>Citation bot: Alter: url. URLs might have been anonymized. Add: authors 1-1. Removed parameters. Some additions/deletions were parameter name changes. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Ganesha811 | Category:Early lives by individual | #UCB_Category 10/59

2021-06-23T23:06:13Z

Alter: url. URLs might have been anonymized. Add: authors 1-1. Removed parameters. Some additions/deletions were parameter name changes. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Ganesha811 | Category:Early lives by individual | #UCB_Category 10/59

New page

{{Infobox family|name=[[Shivaji| Shivaji Bhonsle Family]]|native_name=Shivaraje|other_names=Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj|image=Raje_Shivaji_with_mother_Jijamata.jpg|image_caption=[[Shivaji]]|region=[[Maratha Empire]]|parent_family=[[Sisodia|Sisodia Rajput]]|founder=[[Shivaji]]}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2014}}

[[ Chhatrapati Shivaji]] was the founder of the [[Maratha Empire]] in the [[Indian subcontinent]]. The '''early life of Shivaji''' is a topic of great interest in the popular culture of [[India]], especially in the [[Maharashtra]] state, where he spent most of his life. This article describes Shivaji's life from his birth until the age of 19 years (1630-1649).

Shivaji was born at the hill fort of [[Shivneri]] on 1 March 1630, which corresponds to 19 February 1630 of the [[Julian calendar]] used by the contemporary English traders in India. At the time of his birth, the families of his father [[Shahaji]] and his mother [[Jijabai]] both served the [[Ahmednagar Sultanate]] in military and administrative capacities, although they subsequently transferred their allegiance to the [[Mughal Empire]] and the [[Bijapur Sultanate]] at different times.

As a servant of Bijapur, Shahaji was deputed in southern [[Deccan]] after 1636, and did not see Shivaji for several years. Shivaji and his mother remained in Pune in northern Deccan, where Shahaji's subordinate [[Dadoji Kondadeo]] administered the family's ''[[jagir]]'' (feudal land grant) in Shivaji's name. As a teenager, Shivaji started acting independently of the Bijapur government, against the advice of Shahaji and Dadoji. He captured several hill forts at the expense of other vassals of Bijapur, and by the age of 15, started calling himself a ''[[raja]]'' (king).

After Dadoji's death in 1647, Shivaji assumed full control of his father's ''jagir'' in the Pune region, and eliminated local challenges to his authority. He then invaded the northern [[Konkan]] region, making inroads into the territory of the [[Janjira State|Siddis of Janjira]]. He subsequently tried to form an alliance with Mughals against Bijapur, and ultimately ended up fighting both these powers to establish a kingdom that evolved into the [[Maratha Empire]].

== Birth ==
[[File:Shivneri Shiv Mandir.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Shivaji's birthplace on Shivneri Fort]]

Most of the earliest surviving records of Shivaji's childhood were composed around 150 years after his birth. These records, especially the Marathi-language {{transl|mr|[[bakhar]]s}}, contain several stories that are historically unreliable.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|pp=19-20}}

Shivaji was born to [[Shahaji]] and [[Jijabai]],{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=59}} at the time of the severe Mahadurga famine in the Maharashtra region.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=46}} He had an elder brother named [[Sambhaji Shahaji Bhosale|Sambhaji]], and his parents had lost several other children in infancy.{{sfn|James W. Laine|2003|p=5}} Shivaji was born at the hill fort of [[Shivneri]],{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=59}} and his mother named him after Shivai, a local goddess.{{sfn|James W. Laine|2003|p=5}}

Shivaji was born on 1 March 1630, which corresponds to 19 February 1630 of the [[Julian calendar]]. The British records in India used the Julian calendar until 1752 CE, when it was replaced by the [[Gregorian calendar]]; as a result, several historical records and books mention his birthdate as 19 February instead of 1 March.{{sfn|Mohan Apte et al.|2003|pp=21-22}} Historically, there was some debate about this date, because the ''[[Jedhe Shakawali|Jedhe chronology]]'' - records maintained by the Jedhe family, whose ancestors served as [[Deshmukh]]s of Kari - places Shivaji's birth in 1627. However, the 1630 date is corroborated by a copy of his birth horoscope found in Rajasthan,{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=59}} and a poem composed by his courtier Parmanand.{{sfn|D. F. Karaka|1969|p=viii}}

