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History of Maharashtra is full of gallant warriors like Shivaji. Have a detailed peek into the history of Maharashtra from early ages to post-independent era.
History of Maharashtra
The history of Maharashtra is filled with tales of courage and valour; just like the string of rulers who ruled over this land. The colorful history of the land is the reason for the rich culture and traditions which are important part of the society today. When you start to date the history of the state of Maharashtra, the first archeological discoveries date back to the 3rd century BC, when the land was under the rule of Asoka as a part of the Mauryan Empire. Due to the presence of the Bombay port, the state was subjected to immense amount of trade and commerce activities since the early days. In later years, Bombay became Mumbai, and became the financial capital of India. Read on further to know the complete history of the state.
- The state of Maharashtra was earlier a part of the Magadha Empire. But when the empire fell the state came under the rule of the Satavahanas.
- There was a lot trade and education development during the reign of the Buddhist emperor Ashoka.
- Next came the rulers in the eastern part of Maharashtra the Vidharba region which was under the rule of the Vakatakas. The Ajanta Caves numbering 16, 17 and 19 are the examples of the great architecture that developed during their reign.
- Once the reign of the the Vakatakas was over, the land of Maharashtra was ruled by the Chalukyas who came to power in the southern region of state of Karnataka in the 6th century AD.
- Among many other empires and rulers made a huge influence in shaping the history of the Maharashtra were Rashtrakutas who ruled in 8th century AD. During their time culture and education was given utmost importance and the result was the Kailash Cave Temple of the Ellora caves.
- When the Rashtrakutas were overpowered, the Chalukyas came back to power and ruled the state till 1189 AD.
- The Yadavas who ruled till 1310 AD were the last of the Hindu kingdoms that controlled the state before they were defeated by Alauddin Khalji.
- The Khilji Dynasty invaded the Deccan region in the year 1296 AD before the next Invasion by Mohammad Bin Tughlaq ended their rule.
- The Tughlaq Dynasty reigned till 1347 AD and their invasions were carried out till south of India including Madurai.
- When the Tughlaq Dynasty was destroyed, the Bahmani Sultanate of Bijapur ruled the region for the next 150 years which was founded by Alauddin Bahman Shah
- After the end of Bahmani Kingdom, the state of Maharashtra came under the rule of many independent rulers with allegiance to the Mughal Empire.
- The Maratha Empire, which was started by Shivaji in the year 1674 in the Bijapur Sultanate was an important point in history of Maharashtra because the Maratha rule ended and freed the people from the chains of the Mughal Empire.
- In the year 1674, Shivaji crowned himself the king of the Marathas also called the the Chhatrapati which is why he is called Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
- He died in 1680 leaving the reigns of the state in the hands of his two sons Shambhaji and Rajaram.
- The Shivaji family ruled the empire for a long time with the ruler ship being passed on to Rajaram’s son Shahu.
- After his death in 1712, Peshwa or the Prime minister Balaji Vishwanath started the Peshwa Dynasty carried on by his son Bajirao.
- With the Battle of Panipat in 1761, the Peshwa Dynasty was overthrown by the British who started their colonization of India.
- Peshwa Baji Rao II signed the treaty of Bassein with the British in the year 1802 which officiated the Rule of British over Maharashtra and in 1804 General Wellesley declared military rule in the Deccan states.
- While the British ruled over Bombay Presidency which included most parts of northern Deccan including Nagpur, Satara and Kolhapur, various parts of modern Maharashtra known as Marathawada were under the Nizam’s rule.
- After India got independence in 1947, the modern state of Maharashtra was established in the year 1960.
Once the formation of the states was finalized the state government started work on development and growth of the state of Maharashtra. Many economic policies were drafted which accelerated the overall growth and development of the state.
