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The preparation for a proposed coronation began in 1673. However, some controversies delayed the coronation by almost a year.{{sfn|Gordon|1993|p=87}} One controversy erupted amongst the [[Brahmin]]s of Shivaji's court: they refused to crown Shivaji as a king because that status was reserved for those of the ''[[kshatriya]] [[varna (Hinduism)|varna]]'' (warrior class) in Hindu society.<ref name="Gandhi1999">{{cite book|author=Rajmohan Gandhi|title=Revenge and Reconciliation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OVqP54UEe4QC&pg=PA110|year=1999|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-029045-5|pages=110–|quote=On the ground that Shivaji was merely a Maratha and not a kshatriya by caste, Maharashtra's Brahmins had refused to conduct a sacred coronation. }}</ref> Shivaji was descended from a line of headmen of farming villages, and the Brahmins accordingly categorized him as a Maratha, not a Kshatriya.{{sfn|Gordon|1993|p=87-88}}<ref name="BaviskarAttwood2013">{{cite book|author1=B. S. Baviskar|author2=D. W. Attwood|title=Inside-Outside: Two Views of Social Change in Rural India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jVQtBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA395|date= 2013|publisher=Sage Publications|isbn=978-81-321-1865-7|pages=395–}}</ref> They noted that Shivaji had never had a [[sacred thread]] ceremony, and did not wear the thread, such as a kshatriya would.{{sfn|Gordon|1993|p=88}} When Shivaji came to know about this conspiracy, he later bribed and summoned [[Gaga Bhatt]], a [[pandit]] of Varanasi, who stated that he had found a genealogy proving that Shivaji was descended from the [[Sisodia Dynasty|Sisodia]]s, and thus indeed a kshatriya, albeit one in need of the ceremonies befitting his rank.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sunder |first=B. Shyam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-c4tAAAAMAAJ&q=bribed+gaga+bhatt |title=They Burn: The 160,000,000 Untouchables of India |date=1987 |publisher=Dalit Sahitya Akademy |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Chand |first=Shyam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u2eKAAAAMAAJ&q=bribed |title=Saffron Fascism |date=2002 |publisher=Hemkunt Publishers |language=en}}</ref>{{Sfn|Cashman, The Myth of the Lokamanya|1975|p=[https://archive.org/details/mythoflokamanya00rich/page/7 7]}} To enforce this status, Shivaji was given a sacred thread ceremony, and remarried his spouses under the [[Marriage in Hinduism|Vedic rites]] expected of a kshatriya.{{sfn|Farooqui, A Comprehensive History of Medieval India|2011|p=321}}<ref name="Godsmark2018">{{cite book|author=Oliver Godsmark|title=Citizenship, Community and Democracy in India: From Bombay to Maharashtra, c. 1930–1960|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CCpKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT40|date=2018|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-351-18821-0|pages=40–}}</ref> However, according to historical evidence, Shivaji's claim to [[Rajput]], and specifically of Sisodia ancestry, may be seen as being anything from tenuous, at best, to purely inventive.<ref name="Varma & Saberwal">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S8EoAAAAYAAJ|title=Traditions in Motion: Religion and Society in History|last1=Varma|first1=Supriya|last2=Saberwal|first2=Satish|date=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-566915-2|page=250|language=en}}</ref> | The preparation for a proposed coronation began in 1673. However, some controversies delayed the coronation by almost a year.{{sfn|Gordon|1993|p=87}} One controversy erupted amongst the [[Brahmin]]s of Shivaji's court: they refused to crown Shivaji as a king because that status was reserved for those of the ''[[kshatriya]] [[varna (Hinduism)|varna]]'' (warrior class) in Hindu society.<ref name="Gandhi1999">{{cite book|author=Rajmohan Gandhi|title=Revenge and Reconciliation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OVqP54UEe4QC&pg=PA110|year=1999|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-029045-5|pages=110–|quote=On the ground that Shivaji was merely a Maratha and not a kshatriya by caste, Maharashtra's Brahmins had refused to conduct a sacred coronation. }}</ref> Shivaji was descended from a line of headmen of farming villages, and the Brahmins accordingly categorized him as a Maratha, not a Kshatriya.{{sfn|Gordon|1993|p=87-88}}<ref name="BaviskarAttwood2013">{{cite book|author1=B. S. Baviskar|author2=D. W. Attwood|title=Inside-Outside: Two Views of Social Change in Rural India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jVQtBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA395|date= 2013|publisher=Sage Publications|isbn=978-81-321-1865-7|pages=395–}}</ref> They noted that Shivaji had never had a [[sacred thread]] ceremony, and did not wear the thread, such as a kshatriya would.