''Shiva-Bharata'', a poem by Shivaji's court poet Paramananda, presents Shivaji as a divine incarnation, stating that the god [[Vishnu]] visited Jijabai in a dream, and then "a portion" of Vishnu entered her womb as Shivaji.{{sfn|James W. Laine|2003|pp=31-32}} The poem also claims that during her pregnancy, Jijabai had cravings indicative of a child with royal and martial characteristics, such as to sit on a golden throne and to lead men to battle victories.{{sfn|James W. Laine|2003|p=33}}[[File: Shivaji jijamata.JPG|thumb|left|A statue of Shivaji and Jijabai installed at [[Shivneri]] in the 1960s|254x254px]]

== Ancestry and self-identity ==
Shivaji's father [[Shahji]] belonged to the [[Bhonsle]] clan, which claimed patrilineal descent from the [[Sisodia]] [[Rajput]] royal family of [[Mewar]].{{sfn|Bal Krishna II|1932|p=35}} His mother Jijabai came from the aristocratic [[Lakhuji Jadhav|Jadhav]] family, which traced its lineage to the [[Yadavas of Devagiri]].{{sfn|James W. Laine|2003|p=5}}

During his coronation in 1674, Shivaji's royal priest [[Gaga Bhatta]] presented him as a member of the [[Kshatriya]] [[solar dynasty]], counting the Sisodia Rajputs among his ancestors. The claim is also supported by ''Shiva-Bharata'', a text composed at Shivaji's court.{{sfn|James W. Laine|2003|p=33}} Some modern historians, such as [[John Keay]] and [[Jadunath Sarkar]], believe the genealogy tracing Shivaji's ancestry to the Sisodia Rajputs to be a bogus one, fabricated to claim a [[Kshatriya]] social status.{{sfn|John Keay|2011|p=565}} Historian Bal Krishna, relying on some ''[[firman]]s'' in possession of the chiefs of [[Mudhol]] (who claimed a shared ancestry with Shivaji), traced the ancestry of Shivaji to the Sisodia chief Lakshmasimha, who died at the [[Siege of Chittorgarh (1303)]] against [[Alauddin Khalji]].{{sfn|Bal Krishna II|1932|pp=37-42}} However, these documents are of doubtful authenticity, and are considered spurious by other historians.{{sfn|A. G. Pawar|1976|p=160}}{{sfn|Krishna Swaroop Gupta|1971|p=18}} According to Sarkar, Shivaji's ancestors were not Kshatriyas at all: they were agriculturalists from a [[Shudra]] background.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=240}}

That said, although Shivaji is characterized as a [[Maratha (caste)|Maratha]] in modern times, he probably identified himself as a Rajput, as suggested by contemporary Rajput newsletters, and a letter of his father [[Shahaji]] which calls his family Rajput.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=88}} An English letter by the [[East India Company]] [[factor (agent)|factor]] Henry Revington, dated 10 December 1659, also calls Shivaji a "Great Rajput".{{sfn|Bal Krishna II|1932|p=53}}

