1.
Shinde
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Shinde is a clan and surname among the Prominent Royal Families of Maratha people of India. Variations of the name include Scindia, Scindhia, Sindhia, Sindia, Sindhe, the Scindia/Shinde dynasty was founded by Maharaja Ranoji Rao Scindia, who was the son of Maharaja Jankoji Rao Scindia, the Deshmukh of Kanherkhed, a village in Satara District, Maharashtra. The Scindia dynasty was founded by Ranoji Scindia, who was the son of Jankojirao Scindia, the Deshmukh of Kanherkhed, Peshwa Baji Raos career saw the strengthening of the Maratha Empire. Ranoji was in charge of the Maratha conquests in Malwa in 1726, Ranoji established his capital at Ujjain in 1731. His successors included Jayajirao, Jyotibarao, Dattajirao, Jankojirao, Mahadji Shinde, the Scindhia state of Gwalior became a major regional power in the latter half of the 18th century and figured prominently in the three Anglo-Maratha Wars. They held sway over many of the Rajput states, and conquered north India, after the death of Daulatrao, Maharani Baiza Bai ruled the empire, saving it from the British power, till the adopted child Jankoji Rao took over the charge. Jankoji died in 1843, and his widow Tarabai Raje scindia successfully maintained the position, the Scindia family ruled Gwalior until Indias independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, when the Maharaja Jivajirao scindia acceded to the Government of India. Gwalior was merged with a number of princely states to become the new Indian state of Madhya Bharat. George Jivajirao served as the states rajpramukh, or appointed governor, from 28 May 1948 to 31 October 1956, in 1962, Rajmata Vijayraje Scindia, the widow of Maharaja Jiwajirao, was elected to the Lok Sabha, beginning the familys career in electoral politics. She was first a member of the Congress Party, and later became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Her son Madhavrao Scindia was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 representing the Congress Party and his son, Jyotiraditya Scindia, also in the Congress Party, was elected to the seat formerly held by his father in 2004. Vijayarajes daughters have supported the Bharatiya Janata Party, Vasundhara Raje Scindia contested and won five parliamentary elections from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Under the Vajpayee government from 1998 onwards, Vasundhara was in charge of different ministries. In 2003 she led the Bharatiya Janata Party to its largest majority in Rajasthan, in 2013 again, she led Bharatiya Janata Party to a thumpin win in the state of Rajasthan, winning over 160 out of the 200 seats in the assembly elections. Her other daughter, Yashodhara Raje Scindia, contested elections from Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh and won in 1998,2003 and 2013. Upon the BJPs win in the state, she became the states Minister for Tourism, Sports, vasundharas son Dushyant Singh entered the Lok Sabha in 2004 from Rajasthan. The Scindia served the Peshwa, and were also Shiledars under the sultanates of the Deccan, Born c 1720, died 25 July 1755. Vacant 15 January 1761 –25 November 1763 Kadarji Rao Scindia Died, Born c.1730, died 12 February 1794
2.
Hindu
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Hindu refers to any person who regards themselves as culturally, ethnically, or religiously adhering to aspects of Hinduism. It has historically used as a geographical, cultural, or religious identifier for people indigenous to South Asia. The historical meaning of the term Hindu has evolved with time, by the 16th century, the term began to refer to residents of India who were not Turks or Muslims. The historical development of Hindu self-identity within the Indian population, in a religious or cultural sense, is unclear, competing theories state that Hindu identity developed in the British colonial era, or that it developed post-8th century CE after the Islamic invasion and medieval Hindu-Muslim wars. A sense of Hindu identity and the term Hindu appears in texts dated between the 13th and 18th century in Sanskrit and regional languages. The 14th- and 18th-century Indian poets such as Vidyapati, Kabir and Eknath used the phrase Hindu dharma, the Christian friar Sebastiao Manrique used the term Hindu in religious context in 1649. In the 18th century, the European merchants and colonists began to refer to the followers of Indian religions collectively as Hindus, in contrast to Mohamedans for Mughals, scholars state that the custom of distinguishing between Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs is a modern phenomenon. Hindoo is a spelling variant, whose use today may be considered derogatory. At more than 1.03 billion, Hindus are the third largest group after Christians. The vast majority of Hindus, approximately 966 million, live in India, according to Indias 2011 census. After India, the next 9 countries with the largest Hindu populations are, in decreasing order, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United States, Malaysia, United Kingdom and Myanmar. These together accounted for 99% of the worlds Hindu population, the word Hindu is derived from the Indo-Aryan and Sanskrit word Sindhu, which means a large body of water, covering river, ocean. It was used as the name of the Indus river and also referred to its tributaries, the Punjab region, called Sapta Sindhava in the Vedas, is called Hapta Hindu in Zend Avesta. The 6th-century BCE inscription of Darius I mentions the province of Hidush, the people of India were referred to as Hinduvān and hindavī was used as the adjective for Indian in the 8th century text Chachnama. The term Hindu in these ancient records is an ethno-geographical term, the Arabic equivalent Al-Hind likewise referred to the country of India. Among the earliest known records of Hindu with connotations of religion may be in the 7th-century CE Chinese text Record of the Western Regions by the Buddhist scholar Xuanzang, Xuanzang uses the transliterated term In-tu whose connotation overflows in the religious according to Arvind Sharma. The Hindu community occurs as the amorphous Other of the Muslim community in the court chronicles, wilfred Cantwell Smith notes that Hindu retained its geographical reference initially, Indian, indigenous, local, virtually native. Slowly, the Indian groups themselves started using the term, differentiating themselves, the poet Vidyapatis poem Kirtilata contrasts the cultures of Hindus and Turks in a city and concludes The Hindus and the Turks live close together, Each makes fun of the others religion
3.
