Rajaram I (Rajaram Bhonsale, ; 24 February 1670 – 3 March 1700), also known as Ram Raaje, was the third king (
Chhatrapati) of the
Maratha Kingdom, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of
Shivaji
Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...
, the founder of the kingdom, and younger brother of
Sambhaji whom he succeeded. His eleven-year reign was marked with a
constant struggle against the Mughals. He was succeeded by his infant son
Shivaji II
Shivaji II (Shivaji Bhonsale, ; 9 June 1696 – 14 March 1726) was the fourth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom. He was the son of the Maratha Chhatrapati Rajaram I, and his wife Tarabai. He later became the first Raja of Kolhapur State, Ko ...
under the regentship of his
Rajmata Maharani Tarabai.
Early life and family
Rajaram was born in the
Bhonsle dynasty
The Bhonsle dynasty (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle) is an Indian Marathi people, Marathi dynasty, royal house of the Bhonsle (clan), Bhonsle clan. The Bhonsles claimed descent from the Rajput Sisodia dynasty, but were likely Kunbi Maratha (caste) ...
to
Shivaji
Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...
and his second wife,
Soyarabai, on 24 February 1670. He was thirteen years younger than his brother,
Sambhaji. Given the ambitious nature of Soyarabai, Rajaram was installed on the Maratha throne upon the death of his father in 1680 at the age of 10. However, the Maratha generals wanted Sambhaji as the king and thus Sambhaji claimed the throne. Upon Sambhaji's death at the hands of the Mughals in 1689, Rajaram was informally crowned as Chhatrapati of as a regent for his nephew
Shahu I
Shahu I (Shivaji Sambhaji Raje Bhonsale; ; 18 May 1682 – 15 December 1749) was the fifth Chhatrapati or head of state of the Maratha Empire founded by his grandfather, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shivaji I. He was born into the House of B ...
. He vowed to avenge his brother's
execution
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...
.
Rajaram married three times. His first marriage was at the age of ten to
Jankibai, the five
-year-old daughter of Shivaji's army chief,
Prataprao Gujar. His other wives were
Tarabai, the daughter of Sarsenapati
Hambirrao Mohite
Hansaji Mohite (1630–1687), popularly known as Hambir Rao Mohite, was a prominent Maratha general who held the esteemed position of the 5th Senapati of the Maratha Army during the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He was recognized for ...
, the Maratha army general who succeeded Prataprao, and Rajasbai from the influential Ghatge family of
Kagal. Rajaram had three sons,
*Raja Karna (died in 1700) with mistress Sagunabai
*
Shivaji II
Shivaji II (Shivaji Bhonsale, ; 9 June 1696 – 14 March 1726) was the fourth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom. He was the son of the Maratha Chhatrapati Rajaram I, and his wife Tarabai. He later became the first Raja of Kolhapur State, Ko ...
with Tarabai,
*
Sambhaji II with Rajasbai.
Ancestry
Coronation and attack by the Mughals
After the
execution of Sambhaji by the Mughals, Rajaram was informally crowned at
Raigad on 12 March 1689. Rajaram then moved towards to the Bhavani temple at
Pratapgad.
[A history of the Maratha people Vol. II, CA Kincaid and DB Parasnis, pg. 6]
/ref> As he went inspecting the fortresses that lay along the route, he had them provisioned and armed.
As the Mughals under Itikad Khan (later Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung, Zulfikar Khan) started laying siege to the region around Raigad on 25 March 1689, Rajaram's general Santaji Ghorpade organized a counter offensive.[New History Of The Marathas Vol.1
by GS Sardesai, pg 32]
/ref> Santaji's plan was for the Maratha army to entrench itself at Phaltan and from that base draw the attention of Mughal generals while Santaji and a small cavalry contingent would raid the main Mughal camp at Tulapur, and if possible kill Aurangzeb in the middle of his army. Santaji and Vithoji Chavan, his second in command, led a two thousand strong contingent for this purpose towards Tulapur. On stealthily reaching the Mughal camp they rushed at Aurangzeb's pavilion, cut down the supporting ropes and the huge cloth edifice came down in a crash, killing everyone inside. Afterwards it was discovered that Aurangzeb by chance was passing that night in his daughter's tent, thus escaping death.
After some rest at Sinhagad, Santaji led the Maratha contingent down the Bhor Ghat and attacked the rear of Itikad Khan's army besieging Raigad, carrying off five imperial Mughal war elephants. Following this Maratha contingents under Dhanaji Jadhav and Santaji attacked and completely routed Muqarrab Khan, the Mughal general responsible for capture of Sambhaji, at Bhudhargad 45 miles south of Kolhapur. Muqarrab Khan and his son were mortally wounded and chased up to the Mughal camp at Kolhapur and all their loot was captured.