==Conflicts over ancestry==
Allison Busch, Professor at the [[University of Columbia]] states that Shivaji was not a [[Kshatriya]] as required and hence had to postpone the coronation until 1674 and hired [[Gaga Bhatt]], a Brahmin scholar from [[Varanasi|Kashi]] to trace his ancestry back to the Sisodias.<ref name="Allison2011">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dl0sbzehWvAC&pg=PA191|title=Poetry of Kings: The Classical Hindi Literature of Mughal India|last=Busch|first=Allison|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2011|isbn=978-0-19-976592-8|pages=190, 191|quote=(190,191)Another concern was an ancestry problem that threatened to derail his coronation. Shivaji was not a Kshatriya as required by classical political thought. This proved not to be insuperable, however. Shivaji postponed the coronation until 1674 and hired Gaga Bhatt, a celebrated pandit, who was able to trace the Maratha King's ancestry back to the Sisodiayas of Mewar...}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mesaas/faculty/directory/busch.html|title=MESAAS | Allison Busch|website=www.columbia.edu|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref> Historians such as Surendra Nath Sen and [[Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade|V. K. Rajwade]] reject the Sisodia origin by citing the temple inscription of Math, dated to 1397 A.D and holds the view that the genealogy was forged by Shivaji's men.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/sivachhatrapatib00krshrich|title=Siva Chhatrapati: being a translation of Sabhasad Bakhar with extracts from Chitnis and Sivadigvijya, with notes|last1=Krshnaji Ananta Sabhasada|last2=Sen|first2=Surendra Nath|date=1920|publisher=Calcutta: University of Calcutta|others=University of California Libraries|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sivachhatrapatib00krshrich/page/260 260], 261}}</ref>

[[Bhonsle]] clan originally originated from Deccani tiller-plainsmen who is known by various names as [[Kunbi]] or [[Maratha]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HbAjKR_iHogC|title=Caste, Society and Politics in India from the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Age|last=Bayly|first=Susan|date=2001-02-22|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521798426|pages=57|language=en}}</ref> In fact, Most of the [[Mawala]]s serving in the armies of the [[Maratha Empire]] under [[Shivaji]] came from this community.<ref>{{cite book|title=The State and Society in Medieval India|page=226|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2005|editor=J. S. Grewal|quote=He[Shivaji] drew his military strength mainly from the Mawalas, the Kunbis of the Mawal region. In the north, particularly in the eighteenth century, the term 'Maratha' was used with reference to all the people of Maharashtra, irrespective of their caste...}}</ref>

According to [[Sabhasad Bakhar]], [[Shivaji]] doesn't belonged to [[kshatriya]] varna.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/sivachhatrapatib00krshrich|title=Siva Chhatrapati: being a translation of Sabhasad Bakhar with extracts from Chitnis and Sivadigvijya, with notes|last1=Krshnaji Ananta Sabhasada|last2=Sen|first2=Surendra Nath|date=1920|publisher=Calcutta : University of Calcutta|others=University of California Libraries|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sivachhatrapatib00krshrich/page/260 260], 261}}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=HsBPTc3hcekC&pg=PA78&lpg=PA78&dq=Gaga+Bhatt&source=bl&ots=AYUwBuv35p&sig=L75gjxwx-H29PbQM7r3sgJA0qlY&hl=en&ei=h12cTJLcOoasvgPvx4GLDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CDcQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Gaga%20Bhatt&f=false Chhatrapati Shivaji] By Bhawan Singh . Page 77.</ref> So, he had to try hard to win over [[brahmin]]s in order to crown him as a true king.<ref name="AttwoodIsrael1988-Patterson">{{cite book|editor1=Donald W. Attwood|editor2=Milton Israel|editor3=Narendra K. Wagle|author=Maureen Patterson|title=City, countryside and society in Maharashtra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mm5uAAAAMAAJ|date=October 1988|publisher=University of Toronto, Centre for South Asian Studies|isbn=978-0-9692907-2-8|pages=182}}</ref> Hence, Pandit [[Gaga Bhatt]] was hired to trace his lineage to royal blood, as young [[brahmin]]s were not agreed to chant the "mantra" for a [[Shudra]] monarch.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/sivachhatrapatib00krshrich|title=Siva Chhatrapati: being a translation of Sabhasad Bakhar with extracts from Chitnis and Sivadigvijya, with notes|last1=Krshnaji Ananta Sabhasada|last2=Sen|first2=Surendra Nath|date=1920|publisher=Calcutta : University of Calcutta|others=University of California Libraries|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sivachhatrapatib00krshrich/page/260 260], 261}}</ref>