Maratha
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The Maratha is a group of castes in India found predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, Marathas are people of India, famed in history as yeoman warriors and they reside primarily in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The general body of lists are often at variance with each other. The term Maratha originally referred to the speakers of the Marathi language, in the 17th century, it emerged as a designation for soldiers serving in the armies of Deccan sultanates. A number of Maratha warriors, including Shivajis father, Shahaji, by the mid-1660s, Shivaji had established an independent Maratha kingdom. After his death, Marathas fought under his sons and defeated Aurangzeb in the war of 27 years, the Confederacy remained the pre-eminent power in India until their defeat by the British East India Company in the Third Anglo-Maratha War. By 19th century, the term Maratha had several interpretations in the British administrative records, in the Thane District Gazetteer of 1882, the term was used to denote elite layers within various castes, for example, Maratha-Agri within Agri caste, Maratha-Koli within Koli caste and so on. In the Pune District, the words Kunbi and Maratha had become synonymous, the Pune District Gazetteer of 1882 divided the Kunbis into two classes, Marathas and other Kunbis. The 1901 census listed three groups within the Maratha-Kunbi caste complex, Marathas proper, Maratha Kunbis and Konkani Marathas, the Kunbi class comprised agricultural workers and soldiers. The upper-class Marathas proper claimed Rajput descent with Kshatriya status, and included princes, some of the Maratha clans claiming Rajput descent include Bhonsales, Chavans, and Pawar. Gradually, the term Maratha came to denote an endogamous caste, from 1900 onwards, the Satyashodhak Samaj movement defined the Marathas as a broader social category of non-Brahmin groups. These non-Brahmins gained prominence in Indian National Congress during the Indian independence movement, in independent India, these Marathas became the dominant political force in the newly-formed state of Maharashtra. The empire also resulted in the relocation of substantial numbers of Maratha and other Marathi-speaking people outside Maharashtra. Today several small but significant communities descended from these live in the north, south. These descendant communities tend often to speak the languages, although many also speak Marathi in addition. Notable Maratha families outside Maharashtra include Scindia of Gwalior, Gaekwad of Baroda, Holkar of Indore, Puar of Dewas & Dhar, Ghorpade of Mudhol, and Bhonsle of Nagpur. These Brahmins supported the Maratha claim to Kshatriya status, but their success in political alliance was sporadic. Marathas have dominated the politics of Maharashtra since its inception in 1960
4.
Gwalior State
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Gwalior State was an Indian kingdom and princely state during the British Raj. It was ruled In subsidiary alliance with the British by the Scindia dynasty of the Marathas and was entitled to a 21-gun salute. The state took its name from the old town of Gwalior, which, although never the capital, was an important place because of its strategic location. The state was founded in the early 18th century by Ranoji Sindhia, under Mahadji Sindhia Gwalior State became a leading power in northern India, and dominated the affairs of the confederacy. The Anglo-Maratha Wars brought Gwalior State under British suzerainty, so that it became a state of the British Indian Empire. Gwalior was the largest state in the Central India Agency, under the supervision of a Resident at Gwalior. In 1936, the Gwalior residency was separated from the Central India Agency, after Indian Independence in 1947, the Sindhia rulers acceded to the new Union of India, and Gwalior state was absorbed into the new Indian state of Madhya Bharat. The state had an area of 64,856 km2, and was composed of several detached portions. The northern section consisted of a block of territory with an area of 44,082 km2. The Malwa section, which included the city of Ujjain, had an area of 20,774 km2 and it was made up of several detached districts, between which portions of other states were interposed, and which were themselves intermingled in bewildering intricacy. In 1940 Gwalior State had 4,006,159 inhabitants, the predecessor state of Gwalior was founded in the 10th century. It was annexed by the Delhi Sultanate and was a part of it till 1398 and it again became a part of the Mughal empire from 1528 to 1731. The head of the received a patent of rank from the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Ranoji fixed his headquarters in the ancient city of Ujjain, which became the capital of the Sindhia dominion, and on 19 July 1745 he died near Shujalpur. He left three sons, Jayappa, Dattaji, and Jotiba, and two illegitimate, Tukaji and Mahadji. Jayappa succeeded to the territories of Ranoji, but was killed at Nagaur in 1759 and he was followed by his son Jankoji, who was taken prisoner at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761 and put to death, and Mahadji succeeded. Madhavrao I, popularly known as Mahadji, and his successor Daulatrao took a part in shaping the history of India during their rule. Mahadji returned from the Deccan to Malwa in 1764, and by 1769 reestablished his power there, in 1772 Madhavrao Peshwa died, and in the struggles which ensued Mahadji took an important part, and seized every chance of increasing his power and augmenting his possessions
5.
Maratha Empire
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The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian power that existed from 1674 to 1818 and ruled over much of the Indian sub-continent. The Marathas are credited to an extent for ending the Mughal rule in India. The Marathas are Hindu warrior group from the western Deccan Plateau that rose to prominence by establishing a Hindavi Swarajya, known for their mobility, the Marathas were able to consolidate their territory during the Mughal–Maratha Wars and later controlled a large part of India. Chhattrapati Shahu, grandson of Shivaji, was released by Mughals after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb, following a brief struggle with his aunt Tarabai, Shahu became ruler and appointed Balaji Vishwanath and later, his descendants, as the peshwas or prime ministers of the empire. Balaji and his descendants played a key role in expansion of Maratha rule, the empire at its peak stretched from Tamil Nadu in the south to Peshawar in the north, and Bengal and Andaman Islands in the east. In 1761, the Maratha Army lost the Third Battle of Panipat to Ahmad Shah Abdali of the Afghan Durrani Empire which halted their imperial expansion into Afghanistan, ten years after Panipat, the young Peshwa Madhavrao Is Maratha Resurrection reinstated Maratha authority over North India. In a bid to manage the large empire, Madhavrao I gave semi-autonomy to the strongest of the knights. They became known as the Gaekwads of Baroda, the Holkars of Indore and Malwa, the Scindias of Gwalior and Ujjain, the Bhonsales of the Nagpur and the Puars of Dhar and Dewas. In 1775, the East India Company intervened in a Peshwa family succession struggle in Pune, the Marathas remained the preeminent power in India until their defeat in the Second and Third Anglo-Maratha Wars which left the East India Company in control of most of India. A large portion of the Maratha empire was coastline, which had secured by the potent Maratha Navy under commanders such as Kanhoji Angre. He was very successful at keeping foreign naval ships, particularly of the Portuguese and British, securing the coastal areas and building land-based fortifications were crucial aspects of the Marathas defensive strategy and regional military history. The Maratha Empire is also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, the historian Barbara Ramusack says that the former is a designation preferred by Indian nationalists, while the latter was that used by British historians. Maratha power was fragmented among several discrete fragments, although at present, the word Maratha refers to a particular caste of warriors and peasants, in the past the word has been used to describe Marathi people, including Marathas themselves. Shivaji was a Maratha aristocrat of the Bhosle clan who is considered to be the founder of the Maratha empire. Shivaji led a resistance to free the Maratha people from the Sultanate of Bijapur and he created an independent Maratha kingdom with Raigad as its capital and successfully fought against the Mughals to defend his kingdom. He was crowned as Chhatrapati of the new Maratha kingdom in 1674, the state Shivaji founded was a Maratha kingdom comprising about 4. 1% of the subcontinent, but spread over large tracts. At the time of his death is was dotted with about 300 forts, about 40,000 cavalry,50,000 foot soldiers and naval establishments all over the west coast. Over time, the kingdom would increase in size and heterogeneity, Shivaji had two sons, Sambhaji and Rajaram
6.
