Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1630–1680) was the founder of the Maratha kingdom (Swarajya) and one of the greatest rulers in Indian history.
Shivaji Maharaj was born on 19 February 1630 at Shivneri fort near Junnar in Pune district. His father, Shahaji Raje Bhosale, was a commander in the service of the Adilshah of Bijapur, and his mother was Jijabai. Jijabai told him stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and filled him with courage, a love of justice and the dream of self-rule.
From a young age Shivaji Maharaj gathered loyal companions from the Maval region. At about sixteen he captured the fort of Torna, which marked the beginning of Swarajya. He then took Rajgad, Kondhana and many other forts and built new ones.
In 1659 the Bijapur general Afzal Khan came to crush him. At their meeting below Pratapgad, Shivaji Maharaj, who had come prepared, killed Afzal Khan and defeated his army. In 1663 he made a daring night raid on the Mughal general Shaista Khan in Lal Mahal, Pune. Later the Mughal commander Mirza Raja Jai Singh forced him to sign the Treaty of Purandar (1665). When he visited Agra in 1666, Aurangzeb placed him under house arrest, but he cleverly escaped with his son Sambhaji and soon won back his forts.
On 6 June 1674 he was crowned at Raigad and took the title of Chhatrapati. He ran his state with the help of a council of eight ministers, the Ashtapradhan. He built a strong navy and sea forts like Sindhudurg, cared for farmers, respected women and all religions, and punished injustice.
Shivaji Maharaj died at Raigad on 3 April 1680. His courage, discipline, good administration and love for the people continue to inspire every Indian.