Maratha: Encyclopedia II - Maratha - Historical prominence

Maratha - Historical prominence

The Marathas have contributed a glorious chapter to the history of India. They first came into historical prominence under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the 17th century. Shivaji Maharaj, born into the Bhonsle clan of marathas, secured an independent state by dint of lifelong struggle and thereby founded an empire, the remnants of which lasted until the independence of India in 1947. The state thus founded by Chhatrapati Shivaji attained its zenith under the tutelage of the Peshwas in the 18th century, extending from the Indus in present-day Pakistan to Orissa in the east and Thanjavur in the south excluding the kingdom of Mysore which remained independent. At its peak, the Maratha Empire established a protectorate over the mughal emperor and commanded the allegiance of the numerous rajput chieftains of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Central India and elsewhere. This vast empire declined gradually after the third battle of Panipat in 1761; by 1818, all of present-day India had fallen to the British East India Company.

The history of the states and dynasties comprising the Maratha Empire constitutes a major portion of the history of late medieval India. While that extensive history is detailed elsewhere, it is noteworthy that the rise of the Marathas:

• represented the revival of the political power of the Hindus in north India after many centuries of muslim overlordship;
• prevented the spread of the mughal empire and associated islamic culture to south India;
• was the primary cause of the decline of the mughal empire, a momentous development;
• constituted one of the earlier instances, in later medieval India, of the empowerment of subaltern castes; this arguably presaged the social modernization of India;
• encouraged the development of the Marathi language and was seminal to the consolidation of a distinct Maharashtrian identity.

Maratha - Maratha States

Since the marathas ruled much of India in the period immediately preceding the consolidation of British rule in India, the maratha states came to form the largest bloc of princely states in the British Raj, if size be reckoned by territory and population. Prominent maratha states included:

• Kolhapur
• Gwalior
• Indore
• Baroda
• Dewas (Senior and Junior)
• Dhar
• Chhatarpur
• Mudhol
• Sandur
• Akkalkot
• Phaltan
• Jath
• Jawhar
• Sawantwadi, and many others

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Historical prominence", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki