THE RISE AND FALL OF THE MARATHA EMPIRE: MILITARY STRATEGIES, SOCIOECONOMIC DYNAMICS, AND CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN 17TH-18TH CENTURY INDIA

Abstract

Maharashtra, India's most technologically advanced state, is normally considered as a region with a distinguished political heritage. Maratha history is centred around the legend of warrior-king Shivaji Bhosale, a hero from the seventeenth century, and their part in establishing or destroying regional identity. The emergence of a seemingly consensus construct of Shivaji as a central axis of regional identity was facilitated by historical discourses anchored in diverse perceptions of caste, class, religion, and nation. In 1674, Shivaji was crowned as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, meaning "the sovereign/paramount king." He was the Maratha king who promulgated the Empire of Maratha. He belonged to the Bhosale dynasty. Shivaji aimed his whole existence to emancipating the Marathas from the Bijapur Sultanate and establishing Hindu dominion. In order to successfully defend his kingdom against the Portuguese, British, Abyssians, and Mughals, he established an incredible navy. He developed the prerequisites for the formidable Maratha empire. His empire, which extended from the Indus River in modern-day Pakistan to Orissa in the east and Thanjavur in the south of India, reached a peak under the Peshwas in the 18th century.