{{sfn|Gordon|1993|p=88}} When Shivaji came to know about this conspiracy, he later bribed and summoned [[Gaga Bhatt]], a [[pandit]] of Varanasi, who stated that he had found a genealogy proving that Shivaji was descended from the [[Sisodia Dynasty|Sisodia]]s, and thus indeed a kshatriya, albeit one in need of the ceremonies befitting his rank.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sunder |first=B. Shyam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-c4tAAAAMAAJ&q=bribed+gaga+bhatt |title=They Burn: The 160,000,000 Untouchables of India |date=1987 |publisher=Dalit Sahitya Akademy |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Chand |first=Shyam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u2eKAAAAMAAJ&q=bribed |title=Saffron Fascism |date=2002 |publisher=Hemkunt Publishers |language=en}}</ref>{{Sfn|Cashman, The Myth of the Lokamanya|1975|p=[https://archive.org/details/mythoflokamanya00rich/page/7 7]}} To enforce this status, Shivaji was given a sacred thread ceremony, and remarried his spouses under the [[Marriage in Hinduism|Vedic rites]] expected of a kshatriya.{{sfn|Farooqui, A Comprehensive History of Medieval India|2011|p=321}}<ref name="Godsmark2018">{{cite book|author=Oliver Godsmark|title=Citizenship, Community and Democracy in India: From Bombay to Maharashtra, c. 1930–1960|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CCpKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT40|date=2018|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-351-18821-0|pages=40–}}</ref> However, according to historical evidence, Shivaji's claim to [[Rajput]], and specifically of Sisodia ancestry, may be seen as being anything from tenuous, at best, to purely inventive.<ref name="Varma & Saberwal">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S8EoAAAAYAAJ|title=Traditions in Motion: Religion and Society in History|last1=Varma|first1=Supriya|last2=Saberwal|first2=Satish|date=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-566915-2|page=250|language=en}}</ref> | ||
On 28 May, Shivaji did penance for his and his ancestors' not observing Kshatriya rites for so long. Then he was invested by Gaga Bhatt with the sacred thread.{{sfn|Sarkar, Shivaji and His Times|1920|p=244}} On the insistence of other Brahmins, Gaga Bhatt omitted the Vedic chant and initiated Shivaji into a modified form of the life of the [[Dvija|twice-born]], instead of putting him on a par with the Brahmins. Next day, Shivaji made atonement for the sins, deliberate or accidental, committed in his own lifetime.{{sfn|Sarkar, Shivaji and His Times|1920|p=245}} He was weighed separately against seven metals including gold, silver, and several other articles, such fine linen, camphor, salt, sugar etc. All these articles, along with a [[lakh]] (one hundred thousand) of hun, were distributed among the Brahmins. According to Sarkar, even this failed to satisfy the greed of the Brahmins. | On 28 May, Shivaji did penance for his and his ancestors' not observing Kshatriya rites for so long. Then he was invested by Gaga Bhatt with the sacred thread.{{sfn|Sarkar, Shivaji and His Times|1920|p=244}} On the insistence of other Brahmins, Gaga Bhatt omitted the Vedic chant and initiated Shivaji into a modified form of the life of the [[Dvija|twice-born]], instead of putting him on a par with the Brahmins. Next day, Shivaji made atonement for the sins, deliberate or accidental, committed in his own lifetime.{{sfn|Sarkar, Shivaji and His Times|1920|p=245}} He was weighed separately against seven metals including gold, silver, and several other articles, such fine linen, camphor, salt, sugar etc. All these articles, along with a [[lakh]] (one hundred thousand) of hun, were distributed among the Brahmins. According to Sarkar, even this failed to satisfy the greed of the Brahmins. The total expenditure for feeding the assemblage, general almsgiving, throne, and ornaments approached 1.5 million [[rupee]]s.{{sfn|Sarkar, Shivaji and His Times|1920|p=252}} | ||
