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

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. [6]

The Shirkes were relatives of Bhosale rulers such as Shahaji, Shivaji, Sambhaji, Rajaram and Shahu. Although Sambhaji's wife, Yesubai 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. [7] Shahu married Sakwarbai from the Shirke family. Just like Tarabai, she was an ambitious lady and acted as an advisor to her husband. In the 1740s she had to fight both the Peshwa, and Tarabai for influence at the court.After Shahu's death in 1749, she was forced to commit sati under pressure from the peshwa, Tarabai and her own brother, Kuwarjee Shirke. [8]

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. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sambhaji</span> Second Chhatrapati of the Marathas

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maratha Confederacy</span> Indian political entity (1674–1818)

The Maratha Confederacy, also referred to as the Maratha Empire, was an early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent Maratha states often subordinate to the former. It was established in 1674 with the coronation of Shivaji as the Maratha Chhatrapati and recognised by Emperor Bahadur Shah I as a tributary state in 1707 following a prolonged rebellion. Following this, the Marathas continued to recognise the Mughal emperor as their nominal suzerain, similar to other contemporary Indian entities, though in practice, imperial politics at Delhi were largely influenced by the Marathas between 1737 and 1803.

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

The Peshwa was the 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 Kingdom, 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 Confederacy. 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 Confederacy (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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chhatrapati</span> Indian royal title

Chhatrapati is a royal title from Sanskrit used to denote a king. The word "Chhatrapati" is a Sanskrit language compound word of chhatra and pati (master/lord/ruler). This title was used by the House of Bhonsle, between 1674 and 1818, as the heads of state of the Maratha Confederacy.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shahu I</span> Chhatrapati of the Marathas from 1707–1749

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balaji Vishwanath</span> Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy

Balaji Vishwanath Bhat was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Confederacy and other Mughal vassals 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 II. Later, his son Bajirao I became the Peshwa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarabai</span> Queen consort and later regent of the Maratha Kingdom

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's founder Shivaji I. She is acclaimed for her role in keeping alive the resistance against Mughal rule in Konkan, and acting as the regent of the Maratha Empire during the minority of her son, Shivaji II. She defeated Mughal forces of Aurangzeb in several battles and expanded the Maratha Empire.

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

The Deccan wars also known as Maratha war of independence, 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.

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).

Dabhade surname signifies Maratha and Koli clans found largely in Maharashtra, India. The Maratha Dabhades were originally centered on Talegaon Dabhade, but became the chiefs of Gujarat. They held the hereditary title of Senapati (commander-in-chief) and several jagirs in Gujarat until 1751. That year, Umabai Dabhade and her relatives were arrested for a rebellion against the Peshwa, and were stripped of their titles.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolhapur State</span> Maratha princely state of India

The Kolhapur State 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.

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

Pratap Singh was the eighth and last Chhatrapati of the Maratha Confederacy 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shivaji II</span> Fourth Maratha Chhatrapati from 1700 to 1707

Shivaji II was the fourth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom. He was the son of the Maratha Chhatrapati Rajaram I, and his wife Tarabai. He later became the first Raja of Kolhapur assuming the title as Shivaji Bhonsle I of Kolhapur.

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 is an Indian Marathi royal house of the Bhonsle clan. The Bhonsles 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. Gordon 1993, p. 69,85.
  7. Mehta, Jaswant Lal (1 January 2005). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. ISBN   9781932705546.
  8. Vaidya, S. “ROLE OF SAKWARBAI & SAGUNABAI-QUEENS OF SHAHU IN MARATHA HISTORY 1730-49.” Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, vol. 28, 1966, pp. 311–18. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44140447. Accessed 31 May 2024.
  9. 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.

Bibliography

Further reading