History of Maharashtra

Apart from occupying a definite territory, Maharashtra has a glorious history that can be
traced back to ancient times. In the medieval ages the entire India faced foreign invasion.
Only two exceptions shine brightly in this dark and dismal scenario: the Vijayanagar
empire and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. After the decline of Maratha power Maharashtra
came under the British rule. People from all the strata of the society, revolutionaries and
ordinary people participated In the freedom struggle against the British, and our country
gained freedom. After independence was achieved in 1947, Maharashtra had a further
struggle, for a separate linguistic State. Maharashtra became a separate linguistic State in
1960, but without the territory of Belgaum. Since 1960 to date, there have been persistent
efforts to convert this Free State into a Great State. This article is a run through of
Maharashtras ancient and glorious history, the inspirational struggle for United
Maharashtra, and State-wide efforts from establishment of the State to date.
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Abhishek Thamke (Author)

Maharashtra in Ancient times

In ancient times, the region to the north of Narmada river was
called UttaraPath or Aryavartaand the region to the south of Narmada was
called DakshinaPath. The ArthaShastra written by Arya Chanakya alias Kautilya during the
regime of Chandragupta Maurya refers to Ashmak orAparanta regions. Ashmak is the region
surrounding todays Ajanta.

A rock edict from the fourth century has been found in village Eran in Madhya Pradesh near
district Sagar. In this rock edict, General Satyanag refers to himself as Maharashtra. In the
next century, Swami Chakradhar, founder of the Mahanubhav sect, prompts his followers to
call oneself as Maharashtri.

Carbon-14 dating of the objects found at the excavation sites near Nashik, Jorve, Nevasa,
Chandoli, Sonegaon, Inamgaon, Dayamabad, Nandur, Madhyameshwar fixes the time of
proto historic settlements in Maharashtra between 5 lakh to 30 lakh BC. From these and
excavations near riverbeds, historians have concluded that stone-age man lived in
Maharashtra nearly a hundred thousand years ago.

Slowly, these settlements grew. Outsiders, especially from the north came to Maharashtra as
generals, kings ambassadors and soldiers. After initial conflict, the locals and the outsiders
settled in peaceful coexistence.

In the historical period the following were the major powers in Maharashtra:
Shree Satkarni and Gautams son Satkarni from the Satvahan dynasty, Vindhyashakti and
Pravarsen II of Wakataka dynasty, Satyashree Pulakeshi and Vikramaditya of Chalukya
dynasty, Mananka, Dantidurga, Pratham Krishna, Dhruvaraj of Rashtrakut dynasty,
Anantadev and Aparaditya of Kadamba dynasty of Gomantak, Dhrudhavrat, Bhillam and
RamdevaRaya of Yadava dynasty.
These kings contributed greatly to the history of Maharashtra. This, in brief, is the ancient
history of Maharashtra.

Maharashtra in medieval times

The medieval history of Maharashtra begins with King RamdevRaya Yadava of the Yadava
dynasty. Allauddin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi, had heard about the immense wealth of the
Yadava. With the aim of capturing this wealth and extending his empire to the south Khilji
attacked Devgiri (todays Daulatabad), the Yadava centre of power. The king Ramachandra
Yadava did not offer stiff resistance. Later, the resistance offered by the Yadava was quickly
broken by Malik Kafur, Allauddins general. After RamadevRaya alias Raja Ramachandra,
his son Shankardev and son-in-law Harpaldev Yadava came to power. But neither could
overthrow the foreign rule in Maharashtra. The name of Allauddin went down in history as
the first Sultan to conquer the south. This occurred in 1318, nearly six hundred and ninety
years ago. With History writing not having matured enough to record the voice of people, the
reaction of the common people in Maharashtra to this change in rule has been lost forever.

After Khilji the Tughlaq dynasty came to power in Delhi. Their attitude towards Maharashtra
was similar to that of Khilji. Muhammad Tughlaq of Tughlaq dynasty is famed throughout
the history of Maharashtra because he shifted the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in order to
have better control on the southern region and also to escape the constant threat of foreign
invasions of Delhi. Several people died in the journey from Delhi to Daulatabad. Tughlaq
also realized the difficulty of simultaneously controlling Delhi and Daulatabad due to lack of
speedy communication. There were rebellions in Delhi. The capital was shifted back to Delhi.
Even as Tughlaq was on the move back to Delhi, there was a revolt in Daulatabad. He sent
some of his knights to crush the revolt but they failed to curb it. The rebels captured
Nijamuddin, the representative of Delhi. The leader of rebels, Ismail Makh, called himself
Nasiruddin Shah and established a separate State in Daulatabad. Any possibility of revival of
local powers in Maharashtra were squashed. Upon hearing the news of this revolt, Tughlaq
himself started towards Daulatabad with a huge army. Nasiruddin ran away upon hearing the
news. But on the way to Daulatabad, Tughlaq had to divert his route and go to Gujarat to curb
the rebellion. He passed on the campaign to his underling. But the rebels under Nasiruddin
Shahs leadership defeated Tughlaqs army. Thus, Nasiruddin Shah came to power in
Maharashtra.

