Chhatrapati Shivaji Jayanti: Early Life of Maharaja Chhatrapati Shivaji, History and Significance of the Festival

Among the greatest warriors time has seen, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, born as Shivaji Bhonsle, was born on February 19, 1630. Shivaji Jayanti is observed on this day every year to commemorate the great deeds of the King on his birth anniversary. The festival of Chhatrapati Shivaji Jayanti is celebrated twice across India; on February 19, as per Gregorian Calendar, and as per Marathi Calendar, when the Jayanti usually falls somewhere between March to May.

His unconventional administration defined his valor and competence that rose his name to fame. His audacious military tactics and intelligence leveraged the then social and conventional factors as someone to impose rule. This let him carve an enclave from a declining Adilshahi Sultanate of Bijapur, marking the genesis of the Maratha Empire.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the founder of the Maratha empire in Western India. He has his name etched in the golden history of the empire, and he was celebrated ever since.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Jayanti 2024 is on February 19 Monday

8 months and 7 days to go for the event

Early Life of Maharaja Chhatrapati Shivaji

Shivaji Bhonsle was descended from a line of noble, born to Shahaji Bhonsle and Jijabai on February 19, 1630. His father had served Ahmednagar and the Deccan sultanate, and his mother Jijabai was a graceful, religious woman, whose religious ideologies and qualities exerted significant influence on him. Shivaji was born in an India under a Muslim rule of the Mughals, the Sultans of Bijapur and Golconda, when religious toleration was an issue. The Muslim oppression of the Hindu religion and unreasonable persecution of the Hindus were intolerable that an adolescent Shivaji convicted himself responsible for the dawn of freedom for the Hindus.

In 1640, at the age of ten, he was married for the first time to Saibai Nimbalkar. Shivaji was thoroughly trained in military and administration, when at the age of 15, he conquered the Torna Fort under Bijapur. Shivaji had great skill and he treasured great zeal for military administration. With proper discretion and sharp intelligence driven with a share of courage, Shivaji confiscated territories one by one from the Adilshahi Sultanate. He fought battles and wars, extending his territories and winning great name with defeat of his greatest rivals with a faithful band of soldiers that he gathered in his confidence.

Exploits Against the Mughals

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj gathered a handful of trusted soldiers in his army to stand against the Mughal rule. The Maratha Empire fought against the Mughal Empire in the Battle of Chakan in 1660 and in the Battle of Purandar in 1665. Chhatrapati Shivaji fought the army of Kartalab Khan of the Mughals in the Battle of Umberkhind in 1661 and fought the Mughal captain Inayat Khan during the Sacking of Surat in 1664. In 1670, an army led by a commander of Shivaji Maharaj fought against the army Jai Singh I, a Mughal Army Chief on the fort of Sinhagad in Maharashtra in the Battle of Sinhagad.

In the Battle of Bhupalgarh and the Battle of Kalyan, fought in 1679 and in the early 1680 respectively, the Mughal Empire defeated the Maratha Empire. Battle of Sangamner, fought between the two empires in 1679, was the last ever battle fought by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

From Shivaji Bhosle to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Shahaji Bhonsle was the chief of the uplands of Maratha under the Bhonsle clan. Following the conquest of the region by the Adilshahi Sultanate of the Mughals, Shahaji Bhonsle conducted raids and campaigns against every established forts by the Mughals. This had Shahaji Bhonsle on the move with his wife Jijabai and his son Shivaji Bhonsle.

Shivaji Bhonsle was given meticulous training in military and administration since his young age, and the circumstances he lived in boiled rage, courage, and determination to win back their lands and establish control over a Marathi Empire. His zest, profound admiration for his religion, and his courage to face an empire against their will and notions earned him the name 'Chhatrapati,' or 'Chief of the Kshatriyas.'

In 1674, Chhatrapati Shivaji enthroned himself as the Maharaj with a suppressed Hindu majority hailing praises in his name. He raised a Marathi empire as an independent sovereign.

The Demise of Shivaji Maharaj

The final days of Shivaji Maharaj’s life saw the entangling of war and domestic strife with discord within his army. He lived in the shadows of disloyalty of his elder son who defected to the Mughals after war. The noble Chhatrapti Shivaji Maharaj died of contracting a chronic disease, on April 3rd, 1680, at Raigad Fort.