Princely state
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A princely state, also called native state or Indian state, was a nominally sovereign monarchy under a local or regional ruler in a subsidiary alliance with a greater power. At the time of the British withdrawal,565 princely states were recognised in the Indian subcontinent, apart from thousands of zamindaris. Rulers of salute states entitled to a gun salute of eleven guns and above received from the British the style of Highness, while the Nizam of Hyderabad had the unique style of Exalted Highness. At the other end of the scale, the principality of Lawa covered an area of 49 km2, or smaller than Bermuda. Some two hundred of the states had an area of less than 25 km2. The era of the princely states effectively ended with Indian independence in 1947, by 1950, almost all of the principalities had acceded to either India or Pakistan – thirteen to Pakistan and the rest to India. During this time, the princely states were merged into unions, each of which was headed by a former ruling prince with the title of Rajpramukh. In 1956, the position of Rajpramukh was abolished and the federations dissolved, the Indian Government formally derecognised the princely families in 1971, followed by the Government of Pakistan in 1972. The widespread expansion of Islam during this time brought many principalities into tributary relations with Islamic sultanates, notably the Delhi Sultanate, in the south, however, the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire remained dominant until the mid-17th century, among its tributaries was the future Mysore Kingdom. The Turco-Mongol Mughal Empire brought a majority of the existing Indian kingdoms and principalities under its suzerainty by the 17th century, beginning with its foundation in the early 16th century. The advent of Sikhism resulted in the creation of the Sikh Empire in the north by the early 18th century, at the same time, the Marathas carved out their own states to form the Maratha Empire. Through the 18th century, former Mughal governors formed their own independent states, India under the British Raj consisted of two types of territory, British India and the Native states or Princely states. In general the term British India had been used also to refer to the regions under the rule of the East India Company in India from 1774 to 1858, the term has also been used to refer to the British in India. More prestigious Hindu rulers often used the title Raja, Raje or a variant such as Rana, Rao, also in this class were several Thakurs or Thakores and a few particular titles, such as Sardar, Mankari, Deshmukh, Sar Desai, Raja Inamdar, Saranjamdar. The most prestigious Hindu rulers usually had the prefix maha in their titles, as in Maharaja, Maharana, Maharao, etc. The states of Travancore and Cochin had queens regnant styled Maharani, generally the female forms applied only to sisters, spouses and widows, there were also compound titles, such as rajadhiraj, Raj-i-rajgan, often relics from an elaborate system of hierarchical titles under the Mughal emperors. For example, the addition of the adjective Bahadur raised the status of the one level. Furthermore, most dynasties used a variety of titles, such as Varma in South India
7.
British Raj
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The British Raj was the rule by the British Crown in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947. The rule is also called Crown rule in India, or direct rule in India, the resulting political union was also called the Indian Empire and after 1876 issued passports under that name. It lasted until 1947, when the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two sovereign states, the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The British Raj extended over almost all present-day India, Pakistan and this area is very diverse, containing the Himalayan mountains, fertile floodplains, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, a long coastline, tropical dry forests, arid uplands, and the Thar desert. In addition, at times, it included Aden, Lower Burma, Upper Burma, British Somaliland. Burma was separated from India and directly administered by the British Crown from 1937 until its independence in 1948, among other countries in the region, Ceylon was ceded to Britain in 1802 under the Treaty of Amiens. Ceylon was part of Madras Presidency between 1793 and 1798, the kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan, having fought wars with the British, subsequently signed treaties with them and were recognised by the British as independent states. The Kingdom of Sikkim was established as a state after the Anglo-Sikkimese Treaty of 1861, however. The Maldive Islands were a British protectorate from 1887 to 1965, India during the British Raj was made up of two types of territory, British India and the Native States. In general, the term British India had been used to also to the regions under the rule of the British East India Company in India from 1600 to 1858. The term has also used to refer to the British in India. The terms Indian Empire and Empire of India were not used in legislation, the monarch was known as Empress or Emperor of India and the term was often used in Queen Victorias Queens Speeches and Prorogation Speeches. The passports issued by the British Indian government had the words Indian Empire on the cover, in addition, an order of knighthood, the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, was set up in 1878. At the turn of the 20th century, British India consisted of eight provinces that were administered either by a Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor, during the partition of Bengal the new provinces of Assam and East Bengal were created as a Lieutenant-Governorship. In 1911, East Bengal was reunited with Bengal, and the new provinces in the east became, Assam, Bengal, Bihar, there were 565 princely states when India and Pakistan became independent from Britain in August 1947. The princely states did not form a part of British India, the larger ones had treaties with Britain that specified which rights the princes had, in the smaller ones the princes had few rights. Within the princely states external affairs, defence and most communications were under British control, the British also exercised a general influence over the states internal politics, in part through the granting or withholding of recognition of individual rulers. Although there were nearly 600 princely states, the majority were very small
8.
Jai Vilas Mahal
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The Jai Vilas Mahal, also known as the Jai Vilas Palace), is a nineteenth century palace in Gwalior, India. It was established in 1874 by Jayajirao Scindia, the Maharaja of Gwalior and is still the residence of his descendants the former royal Maratha Scindia dynasty and it is a fine example of European architecture, designed and built by Sir Michael Filose. A combination of styles, the first storey is Tuscan, the second Italian-Doric. The area of the Jai Vilas palace is 1,240,771 square feet, the interior of the Durbar Hall is decorated with gilt and gold furnishings and adorned with a huge carpet and gigantic chandeliers. It is 100 feet long,50 feet wide and 41 feet in height, bizarre items fill the rooms, cut-glass furniture, stuffed tigers and a ladies-only swimming pool with its own boat. The cavernous dining room displays the pièce de résistance, a railway with a silver train that carried after-dinner brandy
9.