On 3rd August 1347 Nasiruddin Shah passed on the mantle to Allauddin Hasan or Allauddin
Hasan Gangu Bahamani. He, and later his son, started calling themselves Bahaman Shah and
inscribed the title on the coins issued by them. Thus the dynasty came to be called as
Bahamani. It ruled for 190 years, from 1347 to 1538. There were 18 kings who ruled under
this dynasty. Of these eighteen, eight were capable, three were murdered, two blinded, one
died at a young age while four were just titular heads. In the first two decades of sixteenth
century the Bahamani rule broke into five centres of powers: Baridshahi of Beedar,
Nijamshahi of Ahmednagar, Adilshahi of Bijapur, Imadshahi of Elichpur in Varhad and
Kutubshahi of Gowalkonda. Raja Alikhan Farruki, a contemporary of Allauddin Hasan,
established a kingdom of Farrukis in Dhamner in Khandesh while Rathod established a
kingdom in Baglan. Maharashtra got divided into these centres of power. Within twenty years
the Mughal emperor Akbar demolished Imadshahi and also liquidated Farruki kingdom.
Baridshahi came to an end little later. Nijamshahi, Adilshahi and Kutubshahi were destroyed

by the Mughal. None of these kingdoms lasted more than two hundred years. In order to
consolidate and establish their power these powers used the masses in Maharashtra. People
from various castes progressed and established themselves. The Sultans had no option but to
have them in their bureaucratic and military structure. This laid the foundation of Swarajya.
During this period all the areas of social life were influenced by the religion and culture of
the ruling class. The saint poets of Maharashtra played an important role in awakening people
and creating awareness about Maharashtra Dharma (the ethos, culture, and religion of
Maharashtra).

The contribution of Saints

Justice M.G. Ranade in his book The Rise of Maratha Power comments on the role played by
the saints thus: The saints reduced the inequality amongst various castes. By creating an
atmosphere of equality in Maharashtra they prepared the ground, in which
Shivaji Maharajcould sow the seed of freedom later. The creation of regional identity of
Maharashtra and creation of literature in the regional languages were two major contributions
of the Bhakti(devotion) cult propagated by the saints. The saints thus help shape the
Maharashtrian culture. They propagated Vedic ideals in the local languages.
The Bhakti cult originated in the thirteenth century. It gave prime importance to Bhakti or
devotion and considered it the only tool of attainment of God.
The Bhagawat Dharma (religion) did not discriminate people on the basis of gender, caste,
social or financial position. These ideas were propagated by Nath Panth, Mahanubhav and
Warkari sects. Saint poets like Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Tukaram, Eknath, Narahari Sonar,
Gora Kumbhar, Rohidasand Kanakdas, Kanhopatra, Janabai and Chokhamela enlightened
Maharashtra.

The Bhosale Family

After the disintegration of Bahamani kingdom, the five powers of Deccan ruled, relying
heavily upon the local chieftains. Major amongst these were the Jadhav and Bhosale. The
history of the Bhosale family since MalojiRaje is well documented. MalojiRaje was one of
the ChiefMansubdars of Nijamshah. He had two sons, Shahaji and Sharifji. Shahajis wife
was Jijabai who was the daughter of another prominent chieftain, Lakhuji Jadhavrao.
ShahajiRaje and Jijabai had two sons: SambhajiRaje and ShivajiRaje. ShahajiRaje shot to
fame after the battle of Bhatavdi.

SambhajiRaje was killed in battle. After working with the Nijamshah, Adilshah, and the
Mughals, ShahajiRaje came to realize the importance of an independent State. Though he
could not establish it himself, his dream was realized by his son ShivajiRaje.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: the Founder of an Independent State

Shivaji was born on the Shivneri fort, near Junnar, on 19th February 1630. Adilshah had
given the territory of Pune and Supe to ShahajiRaje. ShahajiRaje at that time resided in
Bangalore, so in order to look after the running of the territory, Jijabai, Dadoji Kondadev and
ShivajiRajecame to Pune. ShahajiRaje had made excellent provisions for the education and
training of his son. ShivajiRaje reorganized the territory, gave priority to agriculture, created
an independent judiciary. Mother Jijabai nurtured her sons ambition. The twelve river
valleys to the west of Pune, the twelve Maval were brought under control. Even though
ShivajiRaje had the control of the territory, the forts came under the rule of Adilshah. Shivaji
Maharaj began with the repairs of the forts in the territory. Using rules, finance, power and
strategy he captured Purandar and Kondhana forts. Shivaji Maharaj laid the foundation of an
Independent State at the tender age of fifteen. After 1647 he captured Murambdev alias
Rajgarh forts. Threatened by these activities, Adilshah captured and imprisoned ShahajiRaje.
ShivajiRaje prepared for battle; Adilshah sent his General Fattekhan to attack Shivajis
territory. The brave Marathas fought hard and won the battle against Fattekhan around
Purandar. Adilshah released ShahajiRaje in exchange of Bangalore, Kandarpi and fort
Kondhana. After this incident ShivajiRajeconcentrated on improving the administration of
the territory. Around 1646 ShivajiRajes seal started appearing on documents, which read as
follows:

Pratipakshanchadrarekhev vardhishnurvishwavandita |
Shahsuno :Shivsaishya mudra bhadraya rajate |
(Ever increasing like the new moon and saluted by the world,
this seal of Shivaji, Shahajis son, stands for the welfare of all)

The instability in Adilshahi court was used by ShivajiRaje to consolidate his position. By
capturing the Javali valley from Chandrarao More, ShivajiRaje established control over the
Konkan region. He constructed Fort Pratapgarh , captured Supe, captured Fort Rohida, looted
the Kalyan treasury, and constructed Fort Raigarh on the Rayari mountain. Around 1657, he
captured Kalyan-Bhivandi and laid the foundations of ship-building workshops, in order to
have maritime power. While ShivajiRaje was busy consolidating his power in Konkan,
Adilshah sent Afzalkhan to curb ShivajiRaje. Afzalkhan was a powerful and able general and
a cunning strategist. He started off his campaign by attacking the Hindu shrines of
Pandharpur and Tuljapur in order to entice ShivajiRaje in an open warfare. But
ShivajiRaje tricked him to come for a meeting in the Javali valley, at the base of Fort
Pratapgadh. ShivajiRaje killed him there on 10th November 1659. The death of Afzalkhan
shocked the Adilshahi power and ShivajiRajes name and fame spread all over India. Another
general of Adilshahi court, Siddi Johar held ShivajiRaje under siege at Fort Panhalgarh.
ShivajiRaje escaped from the siege to go to Fort Vishalgarh. One of ShivajiRajes men,
Bajiprabhu Deshpande, laid down his life in Ghodkhind and made ShivajiRajes escape
successful.

