The administration of the swaraj - class-VII

Forts have an important place among material sources. Some of the major types of forts are hill forts, forest forts, sea forts and forts on plains. Forts were constructed for strategic purposes. These helped in defending the territories from outsider attack and also acted as shelter during war times.

Bastions were made in the fort wall to ensure security, also to check distance and attack on enemies coming towards the fort from various directions.

Maharaj knew the importance of sea forts too. One of the sea forts that he built was Sindhudurga at Malwan. It is an excellent sea fort. Five khandis of lead was poured into its foundation.

There were around 300 forts in Swaraj. Maharaj spent a considerable amount of money on the building and repairs of these forts.He built hill forts like Pratapgad, Pavangad and Rajgad.

The minister having the duties of foregin affairs was called as Sumant. He also called as Dabir worked as foreign minister and was responsible for corre spondence with other kings.

After the victorious campaign of the South Shivaji Maharaj passed away on Raigad on 3 April 1680. His death at the age of 50 years was a great loss for Swaraj. A great era came into an end.

There were two main divisions of the army of Shivaji Maharaj- infantry and cavalry. In infantry there were officers such as Havaldar and Jumledar. In cavalry there were Shiledars and Bargirs.

Dadoji Kondadeo was an administrator of the Poona Jagir and nearby Kondana fort. According to the Tarikh-i-shivaji, he trained shivaji perosnally.

The minister who was the head of Ecclesiastical Department was called as Pandit Rao. He had two responsibilities 1) looking after charitable work. 2) working for the moral uplift of the people.

The intelligence service of Maharaj was very efficient. Bahirji Naik was the head of the intelligence department. He was extremely skilled in his job. He collected accurate and detailed information about Surat before the raid on Surat.

Bajiprabhu Deshpande is famous for his heroic stand at the Battle of Pavan Khind, where he held off the enemy forces to allow Shivaji Maharaj to reach the safety of Vishalgad fort.

Shivaji Maharaj was a visionary leader known for his exceptional management skills, foresight, and political diplomacy, which were essential in establishing and maintaining the Maratha Empire.

There were four hundred ships of various kind in Maharaj's navy. They included battle ships like gurab, galbat and pal. Ships were built in the creek of Kalyan Bhivandi, Vijaydurga and Malvan.

Shivaji Maharaj built many impenetrable forts on the ridge of plateaus in the Sahyadri mountain range, in many places from Karnataka up to Baglan. In the Rayari fort, Raje Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj remained on the forefront among all the Kings and was victorius.

Maharaj realised the one who has navy ,controls the sea. There were four hundred ships of various kinds in his navy. They included battle ships like gurab, galbat and pal.

A sea fort called Padmadurga was built in front of Rajapuri in order to counter the siddi power. Maharaj has said in a letter that by constructing Padmadurga, he had set up 'another Rajapuri to overshadow the Rajapuri of the Siddi.

Enemies on the west coast of India, the Portuguese of Goa, the Siddi of Janjira, the British factors of Surat and Rajadar, created obstacles in the work of expanding the Swaraj. It was necessary to curb their activities and to protect the west coast.

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule wrote a famous Powada (a type of Marathi ballad) praising the life and achievements of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

IN cavalry, bargirs were more in number. The ranks of the cavalry officers were similar to that of infantry officers. The highest officer in the cavalry was the Sarnobat. Netoji Palkar, Prataprao Gujar, Hambirrao Mohite were some of the famous Sarnobats of the cavalry.

Tanaji Malusare was a legendary Maratha commander who sacrificed his life during the Battle of Sinhagad while capturing the fort from the Mughals.

In the administrative structure of Shivaji's army, a Havaldar was the officer in charge of a unit of 25 cavalry soldiers.

Shivaji Maharaj recognized the importance of naval power and established a naval fleet, with one of his major bases located at Kolaba.

Shivaji Maharaj divided his kingdom into provinces (prants), and each province was administered by a high-ranking official often referred to as a Viceroy or Subedar.

Dadoji Konddev was a trusted administrator and mentor appointed by Shahaji Bhonsle to oversee the upbringing and training of his son, Shivaji Maharaj, in Pune.

Shivaji's administrative system, particularly the Ashtapradhan, drew inspiration from ancient Indian political treatises, most notably the Arthashastra authored by Kautilya (Chanakya).

Shivaji was a disciple of Ramdas Samarth and implemented the tax systems of Chauth and Sardeshmukhi. He was a Chhatrapati, not a Peshwa, as the Peshwa position was held by his ministers.

In his early years, Shivaji built his base by organizing and leading the local Mawali people from the Sahyadri mountain ranges, who were known for their bravery and knowledge of the terrain.

Shivaji Maharaj renamed the Kondana fort to Sinhagad to honor the sacrifice of his commander Tanaji Malusare, who died during the battle to capture it.

The Ashtapradhan was the council of eight ministers that assisted Shivaji Maharaj in the administration of his kingdom.