== Before Pune ==

Shivaji's father Shahaji was a military leader in the [[Deccan]] region. During Shivaji's childhood, the present-day Maharashtra area in Deccan saw constant warfare between the [[Mughal Empire]] and the [[Deccan Sultanates]], and suffered from famine.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=59}} When his parents married, both their families served the [[Ahmednagar Sultanate]]. By the time of Shivaji's birth, Jijabai's family had deserted Ahmednagar, transferring its allegiance to the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor [[Shah Jahan]], thus becoming an opponent of Shahaji. A few years later, Shahaji also deserted Ahmednagar;{{sfn|James W. Laine|2003|p=4}} he briefly served the Mughal Empire, but later rebelled against them, supported by the [[Bijapur Sultanate]]. Meanwhile, Jijabai's family remained loyal to the Mughals;{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=59}} her father was later assassinated by the nobles of Ahmadnagar.{{sfn|James W. Laine|2003|p=5}}

During the Mughal invasion of Ahmadnagar in the 1630s, Shahaji fought against the Mughals.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=46-47}} He was pursued by a Mughal force, and therefore, Shivaji and his mother moved from fort to fort, and Shivaji rarely saw his father.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=59}} After the fall of Ahmadnagar in 1636, the Mughals concluded a peace treaty with Bijapur. As part of this treaty, Bijapur agreed to help the Mughals subjugate Shahaji, or to depute him away from the Mughal frontier if he chose to join the Bijapur service.{{sfn|Satish Chandra|2005|p=205}} Shahaji joined the Bijapur service: he was allowed to retain his ''jagir'' in the Pune region but was barred from living in that area as part of the treaty. He was deputed in southern India, and his ''jagir'' in the Pune region was placed under the nominal administration of his minor son Shivaji, with his subordinate [[Dadoji Kondadeo]] as its manager.{{sfn|Sumit Guha|2011|p=57}}{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=59}}

== In Pune ==

As part of the peace treaty with the Mughals, Shahaji ceded six forts, including Shivneri, to them in October 1636.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=22}} He directed Dadoji Kondadeo to bring Jijabai and Shivaji from Shivneri to Pune, and take care of their expenses.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=21}} Shivaji spent his formative years at Pune.{{sfn|Nicholas F. Gier|2014|p=16}} Meanwhile, Shahaji departed for the south and did not see Shivaji for several years. In absence of his father, Shivaji grew very close to his mother.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=21}} Neglected by her husband, Jijabai led a deeply religious - almost ascetic - life, and this religious environment had a profound influence on Shivaji.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|pp=21, 29}}

Shahaji's land grant in the [[Pune district|Pune]] region included the ''[[patil (title)|patil]]'' (village chief) rights to three villages, the ''[[deshmukh]]'' rights of [[Indapur]], and the {{transl|mr|[[jagir|mokasa]]}} (revenue collection in exchange for military service) rights of Pune region.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|pp=59-60}} The {{transl|mr|mokasa}} land granted to Shahaji was a triangular region bounded by the [[Western Ghats]] in the west, the [[Bhima River]] in the north-east, and the [[Nira River]] in the south.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=60}} This region had been devastated by constant warfare between Shahaji, Bijapur, and the Mughals in the 1630s.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|pp=23-24}} Dadoji tried to increase the regional revenue yield by offering cheap land leases and rewards to kill wolves so that more land could be brought under agricultural use.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=24}} He organized a group of local soldiers to maintain law and order.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=25}} According to the ''Sabhasad Bakhar]], Dadoji took possession of lands controlled by twelve ''Deshmukh's'' of the [[Maval|Mawal]] region, and had those who resisted killed.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=60}}

According to ''[[Chitnis Bakhar]]'', Shivaji captured and killed Krishnaji Nayak Bandal, a ''Deshmukh'' of Hirdas Maval area whom Dadoji had failed to subjugate. Historian Jadunath Sarkar believes this to be incorrect, and states that it was Dadoji who completed the subjugation of the Maval ''Deshmukh's''.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=28}}