Shivaji and the Moghuls

An important instance in the ShivajiRaje and Moghul confrontation is the defeat of

Shaistekhan. Moghul emperor Aurangazeb sent his maternal uncle Shaistekhan to curb
ShivajiRaje. Shaistekhan established base in Lal Mahal, ShivajiRajes childhood home.
Putting his life at stake, ShivajiRaje attacked Lal Mahal with a handful of soldiers.
Shaistekhan was taken by surprise in his bedroom and started to flee out the window. But
ShivajRaje managed to swing his sword just in time to slice his fingers off. Immediately after
this incident ShivajiRaje looted Surat, Aurangazebs financial capital, targeting the non-local
traders who cheated the locals.

In order to avenge the loot of Surat, Aurangazeb sent MirzaRaja Jaisingh ,a capable general.
MirzaRaja Jaisingh and Dilerkhan defeated Shivajis forces and forced ShivajiRaje to
surrender twenty three forts and a region worth the revenue of 400,000. ShivajiRaje was sent
to Agra to meet Aurangazeb. In Agra Aurangazeb put ShivajiRaje under house arrest with the
intention of killing him. But ShivajiRaje along with his son Sambhaji escaped miraculously.
This escape was one of the wonderful events of the history. Aurangazeb received an
unpleasant surprise. Upon his return, ShivajiRaje started a crusade to win back the forts
handed over to the Moguls. In the battle of Fort Kondhana, ShivajiRajes general Tanaji
Malusare lost his life but the fort was recaptured by the Marathas. In 1670 ShivajiRaje looted
Surat for the second time and added immense wealth to his treasury.

Another important milestone in the history of Maharashtra took place on 6th June 1674: the
coronation of ShivajiRaje. On this occasion, ShivajiRaje established a council of eight
ministers. He issued two new coins, a copper one named Shivrai and a golden one

namedShivrai Hon. It isnt a small deed for a Maratha general to become an Emperor. On the
occasion of the coronation, Raghunath Pandit and Dhundiraj Lakshman Vyas compounded a
glossary of terms of administration. ShivajiRajes efforts to replace the Persian terms with
indigenous terms and to adapt them in day to day usage were commendable. He also initiated
improvements in the almanac through astrologer Krishna Jyotishi who wrote
Karana Kaustubh, a new treatise on improved calendar. A new calendar Rajshak was
implemented after the coronation. ShivajiRajes mother JijauSaheb expired after the
coronation. ShivajiRaje then focused on expanding his rule in the south. In order to form a
union of the southern powers, he joined hands with Kutubshah in Bhaganagar. On 3rd April
1680 ShivajiRaje died at the age of fifty.

Chhatrapati Sambhaji

Sambhaji, the elder son of ShivajiRaje, was born on 14th May 1657 on Fort Purandar. After
the demise of his mother at a young age, SambhajiRaje was brought up by his grandmother
JijauSaheb. SambhajiRaje accompanied ShivajiRaje on his Agra trip. At the time of the
coronation SambhajiRaje was anointed the prince heir. On the death of ShivajiRaje,
SambhajiRaje became the king. He fought enemies on several fronts in his lifetime.
SambhajiRaje helped Prince Akbar, Aurangazebs son, who rebelled against the Mogul
power and sought help from Marathas. The Siddis, Portuguese, Adilshah and the moguls
were in awe of SambhajiRajes bravery. Aurangazeb himself led a campaign to Deccan in
order to destroy the Maratha power. He destroyed the reign of Adilshah and Kutubshah. He
had only one enemy in the entire India and that was the Marathas. Aurangazebs commander
Mukarrabkhan captured SambhajiRaje in Sangameshwar on 1st February 1689.
SambhajiRaje was as brave as his father. After having escaped from Agra,
SambhajiRaje became a constant headache for Aurangazeb. Aurangazeb did not want history
to repeat itself. Like the other two powers of Deccan he wanted to vanquish the Maratha
power too; so he killed SambhajiRaje. But on hearing the news of SambhajiRajes death the
Marathas gathered under Rajaram Maharaj and continued the struggle.

Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj and Maharani Tarabai

Rajaram Maharaj, the younger son of ShivajiRaje was born on 24th February 1670. On 12th
February 1689 he was crowned the king of the Marathas. Zulfikarkhan, Aurangazebs
general, laid a siege on the fort when Rajaram Maharaj was residing at Raigarh. Apart from
Rajaram Maharaj, SambhajiRajes wife Yesubai and son Shahu were also present on Raigarh.
To avoid capture and avoid compromising the Swarajya movement, Rajaram Maharaj
escaped to Jinji in Karnataka. Soon after Rajaram Maharajs escape, Raigad fell and other
members of the royal family were captured and sent to Aurangazeb. An unequal battle
between the Moguls and Marathas in Maharashtra and Jinji began. Rajaram Maharaj, Santaji
Ghorpade, Dhanaji Jadhav, Pralhad Niraji Pratinidhi and HukumatPanha Ramachandra
Amatya Bawadekar kept the Marathas fighting against the huge army of Aurangazeb. The