Jayajirao Scindia
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Jayajirao Scindia of the Scindia dynasty of the Marathas was the ruling Maharajah of Gwalior from 1843 to 1886 under the British rule. Jayajirao was born as Bhagirath Shinde, son of Hanwant Rao on 19 January 1835, the erstwhile Maharaja of Gwalior, Jankojirao II, died in 1843 without leaving an heir leading his widow Tara Bai to adopt Bhagirath Rao. Bhagirath Shinde succeeded the Gwalior gaddi under the name of Jayajirao Sindhia on 22 February 1843, Mama Sahib, the maternal uncle of Jankojirao II, was chosen as regent. Dada Khasgiwale, the comptroller of the Shinde household overthrew Mama Sahib as the regent nearly leading to a civil war, the British East India Company decided to interfere by withdrawing their Resident Colonel Alexander Speirs and demanding the surrender of Dada Khasgiwale was demanded. A British force under Sir Hugh Gough moved on Gwalior, on 29 December followed the simultaneous battles of Panniar and Maharajpur, in which the Gwalior army was annihilated. Khasgiwale was arrested by the British and was sent to Benares Jail where he died in 1845, a treaty was then made, under which certain lands to the value of 1. When in 1857, the Indian rebellion against the British began, Jayajirao, whose ancestors had fought, on 1 June 1858 Jayajirao led his forces to Morar to fight a rebel army led by Tatya Tope, Rani Lakshmibai and Rao Sahib. This army had 7,000 infantry,4,000 cavalry and 12 guns while he had only 1,500 cavalry, his bodyguard of 600 men and 8 guns. He waited for their attack which came at 7 oclock in the morning, in attack the rebel cavalry took the guns. The Maharaja and the reminder fled without stopping until they reached Agra, in 1882 land was ceded by the state for the Midland section of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway. Jivajirao constructed many new buildings like Moti Mahal, Jai Vilas Palace, Kampoo Kothi, Victoriya Building, Gorkhi Dwar Gate and he reconstructed the Koteshwar Mandir and constructed about 69 Shiva temples across his state. He gave Rs.1.5 million for the reconstruction of Gwalior forts boundary wall, in 1886 Gwalior fort and Morar cantonment, with some other villages, which had been held by British troops since 1858, were exchanged for Jhansi city. In 1861, Jayajirao was created a Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India and his photos appeared in the London press and was regarded as the friend of the British Empire. In 1877, he became a Counsellor of the Empress and later on a GCB, Jayajirao married Chimnabai Kadam in 1843 and Laxmibai Gujar in 1852. Balwantrao Shinde was the his eldest son from Laxmibai, Jayajirao married his third wife Babuibai Sawant in 1873 and fourth wife Sakhyabai. Jayajirao and Sakhyabai had a son, his fourth but only surviving son, Jayajirao died in 1886 at Gwalior and was conferred a personal salute of 21 guns
10.
Maharaja of Gwalior
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Gwalior State was an Indian kingdom and princely state during the British Raj. It was ruled In subsidiary alliance with the British by the Scindia dynasty of the Marathas and was entitled to a 21-gun salute. The state took its name from the old town of Gwalior, which, although never the capital, was an important place because of its strategic location. The state was founded in the early 18th century by Ranoji Sindhia, under Mahadji Sindhia Gwalior State became a leading power in northern India, and dominated the affairs of the confederacy. The Anglo-Maratha Wars brought Gwalior State under British suzerainty, so that it became a state of the British Indian Empire. Gwalior was the largest state in the Central India Agency, under the supervision of a Resident at Gwalior. In 1936, the Gwalior residency was separated from the Central India Agency, after Indian Independence in 1947, the Sindhia rulers acceded to the new Union of India, and Gwalior state was absorbed into the new Indian state of Madhya Bharat. The state had an area of 64,856 km2, and was composed of several detached portions. The northern section consisted of a block of territory with an area of 44,082 km2. The Malwa section, which included the city of Ujjain, had an area of 20,774 km2 and it was made up of several detached districts, between which portions of other states were interposed, and which were themselves intermingled in bewildering intricacy. In 1940 Gwalior State had 4,006,159 inhabitants, the predecessor state of Gwalior was founded in the 10th century. It was annexed by the Delhi Sultanate and was a part of it till 1398 and it again became a part of the Mughal empire from 1528 to 1731. The head of the received a patent of rank from the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Ranoji fixed his headquarters in the ancient city of Ujjain, which became the capital of the Sindhia dominion, and on 19 July 1745 he died near Shujalpur. He left three sons, Jayappa, Dattaji, and Jotiba, and two illegitimate, Tukaji and Mahadji. Jayappa succeeded to the territories of Ranoji, but was killed at Nagaur in 1759 and he was followed by his son Jankoji, who was taken prisoner at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761 and put to death, and Mahadji succeeded. Madhavrao I, popularly known as Mahadji, and his successor Daulatrao took a part in shaping the history of India during their rule. Mahadji returned from the Deccan to Malwa in 1764, and by 1769 reestablished his power there, in 1772 Madhavrao Peshwa died, and in the struggles which ensued Mahadji took an important part, and seized every chance of increasing his power and augmenting his possessions
11.
Bahmani Sultanate
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The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the Deccan in South India and one of the major medieval Indian kingdoms. Bahmanid Sultanate was the first independent Muslim kingdom in South India, the empire was established by Turkic general Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah after revolting against the Delhi Sultanate of Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Nazir Uddin Ismail Shah who had revolted against the Delhi Sultanate stepped down on day in favour of Bahman Shah. His revolt was successful, and he established an independent state on the Deccan within the Delhi Sultanates southern provinces, the Bahmani capital was Ahsanabad between 1347 and 1425 when it was moved to Muhammadabad. The Bahmani contested the control of the Deccan with the Vijayanagara Empire to the south, the sultanate reached the peak of its power during the vizierate of Mahmud Gawan. The south Indian Emperor Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire defeated the last remnant of Bahmani Sultanate power after which the Bahmani Sultanate collapsed. After 1518 the sultanate broke up into five states, Nizamshahi of Ahmednagar, Qutb Shahi of Golconda, Baridshahi of Bidar, Imadshahi of Berar and they are collectively known as the Deccan Sultanates. Later rulers of the dynasty believed that they descended from Bahman, the Bahamani Sultans were patrons of the Persian language, culture and literature, and some members of the dynasty became well-versed in that language and composed its literature in that language. The craftspersons of Bidar were so famed for their work on copper and silver that it came to be known as Bidri
12.
