In this episode of “Famous Indian Personalities”, we are going to talk about the popular Maratha ruler Shivaji Bhinsle, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan.

Shivaji was born on 19 February 1630 in Shivneri. His father Shahji Bhinsle was a general in Deccan Sultanate, and his mother was Jijabai. Those were the days when Mughals used to rule our country. Shivaji and his father served for them. As Shivaji grew older, he and his mother were moved to Pune where he got trained and, educated.

With time Sivaji noticed the gruesome treatment of the Mughals towards common people. He then assimilated few loyal people from the western ghats and trained them. With the help of these men Shivaji successfully recaptured few forts of Bijapur from Adil Shah. Till 1647, by the age of 17, Shivaji owned a very big region.

When frustrated Mughals captured Shivaji’s father in order to get hold of Shivaji himself, but he made himself dedicated to his work and focused on expanding his territory. His only goal was to end the rule of Mughals and spread the Maratha rule in India.

After defeating Afzal Khan, many more battles continued to happen until 1674 when Shivaji finally established Maratha rule that continued till 1818. There are many statues build to honor the great Shivaji. Other commemorations include the Indian Navy's station- INS Shivaji, postage stamps, the main airport and railway headquarters in Mumbai, and more. In Maharashtra, there has been a long tradition of children building a replica fort with toy soldiers and other figures during the festival of Diwali in memory of Shivaji.

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/chimesradio

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.