fort of Jinji was again surrounded and kept under siege by Zulfikarkhan. Yet again,
Rajaram Maharaj escaped and returned to Maharashtra.
All these years Aurangazeb won several battles but he could not win the war.
RajaramMaharaj passed away on 3rd March 1700 making it a critical point in time. The
Maratha resistance was in a grave danger. The heir to the throne, SambhajiRajes son, Shahu
was in Moghul captivity. At this juncture Rajaram Maharajs queen Tarabai shouldered the
responsibility. She valiantly fought Aurangazeb. She opened the war against Aurangazeb on
several fronts simultaneously. In the face-to-face combats, Aurangazeb could not capture the
forts, hence he attempted to buy the forts. The Moghul emperor died on 20th February 1707
at the age of ninety, defeated and lonely. He was the only Moghul Emperor to die while on a
campaign.
Impeccable leadership that rose from the ordinary ranks, guerrilla warfare, simplicity and
revival of feudal ties were the reasons the Marathas could defeat Aurangazeb. After the death
of Aurangazeb, his son Azamshah freed SambhajiRajes son, Shahu on 8th May 1707 with
the aim of instigating factionalism amongst the Marathas. Several Maratha knights pledged
their allegiance to Shahu upon his return. But Maharani Tarabai did not recognize Shahus
claims to the throne. In the battle of Khed, Shahu defeated Maharani Tarabai and Shahu was
coronated in Satara on 12th January 1708. With the help of faithfuls like Dhanaji Jadhav,
Khando Ballal, Balaji Vishwanath, Shahu began his rule.

Era of the Peshwa

Balaji Vishwanath convinced Kanhoji Angre ,the Chief of Maratha Navy, to join hands with
Shahu. On 16th November 1713 Shahu appointed Balaji Vishwanath his
Peshwa. MaharaniTarabai established her power in Kolhapur. The Maratha power was
divided. In 1719 Balaji Vishwanath went to Delhi and released Maharani Yesubai. He also
procured rights to self-administration and revenue collection in six Moghul provinces.
Shahus childhood was spent in Moghul captivity. Also the fact that the Moghuls kept him
alive and released him affected him a great deal. So he advised the Peshwa to expand the
boundaries of Maratha powers but to protect the Moghul throne.
Another important achievement of Balaji Vishwanath was the creation of Maratha Mandal or
the confederation of Maratha generals. Under this scheme the Maratha generals they were
given a limited sovereignty in the region of their influence and were encouraged to expand
their regional borders in all directions. Balaji Vishwanath died on 2nd April 1720 in Saswad.
His eldest son Bajirao succeeded him. He was trained well by his father. Bajirao never lost a
single battle. He was invincible in this sense. He expanded the boundaries of Maratha power.
Bajirao defeated the Nizam, curbed the rebellion of some of the Maratha generals like
Dabhade, helped king Chhatrasal, defeated the Siddis and the Portuguese. He led the Maratha
armies into territories of Malwa, Gujrat, Bundelkhand and Delhi. A stagnated society
generates infighting. Bajirao provided new avenues to the brave Maratha chieftains; they
started looking towards north. Shaniwarwada, the seat of Peshwa power faces north.
Marathas filled the power vacuum created by Aurangazebs death. Bajirao died in 1740.
His eldest son Balaji Bajirao alias Nanasaheb, as an heir, became the new Peshwa.
ThisPeshwa unnecessarily sowed the seeds of dissent among Maratha generals. With the help
of the British, he completely demolished the kingdom painstakingly built
by Chhatrapati ShivajiMaharaj . He created feelings of animosity in the Hindu rulers of
Rajputana and Malwa, fought with the Bhonsales of Nagpur. Instead of leading the armies to
Panipat himself, he sent Vishwasrao and Sadashivrao, thus courting defeat. But it also must
be noted that the Marathas were the only power that offered resistance to Ahmedshah Abdali
when he attacked Delhi. They fought on behalf of entire India. Nanasaheb could not face the
defeat in Panipat and died in shock.
His second son Madhavrao came to power. He had a very short tenure between 1761 to 1772,
but he rehabilitated the Maratha power broken by Panipat. He encouraged the able generals
Shinde and Holkar, curbed the ambitions of his uncle Raghunathrao, Janoji Bhonsale of
Nagpur, Haider and Nizam. He died in 1772 without leaving an heir.

Narayanrao, the younger brother of Madhavrao ascended the throne. With him the power
struggle became bloody and parricidal. Narayanraos uncle Raghunathrao had him killed
through a conspiracy and tried to become a Peshwa himself. The court did not accept
Raghunathrao as a Peshwa, so the generals crowned Narayanraos new born son, Sawai
Madhavrao as a Peshwa at the tender age of forty days! A council of
ministers Barbhaiconsisting of Nana Phadnis, Haripant Phadake, Sakharambapu Bokil,
Tryambakrao Pethe, Moroba Phadnis, Bapuji Naik, Maloji Ghorpade, Bhavanrao Pratinidhi,
Raste, Patwardhan, Mahadaji Shinde and Tukoji Holkar together ran the government. Nana
Phadnis looked after the matters in the south while Mahadaji Shinde was to look after the

matters in the north. But Shinde died in 1793. In 1795, Peshwa Sawai Madhavrao committed
suicide in Shaniwarwada.
Raghunathraos son Bajirao II became the Peshwa in 1796. His rule continued till 1818.
Before him none of the Peshwas rule had lasted twenty two years. Nana Phadnis died in
1800 and with him even the wisdom of Maratha power came to an end. A struggle for
supremacy between Shinde and Holkar began. In 1802 Peshwa Bajirao II signed an
agreement with the British for contractual forces. The Marathas and British fought three
wars. The Maratha power was defeated by the British. Marathas lost because they were
fighting with the representatives of a rapidly developing materialist society with the arms and
mindset of a medieval culture. The Marathas forgot the adage 'The culture that has better
arms is greater'. The British benefited because of the industrial revolution. Some of the
causes of the Maratha defeat were the absence of nationalist sentiment, lack of complete
control either over the north or the south, absence of fast and effective means of
communication, lack of discipline, inability and unwillingness to occupy the Delhi throne,
absence of intelligence gathering agencies and debts. The Marathas forgot that the loots can
bail you out of an economic crisis temporarily but the need to find a permanent solution
remains.

