Chhatrapathi Shivaji

Bharatvarsh · 08-29-2006, 09:12 PM

QUOTEShivaji himself wrote about this
encounter, " Thereupon Khawas Khan marched upon me, and
I on my part answered his charge vigorously. A stiff battle
ensued in which the enemy was completely routed and ran
back to Bijapur after losing some brave commanders under
him. I then turned to punish the Sawant for his wanton de-
sertion of my cause, plundered his territory and captured his
forts and towns. As the Portuguese sheltered him I blew
their fort of Ponda with gunpowder and captured it by sheer
force. They negotiated for peace and gave me some guns.
Pitambar Shenvai came to me as an envoy of peace to treat
both for the Savant and the Portuguese. I annexed half the
territory of the Savant and restored the other half to him. I reminded him that he was a son of the Bhosles and ought to
join me in saving our country and religion/'14

new history of the marathas volume I shivaji and his line 1600 1707, govind sakharam sardesai, Pg 163 and 164.

http://dli.iiit.ac.in/cgi-bin/Browse/scrip...e=2020050057066

Bharatvarsh · (This post was last modified: 08-30-2006, 12:47 AM by Bharatvarsh.)

Reason's for Shivaji's undertaking of the Karnataka campaign:
QUOTEHappily we have a reliable account of Shivaji's work, his
aims in the present undertaking, and his general attitude to-
ward's contemporary politics, preserved in his own letter ad-
dressed to Maloji Ghorpade of Mudhol from Bhaganagar in
March 1677. It runs thus4:â

" You are already aware how my late lamented father
left the Nizamshahi State and accepted service under Bijapur
during the regime of Ibrahim Adilshah and with what con-
fidence that Shah treated him. My father's uppermost idea at
the time was that whatever power he possessed should be uti-
lized in raising the status of those Maratha Jagirdars who were
wandering in search of livelihood, that they should attain dis-
tinction and confidence in managing the affaLs of the State.
With this object in view my father brought your father Baji
Ghorpade for an interview with the Adilshah and raised him
to the status of an imperial commander. I know what great deeds your father and you did since then during three regimes.
It is a matter of sincere regret to me that your father forget-
ting all the good that my father had done to him, sided with
Mustafa Khan in capturing him (my father). It was your
father Baji Ghorpade who undertook the hazardous enterprise
and gave over my father as a captive in Mustafa's hands, a con-
summation which for years caused bitter enmity between your
house and mine, resulting in open fighting and bloodshed on
both sides. My people killed your father in a fight. Thus the
enmity continued for a number of years ; but now the time
has arrived for rectifying the mistakes of the past : and with
this view I now write this letter to explain the present politic-
al situation and advise you how to use it to mutual advantage.
" You are aware that there have been three Muslim states
in the south, the Nizam Shahi, the Adil Shahi and the Qutb
Shahi. Upon the first being destroyed by the Mughals, its
great nobles came into the service of the Adil Shah after per-
sonal consultations and conferences. This Adil Shahi State, how-
ever, has now been seized by the Pathan Bahlol Khan. The
Adil Shah is a minor, being a king only in name, but virtually
under the Pathan's restraint ; the throne, the umbrella and the
fort of Bijapur are in the hands of the Pathan, a matter of
evil portent to the interests of the Deccanis. If the
Pathan is allowed to become powerful, he will surely ruin one
and all the Deccani nobles. In order to obviate this, I have
entered into a friendly understanding with the Qutb Shah, with
whom I had purposely kept up amicable relations from the
beginning, and who recently invited me (or a personal visit in
an autograph letter impressed with his own palm. I accepted
his invitation and have met him. Upon learning that I had
already declared myself an independent king, he excused me
the usual Muslim ceremonials which he used to exact from one
and all, viz., touching the ground with head before him. The
Qutb Shah and I met on equal terms, both coming half way for
the meeting. He received me most honourably and with sincere
greetings. Holding me with his hand he seated me by his side
and showed various marks of respect, cementing mutual friend-
ship. After the customary ceremonials, we freely discussed poli-
tical matters in which the Qutb-Shahi minister Madan Pant and
I unitedly made certain proposals which the Shah cordially
agreed to. He places such a high confidence in me that I
now hold a very favourable position which I can well utilise
in promoting the interests of the Marathas and in reducing the
power of the Pathans of Bijapur.

