Shirke

Last updated

The Shirke is a clan (Gotra) found in several castes such as Koli, [1] Maratha, [2] Agri, [3] found largely in Maharashtra and bordering states of India.

Contents

Shirke
शिरके
Clan (Gotra) of Koli, Maratha, Agri castes
Ethnicity
Location
Parent tribe Marathi people
Language
Religion Hindu
Surnames

History

The Shirke clan held Deshmukhi rights in the areas of coastal Konkan in present day state of Maharashtra and some inland areas of Western Maharashtra during 15th century under the Bahamani Sultanate and in 16th and 17th century under the successor Deccan sultanates of Adilshahi and Nizamshahi [4] During the Bahamani era, the seat of Shirke fief was at Khelna (Vishalgad). [5] The Shirkes intermarried with the Surves and kept command over their regions. In the mid 17th century, Shivaji, the founder of Maratha empire got the Surve and Shirke to join him by force or by forming marital alliances.[ citation needed ]

The Shirkes were relatives of 17th Bhosale rulers, Shahaji, Shivaji, Sambhaji, and Rajaram.Although Sambhaji's wife came from the Shirke family, his positions were spied upon. Sambhaji and 25 of his advisors were captured by the Mughal forces of Muqarrab Khan in a skirmish at Sangameshwar in February 1689. [6]

The Shirke were relations and confidantes of the Raja Pratapsinha of the short lived Satara state. He also sent a member of the Shirke family to London to plead his case of restoring him to power in 1839. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shivaji</span> Indian king and founder of the Maratha Empire (r. 1674–80)

Shivaji I was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adilshahi Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire. In 1674, he was formally crowned the Chhatrapati of his realm at Raigad Fort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maratha Empire</span> 1674–1818 empire in the Indian subcontinent

The Maratha Empire also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy was an early modern Indian empire and later a confederation that controlled large portions of the Indian Subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shivaji of the Bhonsle dynasty as the Chhatrapati. Although Shivaji came from the Maratha caste, the Maratha empire also included warriors, administrators, and other nobles from the Maratha and several other castes from what is known today as Maharashtra. The Maratha Kingdom was expanded into a full-fledged Empire in the 18th Century under the leadership of Peshwa Bajirao I.

The Maratha caste is composed of 96 clans, originally formed in the earlier centuries from the amalgamation of families from the peasant (Kunbi), shepherd (Dhangar), blacksmith (Lohar), carpenter (Sutar), Bhandari, Thakar and Koli castes in Maharashtra. Many of them took to military service in the 16th century for the Deccan sultanates or the Mughals. Later in the 17th and 18th centuries, they served in the armies of the Maratha Empire, founded by Shivaji, a Maratha Kunbi by caste. Many Marathas were granted hereditary fiefs by the Sultanates, and Mughals for their service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peshwa</span> Prime Minister of the Maratha empire

Peshwa was second highest office in the Maratha Confederacy, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha empire, the office became hereditary after the death of Shahu in 1749. During the reign of Shahu, the office of Peshwa grew in power and the Peshwas came to be the de facto rulers of the Maratha empire. However following the defeat of the Marathas in 1761, the office of the Peshwa became titular as well and from that point onwards served as the ceremonial head of the Confederacy underneath the Chhatrapati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balaji Baji Rao</span> 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire (1720–1761)

Balaji Baji Rao, often referred to as Nana Saheb I, was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon the death of his father, the Peshwa Bajirao I.

The Bhonsle are a prominent group within the Maratha clan system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinhagad</span> Hill Fort in Maharashtra, India

Sinhagad is an ancient hill fortress located at around 49 km southwest of the city of Pune, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarabai</span> Queen of Maratha Empire, Military Commander

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 empire's founder Shivaji I. She is acclaimed for her role in keeping alive the resistance against Mughal occupation of Maratha territories after the death of her husband, and acting as the regent during the minority of her son, Shivaji II.

The Maratha Clan System, refers to the 96 Maratha clans.The clans together form the Maratha caste of India. These Marathas primarily reside in the Indian state of Maharashtra, with smaller regional populations in other states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deccan wars</span> 1680–1707 wars between the Mughal and Maratha empires

The Deccan wars were a series of military conflicts between the Mughal Empire and the descendants of the Maratha ruler Shivaji from the time of Shivaji's death in 1680 until the death of Emperor 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.

