Marathas and Other Provincial Kingdoms

Introduction

The Marathas has grown into a powerful community post the Mughal empire ruination. Their region was covered with lush green forests and mountains, making them valour warriors in the process. They built several forts on the mountain.

Spiritual leaders who spread the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra were -

• Tukaram

• Eknath

• Vaman Pandit and

• Ramdas

They brought a unity of religious spirit among the Marathas and Shivaji Maharaj brought political unity. The Marathas had a huge contribution to the system of military and administration of the Deccan Sultanates.

Who were the Marathas?

Marathas were referred to as the major Indian people who were famous as warriors of Hinduism. The Marathas appeared as a powerful dynasty during the downfall of the Empire of the Mughals. The rise of Marathas mainly happened during the 16th and 17th centuries.

The density of the forest and the mountains in that region helped them to develop distinctive features and acquire guerrilla combat techniques. There were many powerful Maratha families but unlike the Rajputs, they were unable to establish a large state.

Maratha Kings

The Empire of Maratha had many influential kings and some of them were −

• Shivaji Raje Bhonsle − Shivaji Raje Bhonsle was also familiar as Chhatrapati Shivaji and belonged to the Bhonsle Maratha family. He was the son of Shahji Bhonsle and Jija Bai. Shivaji in the Battle of Pratapgarh defeated Adil Shah; Bijapur’s Sultan and developed an independent kingdom. Shaista Khan, Deccan’s Mughal governor won against Shivaji and the control of Poona came into the hand of the Mughals.

• Sambhaji − Shivaji had two sons, Rajaram and Sambhaji. After the death of Shivaji, two brothers were engaged in a conflict that who would sit on the throne and Sambhaji appeared as victorious. Aurangzeb’s rebellious sons took shelter under him. Mughals attacked and defeated Sambhaji in c. 1689 CE at Sangameshwar. He was executed before Aurangzeb as an infidel and rebel.

• Rajaram − Rajaram sat on the throne after the death of Sambhaji but he fled to the fort of Ginjee because of the Mughals. He relocated to Vishalgarh and after that to Satara when the Mughals seized Ginjee. He passed away in c. 1707 CE

Administration of the Marathas

The administration of Maratha was established by Shivaji Maharaj and it was influenced by the administration of Deccani states and Mughal.

Central Administration

A ministers’ council assisted the king and they were known as Ashtapradhan. Every department’s minister reported directly to Shivaji.

The officers were −

• Peshwa − Head of the general administration and finance.

• Sar-i-Nauba − Commander of Military.

• Amaty − General accountant.

• Waqia Navis − In charge of police and intelligence, household affairs and posts.

• Surnavis − Responsible for official correspondence

• Sumanta − Foreign affairs and ceremonies master

• Nyayadhish − Head of justice.

• Pandita Rao − Responsible for the administration of religion.

Provincial Administration:

Provinces were familiar as Prants and the chief of the Prants were Subedar. Prants were divided into Tarfs and havaldar was in charge of it. The combination of a number of Tarfs was known as Parganas and It was controlled by Deshpande. The administration’s lowest unit was Mauzas and managed by Kulkarni and Patil.

Army

Shivaji was known for his exceptional tactics in the military. Roughly 30,000 to 40,000 troops were present in the paga (regular army) who were supervised by havaldar. Shivaji had around 240 forts by the end of his ruling period.

Revenue

the system of revenue was created depending on Ahmednagar’s Malik Amber revenue. The lands were measured by a measuring rod. The lands were divided into three groups that were, hilly tracts, paddy fields and garden lands. The main revenue origin was sardeshmukhi and chauth that was collected from the neighbouring kingdoms of Deccan Sultanates.

Other Provincial Kingdoms

• Bengal − Murshid Quli Khan, a Diwan of Aurangzeb became independent after the central of the Mughal Empire became weak. Alivardi Khan became the Nawab of Bengal by replacing Murshid Quli Khan in c. 1739 CE. These Nawabs promoted industry, trade and agriculture and also brought stability to Bengal.

• Awadh − Saadat Khan Burhan Ul Mulk governed Awadh. He created his status hereditary just before he passed away. His successors were Safdar Jung and Asaf ud Daulah who had an important role in north Indian politics.

• Rajputs − The Rajput and Maratha relation was started to suffer during Aurangzeb’s reign because the Mughals were interfering in Marwar’s succession dispute. Most of the states of Rajputs were involved in constant civil wars.

• Punjab − The rise of the Sikhs began with the decline of the Mughal Empire. Maharaja Ranjit Singh brought the chief of the Sikhs under his control and generated a powerful empire of Sikhs in Punjab. He began to manage the various trade routes and imposed monopolies on the grain textile and salt trade from Kashmir.

Conclusion

The rise of the Marathas began after the decline of the Mughal dynasty. The capital of the empire of the Marathas was Raigad. Shivaji Maharaj, Maratha Chief created Hindavi- Swarajya by defeating Bijapur’s Sultan. The rise of the Marathas was mainly observed during Shivaji's reign. The kingdom of Maratha was also known as Mulk-e-Kadim. The administration of the Marathas was inspired by the Mughals. Shivaji also generated an influential navy for protecting the ports of Maratha. They also collected taxes from the ships.

FAQs

Qns 1. Where was the Maratha Empire located?

Ans. The Maratha Empire was located in the South-western side of India. The empire contained the region of Konkan and it was adjoined in Maharashtra under the leadership of Chatrapati Shivaji.

Qns 2. What were the two divisions in Maratha's cavalry?

Ans. The two categories of cavalry were Silahdars and Bargirs. Nobles of the Maratha maintained the Silahdars and the state paid and equipped the Bargirs.

Qns 3. What were the five Deccan sultanates?

Ans. The Deccan sultanates had five kingdoms that governed late medieval dynasties. The five kingdoms were Bidar, Golkonda, Berar, Bijapur and Ahmadnagar in south-western India. The Deccan sultanates were situated on the Deccan Plateau.