Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

In News: The Prime Minister has paid tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his 391st birth anniversary.

About Chhatrapati Shivaji

• Background

• Born on February 19, 1630, at Shivneri Fort in Pune.
  • He was born to Shahaji Bhonsle, a Maratha general who held the jagirs of Pune and Supe under the Bijapur Sultanate.
  • Shivaji’s mother was Jijabai, a pious woman whose religious qualities had a profound influence on him.
• Shivaji was not named after Lord Shiva. His name was derived from the name of a regional deity – Goddess Shivai.
• He carved out an enclave from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire.
• In 1674, he was formally crowned as the Chhatrapati (Monarch) of his realm at Raigad.
• The kingdom’s security was based on religious toleration and on the functional integration of the Brahmans, Marathas, and Prabhus.
• He had a council of ministers (Asht Pradhan) to advise him on the matters of the state but he was not bound by it. He could appoint or dismiss them.
• The brave warrior died in 1680 but is still known for his courage and intelligence.

Contributions

• He revived ancient Hindu political traditions, court conventions and promoted the usage of Marathi and Sanskrit, rather than Persian, in court and administration.
• India’s first-ever navy in the modern era was built by Shivaji to protect the coast of Maharashtra. The Maratha Navy guarded the Jaigad, Sindhudurg, Vijaydurg and other forts along the coast of Maharashtra.
• He established a competent and progressive civil rule with the help of disciplined military and well-structured administrative organisations.
  • He innovated military tactics, pioneering non-conventional methods(guerrilla warfare) and leveraged strategic factors like geography, speed, and surprise.
  • He focused on pinpoint attacks to defeat his larger and more powerful enemies.
• He placed the wellbeing of his people above everything.
• A brave and genuinely secular ruler, he respected women and cared for the downtrodden and farmers.

Steps Taken in his Honour

• The Indian Navy’s INS Shivaji is named after him.

• The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus in Mumbai is also named after him.
• Shri Chatrapati Shivaji  Maharaj Memorial National Committee –Conceptualised & pioneered in 1981 by Late Smt. Indira Gandhi.
  • It is a non-profit Organisation that aims to propagate the ideals of Shri Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
• In 1895 Bal Gangadhar Tilak started the Shivaji festival to stimulate nationalism among young Maharashtrians by holding up the example of Shivaji for emulation

Source: NDTV