The Dalvi is a clan (Gotra) of the Koli caste found in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Bhoite is a surname found amongst the Maratha caste, mainly in the state of Maharashtra in India but it also appears in Indian states bordering Maharashtra.

Prachitgad is a fort in the Sahyadri mountain range in Sangli district of Maharashtra state, India. It covers an area of 5 acres (20,000 m2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panhala Fort</span> Medieval fort in Maharashtra, India

Panhala fort, is located in Panhala, 20 kilometres northwest of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India. It is strategically located looking over a pass in the Sahyadri mountain range which was a major trade route from Bijapur in the interior of Maharashtra to the coastal areas. Due to its strategic location, it was the centre of several skirmishes in the Deccan involving the Marathas, the Mughals and the British the grand son's of chhatrapati shivaji maharaj East India Company, the most notable being the Battle of Pavan Khind. Here, the queen regent of Kolhapur, Tarabai Ranisaheb, spent her formative years. Several parts of the fort and the structures within are still intact. It is also called as the 'Fort of Snakes' as it is zigzagged in shape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohite (clan)</span> Maratha clan

The House of Mohite or Mohite clan is a prominent Maratha clan, that held significant positions as Senapati and Sardar within the Maratha Empire. The House of Mohite was established by Sambhaji Mohite, who served as the Subedar of Saswad and was the brother of Shahaji's wife, Tukabai. He was also the father of Soyarabai, who later became the wife of Chhatrapati Shivaji. His son Hambirrao Mohite became the Senapati of the Maratha Empire. The Mohite clan played significant role during the Mughal-Maratha wars.

Pisal is surname mainly found amongst the 96 Maratha clans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Maharashtra</span>

Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India. It is India's second-most populous state and third-largest state by area. The region that comprises the state has a long history dating back to approximately 1300–700 BCE, although the present-day state was not established until 1960 CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratap Singh (Raja of Satara)</span> First Raja of Satara from 1818 to 1839

Pratap Singh Bhonsale was the eighth and last Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire from 1808 to 1818, when he surrendered to the British during the Third Anglo-Maratha War. He was also the Raja of Satara from 1818 until 1839, when he was replaced with Shahaji of Satara by the British.

Annaji Datto Sachiv was the Sachiv in the Ashta Pradhan mandal of the Maratha Empire during the rule of Shivaji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhonsle dynasty</span> Indian Marathi house

The Bhonsle dynasty are a prominent Indian Marathi royal house. They claimed descent from the Rajput Sisodia dynasty, but were likely Kunbi Marathas.

References

  1. Hassan, Syed Siraj ul (1989). The Castes and Tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions. New Delhi, India: Asian Educational Services. pp. 335: Koli clans of Maharashtra: Bhagiwant, Budiwant, Bhonsle, Kadam, Aghasee, Chavan, Dagai, Dalvi, Gaekwad, Gowli, Jagtap, Kedar, Kharad, Khirsagar, Namdev, Pawar, Polevas, Shiv, Sirkhi (Shirke), Suryavanshi, Utercha, Sagar, Shaikhacha, Shesh, Vanalpal. ISBN   978-81-206-0488-9.
  2. Karve, Irawati Karmarkar (1953). Kinship Organisation in India. Deccana College Post-graduate and Research Institute. p. 157.
  3. Shrivastavya, Vidayanand Swami (1952). Are Rajput-Maratha Marriages Morganatic?. New Delhi, India, Asia: D.K. Shrivastavya. p. 127.
  4. Kulkarni, G.T. (1992). "Deccan (Maharashtra) Under the Muslim Rulers From Khaljis to Shivaji: A Study in Interaction, Profesor S.M. Katre Felicitation". Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute. 51/52: 501–510. JSTOR   42930434.
  5. Shanti Sadiq Ali (1996). The African Dispersal in the Deccan: From Medieval to Modern Times. Orient Blackswan. pp. 45–46. ISBN   978-81-250-0485-1.
  6. Mehta, Jaswant Lal (1 January 2005). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. ISBN   9781932705546.
  7. Sumitra Kulkarni (1995). The Satara Raj, 1818-1848: A Study in History, Administration, and Culture. Mittal Publications. pp. 25, 33. ISBN   978-81-7099-581-4.

Further reading