Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the founder of the Maratha Empire in western India. He is considered to be one of the greatest warriors of his time and even today, stories of his exploits are narrated as a part of the folklore. King
Shivaji used the guerrilla tactics to capture a part of, the then, dominant Mughal empire.

Shivaji carved out an enclave from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur. It eventually became the genesis of the Maratha Empire. After establishing his rule, Shivaji implemented a competent and progressive administration with
the help of a disciplined military and well-established administrative set-up. Shivaji is well-known for his innovative military tactics that centered around non-conventional methods leveraging strategic factors like geography, speed,
and surprise to defeat his more powerful enemies.

Shivaji turned out to be a born leader from a very young age. An active outdoorsman, he explored the Sahayadri Mountains surrounding the Shivneri forts and came to know the area like the back of his hands. By the time he was 15, he
had accumulated a band of faithful soldiers from the Maval region who later aided in his early conquests.

Under his reign, the Maratha administration was established where Chhatrapati was the supreme sovereign and a team of eight ministers were appointed to oversee the proper enforcement of various policies. These eight ministers reported
directly to Shivaji and were given a lot of power in terms of execution of policies formulated by the King.

Shivaji vigorously promoted the use of Marathi and Sanskrit in his court instead of Persian, the existing Royal language. He even changed the names of the forts under his control to Sanskrit names to accent his Hindu rule. Although
Shivaji himself was a devout Hindu, he promoted tolerance for all religion under his rule.

His administrative policies were subject-friendly and humane, and he encouraged liberty of women in his rule.

He was strictly against caste discrimination and employed people from all caste in his court.

He introduced the Ryotwari system eliminating the need for middlemen between farmers and the state and collecting revenues directly from the manufacturers and producers.

Shivaji maintained a strong military force, built several strategic forts to secure his borders and developed a strong naval presence along the Konkan and Goan coasts.