Struggle for Independence

The East India Company

The East India Company, which came into being on 31st December 1600, progressed
gradually from scales to sword and from sword to power. The Portuguese in India limited
themselves to Goa, while the East India Company set up its shop in the Moghul territories.
Charles II , the king of England married Catherine de Braganza of Portugal who brought the
port of Mumbai into the coffers of the British with her as dowry. This whole thing was
illegal, since the territory did not belong to the Portuguese technically. Taking advantage of
the location of port Mumbai the British rapidly spread their power in Maharashtra from 1818
to 1857. The East India Company took over the lands belonging to Pratapsinh Maharaja of
Satara by deceit. The Governor General Lord Dalhousie refused to recognize adoptions and
brought the kingdoms with adoptive heirs under the British control. Elphinstone cleverly
brought the Mumbai region under control. Elphinstone created the bureaucratic apparatus
Clerk to Collector which stands even today.

In 1850 municipal corporations were created so as to facilitate peoples participation in the

administration. Since 1861 separate police official was appointed for each district to facilitate
themselves and maintain peace and organization in Mumbai. In 1894 the prison codes came
into being. The British deemed all Indians equal before the Law. In 1833 the Law
Commission was established and in 1837 the penal code was implemented. This gave rise to
a hierarchical and expensive judicial system. The Bombay High Court was established on
14th August 1862. By banning the owning of arms by Indians, the swords of Marathas were
left to rot. The Post and Telegraph began before 1857. Compilation of Gazetteers began in
1865 while the first census was carried out in 1871.

New systems of revenue collection like the Ryotwari , Kayamdhara and others were
introduced in Maharashtra. The Inam commission was appointed to look into the feudal rights
and land donations. Thirty two thousand estates came under enquiry, twenty one thousand
estates were confiscated due to lack of proper documentation while documents regarding
several estates were burnt and destroyed. This gave rise to general dissent among the
populace.

In 1818 the Bhils of Khandesh revolted against the British power under the leadership of
Godaji Dengle and Mahipa Dengale. There were several revolts in Maharashtra, noted
amongst them were revolt of Dharmaji Prataprao in Beed (1818), Hansaji Naik Hatkars
revolt in Nanded (1819-20) , the armed rebellion of Chirsingh, Sattu Naik, Umaji Naik
(1826-31) , the rebellion of Savantwadi (1828-38), the Gadkari revolt in Kolhapur (1844).
These revolts were crushed by the British. But people from Kolhapur, Satara, Mumbai,
Khandesh, Nasik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Jamakhindi, Nargund, Solapur and Mudhol
participated voluntarily and actively in the War of Independence of 1857. The leaders of the
1857, Peshwa Nanasaheb alias Dhondopant, Queen of Zhansi, Tatya Tope etc. were defeated.

Between 1874-78 people revolted against oppressive regimes of local moneylenders in many
places in Maharashtra. Collectively these revolts are known as Deccan revolts. Vasudev
Balawant Phadake (1845-1883) who wanted to overthrow the British regime by armed
revolt , was imprisoned and served sentence in prison in Eden till his death. From all these
rebellions, it dawned on the people of Maharashtra that they would not be able to sustain an
armed rebellion against the British for an extended period of time. This gave rise to political
institutions. The Bombay Association, that laid the foundations of Indian politics came into
existence on 26th August 1852. Jagannath Shankarshet, Dadabhai Nowrojee were among its
founders. The main aim of the Association was to take the concerns of the Indian people to
the British rulers and address issues and tackle problems.

The next milestone was the establishment of Sarvajanik Sabha (social council). The Sabha,
founded by Ganesh Vasudev Joshi (known as Sarvajanik Kaka, Kaka=uncle), started an
agitation against the salt tax. It helped the Indians in Mauritius, helped pass a law in favour of
the peasants in the south, contributed greatly in areas like establishing famine relief
committee, freedom of press, Swadeshi, translation of famine code. This laid the foundation
for the Indian National Congress party. The meaning of Congress is coming together! The
first meeting of the Indian National Congress took place on 28th December, 1885 in the
Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit School. Of the seventy two representatives, thirty eight
representatives came from the Bombay region. Amongst those from Maharashtra the
following were present: Dadabhai Nowrojee, Justice M.G. Ranade, Firozeshah Metha, Gopal
Krishna Gokhale.

Era of Tilak

Later Lokamanya Tilak became truly an Indian National leader because of the sacrifices he
made, the imprisonments that he underwent and his efforts towards independence and social
development. Tilak promoted Swarajya , Swadeshi , Nationalist education and boycott. His
articles in the Kesari, public celebration of ShivJayanti and Ganesh festivals, his work during
the famine, writings on GeetaRahasya (the truth behind the Geeta, a holy book of the
Hindus), and his incarceration in Dongri-Mandale gave him public acceptance (Lokmanya)
and the status of a national leader. He also supported the Irish Home Rule movement. During
Tilaks times Chaphekar brothers from Pune assassinated the Plague Commissioner
Rand.Swatantrya Veer Savarkar founded a revolutionary organization named Abhinav Bharat
in 1904 towards independence of India through forceful means. Inspired by Savarkar,
Madanlal Dhingra shot Curzon Wyllie in England. Jackson, the collector of Nasik was shot
by Anant Kanhere. Senapati Pandurang Mahadev Bapat went abroad to learn how to make
bombs. Savarkar was tried and sent on exile to the Andaman Islands. Vishnu Ganesh Pingale,
Shivram Hari Rajguru, Babu Genu, Shirish Kumar and others laid down their lives for sake
of freeing the country. The death of Lokmanya Tilak in 1920 brought about the end of his
era.