Peshwa
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A Peshwa was the equivalent of a modern Prime Minister in the Maratha Empire. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati, but later, they became the de facto leaders of the Marathas, and the Chatrapati was reduced to a nominal ruler. During the last years of the Maratha Empire, the Peshwas themselves were reduced to titular leaders, and remained under the authority of the Maratha nobles, all the Peshwas during the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Chhatrapati Sambhaji belonged to Deshastha Brahmin family. The first Peshwa was Moropant Pingle, who was appointed as the head of the Ashta Pradhan by Chhatrapati Shivaji, the initial Peshwas were all ministers who served as the chief executives to the king. The later Peshwas held the highest administrative office and also controlled the Maratha confederacy, under the Chitpavan Brahmin Bhat family, the Peshwas became the de facto hereditary administrators of the Confederacy. The Peshwas office was most powerful under Baji Rao I, under Peshwa administration and with the support of several key generals and diplomats, the Maratha Empire reached its zenith, ruling most of the Indian subcontinent. However, after the Peshwa Raghunathrao allied with the British, the Peshwas power declined substantially, later on many provinces were controlled and administered either by the Maratha nobles such as Daulat Rao Sindhia, or by the East India Company. During this period, the Maratha confederacy came to its end through its formal annexation into the British Empire in 1818, clever Deshasthas were happy with the downfall as they were kept away from power by talented Chitpavans for a long time. The word Peshwa is from Persian پیشوا pēshwā, meaning foremost, after the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1674, he appointed Moropant Trimbak Pingle as the first Peshwa. Shivaji Maharaj renamed this designation as Pantpradhan in 1674 but this term is commonly used. The first Peshwa was Moropant Trimbak Pingale who served the monarch and his son, Nilopant Pingale, was appointed Peshwa by the second Chhatrapati Sambhaji after Moropants s death in 1683. The second Peshwa, Ramchandra Amatya, received royal status from Chhatrapati Rajaram as Hukumatpanha from 1689 to 1699 and he was a sound administrator who rose from the level of a local Kulkarni to the ranks of Ashta Pradhan due to guidance and support from Shivaji. Amatya is a Sanskrit term denoting counselor, guide, supervisor or overseer of both personal and governmental affairs and he recaptured many forts from the Mughals between 1690 and 1694, some in person, as well as personally conducting guerilla war techniques. When Chhatrapati Rajaram fled to Jinji in 1689, before leaving from Maharashtra, Ramchandra Pant managed the entire state under many challenges such as the Mughal influx, the betrayal of Vatandars, and scarcity of food. With his help, Sachiv kept the Maratha State on an economic footing. Pant got tremendous military help from Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav, in 1698, he happily stepped down from the post of Hukumatpanha and Rajaram offered this post to his wife Tarabai. Tarabai gave an important position to Pant in the administration of Maratha State and he wrote a book called Adnyapatra मराठी, आज्ञापत्र which explained different techniques of war, maintenance of forts and administration etc. The concepts in Adnyapatra and the wisdom and leadership of ] greatly helped the Maratha empire in building the foundation of state, as he was more loyal to Tarabai than Shahu, he was sidelined after the arrival of Chhatrapati Shahu
13.
Satara district
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Satara District is a district of Maharashtra state in western India with an area of 10,480 km² and a population of 3,003,741 of which 14. 17% were urban. Satara is the capital of the district and other towns include Wai, Karad, Koregaon, Koynanagar, Rahimatpur, Phaltan, Mahabaleshwar. This district comes under Pune Administrative Division along with Pune, Sangli, the district of Pune bounds it to the north, Raigad bounds it to the North-West, Solapur the east, Sangli to the south, and Ratnagiri to the west. The Sahyadri range, or main range of the Western Ghats, runs north and south along the edge of the district. The Mahadeo range starts about 10 m. north of Mahabaleshwar, the Mahadeo hills are bold, presenting bare scarps of black rock like fortresses. The Satara district is part of two main watersheds, the Bhima River watershed, which is a tributary of the Krishna, includes the north and northeast of the district, north of the Mahadeo hills. The rest of the district is drained by the upper Krishna, the hill forests have a large store of timber and firewood. This soil, when well watered, is capable of yielding heavy crops, Satara contains some important irrigation works, including the Krishna canal. The district is traversed from north to south by a railway line, the Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi, near Wai, is the Kalubai temple. Located on a hill 4,650 feet above sea level, devotees attribute miraculous properties to a grove around the shrine. Lore has it that the temple is more than 400 years old and was built during Shivajis Maratha rule, however, no definite date on the temples construction is available. It was the scene of a stampede on 25 January 2005. Historical inscriptions as old as 200 BCE indicate the oldest known place in Satara district in Maharashtra is Karad and it is also believed that the Pandavas stayed in Wai, then known as Viratnagari, in the 13th year of exile. Satara District can be proud of the oldest Rashtrakuta history, the oldest Rashtrakutas are believed to be from ancient Kuntala in the valley of river Krishna. Manank ruled from 350 -375 C. E. and had built his capital in Manpur, the Vakatakas of Vidarbha, another Rashtrakuta rulers were in conflict with Manank. Subsequently the Rashtrakutas became feudatories to the Chalukyas and came into prominence under Dantidurga around 753 CE, the empire of Chandragupta II, known as Mahendraditya Kumargupta I, extended as far as Satara district in Deccan when he ruled between 451 AD to 455 AD. The Mauryan empire in the Deccan was followed by the rule of the Satvahanas for about two centuries between 550 A. D. to 750 AD, the first Muslim invasion of the Deccan took place in 1296. In 1636 the Nizam Shahi dynasty came to an end, in 1663 Shivaji conquered Parali and won Satara fort
14.
