CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ

The People's King

 “Shivaji was one of the greatest national  saviors who emancipated our society and our Dharma when they were faced with the threat of total destruction.. He was a peerless hero, a pious hero and a God fearing king and verily a manifestation of all the virtues of a born leader as described in our ancient scriptures. He also embodied the deathless spirit of our land and stood as the light of the hope for the future”. These words by Swami Vivekanand truly describe the epic personality of a prince born in the mountains who by establishing Swarajya became one of the most illustrious leaders in Indian history.

By the 12th century, Indian subcontinent was a target of Muslim invasions. Mahmud Ghazni, Muhammed Ghori, Allaudin Khilji invaded India in different periods of history. These invaders accompanied with their huge armies destroyed farms and villages.  The Mughals introduced Jaziya tax which was to be paid only by the Hindus. In the course of time the condition of the common farmers became miserable.

The independent spirit of a Maratha Sardar, Shahaji Bhosale often brought him in bitter conflicts with the Mughals and Adilshah of Bijapur. However in a joint action by Shah Jahan and Adilshah, Shahaji was forced to surrender and was sent to Bangalore to look after Adilshahi territories and was barred from entering Maharashtra for the rest of his life. Little did he know that his younger son would fulfill his dream of independence in the future. 

Shivaji was trained in warfare, religion, politics, geography by his mother Jijabai and Shahaji’s trusted ministers namely Dadoji Kondadev, Baji Phasalkar and Sonopant Dabir. He started his relentless struggle against foreign rule by taking an oath in the Shiva temple of Rayreshwar. He declared his presence as a force against the colonial powers by hoisting the orange flag on the Torna fort after capturing it. Shivaji maintained law and order in and around Pune by giving an astonishing judgement in the Ranjegaon rape case. He ordered to amputate the left leg and right hand of the Patil when proved guilty of rape. His respect for other religions and women is what makes him a class apart from his contempory Muslim rulers. During one particular raid his army captured a large bounty of the Mughals but along with it they also brought the daughter in law of the former subhedar of Kalyan to be presented to Shivaji at Rajgad, the capital fort. He immediately honored her and sent her back to Kalyan under the escort of 500 horsemen. He gave funds to both temples and mosques and ordered his troops to respect Quran. His bodyguard was Madari Mehtar, a muslim while Noor Khan Beg was one of the commanders in his army.

First Capital of Shivaji Maharaj – The Rajgad Fort

The Mughals and the Adilshah now fearful at the growing strength of Shivaji sent its bravest generals to crush him. Afzal Khan, a Bijapuri general, Siddi Jauhar and Shaista Khan desecrated temples and destroyed villages. But with extraordinary will power, guerilla warfare, unmatched bravery, Shivaji and his soldiers put all efforts of their enemy in vain. He even visited Agra and insulted Aurangzeb in his own court. Shivaji looted the rich mughal port town of Surat, robbing the rich mughal merchants but did not harm the common Gujarati people. He built his own navy after realizing the importance of protection of the western frontiers and built many strong naval forts. On 4th June, 1674 Shivaji crowned himself and acclaimed the title “Kshatriya Kulawatasana Sinhasanadhishwar Shrimant Rajashri Shivaji Raje Bhosale Chhatrapti Maharaj” Indeed with his coronation the incomplete struggle of Prithviraj Chauhan, Maharan Pratap and several other Hindu kingdoms  were now put to rest.

Place of Throne on Raigad fort

Was he really a mountain rat as tagged by the Mughals and the British? In just a short period of time and with limited resources Shivaji challenged the mighty Mughals, Britsh, Portuguese and the Adilshais and carved an independent kingdom. He saved Hindu religion from its complete destruction from the hands of the Muslim invaders. His concept of Swarajya later inspired freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi and Lokmanya Tilak. Today 400 years after his death Shivaji is the father of the Indian Navy and is remembered as the king who was loved by his people. He is rightly hailed as ‘Janata Raja’ or ‘The People’s King’.