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Biography
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Chhatrapati Shivaji

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 Shivaji Bhonsle 1627/1630 3 April 1680), also
known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an
Indian warrior king and a member of the Bhonsle
Maratha clan.
Shivaji carved out an enclave from the declining
Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur that formed the
genesis of the Maratha Empire.

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In 1674, he was formally crowned as the
Chhatrapati (Monarch) of his realm at Raigad.

S Shivaji established a competent and progressive civil

rule with the help of a disciplined military and well-
structured administrative organisations.
He innovated military tactics, pioneering non-
conventional methods which leveraged strategic
factors like geography, speed, and surprise and
focused pinpoint attacks to defeat his larger and
more powerful enemies.
He revived ancient Hindu political traditions and
court conventions and promoted the usage of
Marathi and Sanskrit, rather than Persian, in court
and administration.
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 Shivaji was born on 6 April 1627 or 19 February 1630 father Shahaji Bhonsle was a
Maratha general who served the Deccan Sultanates. His mother was Jijabai.
At the time of Shivaji's birth, the power in Deccan was shared by three Islamic
sultanates: Bijapur, Ahmednagar, and Golconda. Shahaji often changed his loyalty
between the Nizamshahi of Ahmadnagar, the Adilshah of Bijapur and the Mughals,
but always kept his jagir (fiefdom) at Pune and his small army with him. And He left
Shivaji and Jijabai in Pune in the care of his jagir administrator, Dadoji Konddeo.

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Dadoji has been credited with overseeing education and training of young Shivaji. In

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the company of his Maval comrades, Shivaji wandered over the hills and forests of

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the Sahyadri range, hardening himself and acquiring first-hand knowledge of the

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land, which was to later prove applicable to his military endeavours.
However, Shivaji's association with the Maval comrades and his independent spirit
did not sit well with Dadoji who complained to Shahaji to no avail in making him
compliant.
In 1645, the 15-year-old Shivaji bribed or persuaded the Bijapuri commander of the
Torna Fort, Inayat Khan, to hand over the possession of the fort to him.
Firangoji Narsala, who held the Chakan fort professed his loyalty to Shivaji and the
fort of Kondana was acquired by bribing the Adilshahi governor.
On 25 July 1648, Shahaji was imprisoned by Baji Ghorpade under the orders of
Mohammed Adil Shah, in a bid to contain Shivaji. Following his father's death,
Shivaji resumed raiding, seizing in 1656, the valley of Javali from Chandrarao More,
a fellow Maratha feudatory of Adilshah.
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 In 1659, Adilshah sent Afzal Khan, an experienced and veteran general to
destroy Shivaji in an effort to put down what he saw as a regional revolt.
The two met in a hut at the foothills of Pratapgad fort on 10 November
1659. The arrangements had dictated that each come armed only with a
sword, and attended by a follower.
Shivaji, either suspecting Afzal Khan would attack him or secretly
planning to attack, wore armour beneath his clothes, concealed a bagh

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nakh (metal "tiger claw") on his left arm, and had a dagger in his right

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hand.In the fight, Afzal Khan's dagger was stopped by Shivaji's armour,

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and Shivaji's weapons inflicted mortal wounds on the general; Shivaji

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then signalled his hidden troops to launch the assault on the Bijapuris.
In the ensuing Battle of Pratapgarh fought on 10 November 1659,
Shivaji's forces decisively defeated the Bijapur Sultanate's forces.
This unexpected and unlikely victory made Shivaji a hero of Maratha
folklore and a legendary figure among his people.
The large quantities of captured weapons, horses, armour and other
materials helped to strengthen the nascent and emerging Maratha army.
The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb now identified Shivaji as a major threat
to the mighty Mughal Empire.
Soon thereafter Shivaji, Shahaji and Netaji Palkar (the chief of the
Maratha cavalry) decided to attack and defeat the Adilshahi kingdom at
Bijapur.
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 To counter the loss at Pratapgad and to defeat the newly emerging Maratha power, another army,
this time numbering over 10,000, was sent against Shivaji, commanded by Bijapur's Abyssinian
general Rustam Zaman.
With a cavalry force of 5,000 Marathas, Shivaji attacked them near Kolhapur on 28 December 1659.
In a swift movement, Shivaji led a full frontal attack at the centre of the enemy forces while two
other portions of his cavalry attacked the flanks.
This battle lasted for several hours and at the end Bijapuri forces were soundly defeated and
Rustamjaman fled the battlefield.
Adilshahi forces lost about 2,000 horses and 12 elephants to the Marathas.This victory alarmed

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Aurangzeb, who now derisively referred to Shivaji as the "Mountain Rat", and prepared to address

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this rising Maratha threat.

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Until 1657, Shivaji maintained peaceful relations with the Mughal Empire. Shivaji offered his
assistance to Aurangzeb in conquering Bijapur and in return, he was assured of the formal
recognition of his right to the Bijapuri forts and villages under his possession.
Shivaji's confrontations with the Mughals began in March 1657, when two of Shivaji's officers
raided the Mughal territory near Ahmednagar. This was followed by raids in Junnar, with Shivaji
carrying off 300,000 hun in cash and 200 horses.
Mughal viceroy for Deccan at that time, Aurangzeb responded to the raids by sending Nasiri Khan,
who defeated the forces of Shivaji at Ahmednagar.
However, Aurangzeb's countermeasures against Shivaji were interrupted by the rainy season and
his battle of succession with his brothers for the Mughal throne following the illness of the
emperor Shah Jahan.
Upon the request of Badi Begum of Bijapur, Aurangzeb sent his maternal uncle Shaista Khan.
Shaista Khan, with his better-equipped and -provisioned army of 300,000 seized Pune and
establishing his residence at Shivaji's palace of Lal Mahal.

