Sambhaji, also known as Shambhuraje, was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Kingdom. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing wars between the Marathas and the Mughal Empire, as well as other neighbouring powers such as the Abyssinians of Janjira, Wadiyars of Mysore and the Portuguese Empire in Goa. After Sambhaji's execution by Aurangzeb, his brother Rajaram I succeeded him as the next Chhatrapati and continued the Mughal–Maratha Wars.
Panhala is a city and a Hill station Municipal Council 18 km northwest of Kolhapur, in Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Panhala is the smallest city in Maharashtra and being a Municipal Council the city is developing rapidly. The city sprawls in the Panhala fort commands a panoramic view of the valley below. The main historical attraction here is the Panhala fort. There are many places of interest, each with its share of haunting anecdotes.
Satara is a city located in the Satara District of Maharashtra state of India, near the confluence of the river Krishna and its tributary, the Venna. The city was established in the 16th century and was the seat of the Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom, Shahu I.
Shahu I was the fifth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Confederacy founded by his grandfather, Shivaji I. He was born into the Bhonsle family, and was the son of Sambhaji I and Yesubai. At a young age, he was taken into custody at the Siege of Raigad by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and held captive. He was released from captivity after the death of Aurangzeb in the hope of engineering an internecine struggle among the Maratha factions of Tarabai and Shahu. Shahu emerged victorious in the bloody Battle of Khed and was crowned as Chhatrapati.
Balaji Vishwanath Bhat was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Empire and the Mughal vassals of the Marathas during the early 18th century. Balaji Vishwanath assisted a young Maratha king Shahu to consolidate his grip on a kingdom that had been racked by civil war and persistently intruded on by the Mughals under Aurangzeb. He was called the Second Founder of the Maratha State. He secured a grant from the Mughal court that confirmed Shahu as the legitimate Mughal vassal, at the expense of his rival Sambhaji. Later, his son Bajirao I became the Peshwa.
Rajaram Bhonsle I was the third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of the Shivaji, the founder of the empire and younger half-brother of Sambhaji, whom he succeeded. His eleven-year reign was marked with a constant struggle against the Mughals. He was succeeded by his infant son Shivaji II under the regentship of his dowager Maharani Tarabai.
Maharani Tarabai Bhosale (née Mohite) was the regent of the Maratha Empire from 1700 until 1708. She was the queen of Rajaram I, and daughter-in-law of the kingdom'd founder Shivaji I. She is acclaimed for her role in keeping alive the resistance against Mughal rule in Konkan, and acting as the regent during the minority of her son, Shivaji II and defeated Aurangazeb
The Deccan wars, also known as Mughal–Maratha wars, were a series of military conflicts between the Mughals and the Marathas after the death of Shivaji in 1680 until the death of Aurangzeb in 1707. Shivaji was a central figure in what has been called "the Maratha insurgency" against the Mughal state. Both he and his son, Sambhaji, or Shambuji, typically, alternated between rebellion against the Mughal state and service to the Mughal sovereign in an official capacity. It was common practice in late 17th-century India for members of a ruling family of a small principality to both collaborate with the Mughals and rebel.
Saibai Bhosale was the first wife and chief consort of Chattrapati Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. She was the mother of her husband's successor Chattrapati Sambhaji.
Shri Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj of Kolhapur or Shahu II is the 12th descendent of Shivaji and the great-grandson of Shahu I of Kolhapur and the son and heir to Shahaji II of Kolhapur. He is the current Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha from Kolhapur constituency and is a member Indian National Congress. He studied at the Bishop Cotton School, Bangalore and later on graduated from the Indore Christian College in 1967 with History, Economics and English literature. He became the ceremonial Maharaja of Kolhapur in 1962.
Rangnath Narayan Orpe, historically mentioned as ‘Rango Narayan’, was a warrior and administrative officer on Fort Vishalgad, under the regime of Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire and his son Sambhaji in the 17th century India. He is mainly known for defeating the Bijapur army in the battle of Vishalgad in July, 1660.
Ramchandra Neelkanth Bawadekar (1650–1716), also known as Ramchandra Pant Amatya, served on the Council of 8 as the Finance Minister (Amatya) to Emperor (Chhatrapati) Shivaji, dating from 1674 to 1680. He then served as the Imperial Regent to four later emperors, namely Sambhaji, Rajaram, Shivaji II and Sambhaji II. He authored the Adnyapatra, a famous code of civil and military administration, and is renowned as one of the greatest civil administrators, political thinkers, diplomats and military strategists of the Maratha Empire.
New Palace, Kolhapur is a palace situated in Kolhapur, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The Palace took 7 years to complete, from 1877 to 1884, costing about seven lakhs of rupees. Being an excellent specimen of Indian architecture built in black polished stone, it has been an attraction for tourists. It has extensive premises with a garden, fountain and wrestling ground. The whole building is eight-angled and has a tower in the middle. The clock on it was fixed in 1877. At separate distances there are small towers. On every glass are painted the events of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's life, the founder of Maratha Empire. There is a zoo and a ground lake. Even today, it is the residence of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja, the direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja.
Kolhapur State or Kolhapur Kingdom (1710–1949) was a Maratha princely State of India, under the Deccan Division of the Bombay Presidency, and later the Deccan States Agency. It was considered the most important of the Maratha principalities with the others being Baroda State, Gwalior State and Indore State. Its rulers, of the Bhonsle dynasty, were entitled to a 19-gun salute – thus Kolhapur was also known as a 19-gun state. The state flag was a swallow-tailed saffron pennant.
Devrukh is a town in the tehsil of Sangameshwar in the Ratnagiri district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is headquarters for the Sangameshwar tehsil and a part of the Konkan region. The town enjoys salubrious climate, and the majority population is involved in agriculture. Summers are warm and winters are not very chilly. Every year Devrukh experiences heavy monsoon. Rice, cashew and alphonso (hapus) mangoes are the major crops in Devrukh.
The Ponda Fort is located near Ponda, in the state of Goa on the west coast of India. The present structure is a modern reconstruction on this location and converted into a park. In 2017 the lower walls of the fort had collapsed, due to neglect and also due to the use of poor quality materials during a previous (1977) renovation. The original structure was constructed of stone and mud, and left bare, the new structure contains stone, concrete and is plastered and painted red.
The Siege of Panhala was led by Siddi Jauhar on behalf of the Bijapur Sultanate, dispatched by Ali Adil Shah II to reclaim the Panhala Fort, was a momentous undertaking. Shivaji had seized Panhala on 28 November 1659, just 18 days after the death of Afzal Khan at Pratapgad. Despite the efforts of two of Bijapur Sultanate’s prominent commanders, Afzal Khan and Rustam Zaman, who had both failed in their attempts to capture Shivaji, victory eluded them. With Bijapur running short of options and facing the expanding influence of Shivaji, the responsibility of bringing this campaign to a conclusion fell on Siddi Jauhar. By taking on this pivotal role, Siddi Jauhar finally earned favor at the Bijapur court, leading to the restoration of the Kurnool district to him, and Shivaji had to surrender the Panhala fort.
Raza Jama Masjid is a mosque in Kolhapur in Maharashtra, The Mosque named after the Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi.
Battle of Satara was fought between the Chhatrapati fraction and the Peshwa fraction of Maratha Empire due to the ill treatment of Peshwa Bajirao II towards the Chhatrapati of Satara.
