Jijabai Bhonsle (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle) or Jadhav (12 January 1598 – 17 June 1674
), referred to as
Rajmata
''Rajmata'' (''lit.'' king's mother) is an Indian term used for the mother of the head of a princely family in India.
Examples include
* Rajmata Jijau, mother of Shivaji
*Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia of Gwalior, mother of Madhavrao Scindia
* R ...
, Rastramata, Jijabai or Jijau, was the mother of
Shivaji
Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adil ...
, founder of the
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...
. She was a daughter of
Lakhujirao Jadhav of
Sindkhed Raja.
History
Jijabai was born on 12 January 1598, to Mahalasabai Jadhav and
Lakhuji Jadhav
Lakhujiraje Jadhav Rao was a grandee of Sindkhed Raja in the present-day Buldhana district of Maharashtra state during the 16th century. He was maternal Grandfather of Maratha Emperor Shivaji.
Background
Lakhuji Jadhav was a Maratha chief.
...
of Deulgaon, near Sindkhed, in present-day
Buldhana
Buldhana is the district headquarters and a Municipal Council in the Buldhana District of Amravati division in the Indian State of Maharashtra.
Climate
Demographics
As of the 2011 India census, Buldhana had a population of 67,431. Males con ...
district of Maharastra. Lakhojiraje Jadhav was a Maratha noble. Jijabai was married at an early age to
Shahaji Bhosle, son of
Maloji Bhosle of Verul village, a military commander serving under the Nizam Shahi sultans. She taught Shivaji about
swarajya and raised him to be a warrior. Jijabai died on 17 June 1674. Jijabai (the mother of Shivaji, who founded the Maratha Empire) belonged to the clan of jadhavas of Sindkhed Raja, who also claimed descent from the Yadavas.
Life and work
When
Shivaji
Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adil ...
was 14 years old,
Shahaji
Shahaji Bhonsale (Pronunciation: əɦad͡ʒiː c. 1594 – 1664) was a military leader of India in the 17th century, who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire at various points in his career. As a membe ...
Raje handed over the
Jagir of
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
to him. Of course, the responsibility of managing the Jagir fell on Jijabai. Jijabai and Shivaji arrived in
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
with skilled officers. Due to the persistent interests of
Nizamshah,
Adilshah
The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi, was a Shia,Salma Ahmed Farooqui, ''A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century'', (Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd., 2011), 174. and later Sunni Muslim,Muhammad Qasim Firishta's ...
and
Mughals
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
, the condition of Pune was very bad. Under such adverse circumstances, she redeveloped the city of Pune.
She plowed the farmland with a golden plow, giving sanctuary to the locals. She was responsible for the education of the kings. Jijabai told Shivaji stories from the
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
, the
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
, which began and ended in independence. How mighty was Rama who killed Ravana who was depriving Sita, how mighty was Bhima who killed Bakasura and rescued weak people, etc.
Because of these rites given by Jijabai, Shivaji Raje happened. Jijabai not only told the story but also gave the first lessons of politics by sitting next to the chair.
She was also a skilled horse rider. She could wield a sword very skillfully. She managed her husband's
Jagir in
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
and developed it. She established
Kasba Ganapati
The Kasba Ganapati refers to both a particular murti of the god Ganapati in Pune, India, as well as to the temple built around the murti. The Kasba Ganapati is the presiding deity ( gramadevata) of Pune.
History
The temple was commissioned by ...
Mandir. She also renovated Kevareshwar Temple and Tambadi Jogeshwari Temple.
Death
She died on 17 June 1674 at Pachad village near
Raigad Fort
Raigad is a hill fort situated in Mahad, Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It is one of the strongest fortresses on the Deccan Plateau. It was previously known as Rairee or Rairy fort.
Many constructions and structures on Raigad were ...
. At that time it was only twelve days since the coronation of
Shivaji
Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adil ...
.
In popular culture
* Legendary actress,
Sulochana Latkar
Sulochana Latkar (born 30 July 1928) known by her screen name Sulochana, is a well-known actress of Marathi and Hindi cinema and has acted in 50 films in Marathi and around 250 films in Hindi. She is most known for her performances in Marathi ...
portrayed Jijabai in the marathi film Maratha Tituka Melvava
*Sumati Gupte played Jijabai in the 1974 film
Raja Shiv Chhatrapati.
*Jijabai was a portrayed by
Mrinal Kulkarni
Mrinal Deo-Kulkarni (born 21 June 1971) is a senior film, TV actress and director of India. She is better known for her role as Meerabai in doordarshan's Meerabai seriel and angel in Hindi TV serial '' Son Pari''. She has acted in Marathi langu ...
in the popular TV series ''
Raja Shivchatrapati
''Raja Shivchatrapati'' is a Marathi historical TV drama based on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire. The serial was re-broadcast in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Summary
Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, born at ...
'' which aired on Star Pravah in 2008.
