HISTORY OF MAHARASHTRA NOTES FOR REF.

The history of Maharashtra has hidden inside it, great kings, great rulers, and great culture. The colour of the past
has made the present equally bright. According to the Archeological evidences the history of Maharashtra dates
back to the 3rd century BC. Maharashtra has been the hub of trade and industry since the early days. Satara was
the port town which was just north of present day Mumbai. This was the centre of all trade and commerce
activities.

The region that is present day Maharashtra was part of a number of empires in the first
millennium. These include the Satavahana dynasty, the Vakataka dynasty, the Chalukya
dynasty and the Rashtrakuta dynasty. And Most of these empires extended over a large swathes
of Indian Territory. Some of the greatest monuments in Maharashtra such as the Ajantha and
Ellora Caves were built during the time of these empires. Maharashtra was ruled by the Maurya
Empire in the 4th and 3rd century BCE. After Mauryas, Satavahana dynasty ruled the region for
400 years. The greatest ruler of the Satavahana Dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni who
defeated the Scythian invaders. The Vakataka dynasty ruled from c. 250470 CE.
The Satavahana dynasty used Maharashtri Prakrit and Telugu languages while the Vakataka
dynasty patronized Maharashtri Prakrit and Sanskrit. The Chalukya dynasty ruled Maharashtra
from the 6th century to the 8th century and the two prominent rulers were Pulakeshin II, who
defeated the north Indian Emperor Harsha and Vikramaditya II, who defeated the Arab invaders
in the 8th century. The Rashtrakuta Dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the 8th to the 10th century.

In succession came the great rulers of the Vakataka, Chalukya, and

Rashtrakuta empires making Maharashtra a great center of culture and
art.
Yadavas were the last of these kingdoms that lost their power in the early
12th century and a long period of Muslim rule started in Maharashtra.
Allauddin Khilji was the first ruler to understand the value of the Deccan
as the key to extending influence over south India and consecutive rulers
from Delhi till the 17th century tried their best to keep this region under
their control. From the middle of the 17th century, a new group of warrior
people came to dominate the scene in Maharashtra and elsewhere in India
called Marathas.
Islamic Influence :
Just like any other rule, there was a considerable amount of Islamic influence on history of Maharashtra. The first
Islamic invasions which reached the south of the Narmada River were made by the Khilji Dynasty, the rulers of
Bengal under Mohammad Ghori. Ala - ud - din Khalji invaded the Deccan region in the year 1296 AD. He
defeated the last of the Hindu kings of the state, the Yadavas. At first the Islamic rulers invaded the northern part
of the country and made Delhi their capital but after this invasion the others followed the trend and extended their
kingdoms further south.
After the Khalji Dynasty the next among Islamic invasions to influence the state was made by Mohammad Bin
Tughlaq. The Tughlaq Dynasty reigned till 1347 AD and extended the empire till Madurai. After the disintegration
of the Tughlaq Dynasty, the Bahmani Sultanate of Bijapur ruled the region for the coming 150 years

