an additional 10% levy on the chauth, as a tribute to the ruler.

It was of great importance to build up his Military strength in order to withstand the Mighty Mughal Empire.But he ensured that his Military had codes of conduct and discipline. He could not have the large numbers of soldiers which the ughal empire had simply because he was a king of peasants,farmers and other common folk who had no military prowess.

Military

1. 32,000 Horses ,300 Elephants.
2. Infantry and Cavalry of more than One lakh soldiers
3. The most important part of the army was the famous state cavalry. Twenty-five troopers (Well armed soldiers with Horses) under One Havaldar.
4. Use of Guerilla Warfare or "Ganimi Kava" to harass the comparitively ill-organized Mughal Army.
5. More than 300 Forts out of which 24 were of great Strategic Importance.

Some Amazing Facts about his Army ;-

• It spent 8 months on campaign, and 4 in camp. No intoxicants, women, or children were permitted on campaign.
• The army had no tents, equipage, commissariat, or provisioning. As a consequence the cavalry had high mobility. The sole exception to the tent rule was for the king’s camp. It had two tents, one of which was for his minister.
• The cavalry was composed 25% of sildars – men who provided their own mounts and arms, and the rest of Bagirs, who were assigned 3 horses for every 2 men.

Military Hierarchy

Infantry

1. 10 men, led by a Naik
2. 50 men, led by a Havaldar
3. 100+ men, commanded by a Jumladar
4. 1000+ men, commanded by a Hazari

Cavalry

1. 25 troopers (Sildars and Bargirs), led by a Havaldar
2. 5 havaldars, commanded by a jumladar
3. 10 jumladars, commanded by a Hazari
4. Several Hazaris, commanded by a Panch (5) Hazari

Senior Command

1. The supreme commander was called a Sarnobat. In other sources, he is termed as the Senapati.
2. The Sarnobat sat on the Council of Eight, which was Shivaji’s cabinet. Merit was the sole criteria for choosing council members.

Navy

1. The precise strength of Shivaji's fleet is not known.

2. According to Sources Shivaji's fleet had two squadrons, each having two hundred ships of different class.

3. The notices in English, Portuguese and Dutch records mention the number of Maratha ships on particular occasions but do not give the full strength of Shivaji's Navy. As new ships continued to be built and added to the Navy, from time to time, it seems that figures of 400 ships is not exaggerated.

4. The Maratha Navy had different types of fighting ships: Gurabs, Galbats or Gallivats, Pals and Manjhuas.

SOME FAMOUS EXPLOITS OF SHIVAJI MAHARAJ

1. COMBAT WITH AFZAL KHAN AT PRATAPGAD.

In an attempt to put down this regional revolt, Adilshah sent Afzal Khan, an experienced general and veteran to destroy Shivaji.

The fort of Pratapgad.

1. With the aid of a superior army, marched Afzal Khan, desecrating Hindu temples at Tuljapur and Pandharpur hoping to draw Shivaji to the battle field and destroy him and his small army. But instead of falling to this trap, Shivaji Maharaj sent Afzal Khan a letter, pretending that he was afraid of the mighty general and requested a meeting at Pratapgad to further negotiate.
2. On November 10, 1659, the two met in a hut at the foothills of Pratapgad, armed only with a sword and attended by a follower, as decided in the agreement earlier. But Shivaji knew that a foul person like Afzal Khan cannot be trusted as he had executed another ruler in a same way before. Hence, he wore an armor beneath his clothes, as a protection, concealing his “tiger-claw” and a dagger.

1. When Shivaji entered the hut, Afzal Khan got up and welcomed him with a hug. As predicted by Shivaji, Afzal Khan then attacked the back of Shivaji with a dagger but it was stopped by his armor. Shivaji then, quickly used his tiger-claw and inserted it in the stomach of the mighty Afzal Khan and tore it apart, thus killing him and serving a huge blow to the Adilshahi empire.
2. The defeat of the mighty Afzal Khan by the hands of Shivaji Maharaj was rewarded by an immense increase in his prestige and the faith of Marathas in him was re-affirmed.

