Class 8 History: The Rise of the Marathas – Complete Notes

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Who Were the Marathas?

The Marathas were a group of people native to the Deccan Plateau, more specifically present-day Maharashtra. They are identified by the language they speak — Marathi — and they had a rich, continuous literary history since the 12th century.

Maharashtra Before Shivaji

During the 13th century, most of Maharashtra was ruled by the Yadav dynasty, with their capital at Devagiri, present-day Daulatabad. In the early 14th century, the Yadav dynasty was overcome by the Khilji Sultanate from Delhi.

The Bhakti Movement and the Maratha Cultural Foundation

Over a long span of time up to the 17th century, saints and seekers from several parts of India preferred the path of Bhakti over merely external ritualism, as a way of spiritual upliftment. In Maharashtra, many saints such as Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Tukaram, and Ramdas gained popularity during this time.

These saints helped translate important texts like the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita into Marathi, making their philosophy accessible to ordinary people. As a result, Marathi society acquired a solid cultural foundation, which later helped the Marathas organise themselves into a political power.

Birth and Early Life of Shivaji

In 1630, Shivaji was born in the Bhosale clan to Shahji and Jijabai. At the time, Shahji served the Deccan Sultanate and was often away from his family.

When Shivaji was just 16 years old, he launched military campaigns, first consolidating his hold over the Pune region by capturing neglected and unoccupied forts and strengthening their defences. His vision of Swarajya — self-rule — grew over the years, extending to political, economic, and cultural aspects of life.

Building a Navy and Using Guerrilla Warfare

Shivaji's kingdom soon expanded to India's west coast, and to secure access to the resources of the coastal region, he felt the need to establish a navy.

To protect his people from powerful enemies, Shivaji used the tactic of guerrilla warfare — using small groups of people in a focused way, relying on speed, surprise, and knowledge of the terrain to defeat much bigger armies.

Clashes with Bijapur and the Mughals

Shivaji's success soon invited the wrath of the Bijapur Sultanate, which sent its veteran general Afzal Khan against him. Shivaji and his advisors managed to convince Afzal Khan to meet him for a one-on-one meeting at the foot of Pratapgad Fort.

Amid the thick forest there, Shivaji killed Afzal Khan, and the Marathas — hidden in the mountains — routed Khan's army using a guerrilla attack.

Shivaji later raided Shaista Khan's camp at night. Khan barely escaped the raid, losing a few fingers, and promptly left Maharashtra. This daring raid resembles a modern-day surgical strike.

As the culminating action of a three-year-long wave of attacks, Shivaji raided Surat, a wealthy port city of the Mughal Empire located in present-day Gujarat, where he obtained enormous treasure worth almost ₹1 crore — an extremely large sum for the time.

The Treaty of Purandar and the Escape from Agra

Aurangzeb sent Jai Singh, a distinguished Rajput general, to defeat Shivaji. Shivaji had to concede defeat at Purandar Fort (near Pune) and enter into a treaty, giving up a sizeable part of his kingdom. His son Sambhaji had to enter Mughal service.

Jai Singh then persuaded Shivaji to visit the Mughal court at Agra. There, Shivaji was made to stand before Aurangzeb and a Mughal general he had earlier defeated. Incensed at this insult, Shivaji stormed out of the court, following which Aurangzeb put him under house arrest.

Shivaji and his son Sambhaji hid themselves in baskets of fruit and made their escape.

Coronation and the Conquest of the South

In 1674, Shivaji was coronated with full Vedic rites at the strong mountain fortress of Raigad. His formal title after the coronation was Shri Raja Shiva Chhatrapati, and like some past rulers, he started his own era.

After this, Shivaji embarked on a conquest of the south, known as the Dakshin Digvijay, which included the important and till-then poorly defended regions of present-day northern Tamil Nadu and major parts of Karnataka.

After Shivaji — Sambhaji, Rajaram and Tarabai

After Shivaji's death, Sambhaji became the Chhatrapati. The Marathas remained the only real obstacle to total Mughal control of the Deccan, offering tough resistance that the Mughals could not overcome.

Aurangzeb invaded the Deccan and conquered Bijapur and the Qutb Shahi Sultanate of Golconda. He then captured Sambhaji, and after torturing him brutally, executed him. He then captured Raigad, the Maratha capital.

