Śivaji or Shivaji (shĭvä`jē), 1627–80, Indian ruler, leader of the Marathas Marathas or Mahrattas (both: mərăt`əz, mərä`təz)
..... Click the link for more information. . The son of a Maratha chieftain, he was imbued from early childhood with hatred of the Mughal empire, which controlled most of India. From his capital at Pune he made guerrilla attacks on the Muslim kingdom of Bijapur and gradually carved out a considerable domain. In 1657 his troops were soundly beaten by the Mughal army, but the Mughals then withdrew, and Śivaji returned to raiding and several times defeated the Bijapur army. In 1664 he sacked the rich Mughal port of Surat and thus provoked an organized Mughal campaign against him. Defeated in 1665, Śivaji went (1666) to Agra to negotiate with Aurangzeb Aurangzeb (ôr`əngzĕb') or Aurangzib
..... Click the link for more information. , the Mughal emperor, but was imprisoned. After a daring escape he returned to W India and undertook a series of raids that were not countered by the Mughals. By 1674 he was secure enough to crown himself king of the Maratha empire, although fighting continued until his death. He is the modern Maratha hero.

Bibliography

See biographies by V. B. Kulkarni (1963) and K. L. Mahaley (1969); J. Sarkar, Shivaji and his Times (5th ed. 1952).

Shivaji

or Sivaji

(born Feb. 19, 1630, or April 1627, Shivner, Pune, India—died April 3, 1680, Rajgarh) Indian king (r. 1674–80), founder of the Maratha kingdom of India. A devout Hindu, he grew up at a time when India was ruled by Muslims, and he found their religious persecution intolerable. Collecting a band of followers, he began in c. 1655 to seize weak outposts of the sultan of Bijapur. In 1659 he lured the sultan's army to its destruction and, possessed of its horses and armaments, became overnight a formidable warlord. The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb sent out his most prominent general and an army of 100,000 to capture him, but Shivaji made a daring escape. Gaining even more strength, he added a naval force to his military might. In 1674 he proclaimed himself an independent sovereign. He forged an alliance with the sultans in the south, thereby blocking the spread of Mughal rule. His rule was noted for its religious tolerance. See also Maratha confederacy.