3. The Rise of the Marathas

Bhakti means loving devotion to God or a particular deity. To me, it means a simple and sincere love for God without depending only on outward rituals.

Example — Sant Tukaram (17th century, Dehu near Pune): He was a devotee of Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur. He composed abhangas in simple Marathi. He taught that God can be reached through pure devotion and a good life. He spoke against caste discrimination, hypocrisy and blind rituals. His abhangas are still sung by the Warkaris during the Pandharpur wari.

1. “How did you get the idea of Swarājya at such a young age?” — to know what inspired him.
2. “Why did you decide to build a navy when other rulers did not?” — to understand his vision.
3. “How did you plan your escape from Agra?” — to learn how he stayed calm and clever in danger.

Guerrilla warfare uses small groups with speed, surprise and knowledge of the terrain to defeat bigger armies.

• Vietnam — Vietnamese fighters used dense jungles and underground tunnels against the French and later the Americans.
• Spain — Spanish fighters used mountains to fight Napoleon’s army. The word ‘guerrilla’ itself is Spanish for ‘small war’.
• Afghanistan — Afghan fighters used rugged mountains and caves against foreign armies.
• Cuba — rebels used the Sierra Maestra mountains.

Common advantages were mountains, forests, caves and difficult terrain known well to the local fighters.

• He cared deeply for his subjects and did not want them to be harmed.
• He was against the use of force and oppression.
• He respected the property of common people — even a blade of grass was not to be taken by force.
• He cared for the environment. He knew that fruit trees take years to grow.
• He believed that anything achieved by oppressing others is soon destroyed.

Bharatanatyam took its early shape in the court of the Thanjavur Maratha ruler Serfoji II. He patronised many talented musicians and dancers. The Tanjore Quartet — four brothers in his court — arranged the order of items in a Bharatanatyam performance, which is still followed today. So the Thanjavur Marathas helped shape Bharatanatyam.

• Mountains: The Sahyadri hills had steep slopes and thick forests. Shivaji Maharaj captured and built forts on hilltops. Forts controlled important routes and sheltered the army.
• The hilly terrain was ideal for guerrilla warfare. Afzal Khan’s army was routed in the forests near Pratapgad.
• Coastline: The kingdom extended to the long west coast. To protect it and its resources, Shivaji Maharaj built a navy and sea forts like Sindhudurg.
• Later, Kanhoji Angre used the geography of the coast to defeat European ships.
• The southern conquest gave the Marathas strategic depth. Rajaram could shift to Gingee and continue the fight.

I would choose Raigad.

• History: Chhatrapati Shivaji was crowned here in 1674. It was the Maratha capital.
• Architecture: It has a grand entrance to the palace, strong walls, gates, water tanks and the market street.
• Strategic importance: It stands on a high hill with steep cliffs on most sides, so it was very hard for enemies to attack.

It means that when the British were expanding, the Marathas — not the Mughals — were the strongest power in India. So the British had to defeat the Marathas to control India.

Evidence:

• The Marathas brought large parts of India under their control after Aurangzeb’s death.
• They recaptured Delhi in 1771 and held it until the British took it about three decades later.
• In the late 18th century, the Marathas were the chief rivals of the British.
• Three Anglo-Maratha wars were fought between 1775 and 1818. Maratha power ended only in 1818.

• Chhatrapati Shivaji was a devout Hindu who respected other religions.
• When he sacked Surat, he did not attack religious places.
• He rebuilt desecrated temples and promoted Sanskrit and Marathi.
• The later Marathas continued this. The Bhonsles of Nagpur revived the worship of Lord Jagannath at Puri.
• Ahilyabai Holkar rebuilt the Kashi Vishwanath and Somnath temples.
• The chapter says the Marathas revived local Hindu traditions without religious discrimination.

• Forts controlled important routes.
• They sheltered the army during guerrilla warfare.
• Built on hills and coasts, they were very hard to capture.
• Without forts, the land would be devastated in an invasion.
• When Aurangzeb attacked for decades, the Marathas defended their forts staunchly. So the Maratha state survived even after Bijapur and Golconda fell.

Front side: A hill fort with a saffron flag on top, and the words ‘Shri Raja Shiva Chhatrapati’ in Devanagari.

Back side: A Maratha warship on waves, with a sword and a pen crossed below it.

• Fort — forts were the core of the Maratha state.
• Saffron flag — the flag adopted by all Marathas.
• Devanagari script — pride in our own language and culture.
• Warship — the strong Maratha navy.
• Sword and pen — bravery together with good administration and learning.