After Sambhaji, Rajaram became the Chhatrapati and fled to Gingee in present-day Tamil Nadu. The Mughal-Maratha conflict spread further into South India.

The Marathas, led by Tarabai (Rajaram's wife), made large-scale inroads into Mughal territories, eventually conquering large parts of India.

Northward Expansion and Decline

In their northward expansion, the Marathas briefly controlled the areas of Lahore, Attock, and even Peshawar. They fought with the Afghans, and despite suffering a disastrous defeat at Panipat in 1761, they quickly recovered during the time of Peshwa Madhavrao I.

Under the leadership of Mahadji Shinde, also known as Mahadji Sindhia, the Marathas recaptured Delhi in 1771, which remained under their control until the British captured it three decades later.

Three Anglo-Maratha Wars were fought between 1775 and 1818. Owing to increased internal disunity among the Marathas and the superior organisational and technological abilities of the British, the British succeeded in ending Maratha power. In effect, the British took more territory in India from the Marathas than from the Mughals or any other power.

Maratha Administration

Chhatrapati Shivaji instituted a relatively centralised administration for his kingdom. He abolished the hereditary posts generally practised under the Sultans and the Mughals, replacing them with land assignments, and paid a salary to every government official out of the state treasury.

The Marathas also levied a tax called the Chauth, worth 25%, and an additional tax called Sardeshmukhi, worth 10%, collected from provinces that were not directly under their rule — including places in the Deccan and North India.

Shivaji's administration included several key ministerial posts:

Military Organisation

The Maratha armed forces were divided into three parts: infantry, cavalry, and navy. The cavalry was made up of two types of soldiers:

• Bargirs — whose horses and equipment were paid for by the state
• Shiledars — whose horses and equipment were paid for by the soldiers themselves

In the 18th century, Shivaji created a navy to secure the west coast. Kanhoji Angre guided the Marathas to victory in many naval battles. Despite Maratha ships not being as technologically advanced as European ones, a clever use of geography and battle tactics kept them successful.

Judicial System

The Marathas had an efficient judicial system, remarkable for its moderation in using capital punishment — that is, the death penalty. In prominent towns such as Pune and Indore, the Kotwal (police) was also deployed to ensure law and order within the city.

Cultural Revival Under the Marathas

The seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji described him as the son of Shahji, waxing like the new moon and revered by the world for the welfare of the people.

Shivaji commissioned a treatise called the Rajya Vyavahar Kosh, with the aim of promoting the Marathi language. He was a devout Hindu who respected other religions while upholding his own. A saffron-coloured flag was adopted by all the Marathas.

He also rebuilt desecrated temples and promoted Sanskrit and Marathi literature, religious institutions, and traditional art.

Tarabai and Ahilyabai Holkar

Tarabai was a fearless Maratha warrior queen who ruled in the early 18th century after the death of her husband, Rajaram. Realising that North India was left unprotected with Aurangzeb and the Mughals occupied in the Deccan, she organised a large Maratha army and sent it to invade Mughal territories in the north.

Ahilyabai Holkar was a devout person who built and restored hundreds of temples, ghats, wells, and roads throughout India, from Kedarnath in the north to Rameshwaram in the south. Her most famous work was rebuilding the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, which had been destroyed by Aurangzeb, and the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, which had been destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni.

Maratha Rule in the South — Thanjavur

Ekoji, the half-brother of Chhatrapati Shivaji, conquered the Thanjavur region (present-day Tamil Nadu) in the late 17th century, marking the beginning of Maratha rule in the area.

The Thanjavur Marathas helped create a syncretic culture that was rich and full of innovation. They were great patrons of the arts, and many of the rulers themselves were poets and dramatists.

Legacy of the Maratha Empire

Maratha rule challenged Mughal dominance and established the largest Indian empire before the British took over the subcontinent. They set up a new way of governing with an efficient administration, and also revived local Hindu traditions without religious discrimination.

Their brave fight against oppressive rule and foreign power was driven by the fiery ideal of Swaraj. This later inspired many Indians to believe they could govern themselves, planting the early seeds of India's freedom movement.

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