Maratha EmpireToday part ofIndiaPakistanThe Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modernpolity in the Indian subcontinent. For most of its existence, it comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent Maratha states under the nominal leadership of the former and nominal loyalty to the Chhatrapatis who were successors of Shivaji.
Shahu IDynastyBhonsleFatherSambhaji IMotherYesubaiReligionDeccan Shaivite HinduismSignatureShahu I (18 May 1682 – 15 December 1749) was the fifth Chhatrapati of Maratha Empire from 1708 to 1749, the longest reign among the Maratha rulers. He was also the last subahdar of the Bijapur Subah, before being annexed by the Maratha Empire.
Banda (state)Banda was a princely state centered in Banda, in modern-day Uttar Pradesh, India. It was disestablished due to its participation in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The former region controlled by Banda state had a population of 698,608 people in 1881. HistoryThe founder of Banda was Ali Bahadur I. He was a grandson of the Peshwa Bajirao and son of Shamsher Bahadur. Bahadur managed to carve an independent principality for himself.
IndiaCountry in South AsiaIndia, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the world's seventh-largest country by area and the largest by population. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is near Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
PeshwaThe Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave the seat of Peshwa to Bajirao Ballal. During the reign of Shahu, the office of Peshwas were handed more responsibilities to keep the Jagirdars and Vatandars of the Maratha Empire from rebelling.
MastaniMastani (29 August 1699 – 28 April 1740) was the daughter of Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundela of Bundelkhand. She was the second wife of the Maratha Peshwa (Prime Minister) Baji Rao I. The marriage was arranged to promote diplomatic ties with the Maratha Empire. Her relationship within the Maratha Brahmin family has been subject of both admiration and controversy and well adapted in Indian novels and cinema.
ShivajiChhatrapati of the Marathas from 1674 to 1680Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, Marathi pronunciation:; c. 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji inherited a fiefdom (Marathi: jagir) from his father who served as a retainer for the Sultanate of Bijapur, which later formed the genesis of the Maratha Kingdom. In 1674, he was formally crowned the Chhatrapati of his realm at Raigad Fort.
Marathi languageIndo-Aryan language of IndiaMarathi ( ; मराठी, 𑘦𑘨𑘰𑘙𑘲, Marāṭhī, pronounced) is a classicalIndo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by the Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra, and is also spoken in Goa and the territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. A Marathi-speaking community also exists in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and an additional official language in the state of Goa.
Chitpavan BrahminsThe Chitpavan Brahmin or the Kokanastha Brahmin is a Hindu Maharashtrian Brahmin community inhabiting Konkan, the coastal region of the state of Maharashtra. Initially working as messengers and spies in the late seventeenth century, the community came into prominence during the 18th century when the heirs of Peshwa from the Bhat family of Balaji Vishwanath became the de facto rulers of the Maratha Empire.
Marathi peopleThe Marathi people () or Marathis are an Indo-Aryanethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a Marathi-speaking state of India on 1 May 1960, as part of a nationwide linguistic reorganisation of the Indian states.
Indian subcontinentThe Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided amongst Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.Shamsher Bahadur IShamsher Bahadur I (born Krishna Rao 1734 – 18 January 1761), was a ruler of the Maratha dominion of Banda in northern India (in the historic region of Bundelkhand). He was the son of Peshwa Bajirao I and Mastani.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.