2. ATTACK ON SHAISTA KHAN.

Lal Mahal

Shaista Khan was an uncle of the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, who was sent by him with a well equipped army of around 150,000 soldiers to eliminate Shivaji Maharaj. Shaista Khan and his huge army invaded the Maratha territory and seized the city of Pune, establishing his residence at Shivaji’s palace of Lal Mahal.

Shivaji Maharaj decided to retaliate by attacking Shaista Khan right in the middle of his own camp. In April 1663, followed by a band of around 200 followers, Shivaji infiltrated Pune, using a wedding procession as cover and entered Shaista Khan’s quarters, killing those they found there.

The startled Shaista Khan was badly wounded as Shivaji Maharaj severed his three fingers with his sword. His life was saved as the lamps in the room were put out by one of his women.

Upon realizing that his enemies are fully awakened, Shivaji promptly gathered his men together and quickly left the camp by a direct route, while the Mughals fruitlessly searched all over. As per the plan, Shivaji and his troops disguised as their enemies and gracefully left the area.

The planning and execution of this attack was so well that it created a belief in Mughals that Shivaji possessed some kind of magical powers. This story of the superhuman deed of Shivaji Maharaj spread across the entire country. The embarrassed Mughal emperor Aurangazeb punished Shaista Khan by transferring him to Bengal.

3. ESCAPE FROM AGRA.

1. After the attack on Shaista Khan, Shivaji Maharaj captured various Mughal ports in Maharashtra and sacked the richest one in Surat.

2. Enraged emperor Aurangazeb sent Mirja Raja Jai Singh with a huge army to defeat Shivaji. Jai Singh’s forces captured many Maratha forts, thereby forcing Shivaji to sign a treaty with Aurangazeb to prevent the loss of more forts and men. In this treaty, known as the Treaty of Purandar signed on 11th June 1665, Shivaji agreed to give up 23 forts and pay a compensation of 400,000 rupees to the Mughals.

3. After the treaty, Shivaji was invited to Agra by Aurangazeb, along with his son Sambhaji. Shivaji agreed and left for Agra with his son and a few followers.

After reaching the Mughal court in Agra, Aurangazeb made Shivaji stand behind the military commanders of his army intentionally disrespecting him.

Shivaji Maharaj took this as an offence and stormed out of the court, and was then put under house arrest by Aurangazeb.

4. It didn’t take long for Shivaji Maharaj to plan his escape and again, it was perfectly executed. He faked severe illness and requested to send his contingent back to Deccan, to ensure his army’s safety. He began sending daily shipments of sweets and offerings to various saints and fakirs of Agra. This continued for several weeks and the guards began to avoid checking these shipments. Shivaji and Sambhaji hid in two of such shipments and escaped the emperor’s house arrest and fled to Maharashtra disguised as saints.

4. ANOTHER BEGINNING.

After returning to Maharshtra, Shivaji Maharaj spent some time in organizing his government and soon launched a major offensive against Mughals. He recovered major portions of the territory surrendered to Mughals just in a span of four years. He continued fighting the Mughals fearlessly with the sole objective to establish Hindavi Swarajya!

There are endless stories about Shivaji Maharaj which make him one of the greatest kings in the history of India. Even after his death, the people of Maharashtra continued to fight Moghuls even when Aurangazeb himself came to conquer the land. This was only because of the foundation of Swarajya laid down by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Epilouge:

Today, Shivaji is considered as a national hero in India,especially in the state of Maharashtra, where he remains arguably the greatest figure in the state's history. Stories of his life form an integral part of the upbringing and identity of the Marathi people. Further, he is also recognised as a warrior legend, who sowed the seeds of Indian independence.

Nineteenth century Hindu revivalist Swami Vivekanada considered Shivaji a hero and paid glowing tributes to his wisdom. When Indian Nationalist leader, Lokmanya Tilak organised a festival to mark the birthday celebrations of Shivaji,

Vivekananda agreed to preside over the festival in Bengal in 1901.

He wrote about Shivaji

"Shivaji is one of the greatest national saviours who emancipated our society and our Hindu dharma when they were faced with the threat of total destruction. He was a peerless hero, a pious and God-fearing king and verily a manifestation of all the virtues of a born leader of men described in our ancient scriptures. He also embodied the deathless spirit of our land and stood as the light of hope for our future."