== Education and training ==

Shivaji's early training probably included what was expected of the son of a ''[[jagirdar]]'': some reading and writing, horse-riding, martial arts, and religious practice.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=60}} According to ''Tarikh-i-Shivaji'', Dadoji personally trained Shivaji, and also appointed a good teacher for him.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=25}} As a result, Shivaji became skilled in "fighting, riding, and other accomplishments".{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=26}}

''Tarikh-i-Shivaji'' does not mention anything about Shivaji being taught to read and write. The ''Chitnis Bakhar'' (c. 1811) states that Shivaji had become "very learned" by the age of 10 years. ''Shiva-Digvijay'' claims that he mastered several arts and sciences as a boy.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=26}} Historian Jadunath Sarkar notes that several Europeans visited Shivaji's court, and their accounts do not mention any reading or writing by Shivaji. Whenever these Europeans presented any letter to Shivaji, he would pass it on to his ministers for reading. Therefore, Sarkar concludes that Shivaji was illiterate like many other rulers of medieval India, such as [[Akbar]], [[Hyder Ali]], and [[Ranjit Singh]].{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=26}}

Whether or not Shivaji was literate, he listened to the recitations of the Hindu epics [[Ramayana]] and [[Mahabharata]]. The political and moral lessons from these epics greatly impressed his young mind. He was deeply interested in religious teachings and sought the society of Hindu and Muslim saints wherever he went.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=26}}

== Alienation from father ==

Even when Shahaji was in northern Deccan, Shivaji and his mother Jijabai rarely saw him, because of Shahaji's military preoccupations.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=59}} After Shahaji was deputed in the south, the father and son did not see each other for several years.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=21}} Shahaji became Bijapur's governor of [[Bangalore]] in the south, and married another woman - Tukabai.{{sfn|James W. Laine|2003|p=4}} Shivaji's elder brother Sambhaji moved to Bangalore,{{sfn|James W. Laine|2003|p=5}} but Shivaji and Jijabai were called to Bangalore only in 1640. Meanwhile, Shivaji married [[Sai Bhosale|Saibai]], a member of the prominent Nimbalkar Maratha family. In 1642, Shivaji and his mother returned to Pune, after a formal presentation at the Bijapur court.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=60}}

According to a doubtful narrative in ''Tarikh-i-Shivaji'', Shahaji had developed a deep dislike for Jijabai's father Lakhuji Jadhav. After the death of his eldest son Sambhaji (or Shambhuji) at Kanakagiri in 1654, he declared that Shivaji - his surviving son from Lakhuji's daughter - would be no good. He then deserted Jijabai and Shivaji.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=20}} Whatever the accuracy of this account, it is known from other texts that Shahji's wealth and affection were directed to [[Vyankoji]] alias Ekoji, his son from his younger wife Tukabai.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=21}}

== Early conquests ==

Shivaji's earliest comrades and followers, called the Malvales, came from the [[Maval]] region around his Pune ''jagir''.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=28}} As a teenager, Shivaji explored the hilly area surrounding his ''jagir'' and became familiar with the [[Western Ghats]] region.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=61}} [[Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur|Muhammad Adil Shah]], the king of Bijapur, remained ill during the last decade of his life (1646-1656). During this time, the administration was largely handled by his queen, titled ''Bari Sahiba''. Taking advantage of the instability, Shivaji captured several forts in the Bijapur territory.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=32}}{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=61}}

By the time he was 15 years old, Shivaji called himself a "king" (''raja''). By this time, he commanded over a thousand soldiers, In a letter to a Hindu official, dated 17 April 1645, he wrote that God wished them to be independent under a self-ruled state.{{sfn|Nicholas F. Gier|2014|p=16}}

