Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Maratha power
Shivaji founded Swarajya with hill forts and a navy; the Peshwas then carried Maratha power across India until Panipat in 1761.
How it was ruled
Shivaji (1630–1680) was crowned Chhatrapati at Raigad in 1674 and ruled with a council of eight ministers (Ashtapradhan). After him, Sambhaji, Rajaram and Tarabai resisted the Mughals; from 1713 the Peshwas led the state.
How people lived
Marathi became the language of government; saints such as Tukaram and Ramdas were widely followed; the warkari pilgrimage to Pandharpur continued.
What people did
Farming, soldiering, fort-building, and a navy that guarded the Konkan coast.
What people ate
Jowar and bajra bhakri, rice, pulses, groundnut and simple vegetables.
Trade
Coastal trade from forts such as Sindhudurg and Vijaydurg; chauth and sardeshmukhi levies collected across India.
Region by region
- Maharashtra: Raigad, Shivneri, Pratapgad and Sindhudurg — part of the Maratha Military Landscapes (UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2025).
- Tamil Nadu: Gingee fort, also part of the Maratha Military Landscapes; the Maratha kingdom of Thanjavur.
- Madhya Pradesh: Indore (Holkars) and Gwalior (Scindias), Maratha states after 1730.
- Haryana: The Third Battle of Panipat (1761) against Ahmad Shah Abdali.
Key events
- 1674: Coronation of Shivaji at Raigad
- 1720–1740: Peshwa Baji Rao I expands Maratha power
- 1761: Third Battle of Panipat
Legacy
Shivaji's forts, the Indian Navy's pride in the Maratha fleet, and Ahilyabai Holkar's temples and ghats across India.