Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti, also known simply as Shiv Jayanti, is a festival and public holiday of the Indian state of Maharashtra. This festival is celebrated on February 19, celebrating the birth anniversary of

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj 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 Adilsh ...

, the first

Chhatrapati Chhatrapati is a royal title from Sanskrit language.The word ‘Chhatrapati’ is a Sanskrit language compound word ( tatpurusha in Sanskrit) of ''chhatra'' (''parasol'' or ''umbrella'') and ''pati'' (''master/lord/ruler''). This title was used ...

and 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 S ...

. He restablished

Hindavi Swarajya The Hindavi Swarajya (; "self-rule of Hindu people", meaning independence from foreign rule): "Chhatrapati Shivaji's coronation and setting himself up as a sovereign prince symbolises the rise of the Indian people in all parts of the country. It w ...

indavī Svarājya; "Self-Rule of the hindavi people" Some people celebrate this day as per Hindu Calendar in Maharashtra. : "It was a bid for ''Hindavi Swarajya'' (Indian rule), a term used in Marathi sources of history."

History

In 1870,

Mahatma Phule Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, also known as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule (11 April 1827 – 28 November 1890) was an Indian social activist, thinker, anti-caste social reformer and writer from Maharashtra. His work extended to many fields, including era ...

started celebration of Shivaji Jayanti which was then taken forward by

Bal Gangadhar Tilak Bal Gangadhar Tilak (; born Keshav Gangadhar Tilak (pronunciation: eʃəʋ ɡəŋɡaːd̪ʱəɾ ʈiɭək; 23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920), endeared as Lokmanya ( IAST: ''Lokmānya''), was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence ...

. Shiv Jayanti is the birth anniversary of great Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj. Shivaji Maharaj was born on Marathi Shalivahana Hindu calendar Falgun's Krishna paksha 3, 1551/

Julian Julian may refer to: People * Julian (emperor) (331–363), Roman emperor from 361 to 363 * Julian (Rome), referring to the Roman gens Julia, with imperial dynasty offshoots * Saint Julian (disambiguation), several Christian saints * Julian (give ...

February 19, 1630, in

Shivneri Fort 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 Shivner ...

. The error of not converting the Julian date to the corresponding Gregorian one is still not corrected. Shivaji Maharaj is considered as the greatest Maratha ruler who carved an enclave from the declining

Adilshahi 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 ...

of Bijapur that became the start of the

. At the young age of 16, Shivaji Maharaj seized the Torna fort and by the age of 17 had seized the Raigad and Kondana forts. Shivaji Maharaj as he is popularly known was named Shivaji Bhosale and was a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji Maharaj promoted the use of

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

in court and administration, rather than using Persian which was the norm in those times.

References

{{Indian days Festivals in India Public holidays in India February observances Birthdays