He founded the Hindu kingdom in the Deccan against all odds , fighting against the mighty Mughals.He inspired and united the common man to fight against the tyranny of Mughal ruler Aurangjeb, by inculcating a sense of pride and nationality in them.At the age of 16, he took a pledge to establish a sovereign Hindu state.He clearly outstands all the rulers and generals of India by the exemplary life he lived and is thus respected by the entire cross section of Indians. Shivaji’s military skills could be compared to those of Napolean.
He raised a strong army and navy, constructed and repaired forts, used gureilla warfare tactics,developed a strong intelligence network,gave equal treatment to the people from all religions and castes based on merit, and functioned like a seasoned Statesman and General. He appointed ministers with specific functions such as Internal security,Foreign affairs,Finance,Law and Justice,Religious matters,Defence etc.
He introduced systems in revenue collection and warned the officials against harassment of subjects.He thought ahead of times and was a true visionary.In his private life, his moral virtues were exceptionally high.His thoughts and deeds were inspired by the teachings of his mother Jijabai,teacher Dadaji Konddev,great saints like Dnyaneshwar & Tukaram and the valiancy and ideals of the Lords Rama and Krishna.
The tiny kingdom established by Chhatrapati Shivaji known as “Hindavi Swaraja” (Sovereign Hindu state) grew and spread beyond Attock in Northwest India (now in Pakistan)and beyond Cuttack in East India in course of time, to become the strongest power in India. After the death of Chhatrapati Shivaji & his son Sambhaji, their prime ministers or ‘the Peshwas’ became the defacto rulers. The Peshwas and the Maratha Sardars (Chieftans) like Shindes of Gwalior, Gaekwads of Baroda & Holkars of Indore contributed to the growth of the Maratha Confederacy.
The history of India is incomplete without the history of Marathas and Shivaji is the nucleus of Maratha history. Shivaji has been a source of inspiration and pride to the past generations and will continue to inspire generations in future. We salute this legend and humbly dedicate this website to him.
PRATI KOLHAPUR AT SHIVAJI PARK
Prati Kolhapur Mahotsav was inaugurated by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra Mr. Ashok Chavan and Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Chhagan Bhujbal at Shivajji Park in Bombay (now Mumbai). The festival is a brainchild of Mr.Vinay Kore, Hon’ble Minister for Non-conventional Energy and Horticulture in Maharashtra, who succeeded in bringing Kolhapur to Mumbai with the festival that boasted of carefully selected monuments from Kolhapur, recreated by Nitin Chandrakant Desai of Raja Shivchhatrapati fame. A congregation of over 1 lakh Kolhapurites gathered at Shivaji Park to witness the celebration. The day also marked the establishment of Raja Shri Sahu Kolhapur Vikas Pratisthan that will strive for the development of the historic town. It was a privilege to cover the premiere of Mr. Desai’s Raja Shivchhatrapati (Marathi serial on Star Pravah) held at Cinemax in Bombay. Also, as written earlier, the legendary Hindi films (Bollywood) singer Lata Mangeshkar has ancestral home in Kolhapur. I had a particular picture of Lataji’s house in Kolhapur in some hard disk, will check and post it whenever I find it, most probably in this post itself.
Qamaal Mustafa Sikander
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