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MAURYANS	MAHARATHI-CHUTUS	SATAVAHANAS	ROMANS	KADAMBAS	GANGAS	HOYSALAS
VIJAYNAGARS	BAHAMANIS	WODEYARS	MARATHAS	SULTHANS	NIZAMS	MUGALS

CHATRAPATHI SIVAJI (1630-1680 A.D.]

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born at the Shivneri fort on February 19, 1630 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.His life appears like a fairy tale to children.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 is to India what Napolean was to Europe.

The Marathas and Shivaji The Marathas from Maharashtra in central India became a major force in India between 1646 and 1680, under Shivaji. Shivaji's father was a small overlord for the Muslim state of Bijapur. Shivaji decided to lead a rebellion to extend his father's power. Afzal Khan, the Bijapur general, sent to put down the rebellion, agreed to meet Shivaji to work it out. During this meeting, Shivaji killed him with steel claws he had attached to his hands. He was known for his heroism and daring in battle. He was a devotee of Lord Vitthala (Krishna). He was captured and taken to Agra, but escaped. Shivaji is considered to be a hero in Maharashtra and in Mumbai, he was able to unite the people in the fight against the Mughals.

Amongst the other successors of the Mughals, the Marathas were the earliest. Their rise in the seventeenth century was due to Shivaji (1627-80), who rising from a soldier in the service of Golkonda, managed to establish his kingdom in the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. While he established his power in the north, his brother Venkaji or Ekoji established his family in the south at Tanjore. While the authority of the former soon passed into the hands of the Peshwas, the members of Ekoji's family continued till the middle of the nineteenth century.

REFERENCES 1. History of Karnataka, p.40 Dr. N. R.. Aparanji. 2. Coins and Currency system N. Karnataka Dr. A.V. Narasimha Murthy. 3. The coinage and History of South India Michael Mitchiner.
4. Karnataka Numismatic Studies K. Ganesh, Dr. Girijapathy.

COINS OF MARATHAS

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