The Marathas were the people
who lived in Pune and some parts of Maharashtra. They were brave and courageous
people and their economic source was based on agriculture. The Marathas also worked
under the Mughals. It was Shivaji, at that time who brought awakening among the
Marathas.
Shivaji was born in 1627 A.D. at
Shivner, a place near Pune. His father Shahji Bhonsle was a chief in the court
of Sultan of Bijapur. His father remained out for most of the time and so
Shivaji’s education was the responsibility of his mother Jijabai. Shivaji’s
tutor was Konddeva. He was trained by them in warfare as well as in
administration.
Shivaji was very ambitious. He
wanted to become a king. Therefore he gathered some men to form a small army.
He made this army expert in guerilla warfare. Using the guerilla warfare the
soldiers of Shivaji’s army even could fight with small army. Due to this he was
given the title of ‘mountain rat’.
The Mughal ruler at that time was
Aurangzeb. When Aurangzeb heard about Shivaji’s exploits, he sent Shaista Khan
to destroy him. Nevertheless Shaista khan was defeated by Shivaji at Poona. At
last due to Shivaji’s exploits Aurangzeb declared him as king. In 1674, Shivaji
was crowned king at his capital Raigarh. It was the birth of the first Maratha
state.
Shivaji was not only a good soldier
but also a good administrator. He made the people arise against the mighty
Mughals.
No comments:
Post a Comment