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 In April 1663, Shivaji launched a surprise attack on Shaista Khan in Pune; accounts of
the story differ in the popular imagination, but there is some agreement that Shivaji
and band of some 200 followers infiltrated Pune, using a wedding procession as cover.
They overcame the palace guards, breached the wall, and entered Shaista Khan's
quarters, killing those they found there. Shaista Khan escaped, losing his thumb in the
melee, but one of his sons and other members of his household were killed.
The Khan took refuge with the Moghul forces outside of Pune, and Aurangzeb
punished him for this embarrassment with a transfer to Bengal.
An Uzbek general, Kartalab Khan, was sent by Shaista Khan to attack and reduce the

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number of forts under Shivaji's control in the Konkan region on 3 February 1661.

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The 30,000 Mughal troops left Pune, marching through the back-country in an attempt

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to surprise the Marathas. In the Battle of Umberkhind, Shivaji's forces ambushed and
enveloped them with infantry and light cavalry in the dense forests of Umberkhind
pass near present-day Pen.
In retaliation for Shaista Khan's attacks, and to replenish his now-depleted treasury, in
1664 Shivaji sacked the port city of Surat, a wealthy Mughal trading centre.Attack on
Shahista khan and Surat, enraged the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb. In response he
sent Mirza Raja Jai Singh I with an army numbering around 150,000 to defeat Shivaji.
Jai Singh's forces made significant gains and captured many Maratha forts, forcing
Shivaji to come to terms with Aurangzeb rather than lose more forts and men.
In the Treaty of Purandar, signed between Shivaji and Jai Singh on 11 June 1665,
Shivaji agreed to give up 23 of his forts and pay compensation of 400,000 rupees to
the Mughals.
He also agreed to let his son Sambhaji become a Mughal sardar, serve the Mughal
court of Aurangzeb and fight alongside the Mughals against Bijapur
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 In 1666, Aurangzeb invited Shivaji to Agra, along with his nine-
year-old son Sambhaji. Aurangzeb's plan was to send Shivaji to
Kandahar, now in Afghanistan, to consolidate the Mughal
empire's northwestern frontier.
However, in the court, on 12 May 1666, Aurangzeb made Shivaji
stand behind mansabdrs (military commanders) of his court.
Shivaji took offence and stormed out of court,and was promptly

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placed under house arrest under the watch of Faulad Khan,

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Kotwal of Agra.

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Shivaji feigned severe illness and requested to send most of his

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contingent back to the Deccan, thereby ensuring the safety of his
army and deceiving Aurangzeb.
Thereafter, on his request, he was allowed to send daily
shipments of sweets and gifts to saints, fakirs, and temples in
Agra as offerings for his health.
After several days and weeks of sending out boxes containing
sweets, Sambhaji, being a child had no restrictions and was sent
out of the prison camp and Shivaji, disguised as labourer carrying
sweet basket escaped on 17 August 1666. After the escape,
rumours of Sambhaji's death were intentionally spread by Shivaji
himself in order to deceive the Mughals and to protect Sambhaji.

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 After Shivaji's escape, hostilities with the Mughals ebbed with Mughal sardar
Jaswant singh acting as intermediary between Shivaji and Aurangzeb for new peace
proposals. During the period between 1668 and 1670, Aurangzeb conferred the title
of Raja on Shivaji. Sambhaji was also restored as a Mughal mansabdar with 5000
horses
The peace between Shivaji and the Moghuls lasted until the end of 1670. At that
time Aurangzeb got suspicious of the close ties between Shivaji and Prince

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Muazzam who he thought might usurp his throne.

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Also at that time, Aurangzeb greatly reduced his army in the Deccan. The disbanded

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soldiers quickly joined Maratha service. The Mughals also took away the jagir of

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Berar from Shivaji to recover the money lent to him a few years earlier.
In response to this situation, Shivaji launched an offensive against the Moghuls and
recovered a major portion of the territories surrendered to them in a span of four
months.
Shivaji sacked Surat for second time in 1670; while he was returning from Surat,
Mughals under Daud Khan tried to intercept him, but were defeated in the Battle of
Vani-Dindori near present-day Nashik.

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 Shivaji had acquired extensive lands and wealth through his campaigns,
but lacking a formal title he was still technically a Mughal zamindar or
the son of an Adilshahi jagirdar, with no legal basis to rule his de facto
domain.
A kingly title could address this, and also prevent any challenges by
other Maratha leaders, to whom he was technically equal it would also
provide the Hindu Marathas with a fellow Hindu sovereign in a region

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otherwise ruled by Muslims.

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Shivaji was crowned king of the Marathas in a lavish ceremony at

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Raigad on 6 June 1674.
In the Hindu calendar it was on the 13th day (trayodashi) of the first
fortnight of the month of Jyeshtha in the year 1596.
His mother Jijabai died on 18 June 1674, within a few days of the
coronation. Considering this a bad omen, a second coronation was
carried out 24 September 1674,
The state as Shivaji founded it was a Maratha kingdom comprising
about 4.1% of the subcontinent at the time he died, but over time it
was to increase in size and heterogeneity, and by the time of the
Peshwas in the early 18th century the Marathas were dominant across
the northern and central regions of the Indian subcontinent.
In late March 1680, Shivaji fell ill with fever and dysentery, dying around
35 April 1680 at the age of 52, on the eve of Hanuman Jayanti
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