Even before Dadoji's death, during 1645-1647, Shivaji controlled several hill forts around Pune, including [[Rajgad Fort|Rajgad]], Kondana (later [[Sinhagad]]) and [[Torna Fort|Torna]].{{sfn|Satish Chandra|2005|p=318}} The ''Sabhasad Bakhar'' states that Shivaji took control of the [[Kondana]] Fort by bribing its Bijapuri governor.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=34}} In 1646, he sent an infantry led by Baji Pasalkar, Yesaji Kank, and Tanaji Malusare to take control of the Torna Fort.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=32}} According to different historical texts, Shivaji's army captured the fort after tricking or bribing the local Bijapuri commander.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=32}}{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=61}} Shivaji seized the local government treasury worth 200,000 ''hon'' ([[Vijayanagara coinage|gold coins]]), and renamed the fort Prachandagarh, although this name did not stick for long.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=32}} He built the Rajgad near Torna, with three walled [[redoubt]]s.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=32}}

The local ''jagirdars'' whom Shivaji had dispossessed complained to the Bijapur court against him. According to [[Khafi Khan]]'s ''[[Muntakhab-al Lubab]]'', Shivaji bribed some court ministers to get these complaints dismissed. According to the ''Chitnis Bakhar'', Shahaji assured the king of Shivaji's loyalty and justified Shivaji's control of the Torna fort by arguing that the earlier administrator of the fort was negligent. Meanwhile, in secretly reprimanded Shivaji in a letter, and ordered Dadoji to keep him under control.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=33}}

== After Dadoji's death ==

Dadoji advised Shivaji to rise in rank and wealth as an obedient vassal of the Deccan Sultanates, but Shivaji strived to be independent. Dadoji was greatly concerned about Shivaji's associations with hill brigands and his plans to rob forts. Dadoji complained to Shahaji but did not succeed in changing Shivaji's behavior.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=28}} The ''Tarikh-i-Shivaji'' states that Dadoji committed suicide by poison, because he was disgusted with Shivaji's waywardness.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=31}}

Shivaji probably participated in Dadoji Kondadeo's administration of Shahji's Pune ''[[jagir]]''.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=60}} During his last years, Dadoji had started issuing administrative orders in Shivaji's name.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=31}} When Dadoji died in 1647, Shivaji assumed the full control of his father's ''jagir''.{{sfn|Satish Chandra|2005|p=318}}

His officers included:

* Appointed by Shahaji around 1639:
** Shyamraj Nilkanth Ranjhekar (or Rozekar), ''peshwa'' (Chancellor){{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=31}}
** Balkrishna Dikshit, ''majumdar'' (Accountant-General){{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=31}}
** Somaji Pant, ''dabir'' (Secretary){{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=32}}
** Raghunath Ballal Korde, ''sabnis'' (Paymaster){{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=32}}
* Appointed by Shivaji
** Tukoji Chor Maratha, ''sar-i-naubat'' (Commander-in-Chief){{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=32}}
** Narayan Pant, divisional paymaster{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=32}}

=== Consolidation of power in Pune region ===

After Dadoji's death, Shivaji started consolidating his control over Shahaji's ''jagir'' around the Pune region. Dadoji had assigned the administration of the Supe ''mahal'' (subdivision) to Shambhuji (or Sambhaji) Mohite, the brother of Shahaji's second wife Tukabai. After Dadoji's death, Shambhuji refused to take orders from Shivaji, declaring that he would report directly to Shahaji.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=33}} According to the ''Sabhasad Bakhar'', Shivaji visited Shambhuji during the [[Holi|Shimga]] festival on the pretext of asking for a post, and imprisoned him. Shivaji confiscated all his property, including 300 horses, personal belongings including clothes, and other wealth.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=61}} When Sambhaji still refused to recognize Shivaji's authority, Shivaji forcibly annexed Supe, and sent Shambhuji to Shahaji with his personal property.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|pp=33-34}}

