Key Points

Ramachandrapant Amatya warned in 1715 that European merchants, like the Portuguese and English, were intent on expanding their territory and propagating their religion, using their navy and gunpowder as chief weapons.

The Marathas are a group of people native to the Deccan plateau, specifically present-day Maharashtra, identified by the Marathi language which has a rich literary history since the 12th century.

Between the 7th and 17th centuries, Bhakti saints like Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, and Tukaram gained popularity in Maharashtra by translating important texts into Marathi, fostering social organization and political awareness.

Shivaji, born in 1630, launched military campaigns at the age of 16, consolidating his hold over the Pune region and nurturing a vision for a sovereign kingdom, or 'Swarājya'.

Shivaji utilized guerrilla warfare tactics to defeat larger armies and established a revolutionary Maratha Navy to secure the west coast, a unique and strategic move for an Indian power at that time.

Shivaji achieved significant military successes, including killing the Bijapur general Afzal Khan, conducting a daring raid on the Mughal nobleman Shaista Khan's camp, and sacking the wealthy port city of Surat twice.

After escaping house arrest by Aurangzeb in Agra, Shivaji was coronated with full Vedic rites in 1674 at Raigad, adopting the title 'Shri Raja Shiva Chhatrapati' and later embarking on a conquest of the South.

After Shivaji's death, the Marathas, led by figures like Tarabai, staunchly resisted Aurangzeb's invasion of the Deccan, eventually emerging as a strong contender to the Mughals after Aurangzeb's death.

Following Shivaji's era, the Maratha state became more decentralized, with the Peshwa, or prime minister, wielding great influence and instrumental in the pan-Indian expansion of the Marathas, notably Bajirao I and Nanasaheb Peshwa.

The Marathas were the chief rivals of the British in India during the late 18th century, engaging in three Anglo-Maratha wars between 1775 and 1818, which ultimately led to the British ending Maratha power.

Shivaji established a centralized administration, abolishing hereditary posts and land assignments, paying government officials salaries from the state treasury, and providing pensions for soldiers' widows.

The Marathas levied taxes called chauth (25 percent) and sardeshmukhi (an additional 10 percent) from provinces not directly under their control, offering protection and non-intervention in their internal affairs.

Forts were considered the core of the Maratha state, essential for strategically controlling important routes, sheltering the army during guerrilla warfare, and ensuring the state's survival against invasions.

Under Kanhoji Angre, the Marathas challenged European naval supremacy by demanding trade passes from them, resisting the European practice of forcing Indian ships to purchase their cartaz.

Shivaji promoted Marathi language and culture through his Sanskrit-inscribed seal and by commissioning the Rājya-Vyavahāra-Koṣha to replace Persian loanwords in diplomatic exchanges.

Shivaji, a devout Hindu, respected other religions, rebuilt desecrated temples, and promoted Sanskrit and Marathi literature, religious institutions, and traditional arts, leading to a cultural revival.

Maratha women like Tarabai, who led armies into Mughal territories, and Ahilyabai Holkar, who wisely governed Indore and restored hundreds of temples across India, made significant contributions to the empire.

Ekoji, Shivaji's half-brother, established Maratha rule in Thanjavur, where rulers like Serfoji II became great patrons of arts, music, and medicine, even establishing the first printing press by a native Indian ruler.

The Marathas established the largest Indian empire before the British and their brave fight and ideal of Swarājya inspired many Indians, planting early seeds for India's freedom movement.