Determined at all costs to take Raigad, Aurangzeb continued to send reinforcements to Itikad Zulfikar Khan, who was soon able to invade Panhala as well. Rajaram who was in Panhala slipped through the besieging lines.
A 300-strong Maratha army then fought with the Mughals and led the new Maratha king, Rajaram to escape through Kavlya ghat to the fort of Jinji in present-day state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
via Pratapgad and Vishalgad forts. After crossing the crocodile-infested Tungabhadra river swimming on Bahirji Ghorpade's back, Rajaram and Bahirji reached Keladi (Near present-day Sagar in Karnataka) in disguise entering the territory of Kasim Khan. As per Keladinṛipavijaya of Linganna, Rajaram and Bahirji sought assistance from Queen Chennamma of Keladi - who kept the Mughal attack in check to ensure safe passage and escape of Rajaram. To punish Chennamma, Aurangzeb dispatched Jannisar Khan, Matabar Khan, and Sharza Khan, who captured the forts of Madhavpura, Anantpur and besieged Bednur while Chennama escaped to Bhuvangiri to save her life. The Maratha general Santaji Ghorpade then defeated the three Khans, protecting Chenamma and throttling the Khans' attempts to pursue Rajaram. Rajaram reached Jinji after a month and a half on 1 November 1689. Details of his escape are known from the incomplete poetical biography of Rajaram, the ''Rajaramacharita'' written by his Rajpurohita, Keshav Pandit, in Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
. After defeating the Mughals, Rajaram cremated his late brother.
Siege of Jinji
Aurangzeb
Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...
deputed Ghazi-ud-din Firoze Jung against the Marathas in the Deccan, and specially sent Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung to capture the Jingi Fort. He laid siege to it in September, 1690. When Rajaram had retired from Maharastra to Jinji, there was virtually no money in his treasury. Raigad, the capital of the Maratha Kingdom, fell into the hands of Aurangzeb. There were no practical centralised Maratha army or government. In these adverse circumstances Rajaram and his advisers were compelled to offer inducements of feudal estates to their helpers, in order to retain their services and allegiance.
Rajaram's Government deliberately weaned away many Maratha Chiefs who had accepted Mughal service. In turn, Aurangzeb profusely offered lands, titles and rewards as inducements to Maratha lords to renounce Rajaram and accept Mughal service. Maratha Government adopted the same methods for counteraction.
The Jinji siege dragged on through 1694 and 1695. After three failed Mughal attempts to conquer Jinji, it was captured on 8 January 1698. Rajaram, however, successfully escaped due to intervention of the Shirke family who hid him in the Mughal camp itself and then furnished him with horses to travel first to Vellore
Vellore ( ), also spelled Velur, is a sprawling city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River and surrounded by the Javadi Hills in the northeastern ...
and later to Vishalgad.
Santaji and Dhanaji
Rajaram had occupied the fort at Jinji from 11 November 1689, but left before it fell in 1698. Rajaram then set up his court at Satara Fort.
Rajaram then set his objectives on rallying the Maratha army to drive out the Mughal invaders.
In 1691, as a direct taunt to Mughal encroachment in the Deccan and to show off the undaunted morale of the Marathas, Rajaram issued contemptible bounties which were deliberately small to his generals for capturing Mughal cities. One such challenge was as follows: "Having clearly grasped your readiness to quit the Mughal service and return to the Chhatrapati's for defending the Maharashtra Dharma, we are assigning to you for your own personal expenses and those of your troops, an annuity...". Hanmantrao Ghorpade was entitled to receive, 62,500 hons after the capture of Raigad, 62,500 hons after the capture of Bijapur, 62,500 hons after the capture of Bhaganagar, 62,500 hons after the capture of Aurangabad, and 2,50,000 hons after the capture of Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
itself. Similarly, Krishnaji Ghorpade was entitled to receive 12,500 hons after the conquest of Raigad territory, 12,500 hons after the conquest of Bijapur, 12,500 hons after the conquest of Bhaganagar, 12,500 hons after the conquest of Aurangabad and 50,000 hons after the conquest of Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
.
Rajaram also aimed to capture Delhi, though he was unsuccessful.
Animated by a desire to avenge their wrongs, the Maratha bands spread over the vast territories from Khandesh to the south coast, over Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
, Baglan, Gondwana
Gondwana ( ; ) was a large landmass, sometimes referred to as a supercontinent. The remnants of Gondwana make up around two-thirds of today's continental area, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia (continent), Australia, Zea ...
, and the Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
, devastating Mughal stations, destroying their armies, exacting tribute, plundering Mughal treasures, animals and stocks of camp equipage.