Shortly after the annexation of Supe, Shivaji raided [[Junnar]], where he captured 300 horses, goods worth 300 ''hons'' ([[Vijayanagara coinage|gold coins]]), clothes, and jewels.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=61}}

[[Firangoji Narsala]], who had been appointed as the administrator of the [[Chakan Fort]], accepted Shivaji's authority.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=34}} The commanders of [[Baramati]] and [[Indapur]] also recognized his authority.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=61}}

The Purandar Fort of Bijapur Sultante was administered by Nilo Nilkanth Nayak, a Brahmin whose family had controlled the fort and its surrounding area for several years. His younger brothers Pilaji and Shankaraji resented being excluded from their hereditary rights to the fort, and requested Shivaji to arbitrate. Shivaji entered the fort as a guest during the [[Diwali]] celebrations, and three days later, the younger brothers imprisoned Nilo and brought him before Shivaji. Shivaji imprisoned all three brothers, and took control of the fort himself.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=34}} According to the ''Chitnis Bakhar'' and ''[[Shiva Digvijaya]]'', he later granted estates at other places to the younger brothers as compensation.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|pp=34-35}} He expelled Nilo Nayak's subordinates from the fort, and replaced them with his own men.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=34}}

Subsequently, Shivaji also acquired control of several other forts around Pune, including [[Rohida fort|Rohira]], [[Tikona]], [[Rajmachi]], and [[Lohagad]].{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=35}}

=== Invasion of Konkan ===

After consolidating his control over Pune, Shivaji crossed the [[Western Ghats]], and entered the [[Konkan]] region on the western coast of India. The [[Kalyan]] ''jagir'' in this region was under the control of by Mulla Ahmad, a [[Nawaiyat]] Muslim of [[Arabs|Arab]] origin. The region had been recently acquired by the Bijapur Sultanate after the decline of the [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate]], and Mulla Ahmad - who was considered a foreigner by the locals - remained away at [[Bijapur]]. Because of this, the administration of the ''jagir'' had become inefficient.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=35}} Shivaji sent a cavalry led by Abaji Sondev to conquer the Kalyan ''jagir''. The cavalry plundered much wealth and merchandise from the non-fortified towns of Kalyan and [[Bhiwandi]], and captured the [[Mahuli]] fort which was once under the control of Shahaji.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=36}}

Over the next year (1648), Shivaji consolidated his control in northern Konkan, establishing authority over local chiefs and capturing territories from the [[Siddi]]s of [[Janjira State|Janjira]].{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=36}} The Siddis had become practically independent after the fall of their former overlords - the kings of [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate|Ahmadnagar]], although they recognized the nominal suzerainty of Bijapur.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|pp=293-294}} From Kalyan, Shivaji moved southwards towards [[Kolaba Fort|Kolaba]]: several local Hindu chiefs invited him to their territories. He captured [[Surgad]], [[Birwadi]], [[Tala, Raigad|Tala]], [[Ghosale gad|Ghosalegad]], [[Sudhagad]], [[Kangori]], and [[Raigad Fort|Rairi]] (Raigad, his future capital). He built new forts at [[Birwadi fort|Birwadi]] and [[Lingana]].{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=36}} Shivaji appointed Abaji Sondev as the viceroy of this newly-conquered territory in northern Konkan.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=37}}

Sometime in 1648, the Siddis inflicted a crushing defeat on Shivaji's forces led by the ''[[Peshwa]]'' Shyamraj Nilkanth Ranjhekar. According to the ''Chitnis Bakhar'', a displeased Shivaji removed Ranjhekar from his post, and appointed [[Moropant Trimbak Pingle]] as the new Peshwa. He also sent a large army led by Raghunath Ballal Korde against the Siddis.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|p=37}}