" As soon as an agreement was reached on both sides, my
most anxious plan was to take into confidence the great Maratha
nobles, bring them for an interview with the Kutb Shah, to
offer them fresh prospects in service and with their help extend
the dominion both of the Shah and the Marathas. You
know how keen I have been in consolidating the Maratha power
by bringing together all the scattered elements for a united ac-
tion. Inspired with these motives I have arranged with the
Kutb Shah that he should employ you into his sendee. For
this we must at once lay aside our hereditary enmity. You
must discard all your suspicion about me. Take my honest
word that I am anxious to promote your interests and enclose
for your compliance the formal letter of invitation which the
Kutb Shah has addressed to you through me. You are born of
a high family. You must trust me and immediately on receipt
of this letter, you must contrive to get away from the service of
the Pathan and meet me at Bhaganagar by rapid marches.
Please do not lose this splendid opportunity : take time by the
forelock, send me immediately in advance an envoy of your
confidence to arrange details at least four days before you arrive
for the actual interview. I am at this moment in such a strong
position to promote your interests, that I am sure you will ever
afterwards remember my good offices ; nay, your sons and
grand-sons too will remember them with gratitude. Here is a
rare opportunity by which you can profit at the hands of the
Kutb Shah. Do not hesitate to come, or to give up your loyalty
to the Adil Shah, nor should you allow any distrust about me to
come in your way. In reality where is the Bijapur State now ?
It came to an end when Khawas Khan was put to death, when
the Pathan took possession of the city and the fort, and when
the child king was imprisoned. The Adilshahi State no longer
exists and you have no justification for serving it. You can-
not call it your own. The Pathan will offer you inducements,
which might prevent you frojn taking the step I advise. But
you must remember that the Pathan will not care for you ;
and in the meantime the Kutb Shah, the various Maratha
nobles and I, will soon swallow the Pathan up. You Marathas
are my kith and kin. Your interest is dear to my heart. That
is why I write so freely. The Kutb Shah and I can give you
double of what the Pathan may promise you. Nay, whatever
more is possible will surely be done to reward your services.
I have renounced all suspicion about you from my mind and
sacredly swear having done so, calling my Goddess Bhavani to
witness. I will not fail to keep my word. iFling away all sus-
picion about me, came to me at once and send your trusted en-
voy in advance with an oath in the name of your family God,
that you on your part are as sincere as I am on mine. So
let me have a sacred oath from you with your envoy. I shall
never fail to advance your interests. What more shall I say?"
This important letter explains as nothing else does, the main
object of Shivaji's life-endeavour. It was to have Maratha inde-
pendence established on the principle of cordial co-operation of
all the leading Maratha members. Shivaji was not opposed to the
Muslim religion as he cordially agreed to support the Kutb Shah
on condition of his protecting the interests oi the Hindus. He
entertained no rancour for his Ghorpade cousins, if they would
come in and join in his national work. Evidently as the State
of Bijapur was collapsing, he wished to prevent the Mughals
from absorbing it. His plan was to share that prize with the
Kutb Shah, himself taking the essentially Maratha lands and
leaving the Telugu country to the Kutb Shah. This also sup-
plies a clue to Shivaji's move against his brother of Tanjore.

new history of the marathas volume I shivaji and his line 1600 1707, govind sakharam sardesai, Pg 243-246.

http://dli.iiit.ac.in/cgi-bin/Browse/scrip...e=2020050057066

Bharatvarsh · 08-30-2006, 01:13 AM

Shivaji's letter to Ekoji (his half brother) and ruler of Tanjore and the subsequent treaty between them:
QUOTEWhen Shivaji reached Gadag in November, he learned of an action having taken place ; Ekoji had attacked Hambir-Rao Mohite, at Valigandapuram on 16th November and sustained a crushing defeat, his illegitimate brothers Pratapji and Bhivji Raje, and his officer Shivaji Dabir were taken captives. Shivaji learned the details when he arrived in Maharashtra, and with a view to effecting a reconciliation he wrote a long letter of warning to Ekoji, which ranks as a document of rare value. It puts forth Shivaji's aims and policy clearly. This letter is full and authentic and is printed in the facsimile of Balaji Avaji's handwriting being dated 1 March 1678. In this letter, while demanding from his brother a full share of his father's acquisitions, he holds out a threat of severe reprisals, adding he was perfectly ready to adjust matters to his brother's satisfaction, but that he would not allow him to shirk the main demand. What Shivaji resented most was that Ekoji should ally himself with the Turks and Pathans of Bijapur who had been open enemies of the Hindus and whom it was Shivaji's life-mission to humble. Says he :â

" Gods and Goddesses have favoured me ; through their favour I have been able to beat down the Turks. How could you hope to win against me with the help of these Turks ? You should not have gone to the length of standing in open opposition to my armies. You cherished the wicked intention like Duryodhan's and caused unnecessary blood-shed. But what has co,me to pass cannot be remedied. You have only to take a lesson from what has occurred and give up your obstinacy. For thirteen long years you have usurped all father's property and now I have wrested away my share by force of arms. Please deliver to my officers Arni, Bangalore, Kolar, Hoskote, Shiralkot (ShiraJ and other minor districts including Tanjore : give up also a half share of the cash, ornaments, horses, elephants and other property and make your peace with me. I shall bestow on you a Jagir yielding three lacs annually of districts between the Tungabhadria and Panhala. Or if you do not wish to accept this as 'a gift from me, I shall request the Kutb Shah to confer on you a similar jagir in his dominion.
Thus I offer you two alternatives, choose whichever you like. Give up your obduracy and stop this domestic dissension. It is no use sulking. As an elderly person I have al). along treated you affectionately and again repeat the sa,me sentiments of your welfare. If you have the good sense to accept my advice, I am sure you will be happy and at ease. If not, you will only add to your distress, which it will not then be in my power to relieve/'

It is evident from this that Shivaji, already ignoring the existence of the Bijapur State, required his brother to renounce it openly and disclaim all pretence of serving it. But this letter did not soothe Ekoji's heart. It grieved him all the more. His shrewd wife Dipa Bai came to his rescue and gave his disconsolate mind some sound advice and reconciled him to the inevitable. She managed to dismiss Ekoji's Muslim evil advisers and urged him to accept^Raghunath Pandit's counsel. Ekoji thereupon wrote a respectful letter to the Pandit and called him from Jinji for a personal visit. The Pant arrived in due course and had a cordial reception. Then the Pandit arranged the terms of an amicable settlement of the dispute between the two brothers. All necessary deeds and papers were prepared and despatched to Shivaji for approval and ratification.