The regions's first Hindu rulers, based in Badami, appeared during the sixth century, but the eighth-century
Rashtrakutas achieved a greater authority. Buddhism was almost entirely supplanted throughout the entire
country by the twelfth century, in what has been characterized as a peaceful popular revolution attributable
largely to the popular poet-saints. Maharashtra was one of the main channels that helped the emotional and
emotional bhakti school of Hinduism spread from southern to northern India, thanks here to work of Jnanesvara
(1271-1296) whose commentary on the Bhagwad Gita, the Jnanesvari, was significantly written in the day-to-day
spoken language, Marathi, as opposed to classical Sanskrit. The most famous of his contemporary poet-saints
was the tailor Namdev (1270-1350), whose passionate devotional hymns caught the popular imagination. The
tradition they established continued to flourish, even when forced underground by Islam, reaching its zenith in the
simple faith of the anguished Tukaram (1598-1650), whose wife and son died in a famine, and Ramdas, the
"Servant of Rama" (1608-1681). Ramdas, both ascetic and political activist, provided the philosophical
underpinning behind the campaigns of Maharashtra's greatest warrior, Shivaji.
The liberal religion preached by the saint poets of Maharashtra is popularly known as Maharashtra Dharma,
which was a stream of the medieval Bhakti movement, but socially it was more profound, unitary and far more
liberal in the field of social reforms.
The Bhakti cult in Maharashtra centred around the shrine of Vithoba or Vitthal the presiding diety of Pandharpur,
who was regarded as a manifestation of Krishna. This movement is also known as the Pandharpur movement.
The Pandharpur movement led to the development of Marathi literature, modification of caste exclusiveness,
sanctification of family life, elevation of the status of women, spread of the spirit of humaneness and toleration,
subordination of ritual to love and faith, and limitation of the excesses of polytheism.
The Bhakti movement in Maharashtra is broadly divided into two sects. The first school of mystics is known as
Varakaris, or the mild devotees of God Viththala of Pandharpur, and the second as Dharakaris, or the heroic
followers of the cult of Ramadasa, the devotee of God Rama.
The former are more emotional, theoretical, and abstract in their viewpoint, while the latter are more rational,
practical, and concrete in their thoughts. The difference between the two schools is, however, only apparent and
not real, realization of God as the highest end of human life being common to both. The three great teachers of
the Vithoba cult were Jnaneswar Jnandeva or, Namdeva and Tukanam.
The dates of birth and of other important events in the lives of all Maharashtra saints accept Ramadasa are only
approximately known. It is, however, an underable historical fact that Nivrttinatha and Jnaneswar are the
founders of the mystical school in Maharashtra, which later developed and assumed different forms at the hands
of Namadeva, Ekanatha, and Tukarama
In the sixteenth century, regional Muslim powers like Nizamshahi, Adilshahi, and Qutubshahi established their
prominence in the Deccan region. They basically served the Mughal empire but were autonomous to an extent.
One of them, Nizamshahi was located in Ahmednagar, a town 95 miles east of Pune. Maloji Bhosle, Grandfather
of Shivaji served for the Nizam as a Sardar. In 1595, Bahadur Nizam II honored him as 'Raja' for his courage in a
battle with Mughals and gave him the estates of Pune and the fort of Chakan, near Pune. This is generally
considered as the starting point of the Maratha history.

The Reign of Shivaji (1627 - 1680)

Shivaji Bhosle, founder of the Maratha empire, was born in 1627, in the fort of Shivneri, 40 miles north of Pune.
In 1629, Shivaji's father Shahaji, who had succeeded his father Maloji, in Pune and Chakan, disengaged himself
from the service of the Nizamshahi. Consequently, in 1635 the Nizam's army attacked Pune. Shahaji surrendered
and his estates were returned to him. Soon, Shahaji put Dadaji Kondadev in charge of Pune,and as a caretaker
for the Shivaji while he joined the Adilshahi in Vijapur, aprox. 400 miles south of Pune, which was soon to emerge
as the most important power in the region as the other local powers slowly diminished.
In Pune, Dadoji built a palace 'Lal Mahal', for Shivaji and his mother Jijabai. At the age of sixteen (1643 AD),
Shivaji took great delight in stirring up his friends' hopes and nursed the thought of becoming independent. He

