Rajaram I
Rajaram Bhosle I (Pronunciation: [ɾaːd͡ʒaɾaːm]; c. 24 February 1670 – 3 March 1700)[2] was the third Chhatrapati of Maratha Empire, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of the Shivaji, the founder of the empire and younger half-brother of Sambhaji, who he succeeded. His eleven-year reign was marked with a constant struggle against the Mughals. He was succeeded by his infant son Shivaji II under the regentship of his widow Tarabai.
| Rajaram I | |
|---|---|
| Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire | |
| 3rd Emperor (Chhatrapati) of the Maratha Empire | |
| Reign | 11 March 1689– 3 March 1700 |
| Coronation | 12 February 1689 |
| Predecessor | Sambhaji |
| Successor | Shivaji II |
| Peshwa | Ramchandra Pant Amatya |
| Born | 24 February 1670[1] Rajgad Fort, Maratha Empire (present-day Pune district, Maharashtra, India) |
| Died | 3 March 1700 (aged 30) Sinhagad Fort, Maratha Empire (present-day Pune District, Maharashtra, India) |
| Spouse | Jankibai Tarabai Rajasbai Ambikabai |
| Issue | Shivaji II Sambhaji II |
| House | Bhonsle |
| Father | Shivaji I |
| Mother | Soyarabai |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Early life and family
Rajaram was born in a family of Bhonsle clan, to Shivaji and his younger wife, Soyarabai on 24 February 1670. He was thirteen years younger than his brother, Sambhaji. Given the ambitious nature of Soyarabai, Rajaram was installed on the Maratha throne upon the death of his father in 1680. However, the Maratha generals wanted Sambhaji as the king and thus, he claimed the throne. Upon Sambhaji's death, Rajaram was crowned as Chhatrapati of the Maratha state.[3]
Rajaram married three times. His first marriage was at the age of ten to Jankibai, the five -year-old daughter of Shivaji's army chief, Prataprao Gujar.[4] His other wives were Tarabai, the daughter of Hambirrao Mohite, the army chief who succeeded Prataprao, and Rajasbai from the influential Ghatge family of Kagal. Rajaram had three sons,
- Raja Karna(died in 1700) with mistress Sagunabai [5]
- Shivaji II with Tarabai,
- Sambhaji II with Rajasbai.[6]
Coronation and attack by the Mughals
After the death of Sambhaji, Rajaram was crowned at Raigad on 12 March 1689. As the Mughals started laying siege to the region around Raigad on 25 March 1689, the widow of Sambhaji (Maharani Yesubai) and her minister Ramchandra Pant Amatya sent young Rajaram to the stronghold of Pratapgad through Kavlya ghat.[citation needed] The Maratha army fought with the Mughals and led the new Maratha king, Rajaram to escape through Kavlya ghat to the fort of Jinji in present-day state of Tamil Nadu via Pratapgad and Vishalgad forts, Rajaram reached Keladi (Near present-day Sagar in Karnataka) in disguise and pursued assistance from Keladi Chennamma - who kept the Mughal attack in check to ensure safe passage and escape of Rajaram to Jinji where he reached after a month and a half on 1 November 1689. Details of his escape are known from the incomplete poetical biography of Rajaram, the Rajaramacharita written by his Rajpurohit, Keshav Pandit, in Sanskrit.[7]
Siege of Jinji
Aurangzeb deputed Ghazi-ud-din Firoze Jung against the Marathas in the Deccan, and specially sent Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung to capture the Jingi Fort. He laid siege to it in September, 1690. After three failed attempts, it was finally captured after seven years on 8 January 1698. Rajaram, however, escaped and fled first to Vellore and later to Vishalgad.[8]
Santaji and Dhanaji
Rajaram occupied the fort at Jinji from 11 November 1689, but left before it fell in 1698, setting up his court at fort Satara. During that period when Jinji remained unconquered, "the intrepid Maratha commanders, Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav, wrought havoc in the Karnataka and Maharashtra by defeating the Mughal generals and cutting off their lines of communication."[9]
Death
Rajaram died of lung disease in 1700 because of excessive use of bidi at Sinhagad near Pune in Maharashtra leaving behind widows and infants. Janakibai,[10] one of his widows, committed sati upon Rajaram's death.[11] Another of Rajaram's widows, Tarabai proclaimed her young son, Shivaji II as the Chhatrapati and ruled as his regent. However, the release of Shahu, by the successors of Aurangzeb led to an internecine conflict between Tarabai and Shahu with the latter emerging as the successful claimant to the Maratha throne of Satara.[12][13][14] Tarabai established a separate seat at Kolhapur and installed her son as the rival Chhatrapati. She was shortly deposed by Rajasbai, the other surviving widow of Rajaram. She installed her own son by Rajaram called Sambhaji II on the Kolhapur throne. The Kolhapur line has continued to this day through natural succession and adoptions per Hindu customs.[citation needed]
Books
- Chatrpati Rajaram Tararani (Dr. Sadashiv Shivade)
- Chatrpati Rajaram Maharaj (Ashokrao Shinde Sarkar)
- Marathi Riyasat - Chatrpati Rajaram Govind Sakharam Sardesai)
- Shiv Putra Rajaram (Dr. Pramila Jarag)
- Bhangale Swapna Maharashtra (Drama, written by Bashir Momin Kavathekar)
See also
Notes
- ^ Sir Jadunath Sarkar (1948). Shivaji and His Times. S.C. Sarkar. p. 318.
"Rajaram, the second son of Shivaji, was born on 24 February 1670".
- ^ Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007). The Mughul Empire, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, ISBN 81-7276-407-1, p.296
- ^ Mehta, J. L. (2005). Advanced study in the history of modern India, 1707-1813. Slough: New Dawn Press, Inc. pp. 45–52. ISBN 9781932705546.
- ^ Mehta, J. L. (2005). Advanced study in the history of modern India, 1707-1813. Slough: New Dawn Press, Inc. p. 51. ISBN 9781932705546.
- ^ "The Marathas: Chatrapati Rajaram Maharaj".
- ^ Chatterjee, Indrani; Guha, Sumit (2000). Pati, Biswamoy (ed.). Issues in modern Indian history : for Sumit Sarkar. Mumbai: Popular Prakashan. pp. 29–30. ISBN 9788171546589.
- ^ Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007). The Mughul Empire, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, ISBN 81-7276-407-1, p.609
- ^ Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007). The Mughul Empire, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, ISBN 81-7276-407-1, pp.294-5
- ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 200–201. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
- ^ Gokhale, Kamal. Rajaram Chhatrapati in Marathi Vishwakosh. Wai, Maharashtra India: Marathi Vishwakosh.
- ^ Feldhaus, Anne, ed. (1996). Images of women in Maharashtrian literature and religion. Albany: State University of New York Press. p. 183. ISBN 978-0791428375.
- ^ mehta, JL (1981). Advanced study in the history of medieval India. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 562. ISBN 978-81-207-1015-3.
- ^ Cox, Edmund Charles. A short history of the Bombay Presidency. Thacker, 1887, pages 126-129.
- ^ Thompson, Edward; Garratt, G.T. (1999). History of British rule in India. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers. p. 56. ISBN 81-7156-803-3.
References
- Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 2, p. 440.