Mumbai: On this day in 1680, Maharashtra’s tallest icon and the son of the soil Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj breathed his last.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is celebrated as one of the great leaders of India.
The Maratha emperor was born on Feb 19, 1630, in the Shivenri fort near Pune to Shahaji and Jijabai. He passed away on April 3, 1680, after battling with fever, and even after 341 years of his death people fondly remember him as one of the biggest rulers of all time.
As a teenager, Shivaji expressed the concept of Hindavi Swarajya (Indian self-rule) in a letter. According to reports, this was the first time that somebody in the Indian sub-continent had expressed the concept of self-rule. Shivaji developed guerrilla techniques and became an expert in warfare. His biggest achievement came at the age of 15 when he brave-heartedly negotiated with Bijapuri commander Inayat Khan to hand over the Torna fort to him.
Shivaji was formally crowned as the Chhatrapati (emperor) of his realm at Raigad in 1674. Shivaji was also known for reviving the Hindu political traditions and he promoted the usage of Marathi and Sanskrit language in administrative processes rather than the Persian language, which was widely used at the time of Mughal rule in India.
He was the first indigenous ruler of medieval India to build his own naval force and led his first full-fledged naval expedition in 1665.
He was a secular king and had many Muslims in his army and office such as Ibrahim Khan and Daulat Khan who were prominent in the navy and Siddi Ibrahim the chief of artillery.
He was a great champion of woman’s rights and had passed rules that forbade dishonour of women. Any crime against women was severely punished. His soldiers and officers were strictly forbidden from womanising and never allowed the taking of women captives.
Shivaji fell ill with fever and dysentery in 1680 and passed away on 3rd April at the age of 52.