took the oath to make the land free at the fort Torna at the age of sixteen. This was the start of his lifelong
struggle against Mughals and other Muslim powers. By 1647, Shivaji had captured two forts and had the
complete charge of Pune. In 1657, he committed his first act of hostility against the Adilshahi by plundering a
large booty in Ahmednagar. Thus, began a sequence of attacks on the Adilshahi.He slowly started capturing forts
in the region, Purandar, Rajgad, Torna being most notable of his first achievements.
Disturbed by his continuing success, Adilshahi sent a famous Sardar, 'Afzalkhan' to destroy Shivaji. Afzalkhan
knew that Shivaji's army, which was much smaller than his huge force would be unable to fight him on open land.
He tried all the tricks in the book to make him fight on plains, but Shivaji was no less clever. He convinced Khan
that he was very much afraid of him and requested him for a meeting at a place near Vai ( 100 miles south of
Pune) which was densely wooded, mountainous region, and ideal for his army to fight. Khan still had plans to kill
him in the meeting and Shivaji knew it well. Ultimately it was Khan who was killed and his unsuspecting army was
completed washed out by Shivaji. After this, Shivaji went on a winning spree and spread his reach till Panhala
near Kolhapur.
Meanwhile, Aurangzeb got concerned by Shivaji's rise to power. It was now clear that local Muslim Powers were
unable to stop him. So he sent a huge Army, led by Mirzaraje Jaisingh to defeat Shivaji(1666). Jaising's army was
much stronger than Shivaji and soon he lost most of his important forts. Realising that he was fighting a losing
battle, he signed a treaty with Mirza and agreed to serve Aurangzeb, his young son, Sambhaji being made a
sardar. He went to Delhi with Mirza to meet Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb gave a humiliating treatment to Shivaji and
soon put him under house imprisonment under some excuse. It looked certain that Shivaji will be killed sooner or
later by Aurangzeb. But this was not to happen, fortunately, for Maratha kingdom. Shivaji made a clever plot to
escape and escaped with Sambhaji to south.
After this turning point, Shivaji never looked back and slowly regained his lost glory. By 1673, he had control over
most of western Maharashtra and had made 'Raigad' ( Dist. Raigad , 150 miles southwest of Pune) his capital.
He was ceremeniously enthroned as a sovereign king in 1673. By 1680, the year of Shivaji's death, nearly whole
of the Deccan belonged to his kingdom. He had developed an efficient administration and a powerful army. He
also encouraged a spirit of independence among the Marathas that enabled them to withstand for 150 years all
attempts to conquer them. Shivaji's achievements amongst monumental difficulties were really spectacular and
that is why he holds the highest place in Maratha history.

The Period of Unstability - 1680 to 1707

Shivaji was succeeded by his son Sambhaji. He showed the
same vigor as his father, but was taken prisoner and executed
by the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, in 1689. Rajaram, Sambhaji's
younger brother then took the throne, since Sambhaji's son,
Shahu was still a minor. The death of Rajaram in 1700 seemed
to end the power of the Marathas, but Tarabai, the elder widow
of Rajaram, put her young son Shahu on the throne, at the
tender age of ten, and continued the struggle against Aurangzeb
who had come to south with the sole purpose of destroying Maratha kingdom. Between 1700 and 1703,
Aurangzeb captured the fort of Sinhagad, near Pune. During the siege, his son prince Muhuil-Mulk died; so
Aurangzeb changed Pune's name to Muhiabad, in the prince's honor. Shahu continued to fight against the
Mughals and captured Rajgad, the former capital of the Maratha territory. The fight against the Mughals ended
with the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 which was another turning point in Maratha history. After Aurangzeb, Mughal
power never regained its status as main power in India and Balance of power shifted towards Marathas, which
was soon to be controlled by Peshwas.

The Peshwe Dynasty - 1712 to 1818

Balaji Vishwanath - 1712 to 1721
In 1712, Shahu died of smallpox and his minister or peshwa, Balaji Vishwanath took over the throne.
Negotiations between the Mughal court of Delhi and Balaji Vishwanath enabled him to send a large Maratha
delegation to Delhi to assist the Mughals. The year 1718 marked the beginning of the Maratha influence in Delhi,
to which they remained closely acquainted, till 1803. Balaji Vishwanath's health had suffered considerably, and
he died in 1721.
Bajirao Peshwa ( Pahila Bajirao ) - 1721 to 1740
Bajirao, his elder son was awarded the title of peshwa after the death of his father . It was Bajirao's dream to