*
Mrinal Kulkarni
Mrinal Deo-Kulkarni (born 21 June 1971) is a senior film, TV actress and director of India. She is better known for her role as Meerabai in doordarshan's Meerabai seriel and angel in Hindi TV serial '' Son Pari''. She has acted in Marathi langu ...
played Jijabai in
Farzand
''Farzand'' () is a 2018 Indian Marathi-language historical drama War film directed by Digpal Lanjekar and produced by Anirban Sarkar under the banner of Swami Samarth Creations LLP. The film was co-produced by Sandip Jadhav, Mahesh Jaurkar an ...
, an Indian Marathi language epic, historical drama film.
*
Mrinal Kulkarni
Mrinal Deo-Kulkarni (born 21 June 1971) is a senior film, TV actress and director of India. She is better known for her role as Meerabai in doordarshan's Meerabai seriel and angel in Hindi TV serial '' Son Pari''. She has acted in Marathi langu ...
played Jijabai in the 2019 Marathi language historical drama film,
Fatteshikast
''Fatteshikast'' () is a 2019 Indian Marathi language historical drama film directed by Digpal Lanjekar and produced under the banner of Almonds Creations in association with A A Films. The film stars Chinmay Mandlekar, Mrinal Kulkarni, Sameer ...
.
*
Shilpa Tulaskar
Shilpa Tulaskar (born 10 March 1977) is an Indian actress who has acted in Marathi films and Hindi television shows.
She recently portrayed the role of Rajnandini in Zee Marathi's drama '' Tula Pahate Re'' and also the character of Sujata, mo ...
portrayed Jijabai in the 2011 series
Veer Shivaji
''Veer Shivaji'' (English: ''Brave Shiva'') is an Indian historical drama series that aired on Colors TV. The show focuses on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the 17th century founder of the Maratha Empire. It premiered on 2 September 20 ...
* Smita Deshmukh starred as Jijabai in the 2011 Marathi language film
Rajmata Jijau based on the life of Jijabai, based on Madan Patil's historical novel Jijausaheb
*
Prateeksha Lonkar
Prateeksha Lonkar is an Indian actress who mostly appeared in Hindi and Marathi films and television series. She is best known for playing the lead title role in the Marathi TV serial ''Damini'', that aired on DD Sahyadri.
Early life
Lonkar's ...
played Jijabai in
Swarajyarakshak Sambhaji
''Swarajya Rakshak Sambhaji'' is an Indian historical drama based on the life of warrior king Sambhaji. The series is directed by Vivek Deshpande and Kartik Rajaram Kendhe and is written by Pratap Gangavane. It is produced by Amol Kolhe, Vilas ...
, an Indian historical drama based on the life of Sambhaji.
*
Padmavati Rao
Padmavati Rao, credited as Akshatha Rao in Kannada films, is an Indian actress, theatre personality, poet, dancer and translator. She is known for her theatre activities and performances in movies including Ondanondu Kaladalli (1978),Geetha (1 ...
plays Jijabai in the 2020 Indian Hindi-language biographical period action film,
Tanhaji
''Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior'' is a 2020 Indian historical action film, co-written and directed by Om Raut and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Ajay Devgn under T-Series Films and Ajay Devgn FFilms. Tracing the life of Maratha w ...
.
* Nishtha Vaidya,
Amruta Pawar
''Amrita'' ( sa, अमृत, IAST: ''amṛta''), ''Amrit'' or ''Amata'' in Pali, (also called ''Sudha'', ''Amiy'', ''Ami'') is a Sanskrit word that means "immortality". It is a central concept within Indian religions and is often referred to i ...
,
Bhargavi Chirmule
Bhargavi Chirmuley is a Marathi actress. She has worked in many Marathi movies and television serials. Bhargavi has always been outstanding among the Marathi actors of today's generation. Besides doing serious kind of roles in movies like ''Kas ...
,
Neena Kulkarni
Neena Kulkarni (''neena'' Joshi) is an Indian actress. She began her acting career in the 1970s on the Marathi professional stage and Hindi experimental stage, along with fashion shows and modelling simultaneously. She met Pt Satyadev Dubey, h ...
portray Jijabai at different stages of her life in
Swarajya Janani Jijamata
''Swarajya Janani Jijamata'' is an Indian Marathi television biopic drama premiered on 19 August 2019 airing on Sony Marathi.
Plot
It is the story of Jijamata, mother of Maharashtra's idol Shivaji. It shows Jijamata's personal life since a ...
, a show based on the life of Rajmata Jijabai.
* The 2011 film ''
Rajmata Jijau'' is a biography of Jijabai.
* In his book Medieval India, C.V.Vaidya states that Yadavas are "definitely pure Maratha Kshatriyas". ... [ Jijabai (the mother of Shivaji, who founded the Maratha Empire) belonged to the clan of jadhavas of Sindkhed Raja, who also claimed descent from the Yadavas.
See also
* List of Maratha dynasties and states
* Maratha clan system
* Bhosale
* Maratha Kranti Morcha
References
{{Authority control
People of the Maratha Empire
People from Maharashtra
People from Buldhana district
1598 births
1674 deaths
Marathi people
Women of the Maratha Empire
Queen mothers
Indian female royalty
16th-century Indian women]
17th-century Indian women