Rise of Marathas

The Marathas rose under Shivaji (1630-1680) in the western Deccan, built a professional administration and a navy, and after his death expanded across India under the Peshwas until they were checked at Panipat in 1761 and finally defeated by the British in 1818.

Shivaji

Shivaji was the son of Shahji Bhonsle, a noble in Bijapur service. He began by seizing hill forts in the Pune region, killed the Bijapur general Afzal Khan at Pratapgarh in 1659, raided Surat in 1664, and after the Treaty of Purandar in 1665 with Jai Singh, visited Agra, escaped from detention, and crowned himself Chhatrapati at Raigad in 1674.

Shivaji's administration

Shivaji was assisted by a council of eight ministers called the Ashtapradhan. This was an advisory body of officers, not a cabinet in the modern sense, and the posts were not hereditary in his time.

Chauth = one-fourth of revenue  |  Sardeshmukhi = an additional one-tenth

• Chauth and sardeshmukhi were levied on territories outside direct Maratha rule in return for protection
• Land revenue was assessed after measurement using the rod called kathi, on the system of Malik Ambar of Ahmadnagar
• Shivaji preferred cash salaries to jagirs to prevent hereditary claims
• He built a navy based at Kolaba and Vijaydurg, which is why he is sometimes called the father of the Indian navy
• Forts were placed under three officers of equal rank to prevent any one from turning traitor

The Peshwas and Maratha expansion

After Shivaji, his son Sambhaji was executed by Aurangzeb in 1689, and Rajaram and Tarabai carried on a long resistance. Under Shahu, real power passed to the Peshwas of the Bhat family at Pune. Balaji Vishwanath obtained rights of chauth and sardeshmukhi from the Mughals in 1719, Baji Rao I expanded into Malwa, Gujarat and Bundelkhand, and Balaji Baji Rao presided over the disaster of the third battle of Panipat.

✗ The Marathas were a single centralised empire under the Peshwa  |  ✓ After Panipat power devolved to a confederacy - Gaekwad, Holkar, Scindia, Bhonsle and the Peshwa

The Maratha confederacy of Gaekwad of Baroda, Holkar of Indore, Scindia of Gwalior and Bhonsle of Nagpur under the nominal leadership of the Peshwa was strong but divided. Three Anglo-Maratha wars between 1775 and 1818 ended Maratha independence, and the Peshwa's territory was annexed in 1818.

FAQ

What is the difference between chauth and sardeshmukhi?

Chauth was one-fourth of the revenue of a territory, collected in return for not raiding it and for protection. Sardeshmukhi was an additional one-tenth claimed on the basis of Shivaji's asserted hereditary right as the chief headman, or sardeshmukh, of Maharashtra.

Why did the Marathas lose the third battle of Panipat?

They fought far from their base with long supply lines, lost the support of potential north Indian allies such as the Jats and the Rajputs, faced a coalition under Ahmad Shah Abdali including Najib ud-Daula and Shuja ud-Daula, and were caught in a prolonged blockade before the battle.

Was the Ashtapradhan a modern cabinet?

No. It was a council of eight officers advising the king, each with a defined department, but there was no collective responsibility and no ministerial control over the ruler. The posts also were not hereditary under Shivaji, though they became so later under the Peshwas.