Era of Mahatma Gandhi

After the death of Lokmanya Tilak, the first congress of All India Trade Union chaired by
Lala Lajpat Rai took place in Mumbai on 31st October 1920. In the Nagpur session of Indian
National Congress the leadership of national movement went into the hands of Mahatma
Gandhi. In this session Gandhiji made a proclamation of freedom to India within one year. In
1921 various kingdoms and principalities in Maharashtra founded Dakshini Samsthan
Hitavardhak Sabha for the welfare of the people of the princely States. The political
atmosphere in these days was tense and very much against the visit of the British prince to
Mumbai.

Sahitya Samrat (literary genius) N. C. Kelkar formed a party Pratiyogi Sahakarita Paksh and
continued the work. Under the leadership of Shripad Amrut Dange there were wide spread
protests in Maharashtra against the Simon commission. Mahatma Gandhis Salt March were
echoed in Maharashtra in places like Shiroda, Konkan and Akola. Martial Law was declared
in Solapur for forty nine days sighting the anti-British sentiment prevailing in Solapur as a
cause. Four patriots from Solapur, Mallappa Dhanashetty, Shrikrishna Sarda, Jagannath
Shinde and Kurban Hussain were sentenced to death. Under the civil disobedience movement
of Mahatma Gandhi several Satyagraha were carried out like the Jungle Satyagraha in
Vidharbha, BilashiSatyagraha in Satara, and similar Satyagraha in Nasik and Raigad.

The Indian National Congresss first village session took place in Faizpur in Maharashtra.
Elections took place for the first time in India under the 1935 act. Balasaheb Kher became the
first Chief Minister of Bombay region. This government took some effective measures in
land revenue relief, supply of drinking water in rural areas, adult literacy, ban on alcohol
consumption, release of political prisoners etc. Around the same time the Praja Parishad
Movement took roots in Kolhapur under the leadership of Comrade Madhavrao Bagal. In
1940 Mahatma Gandhi began the individual Satyagraha movement. Vinoba Bhave was
selected as the first Satyagrahi. The 1942 session of Indian National Congress chaired by
Pandit Nehru took place in Mumbai. The call of 'Quit India!' was first heard in this session.
There were strong agitations in Chandrapur, Raigad, Ahmednagar and Satara. An
independent underground radio Azad Radio was run by Usha Mehta. The Patri Sarkar or the
parallel government run by KrantiSinha (revolutionary hero) Nana Patil was most effective
during this period. In 1946 the armed forces rebelled in Mumbai against the British.

Independence!

On 15th August 1947 India was freed and the Union Jack fluttering on Shaniwarwada came
down forever. Though India was independent, the problem of princely States continued. The
princely State of Kolhapur joined the Indian union. The problem of Marathwada, which was a

part of the Nizam princely State, persisted. Swami Ramanand Teerth, Govindbhai Shroff led
the movement for the freedom of Marathwada through Hyderabad State Congress. The Indian
Army entered Hyderabad on the orders of Sardar Patel on 13th September 1948. Marathwada
became a part of Bombay region. Even in free India, Sanyukta (united) Maharashtra still
remained a dream.

United Maharashtra Movement

United Maharashtra came into being on 1st May 1960. The State of Maharashtra was created
under the framework of reconstruction of States on linguistic criteria. But one hundred and
six people had to lay down their lives before it could come into being. Before the creation of
Unified Maharashtra, a bilingual State came into being. The Maharashtrians continuously
opposed the then Congress government on this issue and a separate State of Maharashtra with
Mumbai as its capital but without the territory of Karwar and Belgaum, came into being.

Prelude :

The history of Unified Maharashtra movement can be stretched back to 1920s. Lokmanya
Tilak coupled national education and freedom together and highlighted the need to impart
national education through mother tongue. Around the same time the aims and objectives of
the Congress Democratic Party mentioned formation of States along linguistic lines. The
same demand was made in the Party Programme and a declaration was made that a State of
Maharashtra be created based on a single language. In the 1917 Kolkata (Calcutta) session of
the Indian National Congress, Dr. Pattabhi Seetaramayya proposed to create a separate state
of Andhra. This proposal was opposed by Dr. Annie Besant, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya
andMahatma Gandhi, while Lokmanya Tilak supported it. Mahatma Gandhi changed his
opinion later and in 1921 in the Nagpur Session Gandhiji himself proposed recreation of
States along the linguistic lines. The Indian National Congress itself was reorganized along
linguistic lines. This helped widen the base of Indian National Congress. In 1928 the

Workers and Farmers Party made a presentation before the Motilal Nehru Committee for
reorganization of States and demanded a separate State of Maharashtra. The Nehru
Committee sanctioned the demand.

In the Marathi Literary Meet held in Mumbai under the chairmanship

of SwatantryaveerSawarkar on 15th October 1938 the phrase Single language State of
Maharashtra including Varhad was used intentionally. The reason for using this phrase was
the recommendation by Ravishankar Shukla, Chief Minister of Central Provinces (C.P.) and
Berar, that Varhad be separated and formed into an independent State. In the 1939 Sahitya
Sammelan (Literary Meet) in Ahmednagar, a resolution was passed that a single State be
formed of all the regions where the Marathi language is spoken, and named United
Maharashtra. The term United Maharashtra came to be used for the first time in this Meet.
Ramrao Deshmukh, the member of C.P. and Berar Legislative Assembly, founded
the Sanyukta Maharashtra Sabha (United Maharashtra Assembly) in Mumbai to sustain the
demand for independent Varhad. The Council for Unification of Maharashtra was founded in
Pune in 1941 under the leadership of Dr. Kedar.

The Literary Meet in Belgaum

In the Belgaum Literary Meet on 13th May, 1946, writer Madkholkar first made a demand
for Unified Maharashtra. This Unified Maharashtra was to include Mumbai, Central
Provinces, Berar, Marathwada and Gomantak. A Council for the Unification of Maharashtra
held its meeting in Mumbai on 28th July 1946 under the chairmanship of Shankarrao Dev.
The Jalgaon Session of the Council for the Unification of Maharashtra upheld the demand for
United Maharashtra including Mumbai.