Shivaji was highly gratified at this amicable settlement of a long-standing dispute and at once ratified the whole agreement. In soothing notes he replied to Ekoji and to his sister-in-law Dipa Bai, who had so cleverly managed to solve these delicate problems. He wrote to Raghuriath Pandit, *' I cannot too highly cqmmend the wisdom 'and foresight of my sister-in-law Dipa Bai, who with uncommon zeal and skill induced her husband to come to terms with me and thereby so satisfactorily solved a knotty question. I am supremely gratified at this happy result. In fact I was all along concerned to secure the best interest of my brother. In asking a half share I had his own lasting welfare at my heart. The paltry lucre was not my object. It was for the sake of higher aims, I had to make that stern depaand. We must treat our servants and subordinates respectfully and effect lasting good of the State, which it behoves us both to serve with all our powers/' These last lines clearly prove how anxious Shivaji was to raise the Maratha State to the height of glory and independence. Ekoji was solely guided by Muslim advisers who worked insidiously to undo Shivaji's life-work through Ekoji's instrumentality. These Muslim advisers were dismissed, and Raghunath Pant was restored to his former position of a guardian, so that all cause for friction was finally removed in the course of a year after Shivaji's return from the Karnatak.

6. Agreed division of patrimony.âThe agreement contained nineteen articles, the first ten of which unfold the plan for the moral and spiritual good of the Maratha State. The sixth article says, 4< No one who is wicked and an enemy of the Hindu religion should be harboured in the State. Such persons should be kept away from the power of doing harm/' The whole dispute between the brothers and its conclusion unmistakably disclose that Shivaji's highest aim in the Karnatak expedition was to resuscitate and expand the Maratha State and create a lasting shelter for the Hindus in general, who had grown altogether helpless through centuries of ill-treatment.

The 12th article is politically significant and pertinent to the main point of dispute between the brothers. It says, " When a treaty of peace wras effected between us (Shivaji and the Adil Shah) through our father's mediation (in 1662), the express stipulation laid down was that neither of us (Shivaji or Ekoji) should serve that State (Bijapur). We should help it whenever necessary not as servants but as well-wishers. We should hereafter strictly observe this understanding. Ekoji, therefore, should not hold himself a servant of that state. He may, when called up, help that State with a contingent of 5000 troops. He must exercise his supremacy over all the Poligars and potentates whom he has already subjugated/'

This article makes it clear beyond the shadow of a doubt why Shivaji attacked Ekoji. While Shivaji proclaimed himself an independent monarch, he did not relish the spectacle of his own brother coming to oppose him on behalf of Bijapur on being guided exclusively by Muslim flatterers and holding himself a bond servant of a Muslim State, which he himself had all but conquered. In order to emphasize this aspect of his state policy, Shivaji laid down in the 15th article, " that the districts of Bangalore, Hoskote and Shiralkot (Shira) yielding a revenue of 2 lacks of Hons have already been conquered by us : when well managed they will soon be worth 5 lacs; we assign these districts as a voluntary present to our sister-in-law Dipa Bai, wife of Ekoji. Ekoji may supervise their manage-Â ment but not lay claim to thejm. After Dipa Bai they will continue to her daughter or to any one else to whom she assigns them." Here Shivaji gives back practically all of Ekoji's possessions, redeeming them out of Muslim control. Nothing can be clearer than this final pronouncement of Shivaji's object in this last undertaking of his life.

Article 16 says, " We have conquered Tanjore and the adjoining districts of Ekoji worth about 7 lacs of Hons. These we hand over of our own free will to Ekoji as his own separate possession." Article 17 says, " We assign territory worth one lac to Raghunath Pant in complete hereditary succession." Article 19 says, " Ekoji should look after the upkeep of the tomb of our father Shahji Raje." Evidently this filial duty was now assigned to Ekoji.0

These articles clearly demonstrate the nature of the dispute between the two brothers and Shivaji's object in this southern expedition. Ekoji was to be weaned away from his sub ordination to the Muslim power of Bijapur. In forwarding the treaty Shivaji wrote another affectionate letter to his brother. But Ekoji did not respond in the spirit in which Shivaji's scheme of a Swarajya was planned ; and although the dispute was apparently settled, Ekoji took to heart his loss of independence. He felt sorely grieved to find that Shivaji's officials took charge of all his possessions and administered them without reference to himself. He gave up all personal pleasures and enjoyment. When in due course this was reported to Shivaji, he wrote another loving letter full of sympathy and pathos about January 1680. Within three months thereafter Shivaji expired.

new history of the marathas volume I shivaji and his line 1600 1707, govind sakharam sardesai, Pg 251-254.

http://dli.iiit.ac.in/cgi-bin/Browse/scrip...e=2020050057066

Bharatvarsh · 08-30-2006, 01:48 AM

QUOTE2. Public Remonstrance against Aurangzeb's Intoler-
ance.âWith Shivaji's return to his home-land unfortunately
began the last chapter of his life. With a view to checking Dilir
Khan he despatched some of his commanders to plunder the
Mughal territory north of the Godavari up to Aurangabad and
tried in vain to recapture Shivner, his birth place. Aurangzeb
felt extremely uneasy at the rising tide of Shivaji's fortune and
was utterly perplexed as to the means of overcoming him. He
had already employed all his best generals and resources against
him. Once again he appointed his son Muazzam to the Govern-
ment of the Deccan on 18th September 1678, and this Shah-
zada reached Aurangabad on 25 February in the following year
(1679). He was instructed to be guided entirely by Dilir Khan.