Maharashtra
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Four Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India and is Indias second-most populous state and third-largest state by area. It is the wealthiest Indian state and it is also the worlds second-most populous sub-national entity. It has over 112 million inhabitants and its capital, Mumbai, has a population of approximately 18 million, Nagpur is Maharashtras second capital as well as its winter capital. Maharashtras business opportunities along with its potential to offer a standard of living attract migrants from all over India. Ancient and medieval Maharashtra included the empires of the Satavahana dynasty, Rashtrakuta dynasty, Western Chalukyas, Mughals, the major rivers of the state are Godavari, and Krishna. The Narmada and Tapti Rivers flow near the border between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, Maharashtra is the second most urbanised state in India. The state has several popular Hindu places of pilgrimage including Pandharpur, Dehu and Alandi, other places that attract pilgrims from other parts of India and beyond include Hazur Sahib Gurudwara at Nanded, Sai Baba shrine at Shirdi and Dikshabhumi at Nagpur. Maharashtra is the wealthiest and one of the most developed states in India, as of 2011, the state had a per capita income of ₹1.0035 lakh, more than the national average of ₹0.73 lakh. Its GDP per capita crossed the ₹1.20 lakh threshold for the first time in 2013, however, as of 2014, the GDP per capita reduced to ₹1.03 lakh Agriculture and industries are the largest parts of the states economy. Major industries include chemical products, electrical and non-electrical machinery, textiles, petroleum, Jai Maharashtra The modern Marathi language developed from the Maharashtri Prakrit, and the word Mahratta is found in the Jain Maharashtri literature. The terms Maharashtra, Maharashtri, Marathi and Maratha may have derived from the same root, however, their exact etymology is uncertain. But the Marathas as a people do not seem to be mentioned before the thirteenth or fourteenth century, the most widely accepted theory among the linguistic scholars is that the words Maratha and Maharashtra ultimately derived from a combination of Maha and rashtrika. The word rashtrika is a Sanskritized form of Ratta, the name of a tribe or dynasty of petty chiefs ruling in the Deccan region. Another theory is that the term is derived from Maha and ratha / rathi, an alternative theory states that the term derives from the word Maha and Rashtra. However, this theory has not found acceptance among scholars who believe it to be the Sanskritised interpretation of later writers. Maharashtra was ruled by the Maurya Empire in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, around 230 BCE Maharashtra came under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty for 400 years. The greatest ruler of the Satavahana Dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni, in 90 CE Vedishri, son of the Satavahana king Satakarni, the Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the unchecked wheel of Sovereignty, made Junnar, thirty miles north of Pune, the capital of his kingdom. The state was ruled by Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Gurjara-Pratihara, Vakataka, Kadambas, Chalukya Empire, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, and Western Chalukya before finally
15.
Baji Rao I
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Pantpradhan Shreemant Peshwa Bajirao Ballal Balaji Bhat was a general of the Maratha Empire in India. He served as Peshwa to the fourth Maratha Chhatrapati Shahu from 1720 until Bajiraos death and he is also known by the names Bajirao Ballal and Thorale Bajirao. Bajirao is credited with expanding the Maratha Empire, especially in the north, in his brief military career spanning 20 years, Bajirao never lost a battle and won 41 battles. According to the British Army officer Bernard Montgomery, Bajirao was possibly the finest cavalry general ever produced by India, Bajirao was born into the Bhat family of Kokanastha Chitpavan Brahmin lineage. His father Balaji Vishwanath was the first Peshwa of Chhatrapati Shahu, Bajirao had a younger brother Chimaji Appa and two sisters, Bhiubai Joshi and Anubai Ghorpade. He spent his childhood in his fathers newly acquired fiefdom of Saswad, Bajirao would often accompany his father on military campaigns. He was with his father when the latter was imprisoned by Damaji Thorat before being released for a ransom, when Vishwanath died in 1720, Shahu appointed the 20-year old Bajirao as the Peshwa. He is said to have preached the ideal of Hindu Pad Padshahi, Bajirao intended to plant the Maratha flag upon the walls of Delhi and other cities governed by the Mughals and he intended to replace the Mughal Empire and create a Hindu-Pat-Padshahi. By the time Bajirao became the Peshwa, Chhatrapati Shahu was almost a titular ruler, the Maratha confederacy was run in his name, but the real power lay in the hands of the Peshwa. By the time of Bajiraos appointment, Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah had recognized Marathas rights over the territories possessed by Shivaji at his death, in 1719, the Mughals had also recognized the Maratha rights to collect taxes in the six provinces of Deccan. Bajirao believed that the Mughal Empire was in decline and wanted to take advantage of this situation with aggressive expansion in north India. Sensing the declining fortune of the Mughals, he is reported to have said, Strike, strike at the trunk and the branches will fall off themselves. Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah I, the Mughal viceroy of Deccan, had created his own independent kingdom in the region. For example, the Siddis controlled the Janjira fort, on January 4,1721, Bajirao met Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah I at Chikhalthan to settle their disputes through agreement. However, Nizam refused to recognize the Maratha rights to collect taxes from the Deccan provinces, Nizam was made Vizier of Mughal Empire in 1721, but alarmed at his growing power, emperor Muhammad Shah transferred him from Deccan to Awadh in 1723. Nizam rebelled against the order, resigned as the Vizier and marched towards Deccan, the emperor sent an army against him, which the Nizam defeated in the Battle of Sakhar-kheda. In response, Mughal emperor was forced to recognize him as the viceroy of Deccan, the Marathas, led by Bajirao, helped Nizam win this battle. In fact, for his bravery in the battle, Bajirao was honored with a robe, a mansabdari of 7,000, an elephant, after the battle, Nizam tried to appease both the Maratha Chhatrapati Shahu as well as the Mughal emperor
16.