—Swami Vivekanada

Rabindranath Tagore wrote in his famous poem "Shivaji":

In what far-off country, upon what obscure day

I know not now,

Seated in the gloom of some Mahratta mountain-wood

O King Shivaji,

Lighting thy brow, like a lightning flash,

This thought descended,

"Into one virtuous rule, this divided broken distracted India,

I shall bind."

His Birthplace(Shivneri)

His Royal Seal (RajMudra)

Pictures from Shivaji Museum (Satara)

So in a Nutshell..

Here's why he was a Great and Virtuous Ruler...

1. Kindness to all religions: He was kind towards people of all religions and supported their religious beliefs. This is very extra-ordinary fact as all his opposing thrones were of other religion and they were harassing Hindus. He still persisted that all religions are good.
2. Indian Freedom: He fought for freedom of the nation from the conquerors like Mughals. Mughals are not originally from India though now they are considered as part of Indian culture. He fought against foreign invaders and NOT against other religions.
3. Protecting his religion: We see now a days that respecting other religions is misinterpreted as compromising yours. Shivrai helped revive good things in Hindu culture and opposed bad things. He not only helped people who wanted to convert back to Hinduism, but also married his daughter to a converted hindu so that they not outcasted by other hindus.
4. Building a navy: For centuries, no kingdom in India bothered to build a navy. They used to rely on foreigners for naval affairs. Shivaji maharaj built his own strong navy to protect cost of Maharashtra along with sea forts to help the navy.
5. Reformulating military structure: He reformulated military organization of the kingdom. Eliminated feudal lords on which older kings used to depend on. He had a standing army for the kingdom instead of conscripts. He had a strong intelligence department which helped him plan accurately.
6. Honoring women: Shivaji maharaj had strict rules about women. Anyone dishonoring a woman used to be punished very harshly (this is where you get your cutting-of-hands and burning-the-eyes misinformation). Marathi army captured towns and camps and always sent back all the women with honor.
7. Mercy to surrendered troops: Those troops of the enemy (especially local conscripts) who wanted to surrender or join marathi army were welcome. People were judged by their intentions and abilities more than their heritage.
8. Nationalism: Shivaji maharaj believed that he was fighting for India and he inspired others for the same cause. He impressed it on his army that they are fighting for free kingdom and not for a particular king. marathi civilian population kept on fighting even when there was no king after Rajaram Maharaj's death. He also inspired Chatrasal Bundela to create his own kingdom in Rajasthan when Chatrasal wanted to join him. This shows that he didn't want people to support HIS kingdom but instead he wanted people fighting for India. He was fine with other Indian kings.
9. Amazing battle tactics: He was an amazing general. True that he fought very few battles himself (compared to total his armies fought) but he emerged victorious when greatly outnumbered, out-equiped etc. He also trained his generals to realize that it is ok to come back one step and then put up the fight again, instead of dying on the battlefield when you have clear tactical disadvantage.
10. Strong government: He really cared about the common people. He went to displease established landlords for good of common people. He created penal codes, made sure that the justice is served swiftly and impartially. People were allowed to raise the concerns to higher authority. He remade the tax structure to make farmers happy. Poor farmers were given equipments and animals for farming as a loan (interest free). People were given rations from government warehouses at the time of natural calamity or enemy attacks. Some parts of Maharashtra suffering frequent attacks from enemies were given special concessions in taxes.
11. Disciplined military: Unlike most of the armies of that time, his army was very disciplined. Troops were not allowed to keep concubines. Troops did not have their own horses and weapons. Weapons and horses were supplied from government and were property of government. Troops followed their leaders to whatever end.
12. Troops did not raid the area they were active in for food and supplies. Ration for men and horses was provided from government. (I am not talking about looting wealthy enemy cities. I am talking about looting common people for supplies which was very common back then).
13. Troops were not to harm a religious place (masjid, church, temple etc), they were not to harm or dishonor women and children. The loot of wealthy cities of enemy was properly audited and submitted into kingdom's treasury.
14. Anyone not following these rules was punished severely. This does not mean that defeated generals were punished or demoted. They were treated with honor and given new tasks when they had tried their best and displayed proper judgement.