About this time there was a great stir in the country over
the revival of the Jazia or poll-tax which had long been in
abeyance and which the Emperor re-imposed by a fresh order
dated 3rd April 1679. Shivaji at once wrote to the Emperor
a well reasoned and spirited letter of protest against the mea-
sure, which was drafted by Nila Prabhu in eloquent Persian.
This famous remonstrance clearly exposed the wrong-headed
policy of Aurangzeb. " In strict justice," says Shivaji, " the
Jazia is not at all lawful. If you imagine piety to consist in
oppressing and terrorising the Hindus, you ought first to levy
the tax upon Rajsinh who is the head of the Hindus. But to
oppress ants and flies is neither valour nor spirit. If you believe
in the Koran, God is the Lord of all men and not of the Muhanr
madans only. Islam and Hinduism are only different pigments
used by the Divine Painter to picture the human species. To
show bigotry for any man's creed and practices is to alter the
words of the Holy Book. Your officers neglect to tell you of
the true state of things and cover a blazing fire with straw/'
The appeal fell on deaf years. The Emperor was obdurate. He
at this very juncture declared a war upon the Rajputs and
thus flung himself into innumerable difficulties and disasters,
which ultimately swallowed him up and ruined his Empire.

new history of the marathas volume I shivaji and his line 1600 1707, govind sakharam sardesai, Pg 260-261.

http://dli.iiit.ac.in/cgi-bin/Browse/scrip...e=2020050057066

08-30-2006, 03:07 AM

Bharatvarsh,
Thanks, very informative post. Learning lot.

Bharatvarsh · 08-30-2006, 07:18 AM

QUOTE1. The Amatya's tribute. â We cannot see the full height
of a gigantic tree when we stand beneath it. So, too, a hero's
true greatness is perceived only when he is viewed from a dis-
tance in time. It is, therefore, a wonder how Shivaji's character,
policy and achievements were so correctly judged by one of his
own ministers, Ramchandra Nilakanth. This officer had filled
the post of Amatya (or Accountant General) under him for
ten years, and afterwards showed signal capacity by successfully
organising the national defence and ensuring concerted action
between scattered elements during Maharashtra's life-and-death
struggle with all the forces of the Mughal Empire, after
Sambhaji's tragic death and the flight of Rajarlam from the
homeland. He wrote a sort of political testament for the
guidance of the succeeding kings, which is known as the Ajna-
patra.a

I shall begin by giving here some extracts from this won-
derfully penetrative analysis of Shivaji's character and aims :
" The epoch-maker Chhatrapati was at first a Muslim's
dependent but he ;managed from the age of fifteen to free his
small jagir of Poona and based his future greatness on that
small beginning, entirely relying on his own effort and ini-
tiative.

" He judged the capacities of men and created his own
helpmates and servants by enabling them to do great things,
so that he could succeed in what appeared impossible at the
beginning. He welded the scattered elements of his people
into a united body and with their help accomplished his main
object. He was surrounded at first by three powerful states
the Adilshahi, the Kutbshahi and the Nizamshahi, besides the
Subhas of the Mughal Emperor, each maintaining a lac of
troops. There were besides these the Siddis, the French, the
English, the Dutch, with smaller chief ships like Ramnagar,
Sondha, Bidnur, Mysore, Trichinopoly and the various local
Palegars with clansmen like the Morays, the Shirkes, the
Savants, the Nimbalkars, the Ghatges, etc.

" All these he encompassed with the extraordinary power of
his own ingenuity. He overcame every enemy, some he openly
attacked, some he compelled to accept a fight, some he surpris-
ed by means of ingenious contrivance, others he weakened by
involving them in mutual dissensions, sometimes secretly
fomenting quarrels ; others he confounded by sudden raids up-
on their camps and habitations. Seme he boldly met in open
combat, some he won over through tempting offers, some he
boldly went to visit personally, some were scattered through
curious stratagem.

" He audaciously built his own forts and shelters in alien
jurisdictions; in the case of some who were already strongly en-
trenched in naval bases, he raised his own rival sea-forts. His
navy forcibly entered some inaccessible ports. In this way deal-
ing differently with different opponents he established an
independent kingdom of his own stretching from Salher and
Ahiwant in West Khandesh to Tanjore on the Kaveri, with un-
challenged supremacy, erecting for its defence hundreds of forts
and several sea-bases with extensive market places. He created
his own regiments of 40 thousand paid troops, in addition to
about 70 thousand shilledars or hired troopers, and an infantry
of some two lacs, a treasure which could be counted by crores,
choice jewelry and material provision of every indispensable
article. Thus he elevated his Maratha nation consisting of 96
clans to an unheard of dignity, crowning the whole achievement
by occupying an exalted throne and assuming the title of
Chhatrapati. All this he did for the defence of his religion,
for putting Gods and Brahmans in a position enabling them
to have their proper functions performed without molestation.
Under Shivaji's rule robberies and injustice became unknown,
and his commands came to be strictly obeyed by all. He plung-
ed the most powerful Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb into an ocean
of grief. Indeed this miracle is a special creation of God Al-
mighty through Shivaji's instrumentality/'

new history of the marathas volume I shivaji and his line 1600 1707, govind sakharam sardesai, Pg 272-274.

http://dli.iiit.ac.in/cgi-bin/Browse/scrip...e=2020050057066

08-30-2006, 08:26 AM

Bharatvarsh, great info, but the links don't work. Page gives error...or is it only my browser settings?

Bharatvarsh · 08-30-2006, 05:48 PM

QUOTEBharatvarsh, great info, but the links don't work. Page gives error...or is it only my browser settings? 
Bodhi doesn't matter, even my page says "Error in Structural Metadata
404 Not Found" when it opens but wait a few secs then at the bottom you will see page numbers and there are diff versions u can select (PTIFF, HTML etc), for most of these books only the PTIFF version works for me, so u have type in the page # u want into the box and read that page and type in the next page number, so u can only read page by page in these books and if u select PTIFF (the only version which works in many cases and the most clear version since it shows scanned pages) you have to download each page, it takes 4 or 5 seconds to download each page.

