Final Breach with Shivaji—Shivaji’s Administration and Achievements.

Final Breach with Shivaji: Treaty of Purandar and Renewed Conflict

Treaty of Purandar and Shivaji’s Visit to Agra. The Rise of the Marathas. Early Career of Shivaji. Conflict with Bijapur and the Mughals. Shivaji's Legend and Continued Struggles.

• Aurangzeb goaded Shivaji into resuming his conquests by narrowly interpreting the Treaty of Purandar, despite the failure of the expedition against Bijapur.
• Shivaji could not accept the loss of 23 forts and territory worth four lakhs of hun annually without compensation from Bijapur.
• In 1670, Shivaji renewed his contest with the Mughals, sacking Surat a second time.
• Over the next four years, Shivaji recovered many forts from the Mughals, including Purandar, and made deep inroads into Mughal territories.
• Mughal preoccupation with the Afghan uprising in the northwest helped Shivaji.
• In 1674, Shivaji crowned himself formally at Raigarh, solidifying his status as the most powerful Maratha chief.
• Shivaji’s coronation elevated his social position and allowed him to enter into treaties with the Deccani sultans as an equal.

Shivaji’s Administration: A Blend of Tradition and Innovation

• Shivaji borrowed much of his administrative practices from the Deccani states.
• He designated eight ministers, known as the Ashtapradhan, each directly responsible to the ruler.
• The most important ministers were the Peshwas (finances and general administration) and the sar-i-naubat (senapati, chief of the army).
• Other key officials included the majumdar (accountant), wakenavits (intelligence, posts, and household affairs), surunavis or chitnis (correspondence), dabir (ceremonies and foreign dealings), nyayadhish (justice), and panditrao (charitable grants).

Shivaji’s Achievements: Military Prowess and State Building

• Shivaji’s administration featured a well-organized army and revenue system.
• He preferred cash salaries for regular soldiers and maintained strict discipline in the army.
• His regular army (paga) consisted of about 30,000 to 40,000 cavalry, supervised by havaldars who received fixed salaries.
• Shivaji's revenue system was modeled after Malik Ambar’s system. Annaji Datto completed a new revenue assessment in 1679.
• Shivaji supplemented his income by levying a contribution called chauth (one-fourth) on neighboring Mughal territories.
• He laid the foundation of a strong state by curbing the power of the deshmukhs and ensuring rapid movement and accountability in his army.
• Shivaji’s Karnataka expedition, supported by the Qutb Shah, was his last major campaign, yielding significant territorial gains.
• Shivaji died in 1680, leaving behind a well-organized administrative system and a strong Maratha state.