extend the Maratha empire to North India. By this time, Pune had regained its status as capital of Maratha
Kingdom from Rajgad. Rajgad was made capital by Shivaji beacuse it was a safe place, high in the moutainous,
wooded area. As Pune was in plains, it always had a threat. By 1720's, Maratha power was spreading in large
areas and the threat of local battles fought over forts did not exist much. Pune remained the capital till the end of
Maratha empire in 1818.
In 1734, Bajirao captured the Malwa territory in the north, and in 1739, his brother Chimnaji drove out the
Portuguese from almost all their possessions in the northern Western Ghats. Bajirao diedi in 1740 and left three
sons behind him. It was Bajirao who built the 'Shanivarwada', the residence and ruling place for the Peshwas.
Nanasaheb Peshwa - 1740 to 1761
Nanasaheb succeeded Bajirao as Peshwa in 1740. He had two brothers, Raghunathrao, who later betrayed the
Marathas and joined hands with the British, and Janardan, who died in his early youth.
Nanasaheb was ambitious and a multifaceted person.In 1741, when his uncle Chimnaji died, he returned from
the northern districts and spent nearly a year improving the civil administration of Pune. The period between 1741
and 1745 was of comparative calm in the Deccan. Nanasaheb encouraged agriculture, protected the villagers
and brought about a marked improvement in the state of the territory.
The scene changed in 1751, when the Mughals, supported by the French, advanced towards Pune, totally
destroying every village in their way. The Marathas fought with great determination, and nothing but the French
artillery saved them from total defeat. In 1754, Raghunathrao, Nanasaheb's brother started on an expedition to
conquer Gujarat, the state north of Bombay. In 1756, Nanasaheb marched south to attack Karnatak. In the
meantime, news spread that the war had broken out between the English and the French, in Europe.
In 1756, the fall of the formidable navy formed by Shivaji gave British their chance to regain importance in the
region. The navy was headed by Kanhoji Angre and its destruction was a cruical blow to Maratha sea power. It
was a sad outcome of neglect of navy by Marathas which turned out to be a horrible mistake. Marathas never
regained control of the sea after that.
In 1761, the Marathas were defeated at the third Battle of Panipat against Ahmadshah Abdali , a great warrior
from Afganistan. Marathas were fighting to save Delhi Sultanat and consequently their power in the north.
NajibUddowla was the person responsible for calling Abdali. 14th January, 1761 was the D-Day. This was a
cruical blow to the rising Maratha power from which they never recovered. They lost more than 100,000 men and
dozens of important Sardars in the battle. Nanasaheb Peshwe ( Balaji Bajirao ) lost his brother, Sadashivrao
( After whom the Sadashiv Peth in Pune is named ), and also his first son, Vishwasrao, in this battle. This news
shattered Balaji Bajirao, who died shortly afterwards, in the temple on Parvati hill in Pune. The Maratha power
was at the zenith of its glory during Balaji Bajirao's (also called Nana Saheb Peshwa) reign. It never fully
recovered from the crushing defeat at Panipat.
'Thorale' Madhaorao Peshwa - 1761 to 1772
Madhavrao, his second son then took over, but had to constantly face administrative disputes with his uncle,
Raghunathrao. Despite of this, he achieved many remarkable victories and restored the shattred Maratha
kingdom to a large extent. His outstanding achievements included defeat of Nizam (Hyderabad), Hyder
(Karnataka) and Bhosle of Nagpur. He also had to fight wars with Raghunathrao whose greed for power never
waned. Ultimately, Madhavrao took Raghunathrao prisoner in 1768; the same year when the Nizam attacked
Pune.He was eventually defeated. Madhavrao, also called 'Thorale'or Greatest Madhavrao, is entitled to special
praise for supporting the poor and for his sense of justice. Ramshastri Prabhune, the chief justice, has become a
legend for his work. The people who rose to power in his rule were Mahadji Shinde, Nana Phadnis and Haribhau
Phadke who became the key figures in the power structure after his death. He took ill in 1771 and died in 1772 at
an early age of 27, causing yet another blow to recovering Maratha power.
Narayanrao Peshwa - 1772 to 1773
Narayanrao, Balaji Bajirao's third son succeeded the throne at Shaniwarwada as the next Peshwa. He neither
had the courage to take any bold decisions nor administrative skills and soon became very unpopular among the
people. In 1773, Raghunathrao, who had been imprisoned by Madhavrao, in a room in the palace in Pune,
escaped with the help of the Gardi people . Narayanrao was murdered at the Shaniwar wada , owing to a
conspiracy by Anandibai, Raghunathrao's wife.
'Sawai' Madhaorao Peshwa - 1774 to 1795
Raghunathrao was proclaimed the next peshwa, although he was not heir to the title. Narayanrao's widow gave
birth to a son, Sawai Madhavrao, who was legally the next peshwa. Raghunathrao tried to maintain his kingdom

