History is replete with changing panorama of rise and fall of cities and civilizations, empires and emperors. Many epoch-making dynasties have adorned the pages of history and in course of time they have passed into oblivion. While reading, I come across several personalities and emperors. But the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji of Maharashtra will be written in golden letters for all time to come. He was a true warrior, a true patriot and had a deep faith in God. When the very boat of India was tottering amidst the whirlpool of Mughal imperialism, he gave a strong resistance to the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb and became the founder of Maratha nation.
Shivaji was born in 1627 at Shivnery, a hill fort near Poona. His father Shahji Bhonsle was a Jagirdar in Ahmednagar and later on in Bijapur Kingdom. He was brought up under the meticulous care of his mother Jizabai. She was a pious lady and was well aware of the condition of Marathas who were frequently subjugated under the Mughul emperors. She infused the flame of patriotism in him by telling the story of great warriors like Rana Pratap, Maharana Sangram Singh of Mewar and ancient mythological heroes. Besides this, Dadaji Konddev and Guru Ram Das played a remarkable role in shaping his career and achievement. Shivaji did not have any formal education. But he was given good training in the art of warfare to save his motherland from Mughals.
At the age of nineteen, he collected a band of army around him and succeeded in conquering several hill forts one after another. During that time, Deccan was the bone of contention between Aurangzeb and Shivaji due to the fabulous wealth and valuable mineral resources like diamond and gold mines. Besides this, the tyrannical rule of Aurangzeb reached its climax due to anti Religious policy and Rajput policy. It created commotion among all the common people in each community. The shadow of disappointment spread everywhere.
Shivaji was well aware of the military potentiality of Mughuls and adopted guerrilla means of warfare against Aurangzeb and his vast army. Aurangzeb sent Shayista Khan and Jai Singh to check the power of Shivaji. But he out-witted everybody by his sharp intelligence and presence of mind. Shivaji defied the Mughals as long as he lived. He took the title Chhatrapati, crowned himself as King in 1674 and created the Maratha nation. After the rise of Shivaji, the Mughul Empire started crumbling down into pieces.
Shivaji was a great administrator and also the greatest constructive genius of Medieval India. The welfare of the common people was the quintessence and crux of his administration. As an administer, he was assisted by eight ministers called ‘Ashtapradhans’. He treated all his subjects like his sons and daughters. Though he was a Hindu, he paid great respect to all religions and never destroyed any religious structure in his life. It is said, he discarded the royal robes of a king and went to villages and towns with a begging alms under the advice of Guru Ram Das to see the condition of people living in remote villages.
A warrior is never afraid. A patriot loves his country and tries to make it predominant and preponderant. Shivaji is a glaring example of it. He organized the Marathas into a powerful nation and gave them an independent state and built a strong administration. Besides this he was an affectionate ruler and courageous man. He was a patriot of patriots. His name will be remembered by all for ever.