In late 1648, the Bijapur government imprisoned Shivaji's father Shahaji.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=61}}{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|pp=37-39}} According to Zahur's ''Muhammad-Namah'' (the official court history of Bijapur) and ''Basatin-i-Salatin'' (a later history), Shahaji was arrested for insubordination during the siege of [[Gingee Fort|Jinji]] against the [[Golconda Sultanate]].{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|pp=38-39}} However, ''Chitnis Bakhar'', a Maratha chronicle written over 150 years after the event, states that Shahaji was arrested because the Bijapur court suspected him to be involved in the rebellious activities of his son Shivaji.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|pp=37-38}}

While his father was imprisoned at Bijapur, the Bijapur government sent an army to recapture Purandar from Shivaji, but this force was unable to dislodge Shivaji from the fort.{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=62}} Meanwhile, Shivaji unsuccessfully attempted to forge an alliance with the Mughals against Bijapur.{{sfn|Jadunath Sarkar|1920|pp=39-40}}{{sfn|Stewart Gordon|1993|p=61}}

== See also ==
* [[Lal Mahal]], the residential palace where Shivaji stayed during his early life.

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===

{{ref begin}}
* {{cite book |author=A. G. Pawar |chapter=Dr. Bal Krishna |title=Historians and Historiography in Modern India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=93_UoQEACAAJ |year=1976 |orig-year=1973 |publisher=Institute of Historical Studies |isbn=978-81-922469-0-1}}
* {{cite book |author=Bal Krishna |title=Shivaji the Great |volume=I. Shahji |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MEGm2Zuxax4C |year=1932 |publisher=D. B. Taraporevala Sons |ref={{harvid|Bal Krishna I|1932}} }}
* {{cite book |author=Bal Krishna |title=Shivaji the Great |volume=II |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MEGm2Zuxax4C |year=1932 |publisher=D. B. Taraporevala Sons |ref={{harvid|Bal Krishna II|1932}} }}
* {{cite book |author=D. F. Karaka |title=Shivaji: Portrait of an Early Indian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ydpMGaVViQC |year=1969 |publisher=Times of India Press }}
* {{cite book |author=Jadunath Sarkar |title=Shivaji and His Times |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924024056750 |year=1920 |publisher=Longmans, Green and Company }}
* {{cite book |author=Jadunath Sarkar |title=House of Shivaji |edition=3rd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M3xixAEACAAJ |year=1978 |orig-year=1955 |publisher=Orient Longman |isbn=978-0-8364-0343-5 }}
* {{cite book |author=James W. Laine |title=Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India |url=https://archive.org/details/shivajihinduking0000lain |url-access=registration |year=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-566771-4 }}
* {{cite book |author=John Keay |title=India: A History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IquM4BrJ4YC&pg=PT565 |year=2011 |publisher=Open Road + Grove/Atlantic |isbn=978-0-8021-9550-0 }}
* {{cite book |author=Krishna Swaroop Gupta |title=Mewar and the Maratha Relations, 1735-1818 A.D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cKfLDIUjuFQC |year=1971 |publisher=S. Chand}}
* {{cite journal |author1=Mohan Apte |author2=Parag Mahajani |author3=M. N. Vahia |title=Possible errors in historical dates: Error in correction from Julian to Gregorian calendars |journal=Current Science |volume=84 |issue=1 |year=2003 |pages=21–22 |ref={{harvid|Mohan Apte et al.|2003|p=21}} }}
* {{cite book |author=Satish Chandra |title=Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part - II |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rm9MC4DDrcC&pg=PA205 |year=2005 |publisher=Har-Anand Publications |isbn=978-81-241-1066-9 }}
* {{cite book |author=Stewart Gordon |title=The Marathas 1600-1818 |series=The New Cambridge History of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iHK-BhVXOU4C |year=1993 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-26883-7 }}
{{ref end}}

== External links ==
{{Shivaji}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Early Life of Shivaji}}
[[Category:Early lives by individual|Shivaji]]
[[Category:Shivaji]]

Early life of Shivaji - Revision history

>Citation bot: Alter: url. URLs might have been anonymized. Add: authors 1-1. Removed parameters. Some additions/deletions were parameter name changes. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Ganesha811 | Category:Early lives by individual | #UCB_Category 10/59