Malwa
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Malwa is a natural region in west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, the historical Malwa region includes districts of western Madhya Pradesh, the definition of Malwa is sometimes extended to include the Nimar region north of the Vindhyas. The Malwa region had been a political unit from the time of the ancient Malava Kingdom. It has been ruled by several kingdoms and dynasties, including the Avanti Kingdom, the Mauryans, the Malavas, the Guptas, the Paramaras, the Malwa sultans, the Mughals and the Marathas. Malwa continued to be a division until 1947, when the Malwa Agency of British India was merged into Madhya Bharat state of independent India. Although its political borders have fluctuated throughout history, the region has developed its own culture, influenced by the Rajasthani, Marathi. Ujjain had been the political, economic, and cultural capital of the region in ancient times, overall, agriculture is the main occupation of the people of Malwa. The region has one of the important producers of opium in the world. Wheat and soybeans are other important cash crops, and textiles are a major industry, several early stone age or Lower Paleolithic habitations have been excavated in eastern Malwa. The name Malwa is derived from the name of the ancient Indian tribe of Malavas, the name Malava is said to be derived from the Sanskrit term Malav, which means “part of the abode of Lakshmi”. The location of the Malwa or Moholo, mentioned by the 7th-century Chinese traveller Xuanzang, is identified with present-day Gujarat. The region is cited as Malibah in Arabic records, such as Kamilu-t Tawarikh by Ibn Asir, Ujjain, also known historically as Ujjaiyini and Avanti, emerged as the first major centre in the Malwa region during Indias second wave of urbanisation in the 7th century BC. Around 600 BC an earthen rampart was built around Ujjain, enclosing a city of considerable size, Avanti was one of the prominent mahajanapadas of ancient India. The region was conquered by the Maurya Empire in the mid-4th century BC, Ashoka, who was later a Mauryan emperor, was governor of Ujjain in his youth. After the death of Ashoka in 232 BC, the Maurya Empire began to collapse, although evidence is sparse, Malwa was probably ruled by the Kushanas, the Shakas and the Satavahana dynasty during the 1st and 2nd century CE. Ownership of the region was the subject of dispute between the Western Kshatrapas and the Satavahanas during the first three centuries AD, Ujjain emerged a major trading centre during the 1st century AD. Malwa became part of the Gupta Empire during the reign of Chandragupta II, also known as Vikramaditya, the Gupta period is widely regarded as a golden age in the history of Malwa, when Ujjain served as the empires western capital
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Ujjain
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Ujjain is the largest city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the centre of Ujjain district. An ancient city situated on the bank of the Kshipra River. It emerged as the centre of central India around 600 BCE. It was the capital of the ancient Avanti kingdom, one of the sixteen mahajanapadas and it remained an important political, commercial and cultural centre of central India until the early 19th century, when the British administrators decided to develop Indore as an alternative to it. Ujjain continues to be an important place of pilgrimage for Shaivites, Vaishnavites, Ujjain has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modis flagship Smart Cities Mission. Excavations at Kayatha have revealed chalcolithic agricultural settlements dating to around 2000 BCE, chalcolithic sites have also been discovered at other areas around Ujjain, including Nagda, but excavations at Ujjain itself have not revealed any chalcolithic settlements. H. D. Sankalia theorized that the settlements at Ujjain were probably destroyed by the Iron Age settlers. According to Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund, Avanti, whose capital was Ujjain, was one of the earliest outposts in central India, around 600 BCE, Ujjain emerged as the political, commercial and cultural centre of Malwa plateau. The ancient walled city of Ujjain was located around the Garh Kalika hill on the bank of river Kshipra and this city covered an irregular pentagonal area of 0.875 km2. It was surrounded by a 12 m high mud rampart, the archaeological investigations have also indicated the presence of a 45 m wide and 6.6 m deep moat around the city. According to F. R. Allchin and George Erdosy, these city defences were constructed between 6th and 4th centuries BCE, dieter Schlingloff believes that these were built before 600 BCE. This period is characterised by structures made of stone and burnt-brick, tools and weapons made of iron, according to the Puranic texts, a branch of the legendary Haihaya dynasty ruled over Ujjain. In the Mauryan period, Ujjain remained the centre of the region. From this period, Northern Black Polished Ware, copper coins, terracotta ring wells, during the reign of his father Bindusara, Ashoka served as the viceroy of Ujjain. Ujjain was subsequently controlled by a number of empires and dynasties, including the Shungas, the Western Satraps, the Satavahanas, the Guptas, the Paramaras shifted the regions capital from Ujjain to Dhar. Raja Bharthari wrote his epics, Virat Katha, Neeti Sataka. The writings of Bhasa are set in Ujjain, and he lived in the city
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Mahadji Shinde
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Mahadaji Shinde also spelled as Mahadji Scindia, was a Maratha ruler of the Maratha Empire of the state of Gwalior in central India. He was the fifth and the youngest son of Sardar Ranoji Rao Scindia, Mahadaji was instrumental in resurrecting Maratha power in North India after the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, and rose to become a trusted lieutenant of the Peshwa, leader of the Maratha Empire. Along with Madhavrao I and Nana Fadnavis, he was one of the three pillars of Maratha Resurrection, during his reign, Gwalior became the leading state in the Maratha Empire and one of the foremost military powers in India. After accompanying Shah Alam II in 1771 to Delhi, he restored the Mughals in Delhi and he annihilated the power of Jats of Mathura and during 1772-73 and destroyed the power of Pashtun Rohillas in Rohilkhand and captured Najibabad. After the Treaty of Salbai in 1782, he invaded and overpowered the Rajput states, particularly Jodhpur and Jaipur through the Battle of Patan, the Battle of Medtya, even Sikh sardars of the cis-Sutlej region paid tributes to him. Mahadji became Vakil-ul-Mutlaq, and The Mughals also gave him the title of Amir-ul-Umara in 1784, when the Maratha army crossed the Narmada in February 1770, the Jat king Nawal Singh of Bharatpur opposed them. However, in the battle on 6 April 1770 Mahadji defeated him, in 1777-78, Mahadji provided military assistance to the Peshwas against the Maratha army of Kolhapur. Mahadji besieged and conquered the town of Karvir in Kolhapur, in 1773, Peshwa Narayanrao was murdered in a conspiracy involving his uncle Raghunathrao who placed himself as the next Peshwa although he was not a legal heir. Meanwhile, a group of twelve Maratha chiefs known as the Barbhai council made Narayanraos infant son Sawai Madhavrao the legal Peshwa, the Barbhai council included Mahadji Scindia and Nana Phadnis, who was acted as the Peshwas regent. Raghunathrao, unwilling to give up his position of power, sought help from the British East India Company at Bombay, in 1777, Nana Phadnis violated his treaty with the Calcutta Council by granting the French a port on the west coast. The British replied by sending a force towards Pune, the British were also made to pay Rs.41,000 as an indemnity to the army of Mahadji. It was agreed that Raghunathrao would be handed to the Marathas, on 18 January 1779 Mahadji captured Raghunathrao and his forces. He also defeated and arrested Sakharam Bapu and imprisoned him in the jail of Sinhagad, goddards 6,000 troops captured Ahmedabad in February 1779, and Bassein in December 1780. Skirmishes took place between Mahadji Scindia and General Goddard in Gujarat, but indecisively, another Bengal detachment led by Captain Popham captured Gwalior Fort on 4 August 1780, before Mahadji Scindia could make preparations. Hastings sent yet another force commanded by Major Camac to harass Mahadji Scindia, thereafter, the military threat from Scindias forces to the British was much reduced. Colonel Murre arrived with forces in April,1781, to assist Popham. After his defeat at Sipri, Mahadji Scindia got alarmed, finally, he decisively crushed the forces of Murre on 1 July 1781. Learning about these defeats, Warren Hastings, who arrived at Varanasi, the treaty also returned to Shinde all his territories west of the Yamuna and so was made to withdraw to Ujjain
19.