Dar Commission and JVP Committee

As the freedom to India became imminent, a commission under the chairmanship of Justice
S.K. Dar was appointed by Dr. Rajendra Prasad to judge the feasibility of reorganization of
States along linguistic lines. Even as the commission was working Mahatma Gandhi wrote
inHarijan that a plan acceptable to all be prepared by Mumbai for reorganization of States.
Seventeen leaders signed an agreement before the Dar Commission that came to be known as
Akola Agreement.

In 1948 The Council for Unification of Maharashtra held its session in Mumbai. Annabhau
Sathe presented a programme Mumbai Kunachi (Whom does Bombay belong to). Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar gave his recommendation to the Dar commission emphasizing

Maharashtras right over Mumbai. On December 1948 the Dar Commission published its
report. Dar Commission refuted the right of Maharashtra over Mumbai. There was a strong
reaction against the Dar Commission Report. So a JVP Committee consisting of Jawaharlal
Nehru, Vallabh Bhai Patel and Pattabhi Seetaramayya was formed in the Jaipur session of the
Indian National Congress. Even the JVP Committee opposed the idea of Maharashtra along
with Mumbai.

After the report of this committee became public, Ramrao Deshmukh gave up the demand for
separate Berar and asked for the C. P. and Berar to be amalgamated with Maharashtra.
Nobody dared oppose Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabh Bhai Patel. The Unified Maharashtra
Movement was getting moribund when Senapati Bapat came forward and gave it a new lease
of life. On 29th November 1949 Acharya Atre and R.D. Bhandare moved a resolution in
Mumbai Municipal Corporation for Unified Maharashtra.

While the agitation was on in Maharashtra, the demand for separate Andhra State also
gathered strength, for which Potti Ramalu laid down his life. In 1952 the separate State of
Andhra came into being. Pandit Nehru appointed the Fazal Ali Commission to review the
situation for reorganizing States along linguistic lines. The Sanyukta Maharashtra
Parishad(Council for the unification of Maharashtra) made a presentation before the
commission. The commission recommended a bilingual State, a separate State of Vidharbha
(Berar) and Mumbai State including entire Gujarati speaking region and Marathwada.
Morarji Desai, the then Chief Minister of Mumbai, declared that Mumbai would not be
unified with Maharashtra for the next five thousand years(!)

Public contribution to the movement

The Bill for creation of three such States was going to be discussed in the Legislative
Assembly. The people of Maharashtra took to the streets, protesting against the Bill. The
roads leading to the Legislative Assembly were blocked. The mob became unruly and fifteen
people died in the police fire that ensued. Senapati Bapat, leader of the demonstration was
arrested. These fifteen were the first of hundred and sixteen martyrs to the cause of Unified
Maharashtra. P.V. Gadgil, the editor of newspaper Lokmanya, resigned his membership of
the Legislative Assembly. The Bill could not be passed due to the strong public opinion
against it.

Bilingual State formed

On 16th January 1956 Pt. Nehru declared that Mumbai would remain under the central
government and proposed two linguistic States instead of three States: Maharashtra including
Vidharbha for Marathi speakers and Gujarat including Kutch and Saurashtra for Gujarati
speakers. The public opinion went against this decision. Sixty seven people died in police
firings between January 16 and 22. Jayaprakash Narayan demanded Mumbai to be given to
the Maharashtra State. The Congress Party in Hyderabad Legislative Assembly also endorsed
this view. In the parliament Feroze Gandhi also recommended Mumbai to be given to
Maharashtra. C.D. Deshmukh, the famous Economist and minister, resigned from the cabinet
on the Mumbai issue. In June 1956, Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti was formed in London,
U.K.

In August 1956, a suggestion was made in Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament, that
a common State including Maharashtra, Marathwada, Vidharbha, Gujarat, Saurashtra, Kutch
and Mumbai be formed. This suggestion was immediately accepted by the government. In
October 1956, Morarji Desai went to the central cabinet and Yashawantrao Chavan became
the new Chief Minister. Mumbai became the capital of this new State.

United Maharashtra finally established

In order to oppose Indian National Congress on this issue, a new political party, Sanyukta
Maharashtra Vidhansabha Paksha came into being. The party won majority in the Mumbai
municipal corporation elections and Acharya Donde became the mayor. In 1959 Indira
Gandhi became the president of Indian National Congress. She reviewed the situation in
Maharashtra and came to the conclusion that such a bilingual State is not sustainable. She
appointed a nine members committee to study the issue. This committee recommended
dismantling of the bilingual State and creation of separate Gujarat state. Indira Gandhi
accepted that Mumbai be given to Maharashtra. The parliament passed a resolution on 1st
May 1960 creating a separate State of Maharashtra consisting of twenty six districts and two
hundred and twenty nine talukas.

Modern Maharashtra

Yashwantrao Chavan became the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra. His tenure lasted from
1st May 1960 to 19th November 1962. He had participated in the freedom struggle. Free
education, establishment of Universities for higher education, preparatory school for the
defense forces, development of Adivasis, development of cooperative movement,
establishing of eighteen sugar factories in cooperative sector, transfer of land holdings to the
tiller, irrigation and industry, hydro electric power project at Koyna, establishment of village
level governance, establishment of a council for the development of Marathi Literature and
Culture, council for creation of Marathi encyclopaedia etc. are some of the special features of
his tenure. In 1962 after the Chinese aggression, he was incorporated into the central cabinet
as the Defence Minister.

Marotrao Kannamwar became the chief minister of Maharashtra for the period 10th
November 1962 to 24th November 1963. He started the National Defence Fund and
the Kapus Ekadhikar Yojana, an umbrella scheme for cotton. He died while in office so the
charge was taken over by P. K. Sawant as a caretaker Chief Minister for the period 25th
November 1963 to 4th November 1963.

