Maloji Bhosale was a
Maratha
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...
sardar
Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been u ...
(general) who served the
Ahmadnagar Sultanate
The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was a late medieval Indian Muslim kingdom located in the northwestern Deccan, between the sultanates of Gujarat and Bijapur. Malik Ahmed, the Bahmani governor of Junnar after defeating the Bahmani army led by general Ja ...
in
Malik Ambar
Malik Ambar (1548 – 13 May 1626) was a Siddi military leader and prime minister who became a kingmaker and de facto ruler of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in the Deccan region of India.
Born in the Adal Sultunate, in present-day Ethiopia, Mali ...
's army. He was the father of
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 ...
and the grandfather 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 Adils ...
, the 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 Shi ...
.
Early life
Maloji was born in 1552 to Babaji Bhosale (d. 1597), a
patil (chief) of the Hingni Berdi and Devalgaon villages around
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, 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 ...
.
Maloji had a younger brother, Vithoji.
Military career under the Jadhavs of Sindkhed
Maloji and his brother Vithoji migrated away from Pune, and initially served as petty horsemen under the
Jadhav
Jadhav is an Indian surname. Notable people with the name include:
*Bharat Jadhav (born 1973), Indian theatre and film producer
*Bhaskar Jadhav, Indian politician
*Dhanaji Jadhav (1650–1708), warrior of the Maratha Empire
* Kedar Jadhav (born 19 ...
s of
Sindkhed.
The Jadhavs provided military service to the Ahmednagar Sultanate.
Maloji married Uma Bai (also known as Dipa Bai), the sister of Jagpalrao
Nimbalkar
Nimbalkar is a Maratha clan, which derives its surname from the forest of Nimbalak in Phaltan taluka, Satara district, Maharashtra, India.
Some Nimbalkars served as head of the deshmukhs (''sardeshmukhs'' or ''sardars'') during the period of t ...
, who was the
deshmukh
Deshmukh (IAST:Dēśamukh), is a historical title conferred to the rulers of a . It is used as a surname in certain regions of India, specifically in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh whose family received it as a ...
of
Phaltan
Phaltan () is a town, a tehsil, and a municipal council in the Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The town is about northeast of the city of Satara and about 110 km from Pune.
History
Phaltan was one of the non-salu ...
According to ''Shivabharata'', composed by Shivaji's court poet Paramananda, Maloji's wife Umabai prayed to the
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
Pir Shah Sharif of Ahmadnagar to bless her with a son. She gave birth to two sons, who were named
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 ...
and Sharifji after the Pir.
According to one account, during a
Holi
Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...
function, the Jadhav chief
Lakhuji remarked, in a lighter vein, that his daughter
Jijabai and Shahaji would make a fine couple. Maloji took Lakhuji's remark seriously, and announced publicly that his son was engaged to Lakhuji's daughter. This irked Lakhuji, who considered Maloji to be a non-
noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Great B ...
Shiledar Shiledar was a term used for a soldier's position in India's Maratha Empire (1630–1818), particularly during the reign of Shivaji. The word ''shiledar'' means "a soldier who possesses his own sword and horse for taking active part in combat/war".
...
.
He dismissed Maloji from his services. Later, Nimbalkar's influence and the rising status of the Bhosale family helped Shahaji marry
Jijabai.
Ahmednagar Sultanate service
According to one account, Maloji and Vithoji once found a treasure while tilling a field and became rich.
They raised a small troop, and briefly harassed Lakhuji.
In 1577, like the Nimbalkars, the two brothers joined the service of the Ahmednagar Sultanate, under Murtaza Nizam Shah I. Maloji became a trusted aide of
Malik Amber
Malik Ambar (1548 – 13 May 1626) was a Siddi military leader and prime minister who became a kingmaker and de facto ruler of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in the Deccan region of India.
Born in the Adal Sultunate, in present-day Ethiopia, Mal ...
, who rose to the Prime Ministership of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.
Maloji's cousins, the Ghorpades of
Mudhol
Mudhol is a city previously known as "'Muduvolalu"' in the Bagalkote District in the northern part of the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is about from the district headquarters of Bagalkot and from subdivision of Jamakhandi. It is famous ...
, also became successful noblemen, serving the rival Sultanate of
Bijapur
Bijapur, officially known as Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural ...
.
Maloji rose rapidly in the service of Malik Ambar, fighting against the rival
Deccan Sultanates and the
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 ...
. He and his brother were granted the control of three
pargana
Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...
s (administrative units):
Elur (Verul), Derhadi and Kannarad (including Jategau and Vakadi), beside several small towns and villages.
In 1595 or 1599, Maloji was given the title of
raja
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
by
Bahadur Nizam Shah, the ruler of the Ahmednagar Sultanate.
On the recommendation of Malik Ambar, he was given the
jagir
A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, start ...
of
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, 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 ...
and
Supe pargana
Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...
s, along with the control of the
Shivneri
Shivneri Fort (Marathi pronunciation: iʋneɾiː is a 17th-century military fortification located near Junnar in Pune district in Maharashtra, India. It is the birthplace of Shivaji, the emperor and founder of Maratha Empire.
History
Shivneri ...
and
Chakan forts. Maloji carried out the restoration of the
Grishneshwar
Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple, sometimes referred to as the Ghrneshwar or Ghushmeshwar Temple, is one of the shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva that is referenced in the Shiva Purana. The word ''Ghrneshwara'' means "lord of compassion". The tem ...
temple near Verul, and also constructed a large tank at the Shambhu Mahadev temple in
Shikhar Shingnapur.
Death
Maloji died during a battle against the
Bijapur Sultanate
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 T ...
, at
Indapur
Indapur is a town and a municipal council in Pune district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Indapur is known for Jahagir of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's father and grandfather. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's grandfather Malojiraje died in ba ...
. One account puts his year of death as 1606, and mentions that his son Shahaji, five-years old at the time, was raised by his brother Vithoji.
Other accounts put the year of his death as 1620
or 1622.
After his death, his jagir was transferred to his son Shahaji.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhonsle, Maloji
1552 births
Indian generals
Indian Hindus
Year of death uncertain
17th-century deaths
Shivaji