Bharatvarsh · 08-30-2006, 08:30 PM

QUOTE(6) The contemporary English merchants of Surat wrote,â
" Shivaji is the fairest friend, noblest enemy, and the

most politique Prince/'

" He will continue victorious even to a miracle."
" Shivaji Raja, ambitious to be famed mighty conqueror,
marched into Karnatak and with a success as happy as
Caesar's in Spain, he came, he saw, and he conquered. He
has taken two very strong Ghurs or rocks, being no less dexter-
ous thereat than Alexander the Great and become master of
Bijapur. He has vowed to his God never to sheath his sword
till he has reached Delhi and shut up Aurangzeb in it. It is
too well known that Shivaji is a second Sartorius and comes
not short of Hanniball for stratagems. He loved his country
but was not partial to any one. He had many Muslims in his
service and the head of his navy was a Muslim. But he could
not tolerate the conversion of his Hindu brethren to either
Islam or to Christianity. The underlying reason for his ven-
geance upon Aurangzeb was the religious policy of that mo-
narch."

new history of the marathas volume I shivaji and his line 1600 1707, govind sakharam sardesai, Pg 297.

http://dli.iiit.ac.in/cgi-bin/Browse/scrip...e=2020050057066

09-03-2006, 11:44 PM

Some information of the Bhonsales and Ranas.

Four sources stress a relation of Sisodias with the Bhonsales:
1. Ghorpade records of Mudhol
2. Sisodia records of Mewar
3. Sarvakhap records of Shoron
4. Bhonsale tradition

NOTE:
I have given proper names including all its vowels, which was pronounced before modern times in N India. The word "singh" had these variations before: simha or siha or even si (see for instance Ratansi).
Of course the older forms of the names om old-Rajasthani, Braj, etc. are different
than given here. I have

1. Ghorpade of Mudhol
These Bhonsales give these names as their ancestors: Lakshmanasimha Sisodia-Ajayasimha (and Arisimha, father of Maharana Hamvirasimha, in KilawaRa)-Sujanasimha (Ajabasimha)-Dilipasimha-Shidhaji-Bhairavaji-(Karnasimha and) Devaraja-(Pratapasimha and) Ugrasena- (Shubha Krishna and) Karnasimha-Bhimasimha of Mudhol, who took the title Raja Ghorpade instead of the original Rana.
Then: Bhimasimha-Kheloji (death 1514)-Maloji-Akhaisimha-Karnasimha II-Cholaraja-Piraji-Pratapasimha (contemporary of relative Shahaji Bhonsale).

2. Sisodias
The KhummÃ¢Na RÃ¢so (see Tod and Mewar Encyclopaedia) gives the following information: Rana Ajaisi (Ajayasimha) Sisodia, asked the young Hamvirasimha for help, as his own sons Sajansi (Sajanasimha or Sujanasimha of the Mudhol records) and Ajamsi (also given as Ajabsingh in the Mudhol tradition) were too young.
Ajamsi died in Kelwara, while Sajansi was "sent" from the country, as per Tod. (perhaps the youngsters were sent in safety, to secure one branch of Sisodias against Muslim aggression, to reappear later when older, with fresh troops)
Sajansi departed for the Deccan, according to the Mewar tradition.
Then Tod, and Mewar Encyclopaedia too, give the names of the lineage of the Bhonsales, in note 3 of his book: Ajaisi-Sajansi-Dalipji-Sheoji-Bhoraji-Deoraj-Ugarsen-Mahulji-Kheluji-Jankoji-Satuji-Sambhaji-[Maloji left out-]Shivaji.

