The Maratha Empire

The Maratha movement during the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb developed into a challenging power under Shivaji and posed a great threat to the Mughal Empire. The sturdy, capable and brave people were stretched along the Western Ghats, spilling over into the plains of Konkan across the Deccan into central India. They had a common language, Marathi, a common religion, Hinduism, a strong sense of belonging and national feeling. Shivaji, the great Maratha leader freed them from the Muslim yoke and made them a mighty power that dominated India in the 18th century and contributed to the decline of the Mughal Empire.

Who Was the Founder of Maratha Empire?

Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire, was born in 1627. His father Shahji Bhonsle from Bijapur and his mother, Jijabai, was a highly religious and talented woman. 

His religious teacher was Samarth Ramdas and guardian was Dadaji Kondadev.

From his very childhood, Shivaji came to believe that his mission was to liberate the Hindus and free his country from the Muslim yoke. He conquered some forts in Bijapur state, disposed of the army general of the Sultan of Bijapur, Afzal Khan, in 1659, and after his initial success with the Mughal armies, he was made to make submissions to Aurangzeb by Raja Jai Singh. A settlement was reached with the Marathas but when Shivaji reached the court of Aurangzeb at Agra he was not given the proper respect and was belittled. Thus the settlement broke down because of the mutual suspicion of both parties. Shivaji was imprisoned from where he made his dramatic escape. 

Treaty of Purandar :  In 1665, between Shivaji and Mughals.

After his daring return from Agra, Shivaji conquered almost all the forts which he had surrendered to the Mughals. He celebrated his coronation at Raigarh in 1674 and also assumed the title of Haindava dharma dharak( Protector of Hinduism) and shortly thereafter made a great expedition into southern India. 

Ashtapradhan:  Eight ministers helped him in administration

1. Peshwas
2. Sar-i-naubat (military)
3. Amatya (accounts)
4. Waqenavis (Intelligence)
5. Surunavis (Correspondence)
6. Sumanta (Ceremonies)
7. Nyayadhish (Justice)
8. Panditrao (Charity)

Shivaji died in 1680 at the age of 53 years having founded an empire that dominated India for about a century and a half.

The Peshwas:

The Peshwas came to power in the Maratha kingdom during the reign of Shahu, Shivaji’s grandson. ‘Peshwa’ was the title of the Prime Minister of the Maratha state. Since Shahu was a weak and incompetent ruler, the power passed on into the hands of his Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath (1713-1720), who founded the Peshwa dynasty and inaugurated an era of Maratha expansion. He concluded an agreement with the Sayyid brothers by which Mughal emperor Farukh Siyyar recognized Shahu as the king of Swarajya.

He was succeeded by his son Baji Rao I (1720-1740), a clever statesman, a fine soldier, and a strong administrator. He is considered as the greatest exponent of guerilla tactics after Shivaji. Maratha power reached its zenith and system confederacy.

Balaji Baji Rao:

During his time the Marathas conquered Malwa, Gujarat, and Bundelkhand and strengthened their hold over the Deccan. He died at an early age of 42 years in 1740 and was succeeded by his 18year-old son, Balaji Baji Rao (1740-1761). During his Peshwaship, the Marathas reached as far as Bihar and Orissa in the east and Punjab in the north. His was a time of the height of the Maratha empire.

The Maratha power, however, suffered from some weakness which contributed to its downfall. They lacked a political system that could establish a stable administration. Over time the Maratha Sardars established their independent principalities and consequently, by the middle of the 18th century five distinct Maratha powers, viz., ‘Peshwa at Poona’, ‘Gaekwad at Baroda’, ‘Bhonsle at Nagpur’, ‘Holkar at Indore’, and ‘Scindia at Gwalior’, had emerged. 

The Maratha raids into the territories of other rulers and their policy of ruthlessness and plunder alienated them from other Indian rulers and the common masses. So when Ahmed Shah Abdali, the successor of the Persian invader Nadir Shah, invaded Punjab and came in direct conflict with the Marathas, a decisive battle was fought at Panipat in 1761, where Abdali gave the Marathas a crushing defeat. Neither the Rajputs nor the Jats nor the Sikhs came to the Marathas lost their supremacy of the north, and whatever unity existed between the five Maratha powers, it was soon dissolved after the Third Battle of Panipat, which beheld the era of the disintegration of the Maratha empire and the rise of the British influence in India.

Conclusion

The Marathas, whose internal conflicts never ceased, were played one against the other by the Britishers. In the war between the Holkar and Scindia, the Peshwas sided with Scindia but Holkar defeated them. That made Peshwa Baji Rao II seek the British help and accept a subsidiary alliance with the British. The Britishers drove out Holkar.