Vasantrao Naik followed him as a Chief Minister of Maharashtra and occupied the post from
5th December 1963 to 20th February 1975. Some of the important features of his tenure
were: purchase of crops like cotton, jowar, rice etc. by the government, sanctioning loans to
farmers to buy cattle, rural employment guarantee scheme, poverty eradication scheme,
founding of agricultural universities, establishment of open prisons, government lottery and
making Marathi the official State language.

Shankarrao Chavan became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the period of 21st
February 1975 to 16th April 1977. Outstanding features of his tenure were: Jayakwadi
project, irrigation canals, zero based budget, family planning and family welfare, formulation
of guidelines for various committees, establishing Marathwada Rural Bank, laying of broad
gauge railways, training of the members of legislative assembly, implementation of Jawahar
Employment Scheme. Shankarrao Chavan became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra once
again in 1986 for two years.

Vasantdada Patil who followed Chavan as a Chief Minister of Maharashtra , became the
Chief Minister of Maharashtra for four times. He was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in
the years 1977 78 and 1983-85. He made an important contribution to the development of
the cooperative movement, sugar factories and establishment of non - aided educational
institutes.

Sharad Pawar, who followed Patil as a Chief Minister also became the Chief Minister of
Maharashtra four times. (in the years 78-80, 88-90, 90-91, 93-95). Sharad Pawar made

effective changes in the Kapus Ekadhikar Yojana, encouraged orchard plantations,

encouraged use of new agricultural techniques, agricultural exports, industrial development,
provided reservation to women in elections, carried out excellent rehabilitation work after the
earth quake.

There was a presidents rule in Maharashtra from 17th February 1980 to 8th June 1980.

Barrister A.R. Antule became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on 9th June 1980. He was a
Chief Minister of Maharashtra till 20th January1982. He is famous for the fast track decisions
he took, waiving the loans to the farmers, increasing the pension scale, creating new districts
and carrying out public construction works.

From 21st January 1982 to 1st February 1983 Babasaheb Bhosale was the Chief Minister of
Maharashtra. He carried out several welfare schemes for poor families, gave insurance
coverage to the fishermen, reduced the salaries of the ministers, increased the pension to the
freedom fighters, started the Amaravati University, helped the Marathi film industry, and
started the Aurangabad bench of High Court.

After him Vasantdada Patil became the Chief Minister and then Shivajirao Nilangekar
became the Chief Minister for the period 3rd June 1985 to 13th March 1986. Important
features of Nilangekars tenure include development packages for Marathwada, Vidharbha
and Konkan, insurance scheme for crops, electrification, taking the Maharashtra Industrial
Development Corporation to the taluka level, distribution of free television sets, peoples
courts, rewards to inter caste marriages, free education up to twelfth standard to the girls and
establishment of separate environment protection cell.

Shankarrao Chavan then became the Chief Minister, followed by Sharad Pawar and then
Sudhakarrao Naik (from 25th June 1991 to 5th March 1993) Sudhakarrao Naik brought about
the division of the political party Shivsena and brought Chhagan Bhujbal into the Congress
party. He also helped spread awareness about water conservation, established separate cell for
women and children. During his tenure the biography of Mahatma Gandhi was published and
marketed by the government.

Manohar Joshi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shivsena combine became the Chief
Minister from 14th March 1995 to 31st March 1999. For the first time, a non-Congress
government came to power in Maharashtra. The chief architects of this combine were Shiv
Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray and Pramod Mahajan of BJP. Notable achievements of
this government were: construction of flyovers in Mumbai, the Mumbai-Pune expressway,

Commission for development of Krishna Valley, free housing schemes for the urban
poor,Zunka-Bhakar (staple food of the poor) for one Rupee, ridding Maharashtra of water
tankers (by establishing water distribution system), establishing sports academy, waiving
travel fees for senior citizens, Matoshree old age homes.

Narayan Rane became the Chief Minister after Manohar Joshi (1st February 1999 to 17th
October 1999) The government carried out the following schemes under Narayan Rane:
Establishment of retirement age, Jeejamata insurance scheme for women, Baliraja insurance
cover to farmers, establishing of residential schools for sugarcane farm labourers, cancelling
of octroi and connecting all the districts through internet.

The Congress and Rashtravadi Congress united front came to power and Vilasrao Deshmukh
became the Chief Minister for the period 18th October 1999 to 17th January 2003. The
important steps taken by this government include curtailing unnecessary new recruitments, a
help package of one thousand crores for the farmers, controlling expenses, RashtraSant
Tukadoji Maharaj and Saint Gadagebaba Cleanliness Drive, introduction of English from first
standard, appointment of Shikshan Sevak (temporary teachers), designing new course in
Information Technology, establishing Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Minority Development
Corporation, improving social distribution system and establishment of residential schools.

Sushil Kumar Shinde became the Chief Minister for the period starting from 18th January
2003 to 31st October 2004. Some important decisions of this government include relief from
water tanker supply, free supply of text books, provision of electric power, appointment of
scheduled caste and scheduled tribes commission, reorganization of backward class
commission, filling the backlog in appointment of reserved category candidates, appointment
of Child Rights Cell.

Vilasrao Deshmukh was re-elected as a Chief Minister of Maharashtra on1st November 2004.

Around this time a new party, the Maharashtra NavaNirman Sena, was formed by youth
leader Raj Thackeray to consolidate the position of Marathi speakers in Maharashtra.
Agitations for wide spread use of Marathi language, jobs to local people, use of Marathi on
hoardings, stopping influx of outsiders (especially from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh), agitation
about employment in the Central Railways, these are some of the issues taken up by
Maharashtra NavaNirman Sena of Raj Thackeray. Some of these issues are now being
discussed at the national level.