Knowledge Nugget: Why are the Maratha Military Landscapes relevant for the UPSC exam?
(Relevance: UNESCO World Heritage sites are a crucial part of the UPSC syllabus. Additionally, the Maratha Empire is an important topic. In the past, UPSC has asked various questions related to the Maratha Empire. For example, in the Prelims exam of the Combined Geo-Scientist 2025, a question was asked on this topic. Therefore, it is essential to cover this topic from both the history and art & culture perspectives.)
At the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC), India's official nomination for the 2024-25 cycle, the Maratha Military Landscapes, is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In this context, let's know about the Maratha Military Landscapes and Chhatrapati Shivaji.
1. The Maratha Military Landscapes include 12 forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji, including forts of Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijay Durg and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.
2. The decision to include them was taken on Friday (July 11) during the 47th session of the WHC held in Paris. This is India's 44th property to receive the recognition.
3. Regarding the latest addition to the World Heritage List, the Culture Ministry said it reflects India's enduring cultural legacy and highlights the country's diverse traditions of architectural brilliance, regional identity, and historical continuity.
1. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1630-1680) carved out an independent Maratha kingdom from various Deccan states in the 17th century. He was born to a general who served different Deccan Sultans throughout his life.
2. Shivaji was keen on expanding his father's fiefdom of modern-day Pune into an independent Maratha state. During that time several Sultanates like Bijapur, Golkonda and Ahmadnagar and the Mughals were competing for the control of the Deccan.
3. With the rise of Mughal power, these Sultanates would become tributaries to the Mughal Empire with the rulers and ruling clans being given positions in the Mughal court. However, they continued to quarrel among themselves.
4. Shivaji's conflict with the Adil Shahi Sultanate of Bijapur began when he was only 16. He would spend the rest of his life fighting various opponents. This is how he went on to lay the foundation for the Maratha Empire. This empire stretched across large parts of the Indian subcontinent and rule till the 19th Century.
5. His first direct encounter with the Mughals was during Aurangzeb's Deccan campaigns of the 1650s. As Aurangzeb went North to fight for the Mughal throne, Shivaji was able to seize further territory.
6. In 1664 he attacked the port of Surat (now in Gujarat) and plundered one of the richest and busiest commercial towns of Mughal India while the local governor hid in a nearby fort.
7. Aurangzeb noticed that the legend of Shivaji and the physical sphere of his influence was growing. So he sent a 100,000-strong, well-equipped army under Raja Jai Singh I to subdue him in 1665. After putting up a valiant fight, Shivaji was besieged in the Purandar hill fort.
8. He was taken to Aurangzeb's court in Agra in 1666. He presented Aurangzeb with various gifts, but he felt slighted at the treatment he received in return, and made his displeasure clear in open court. Aurangzeb put him under house arrest in Agra. Far away from home and help, Shivaji realised he needed to escape to save himself and his territories. The story of Shivaji's subsequent escape is now part of common lore.
9. The popularly told story involves an elaborate plan, under which he began daily distribution of alms to brahmans. The alms would be sent from his home in Agra in large, covered baskets.
10. After some time, the Mughal guards became lax about checking the contents of the baskets that daily left his house. One day, Shivaji slipped into one of the baskets, and put his young son, Sambhaji, in another basket. It was in these covered baskets that Shivaji and his son left Agra, right under the noses of the Mughals.
11. Aurangzeb chose not to start an immediate conflict with Shivaji again. Instead, he offered Shivaji the title of Raja and guaranteed his authority in the Maratha lands as long as he acknowledged the supremacy of the Mughals and maintained truce.
12. By 1669, Shivaji had regrouped and raised an effective army. Using his old guerilla tactics, he would swiftly descend into static Mughal and Bijapuri strongholds, looting and pillaging the shocked Mughals. In 1674, he crowned himself Chhatrapati, officially creating an independent Maratha kingdom.
13. At the time of his death, he held around 300 forts over an area that stretched across the Konkan coast, from Surat to near Goa, and was overlooked by the strategic Western Ghats.
1. Crucial to Maratha military strategy were hill forts. Unlike the plains of Northern India, suited to conventional battle with large standing armies, the terrain of the Maratha country was different. With the Arabian Sea on one side, the Konkan plains in the centre and the Western Ghats overlooking the plains, in the 17th century much of the region was covered in thick jungles.
2. The Maratha icon was born and raised in the hill fort of Shivneri (around 100 km from Pune), given to Shivaji's grandfather by the Sultan of Ahmadnagar in lieu of his services as a military commander. Shivneri is a typical hill fort found in the Western Ghats – a small but strong fortification, atop a hill overlooking the surrounding terrain.
3. Growing up in the hills and valleys around Pune, Shivaji understood the salience of hill forts in controlling the land. Over his storied life, he captured multiple such forts, including Torna (when he was only 16), Rajgadh, Sinhagadh and Purandar.
4. Early in his life, Shivaji realised that the key to holding power in the Deccan (or for that matter, many places in India in that era) was to capture and hold important forts. Thus, his strategies would be centred around taking control of forts in strategic locations, often on hilltops. He also repaired and built new forts as his sphere of control increased.
5. Warfare in such terrain is qualitatively different, with large conventional armies prone to getting bogged down. Thus, as Shivaji began to consolidate and expand his influence in the region, his strategies evolved to be significantly different from the common military doctrine of the time.
6. Marathas forces would strike quickly and retreat to the many hill forts of the region. These forts were designed such that the approach to them was tricky, often treacherous, to large groups of men. Consequently, these were perfect defensive positions where either the bigger armies would not bother to attack or would have to sacrifice their strength in numbers if they did choose to attack. Hill forts also were constructed such that they were perfect vantage points to keep a lookout for any threat.
Consider the following statements with reference to the Maratha Military Landscapes:
1. It includes 12 forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
2. All forts part of Maratha military landscapes are located in Maharashtra.
3. It is India's 43rd property inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
How many of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
(Sources: Knowledge Nugget: How is 'Chhaava' or Sambhaji Maharaj important for UPSC Exam?, Knowledge nugget of the day: Chhatrapati Shivaji)
ALSO READ: How Shivaji became the voice of multiple social causes by Adrija Roychowdhury
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Roshni Yadav is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over five years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: roshni.yadav@indianexpress.com ... Read More
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