• Shivaji (1627-1680) was a Maratha ruler of the Bhosle dynasty credited with founding the Maratha Empire alongside his influential Guru Jijabai
• Shivaji staged a revolt against the Sultanate of Bijapur to free the Marathi people and establish Hindavi Swarajya (Hindu/Marathi self-rule)
• Shivaji established an independent Maratha state with Raigad as its capital and successfully defended his realm against the Mughals
• In 1674, Shivaji was enthroned as the nascent Maratha kingdom’s Chhatrapati (Sovereign). Shivaji established a Maratha kingdom that covered roughly 4.1 per cent of the Indian subcontinent but was spread out over enormous areas
• Chhatrapati and Kshatriya Kulavatamsa were his titles. He died in 1680
• Following Shivaji’s death, his two sons, Shambhaji and Rajaram, ruled for a short time and fought alongside the Mughal army. After Rajaram died in 1699, Tarabai, one of Rajaram’s queens, began to govern in the name of her young son Shivaji II

The later Maratha Empire was a confederation of five powerful chieftains:

• Peshwa of Poona
• Gaekwad of Baroda
• Bhonsle of Nagpur
• Holkar of Indore
• Sindhia/Shinde of Gwalior 

Shivaji and the Mughals

The Mughal conquered Bijapur in 1657, saving Shivaji from Bijapur’s vengeance. Shivaji began discussions with Aurangzeb by requesting the grant of all Bijapuri lands under his control and additional locations such as the Konkan port of Dabhol. Shivaji later betrayed and switched sides.

• Shivaji renewed his conquest at Bijapur’s expense. He took the northern part of the Konkan, the coastal region between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea
• Afzal Khan was dispatched by the Sultan of Bijapur with an army of 10,000 men. Afzal Khan was given orders to capture or murder Shivaji in any way
• Shivaji was asked for a personal conversation by Afzal Khan in 1659, who promised him that he would be pardoned from the Bijapur kingdom. Shivaji saw the trap and went in with all the necessary preparations to slay Afzal Khan. Afzal Khan’s property, including artillery and equipment, was captured by Shivaji
• Shivaji quickly rose to prominence as a mythical person. Shivaji became well-known, and he was credited with supernatural abilities. As a result, people from throughout the region came to join the Maratha army, including Afghan mercenaries who had formerly served the Bijapur Kingdom
• Aurangzeb was concerned about the rise of Maratha power near the Mughal borders. The treaty of 1636 gave Poona and the surrounding regions, which had previously been part of the Ahmednagar empire, to Bijapur. However, the Mughals have reclaimed these territories
• Shaista Khan, the new Mughal governor of the Deccan (who was also related to Aurangzeb), was ordered by Aurangzeb to invade Shivaji’s domains and the ruler of Bijapur, Adil Shah, was asked to collaborate with the Mughal governor
• Adil Shah dispatched Sidi Jauhar, and he invested Shivaji in Panhala in Western Maharashtra. However, Shivaji withdrew, becoming imprisoned, and Panhala fell under the control of Bijapuri’s soldiers
• Adil Shah had no interest in the struggle against Shivaji and quickly reached a secret agreement with him. This arrangement allowed Shivaji to negotiate with the Mughals. Shaista Khan took over Poona in 1660 and made it his headquarters. Then he dispatched detachments to seize Shivaji’s Konkan
• Despite Shivaji’s persistent attacks and the courage of Maratha defenders, the Mughals were able to retain control of northern Konkan
• In 1663, Shivaji stormed the camp and confronted Shaista Khan when he was in his harem (in Poona). Khan was wounded, and his son and one of his captains were murdered. Shivaji put Khan to shame with his daring attack. In a fit of wrath, Aurangzeb dispatched Shaista Khan to Bengal, refusing to meet him at the moment
• In 1664, Shivaji stormed and sacked Surat, the most crucial Mughal port

Treaty of Purandar

• Following the failure of Shaista Khan, Aurangzeb assigned Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amber to deal with Shivaji. Mirza Raja Jai Singh was one of Aurangzeb’s most valued counsellors
• Unlike Shaista Khan, Jai Singh did not underestimate the Marathas and instead made meticulous military and diplomatic preparations
• Jai Singh intended to strike at the heart of Shivaji’s domains, fort Purandar, which housed Shivaji’s family and valuables 
• Jai Singh besieged Purandar in 1665, repelling all Maratha attempts to relieve it. Finally, with the fort falling and no help in sight, Shivaji was compelled to begin negotiations with Mirza Raja Jai Singh

The following were the results of the negotiations:

• Shivaji had 35 forts before the discussions but relinquished 23 to the Mughals
• On the condition of duty and loyalty to the Mughal empire, Shivaji was allowed to keep the remaining 12 forts
• Shivaji was permitted to keep territory worth four lakhs of huns every year in the Bijapur Konkan, which he already had
• Shivaji was also given Bijapur territory worth five lakhs of huns a year in the uplands (Balaghat), which he had conquered. In exchange for these, Shivaji was forced to pay the Mughals’ dominion forty lakh Huns
• Shivaji had no desire to serve in the Mughals’ service. Therefore, he requested a leave of absence from the personal service. As a result, his minor son, Sambhaji, was given a mansab of 5,000 rupees
• In exchange, Shivaji promised the Mughals that he would personally assist them in their campaign in the Deccan
• Later, Jai Singh successfully threw a bone of contention between Shivaji and the Bijapur monarch. However, Shivaji’s success was contingent on Mughal cooperation in carving out a Bijapur region worth the sum he had ceded to the Mughal empire
• Jai Singh pondered an alliance with Shivaji from the beginning of the invasion of Bijapur to the entire Deccan. The Mughal-Maratha mission against Bijapur, on the other hand, was a failure. Shivaji, sent to seize Fort Panhala, was also unsuccessful
• After that, Jai Singh encouraged Shivaji to travel to Agra to meet with Aurangzeb. If Aurangzeb and Shivaji could reconcile, Jai Singh believed that Aurangzeb would be convinced to provide more resources for the invasion of Bijapur. However, Shivaji’s visit with Aurangzeb was also inconclusive
• When Shivaji and Aurangzeb met, Aurangzeb placed him in the 5,000 mansabdar category, making Shivaji feel humiliated due to his inferior Mansab rank. In addition, during Shivaji’s birthday celebrations, Aurangzeb did not have time to meet him. As a result of this treatment, Shivaji became enraged and refused to acknowledge royal servitude
• When Shivaji consented to see Aurangzeb based on Jai Singh’s guarantees, Aurangzeb sought guidance from Jai Singh. In exchange, Jai Singh pushed vehemently for Shivaji’s treatment to be mild. Shivaji, however, fled from jail in 1666 before any judgement could be made

Conclusion 

Shivaji was a man who designed a new conception of power. His father was acclaimed by a sultan as ‘the abode of inter intrepidity’ and grandeur, ‘the pillar of mighty state’, Shivaji still saw in the decline of the regional Muslim power an opportunity to concur a whole new world. Many of the Marathas saw the choice as the one between preserving regional Muslim people or accepting the Mughal embrace. However, Shivaji desired that the Islamicate and the Persian influences were consciously disregarded to celebrate a ‘Maharashtra drama’.