On 6 June 1674, Shivaji was crowned king of the [[Maratha Empire]] (''[[Hindavi Swarajya|Hindavi Swaraj]]'') in a lavish ceremony at Raigad fort.<ref name="Pillai2018">{{cite book|author=Manu S Pillai|title=Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rq5oDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR9|year=2018|publisher=Juggernaut Books|isbn=978-93-86228-73-4|page=xvi}}</ref><ref name="Barua2005">{{cite book |first=Pradeep |last=Barua | title=The State at War in South Asia | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FIIQhuAOGaIC&pg=PA42 | year= 2005 | publisher=University of Nebraska Press | isbn=978-0-8032-1344-9 | page=42 }}</ref> In the [[Hindu calendar]] it was the 13th day (''trayodashi'') of the first fortnight of the month of ''[[Jyeshtha (month)|Jyeshtha]]'' in the year 1596.<ref name="RauArchives1980">{{cite book|author=Mallavarapu Venkata Siva Prasada Rau (Andhra Pradesh Archives)|title=Archival organization and records management in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LXtmAAAAMAAJ|year=1980|publisher=Published under the authority of the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh by the Director of State Archives (Andhra Pradesh State Archives)|page=393}}</ref> Gaga Bhatt officiated, pouring water from a gold vessel filled with the waters of the seven sacred rivers—[[Yamuna]], [[Indus]], [[Ganges]], [[Godavari]], [[Narmada]], [[Krishna River|Krishna]], and [[Kaveri]]—over Shivaji's head, and chanted the Vedic coronation mantras. After the ablution, Shivaji bowed before his mother, Jijabai, and touched her feet. Nearly fifty thousand people gathered at Raigad for the ceremonies.{{sfn|Sarkar, Shivaji and His Times|1920}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Yuva Bharati|year=1974|publisher=Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee|page=13|edition=Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6vUoAAAAYAAJ&q=50,000+people+shivaji+coronation|quote=About 50,000 people witnessed the coronation ceremony and arrangements were made for their boarding and lodging.}}</ref> Shivaji was entitled ''Shakakarta'' ("founder of an era"){{sfn|Sardesai|1957|p=222}} and ''[[Chhatrapati]]'' ("[[Pati (title)|Lord]] of the [[Chatra (umbrella)|Umbrella]]"). He also took the title of ''[[Defender of Faith|Haindava Dharmodhhaarak]]'' (protector of the Hindu faith)<ref name="Chandra1982">{{cite book|author=Satish Chandra|title=Medieval India: Society, the Jagirdari Crisis, and the Village|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRM1AAAAIAAJ|year=1982|publisher= | On 6 June 1674, Shivaji was crowned king of the [[Maratha Empire]] (''[[Hindavi Swarajya|Hindavi Swaraj]]'') in a lavish ceremony at Raigad fort.<ref name="Pillai2018">{{cite book|author=Manu S Pillai|title=Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rq5oDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR9|year=2018|publisher=Juggernaut Books|isbn=978-93-86228-73-4|page=xvi}}</ref><ref name="Barua2005">{{cite book |first=Pradeep |last=Barua | title=The State at War in South Asia | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FIIQhuAOGaIC&pg=PA42 | year= 2005 | publisher=University of Nebraska Press | isbn=978-0-8032-1344-9 | page=42 }}</ref> In the [[Hindu calendar]] it was the 13th day (''trayodashi'') of the first fortnight of the month of ''[[Jyeshtha (month)|Jyeshtha]]'' in the year 1596.<ref name="RauArchives1980">{{cite book|author=Mallavarapu Venkata Siva Prasada Rau (Andhra Pradesh Archives)|title=Archival organization and records management in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LXtmAAAAMAAJ|year=1980|publisher=Published under the authority of the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh by the Director of State Archives (Andhra Pradesh State Archives)|page=393}}</ref> Gaga Bhatt officiated, pouring water from a gold vessel filled with the waters of the seven sacred rivers—[[Yamuna]], [[Indus]], [[Ganges]], [[Godavari]], [[Narmada]], [[Krishna River|Krishna]], and [[Kaveri]]—over Shivaji's head, and chanted the Vedic coronation mantras. After the ablution, Shivaji bowed before his mother, Jijabai, and touched her feet. Nearly fifty thousand people gathered at Raigad for the ceremonies.{{sfn|Sarkar, Shivaji and His Times|1920}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Yuva Bharati|year=1974|publisher=Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee|page=13|edition=Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6vUoAAAAYAAJ&q=50,000+people+shivaji+coronation|quote=About 50,000 people witnessed the coronation ceremony and arrangements were made for their boarding and lodging.}}</ref> Shivaji was entitled ''Shakakarta'' ("founder of an era"){{sfn|Sardesai|1957|p=222}} and ''[[Chhatrapati]]'' ("[[Pati (title)|Lord]] of the [[Chatra (umbrella)|Umbrella]]"). He also took the title of ''[[Defender of Faith|Haindava Dharmodhhaarak]]'' (protector of the Hindu faith)<ref name="Chandra1982">{{cite book|author=Satish Chandra|title=Medieval India: Society, the Jagirdari Crisis, and the Village|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRM1AAAAIAAJ|year=1982|publisher= | ||