Through imminent peril Rajaram had won his goal and at Jinji had sustained that which scholars like C.A. Kincaid call, "a siege hardly shorter than that of Troy
Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
with the skill and valour and more than the fortunes of Hector
In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...
".
Death
Rajaram led a large Maratha force to attack the Mughal city of Jalna which he successfully plundered and set on fire. Entering the Godavari valley, he plundered Paithan, Beed and other Mughal-occupied towns along the river banks. Instead of progressing further he turned back towards Sinhagad to deposit the accumulated loot when his burdened army was ambushed by Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung, Zulfikar Khan. Rajaram fought a continuous series of rearguard actions for fifty miles, before reaching Sinhgad. The hardships and exposure of the chase had aggravated a weakness of Rajaram's lungs contracted at Jinji.[A History of the Maratha People Vol. II, CA Kincaid and DB Parasnis, pg. 103-10]
/ref>
After some days high fever set in with frequent hemorrhages. Knowing his end was near, Rajaram called upon his council and commanded them not to relax their efforts in the war of liberation until Shahu I, Prince Shahu had been freed and the Mughals driven from the land of the Marathas. Rajaram died of lung disease in 1700 at Sinhagad near Pune
Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
in Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
leaving behind widows and infants. Rajaram's funeral ceremonies were performed by Jivajiraje Bhonsle, the descendant of Vithoji Bhonsle, younger brother of Maloji Bhosale
Maloji Bhonsale ( 1552 – 1605) was a Maratha chief (''Sardar'') who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. He was the father of Shahaji and the grandfather of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha kingdom.
Early life
Maloji was born in 1552 to ...
and Chhatrapati Shivaji's great uncle. To keep alive Rajaram's memory, Ramchandra Bavdekar built a temple to Shiva on the edge of Sinhgad fort. The temple was endowed with lands and money, and remains standing. Ambikabai, one of his widows, committed sati upon Rajaram's death. Many folk tales are centered on her powers of piety.
Rajaram's widow Tarabai then proclaimed her own young son, Shivaji II
Shivaji II (Shivaji Bhonsale, ; 9 June 1696 – 14 March 1726) was the fourth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Kingdom. He was the son of the Maratha Chhatrapati Rajaram I, and his wife Tarabai. He later became the first Raja of Kolhapur State, Ko ...
as the Chhatrapati Shivaji prophesied by Shivaji I destined to conquer all India from Attock
Attock ( Punjabi, ), formerly known as Campbellpur (Punjabi, ), is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock District and is 36th largest city in the Punjab and 61st largest c ...
to Rameshwaram, going against the popularly held notion that it was Shahu I
Shahu I (Shivaji Sambhaji Raje Bhonsale; ; 18 May 1682 – 15 December 1749) was the fifth Chhatrapati or head of state of the Maratha Empire founded by his grandfather, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shivaji I. He was born into the House of B ...
(whose original name was Shivaji) who was to be the Shivaji prophesied about, and ruled as her son's regent. However, the release of Shahu, by the successors of Aurangzeb led to an internecine conflict between Tarabai and Shahu with the latter emerging as the successful claimant to the Maratha throne of Satara. Tarabai established a separate seat at Kolhapur and installed her son as the rival Chhatrapati. She was shortly deposed by Rajasbai, the other surviving widow of Rajaram. She installed her own son by Rajaram called Sambhaji II on the Kolhapur throne. The Kolhapur line has continued to this day through natural succession and adoptions per Hindu customs. The Satara seat passed to a grandson of Rajaram called Ramaraja after he was adopted at the insistence of Tarabai, by Shahu who did not have a natural male heir. Later Tarabai disowned him saying she had presented Shahu with an imposter.[V.S. Kadam, 1993. ''Maratha Confederacy: A Study in its Origin and Development.'' Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, New Delhi.]
Books
* Chhatrapati Rajaram Tararani (Dr. Sadashiv Shivade)
* Shivaputra Chhatrapati Rajaram (Dr. Jaysingrao Pawar)
* Swarajya Rakshanacha Ladha (Mohan Shete, Pandurang Balakawade, Sudhir Thorat)
* Hukumatpanah Ramchandrapant Amatya Charitra (Saurabh Deshpande)
* Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj (Ashokrao Shinde Sarkar)
* Marathi Riyasat - Chhatrapati Rajaram Govind Sakharam Sardesai)
* Bhangale Swapna Maharashtra (Drama, written by Bashir Momin Kavathekar)
Movies
* He was portrayed by Vineet Kumar Singh in the 2025 Hindi film '' Chhaava''.
See also
* Khando Ballal Chitnis
Notes
References
*
Imperial Gazetteer of India
v. 2, p. 440.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chhatrapati, Rajaram
1670 births
1700 deaths
17th-century Indian monarchs
17th-century regents
Maratha kings
Hindu monarchs
People from Maharashtra