3. Sarvakhap
From Message #49888 in IndianCivilization by Ravi Chaudhury: âAs published in the weekly newsletter February 7, 1986 Sarvhitkari, an extract from the records of the Haryana Sarvakhap, Village Shoron, Distt Muzzafarnagar: -
```Shivaji's grandfather was Maloji Bhonsle of the ruling clan of Chittor. Some seven or eight generations before Maloji, Shivrao Rana 's son Bhim Singh, escaped from the Fort of Bhonsla with his life. The clan name Bhonsle was so derived. This happened circa 1360 VS (1303 AD). Alahudin Khilji had attacked Chittor successful about then.â
NOTE: There is some confusion here, as âof the ruling clan of Chittorâ should be read as âdescended from the ruling clan of Chittorâ. There was no Bhonsala fort incident in 1303, but rather a KilawaRa fort incident.
Shivrao Rana of this record is Sheoji of Mewar records and Sidhaji of the Mudhol records. The Bhimsingh of the Sarvakhap records may refer to the Mudhol Rana who changed his title in Raja Gharpade in his new residence.

Ranas and Vipra connection
There are three records which says that connect the Mewar Ranas with Vipras. See "The history and Culture of the Indian People, Vol. III The Classical Age, page 159, where the Mewar Inscription of AD 1274 calls Bappa Rawal a Vipra, and the one of AD 1285 says that Bappa exchanged Brahma for Kshatra.
See also the "Inscription from the ruins of Aitpur: In Samvatsir 1034, the 16th of the month Bysakh, was erected this dwelling of Nanukswami.
From Anundpoor came he of Brahmin race (may he flourish), Muhee Deva Sri Goha Dit, from whom became famous on the earth the Gohil tribe."
[In note 3 he gave this original for the reading of "Brahmin" race:
Vipra cula = Vipra kula] Tod, Vol. II, Appendix V., page 924, also Mewar Encyclopaedia.
NOTE: it is one thing to give a Gotracharya, but another to say that one changes Brahma for Kshatra. Or saying to be of Vipra kula.

A further support for the Vipra connection is in Todâs Vol II, page 602: "The Ranas of Mewar, as the diwans, or vicegerents of Siva, when they visit the temple supersede the high priest in his duties, and perform the ceremonies, which the reigning prince does with peculiar correctness and grace."

09-04-2006, 12:08 AM

B.t.w the word Bappa(i) is a title. It is derived of the Sanskrit word VÃ¢kpati or master of speech = poet. The Pramara kings and other dynasties used this title too for their most poetic kings.

10-02-2006, 02:31 PM

Read the review of Laine's book by one of our esteemed JNU bred anti national marxist historians

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FJ09Df02.html

**Hauma Hamiddha** · 11-27-2006, 12:56 PM

The problem of the origin of the royal Bhosles, or the clan of Shivaji the reviver of Hindu fortunes, has interested me at various points due to a variety of reasons. I had come across the notorious stone inscription in Thanjavur that gave a peculiar genealogy that did not match any other genealogy from Maharashtra. During my peregrinations in the Maharatta country I came across tribal Bhosles who were cattle-herders, and many other tribal groups bearing traditionally Maharatta last names- e.g. the Shinde, the Holkar and the Gaikavad. There is evidence that these later Maharatta princes were originally shUdras who attained royal status due their military distinction. So given the Thanjavur inscription, I did not find it impossible if the royal Bhosles were also shUdras who attained royal status as the latter Maharatta princes had done. Per say, this phenomenon was pretty widespread: In Andhra, in the years of the great struggle, we have the Kamma and Reddi shUdras attain royal status as consequence of valiant struggle against the Moslems. In support of such origins for the Bhosles we have the statement of Jadhavrao the father-in-law of Shahji. When Shahji's father, Maloji, asked him for his daughter's had he refused initially citing his higher status as result of his descent from the yAdava clan who were originally rulers of Maharashtra at the time before the Islamic delude. The name bhosle is various hyper-sanskritized: paramAnanda makes it bR^iShabala. A smArta eulogist from Thanjavur made it bhAsvata-kula. This suggests that it probably did not really have a Sanskrit original.

Yet, we have many assertions to the contrary claiming royal Bhosles to be a Rajputs of the Sisodia dynasty. This idea greatly fascinated me, because it would mean that many primary Hindu heroes of mediaeval times had a common origin- linking the Ranas Hammir, Kumbha, Sanga and Pratap with Shivaji - a pretty remarkable thing if true. So what are the points that support the Rajput origins of Shivaji?
1) shiva-bhArata of paramAnanda: Shivaji and Shahji are of the ikShvAku lineage like the Sisodias
2) parnAla-parvata-grahaNAkhyAna: Shivaji is a Sisodia
3) Bhushan the Hindi poet states the same.
4) Shahji in his letter to the Sultan Adilshah states he is a Rajput.
5) Islamic raconteur Khafi Khan describes Shivaji as a descendent of the Ranas of Chittor.
6) rAdhA-mAdhava-vilAsa-champu of kavi jayarAma (~1654 CE) describes Shivaji as descending from the Sisodias of Chittor.
7) An intelligence dispatch of the East India company from 28th Nov 1659 reports: "Sevagy, a great Rashpoote issues forth from his fort Rayguhr to strike blows on the Emperor, Duccan, Golconda and the Portuguese."
8) Tod and Ojha who had access to the Rajput records claimed that they apparently mention the Bhosles descending from Ajay Singh, the uncle of Vir Hammir.
The proponents of the Rajput theory mention that after Lakshman Singh and Ari Singh died fighting Khalji, the Rajputs fled to the Aravalis. Here, Ajay Singh brought up Vir Hammir the son of his brother Ari Singh. When Ajay Singh faithfully handed the throne to Hammir, his sons were furious and fled to the Deccan. One of them Sajjan Singh then founded the Bhosle clan in Maharashtra. In Rajasthan, Vir Hammir liberated Mewar from the Moslems after defeating them in many battles.

The following are the main dynastic accounts given for Shivaji (names phonetically rendered):
Kolhapur Royal chronicles:
lakshmaNa siMha -> sajjana siMha (reaches Maharashtra in 1310 AD) -> dilIpa siMha -> shivAjI-I -> bhosAjI -> devaraj-jI -> ugrasena -> mahulAjI -> khelojI -> janako-jI -> sambhAjI -> bAbAjI -> mAlojI -> shahAji -> shivajI Chatrapati