by signing treaties with the English , and relied on them for manpower in exchange for money and territory.
However his plans did not succeed. Raghoba was displaced from power by a clever plot by the 12 Maratha
sardar's " Barambhainche karasthaan" ( Plot by 12 people ) including Nana, Holkar, Phadke Shinde . Sawai
Madhavrao was then declared the next Peshwa. As he was only one year old at that time, Nana Phadnis became
the main administrator with Phadke,Shinde,Holkar taking care of Military duties. These people handled the
Peshwai well and with great unity till the premature death of Sawai Madhaorao in 1795. They defeated the rising
British Power in 1784, near Pune and halted their advancements, temporarily. Sawai Madhaorao's death was the
last blow to the Maratha empire and all the unity among its leaders vanished after his death causing a downfall of
Peshwai in a short time.
'Second' Bajirao Peshwa - 1795 to 1802
Raghunathrao died in 1782, leaving behind him, two sons; Bajirao, who in 1817 confronted the British at the
Battle of Kirkee, in Pune; and the younger, Chimnaji Appa. Bajirao became the next Peshwa after Madhaorao's
death. Nana was still the administrator and the Peshwai remained in stable condition till his death owing to his
superb administrative skills. Nana died in 1800 and Pune fell into the hands of the Sindia's ( Shinde) ; the former
chiefs of Nana's army. They remained in power for a short while and in 1802, Bajirao reestablished himself in
Pune, by signing the treaty of Bassein with the British. This essentially ended Peshwai , establishing British
supremacy in the region. The capturing of the Ahmednagar fort in 1803, proved British supremacy in the Deccan.
In 1804, General Wellesly proclaimed the Deccan in a state of chaos, established military rule and the Peshwas
remained rulers for name's sake.

The British Raj - 1818 to 1947

Towards the end of 1805 Sir James Mackintosh, the Chief Justice of Bombay (1804-1811), came from Bombay to
visit Colonel Close, the Resident at Pune. The Residency on the 'Sangam'(confluence of the Mula and Mutha
rivers) Mackintosh describes as a set of bungalows, fitted conveniently and luxuriously. Pune city had its principal
streets paved with stone, and was reckoned one of the best built native towns in India. The Peshwa's residence,
that is the Shaniwar wada, added to Pune's glory. Between 1805 and 1811, under Colonel Close and for a short
while under Mr. Russel, affairs went smoothly in Pune.
In 1811, Mr. Russel was succeeded by Lord Mountstuart Elphinstone. Bajirao was very disloyal to the British, and
in November of 1817, he declared war against them. This battle was fought at Kirkee, that is the Cantonment
area, in the east of Pune. The Peshwa fled and the power of the country passed from the Peshwas to the British
by 1819. The rest of the nineteenth century witnessed a few minor uprisings in and around Pune, but the British
established their supremacy. As the Maratha's were the key power in India at this time, their fall clearly marked
the begining of British Rule in India.
The first step towards establishing a municipal government in the city of Pune, was taken in 1856, when the Pune
Municipality came into existence under the Act of 1850. The fact that Pune is not recognized as a major tourist
center, is probably because it cannot boast of outstanding artistic specimens of architecture, like those of Delhi or
Agra. Yet, it is rich in its associations with the past.
In the early 20th century, the whole of India was in revolt against the British; yearning for freedom. Mahatma
Gandhi launched his movement of nonviolence, and people participated by the thousands in the 'Chale Jao' ('go
away') struggle. Paradoxically, Pune witnessed violence when the Chaphekar brothers killed a British police
officer by the name of Mr. Rand. On one hand, as the violence overrode the city, improvements were made in the
education of women and the abolition of child labor. Independence was attained in 1947, but that was not the end
of violence.
Modern Maharashtra - 1947 to Present
At Indian Independence in 1947, western Maharashtra and present-day Gujarat were joined as Bombay state.
The eastern districts were then part of Hyderabad State, but were later added to Bombay in 1956. The present
state was formed in 1960 when the Marathi and Gujarati linguistic areas of former Bombay state were separated.
Bombay city became the capital of the new state.