As per Tod's account from Rajput chronicles:
ajaya siMha -> sajjana siMha -> dilIpa siMha -> shivAjI-I -> bhorAjI -> devaraj-jI -> ugrasena -> mahUljI-> khailujI -> janako-jI -> sattujI -> sambhAjI -> shivajI Chatrapati

Satara Museum chronicles:
lakshmaNa siMha -> sajjana siMha (reaches Maharashtra in 1310 AD) -> dilIpa siMha -> siMhajI-I -> bhosAjI -> devaraj-jI (came to south India) indrasen-jI -> shubhakR^iShNa -> rUpAjI -> bhumIndra-jI -> dhApAjI -> barbaTjI -> khelojI -> jaya-karNa -> sambhAjI bAbAjI -> mAlojI -> shahAji -> shivajI Chatrapati

Thanjavur stone inscription:
yekojI -> sharabhojI (came to south India) -> mahAsena -> ekashiva -> rAmachandra -> bhImarAya -> ekojI -> varAha -> ekojI II -> brahmAjI -> shahAjI -> ambAjI -> parasojI -> bAbAjI -> mAlojI -> shahAji -> ekojI or vyAnkojI (First Maharatta king of Thanjavur)

The Jintikars of Gwalior give the following genealogy:
bakhtAjI (came to south India from north) -> nAgojI -> ekojI/vyAnkojI -> bAbAjI -> mAlojI -> shahAjI -> sambhAjI (elder brother of shivAjI) -> umAjI -> parsojI (may not be real son) -> jinTikar bhosles

From royal Rajput documents with seals, termed sanads one can confirm the following:
lakshmaNa siMha -> ajaya siMha -> sajjana siMha -> dilIpa siMha -> sidhoji -> bhairoji (bhosAjI?) -> devaraj-jI -> ugrasena -> shubakR^iShNa

All reliable Maharatta accounts confirm:
bAbAjI -> mAlojI -> shahAji -> shivajI Chatrapati

The connection between the two is the major un-answered question. One might notice that most non-Shivaji lineages of Bhosles match with the Shivaji lineage's claims only starting from Babaji Bhosle the Patil of Verul, associated with the shiva temple of ghR^iShneshvara. Hence it might be posited that the Sisodia connection is ficticious. The opponents of the Sisodia theory state that Gagabhatta, the great brahmin scholar of from Kashi, created this genealogy to legitimize Shivaji as a kShatriya and give him the yaGYopavIta and savitrI.

But there is another important point in this connection - the origin of the royal Bhosles of Nagpur who rose to power under their brave leader Raghuji, whose wife had an insatiable taste for French wine. The royal Bhosles of Nagpur too claimed a Sisodia origin from Sajjan Singh. But they had definitely branched off from Shivaji's line before Babaji Bhosle, and so we are already in the murky zone. The piece of evidence linking them Shivaji comes from a tale related to his death. Since Shambaji was under detention during Shivaji's death and for reasons unclear to be Rajaram also not around, Sabaji Bhosle an ancestor of the royal Nagpur Bhosle performed the funerary rites. Shahu also briefly considered appointing the Nagpur Bhosle as his successor because he lacked a son, but eventually chose Rajaram's descendent as his successor, being a closer relative. This suggests that the royal Bhosle clans did consider each other related. Another Maharatta clan, the Ghorpades, also claim descent from the same Sisodia lineage and declare themselves as the elder line to the Bhosles. It is possible that their claim is a bit more solid.

Recently, there has been a new theory that tries to ingeniously combine the cattle-herder origins with royal origins. This theory derived in part from the book "shikhar shingaNapUrchA shambhu mahAraj" in the Maharatti language has the following elements: 1) Bhosle is etymologically related to Hoysala. The Hoysalas were old rulers of Karnataka and Tamilnad, and parts of what is now Maharashtra. 2) A chieftain of the Hoysala family baliyappA gopati, the grandson of mahabhillama was the ancestor of Shivaji. He was a major cattle-herder with numerous herds and built a temple for mallikArjuna in Shikhar-Shinganapur. The Bhosle surname was taken up by his descendents or herders unrelated to him but in his payroll. It was common even in the north for servants to take the surnames of Rajput masters. The royal Bhosles are direct descendents of baliyappA gopati, while the tribal one may those of his erstwhile herders. In support of this it is note the mallikArjuna was a very important shrine for Shivaji, and he spent a while performing rites there. His brother Ekoji/Vyankoji built the Malleshvaram temple in Bangalore again for the same form of shiva. The li~Nga of ghR^iShneshvara also seems to be a representative of mallikArjuna.

Even today Shikhar-Shinganapur is a major temple for Maharatti pastoralists and it had several vIra-kals in the vicinity that depict carvings of fallen cattle-raiders, similar to those of the Tamil poems, and women worshiping rudra.

11-27-2006, 08:13 PM

Wasn't this fascination in among Marathas 17th century to have a Rajput lineage because of the acclaimed martial prowess of the Rajputs against Muslim invaders. And also to justify themselves to be the ruling clans.

But in your article on Bhoja, concerning the origin of Rajputs, it is mentioned that the view becoming prevalent that Rajput clans like Rathore, Parmaras (and the Maratha surname Pawar is a corruption of Parmara) had Rashtrakuta origin. Solankis anyways are descendants of Chalukyas. Regards Chalukyas there is dispute of whether they are indigenous to Deccan or whether they came from nprth, but Rashtrakutas are known to be from south, I think Latur district. What is the origin of Sisodias?

So in a way the some Rajput clans had origin in Maharashtra and later day Marathas tried to trace their origin back from Rajputs. Pretty interesting cycle.

11-27-2006, 08:33 PM

QUOTE(Bharatvarsh @ Aug 30 2006, 05:48 PM)<div class='quotetop'>QUOTEBharatvarsh, great info, but the links don't work. Page gives error...or is it only my browser settings? 
Bodhi doesn't matter, even my page says "Error in Structural Metadata
404 Not Found" when it opens but wait a few secs then at the bottom you will see page numbers and there are diff versions u can select (PTIFF, HTML etc), for most of these books only the PTIFF version works for me, so u have type in the page # u want into the box and read that page and type in the next page number, so u can only read page by page in these books and if u select PTIFF (the only version which works in many cases and the most clear version since it shows scanned pages) you have to download each page, it takes 4 or 5 seconds to download each page.
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</div>

Pls can you tell me if there is any way to copy them to my system. Rgds

**Hauma Hamiddha** · 11-28-2006, 07:42 AM

QUOTE(kartiksri @ Nov 27 2006, 09:43 AM)Wasn't this fascination in among Marathas 17th century to have a Rajput lineage because of the acclaimed martial prowess of the Rajputs against Muslim invaders. And also to justify themselves to be the ruling clans. 

Per say I am not strongly rooting for a particular theory regarding Shivaji's origins. I am somewhat inclined to believe that the Bhosles had an origin amongst local powerful cattle herders. After all some other Indian dyansties have come from cattle-herders, perhaps even the old Yadavas of Maharastra and their branches. In Andhra too the pastoralists had considerable military power as illustrated by the famous Golla epic. But we cannot be sure.

QUOTESo in a way the some Rajput clans had origin in Maharashtra and later day Marathas tried to trace their origin back from Rajputs. Pretty interesting cycle.


That is correct- in fact many Maratha families might have real Rajput or old dynasty ties. Here are some commonly supposed ones:
Chavan: Chauhan / Salunke: Chalukya / Shelar: Shilahara / Kadam: Kadamba / Morey: Maurya / etc

So we cannot dimiss a Rajput connection outright, while at the same time some of it may be ficticious.

11-29-2006, 12:00 AM

QUOTE(Hauma Hamiddha @ Nov 27 2006, 12:56 PM)
8) Tod and Ojha who had access to the Rajput records claimed that they apparently mention the Bhosles descending from Ajay Singh, the uncle of Vir Hammir.
The proponents of the Rajput theory mention that after Lakshman Singh and Ari Singh died fighting Khalji, the Rajputs fled to the Aravalis. Here, Ajay Singh brought up Vir Hammir the son of his brother Ari Singh. When Ajay Singh faithfully handed the throne to Hammir, his sons were furious and fled to the Deccan. One of them Sajjan Singh then founded the Bhosle clan in Maharashtra. In Rajasthan, Vir Hammir liberated Mewar from the Moslems after defeating them in many battles.

The following are the main dynastic accounts given for Shivaji (names phonetically rendered):
Kolhapur Royal chronicles:
lakshmaNa siMha -> sajjana siMha (reaches Maharashtra in 1310 AD) -> dilIpa siMha -> shivAjI-I -> bhosAjI -> devaraj-jI -> ugrasena -> mahulAjI -> khelojI -> janako-jI -> sambhAjI -> bAbAjI -> mAlojI -> shahAji -> shivajI Chatrapati

As per Tod's account from Rajput chronicles:
ajaya siMha -> sajjana siMha -> dilIpa siMha -> shivAjI-I -> bhorAjI -> devaraj-jI -> ugrasena -> mahUljI-> khailujI -> janako-jI -> sattujI -> sambhAjI -> shivajI Chatrapati
[right][snapback]61404[/snapback][/right]

Hauma,
Rawal Ajay actually did not bring up Hammir. Hammir was growing up in his mother's village and was called by Rawal Ajay to help him against a dacoit named Munja Balicha. Please read about it here:
http://hindurajput.blogspot.com/#Maharana_Hammir

-Digvijay

**Hauma Hamiddha** · 11-29-2006, 05:25 AM

QUOTE Rawal Ajay actually did not bring up Hammir. Hammir was growing up in his mother's village and was called by Rawal Ajay to help him against a dacoit named Munja Balicha.Â Please read about it here:


Yes, I have seen that variant of the story too, where he is taken to his maternal house. I am not sure how one can choose between that the version where he was with Ajay Singh.The Maharatta chronicles follow the latter version. As per the later version he was 12 years old or something like that when Ajay's party states he must be tested and asks him to go kill Munja.

11-29-2006, 08:22 AM

QUOTE(Hauma Hamiddha @ Nov 29 2006, 05:25 AM)<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE Rawal Ajay actually did not bring up Hammir. Hammir was growing up in his mother's village and was called by Rawal Ajay to help him against a dacoit named Munja Balicha.Â Please read about it here:


Yes, I have seen that variant of the story too, where he is taken to his maternal house. I am not sure how one can choose between that the version where he was with Ajay Singh.The Maharatta chronicles follow the latter version. As per the later version he was 12 years old or something like that when Ajay's party states he must be tested and asks him to go kill Munja.
[right][snapback]61491[/snapback][/right]
</div>
Hello Hauma,
Hammir's life is a rather interesting. When Ari married Urmila, Hammir's mother, he could not break the news to Lakshman Singh because he knew that this marriage would not get Lakshman's approval as Urmila was a commoner and did not belong to royal lineage (though she was a rajputani). Ari would go see her on the pretext of hunting. Once Lakshman decided to launch an attack on Chittor to free it of turks, Ari went along and did not come back. But some of his retainers and his brother knew that his son lived with the mother.

Second interesting thing took place when Hammir was married. Chittor was being looked after by a Chauhan rajput for the delhi sultanate. His daughter was a child widow.
To belittle Hammir he decided to get her married to Hammir without telling him about the widow status. In those days it was considered a grave sin to marry a widow.

So when Hammir reached Chittor to marry the girl there was almost no pomp and show. Hammir's retainers got worried and thought that perhaps it is ploy to capture Hammir. Prior to this event Hammir had been raiding Muslims incessantly but was not able to win Chittor.

Hammir's wife did help him in regaining Chittor.

-Digvijay

**Hauma Hamiddha** · (This post was last modified: 11-30-2006, 06:15 AM by Hauma Hamiddha.)

QUOTESecond interesting thing took place when Hammir was married. Chittor was being looked after by a Chauhan rajput for the delhi sultanate. His daughter was a child widow.

Apparently, Vanvir the son of this Maldev Chauhan joined Hammir latter and fought on his side against the Moslems. But what was the ancestry of Maldev- did he belong to the Shakambari or Naddula branch of Chahamanas?

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