Daulat Rao Sindhia
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Shrimant Daulat Rao Scindhia was the king of Gwalior state in central India from 1794 until his death in 1827. Daulatrao played a significant role in the Second and Third Anglo-Maratha wars, Daulatrao was a member of the Sindhia dynasty, and succeeded to the Gwalior throne on 12 February 1794 at the age of 15, upon the death of Maharaja Mahadji Shinde. Daulatrao was reecognised and formally installed by the Peshwa,3 March 1794, Gwalior state was part of the Maratha Empire, which was founded by Shivaji in the 17th century. As the empire expanded, commanders of the Maratha armies were given authority to collect chauth in the territories on behalf of the Peshwa. His wife Baiza Bai was a powerful and an intelligent lady of her time and she played an important role in the affairs of the Gwalior state. Daulatrao therefore looked upon himself less as a member of the Maratha Confederacy and he also came under the influence of Sarjerao Ghatge, a dubious character from Maratha point of view, whose daughter he had married. Urged possibly by this adviser, Daulatrao aimed at increasing his dominions at all costs, the rising power of Yashwantrao Holkar of Indore, however, alarmed him. In July 1801, Yashwantrao appeared before Sindhias capital of Ujjain, and after defeating some battalions under John Hessing, extorted a large sum from its inhabitants, but did not ravage the town. In October, however, Sarjerao Ghatge took revenge by sacking Indore, razing it almost to the ground, then, in 1802, on the festival of Diwali, Yashwantrao Holkar defeated the combined armies of Scindia and Peshwa Bajirao II at Hadapsar, near Pune. The battle took place at Ghorpadi, Banwadi, and Hadapsar, finally, on December 31,1802, the Peshwa signed the Treaty of Bassein, by which the British were recognized as the paramount power in India. In 1811, Shrimant Daulat Rao conquered the kingdom of Chanderi. In 1816 Sindhia was called on to assist in the suppression of the Pindaris, for some time it was doubtful what line he would take, but he ultimately signed the Treaty of Gwalior in 1817 by which he promised full cooperation. He did not, however, act up to his professions, and connived at the retention of the fort of Asirgarh, a fresh treaty in 1818 effected a readjustment of boundaries, Ajmer and other lands being ceded. Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, et al, imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 12. A History of Modern India, 1480-1950
20.
Rajput
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Rajput is a member of the patrilineal clans of the Indian subcontinent. They rose to prominence from the late 6th century AD and had a significant role in regions of central. The Rajput population and the former Rajput states are found spread across India where they are spread in north, west, in Pakistan they are found on the eastern parts of the country. These areas include Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, the origin of the Rajputs is the subject of debate. Writers such as M. S. Naravane and V. P, one theory espouses that with the collapse of the Gupta empire from the late 6th century, the invading Hephthalites were probably integrated within Indian society. At the same time, some tribes were ranked as Rajput, examples of which are the Bhatis, Bundelas, Chandelas. Actually vary greatly in status, from princely lineages, such as the Guhilot and Kachwaha, aydogdy Kurbanov says that the assimilation was specifically between the Hephthalites, Gurjars, and people from northwestern India, forming the Rajput community. Pradeep Barua also believes that Rajputs have foreign origins, he says their practice of asserting Kshatriya status was followed by other Indian groups thereby establishing themselves as Rajputs. Thereafter, in the late 12th century Muhammad of Ghor attempted to invade Gujarat but was defeated by the Chaulukya dynasty of Rajputs. The Rajput kingdoms were disparate, loyalty to a clan was more important than allegiance to the wider Rajput social grouping, meaning that one clan would fight another. This and the jostling for position that took place when a clan leader died meant that Rajput politics were fluid. Even after the Muslim conquest of the regions in Punjab and the Ganges River valley, the Rajputs maintained their independence in Rajasthan and the forests of central India. Later, Sultan Alauddin Khilji of the Delhi Sultanate took the two Rajput forts of Chittor and Ranthambhor in eastern Rajasthan in the 14th century but could not hold them for long. In the 15th century, the Muslim sultans of Malwa Sultanate, accordingly, Rana Sanga came to be the most distinguished indigenous contender for supremacy but was defeated by the Mughal invader Babur at Battle of Khanwa in 1527. From as early as the 16th century, Purbiya Rajput soldiers from the regions of Bihar and Awadh, were recruited as mercenaries for Rajputs in the west. After the mid-16th century, many Rajput rulers formed close relationships with the Mughal emperors and it was due to the support of the Rajputs that Akbar was able to lay the foundations of the Mughal empire in India. Some Rajput nobles gave away their daughters in marriage to Mughal emperors, for example, Akbar accomplished 40 marriages for him, his sons and grandsons, out of which 17 were Rajput-Mughal alliances. Akbars successors as Mogul emperors, his son Jahangir and grandson Shah Jahan had Rajput mothers, the ruling Sisodia Rajput family of Mewar made it a point of honour not to engage in matrimonial relationships with mughals and thus claimed to stand apart from those Rajput clans who did so
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Third Anglo-Maratha War
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The Third Anglo-Maratha War was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India and it began with an invasion of the Maratha territory by British East India Company troops, the largest such British controlled force massed in India. The troops were led by the Governor General Hastings supported by a force under General Thomas Hislop, operations began against the Pindaris, a band of Muslims and Marathas from central India. Peshwa Baji Rao IIs forces, supported by those of Mudhoji II Bhonsle of Nagpur and Malharrao Holkar III of Indore, pressure and diplomacy convinced the fourth major Maratha leader, Daulatrao Shinde of Gwalior, to remain neutral even though he lost control of Rajasthan. British victories were swift, resulting in the breakup of the Maratha Empire, the Peshwa was defeated in the battles of Khadki and Koregaon. Several minor battles were fought by the Peshwas forces to prevent his capture, the Peshwa was eventually captured and placed on a small estate at Bithur, near Kanpur. Most of his territory was annexed and became part of the Bombay Presidency, the Maharaja of Satara was restored as the ruler of his territory as a princely state. In 1848 this territory was annexed by the Bombay Presidency under the doctrine of lapse policy of Lord Dalhousie. Bhonsle was defeated in the battle of Sitabuldi and Holkar in the battle of Mahidpur, the northern portion of Bhonsles dominions in and around Nagpur, together with the Peshwas territories in Bundelkhand, were annexed by British India as the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories. The defeat of the Bhonsle and Holkar also resulted in the acquisition of the Maratha kingdoms of Nagpur, along with Gwalior from Shinde and Jhansi from the Peshwa, all of these territories became princely states acknowledging British control. The British proficiency in Indian war-making was demonstrated through their victories in Khadki, Sitabuldi, Mahidpur, Koregaon. The Maratha Empire was founded in 1645 by Raja Shivaji of the Bhosle dynasty, common elements among the citizens of Raja Shivajis Maratha Empire were the Marathi language, the Hindu religion, a strong sense of belonging, and a national feeling. Raja Shivaji led resistance efforts to free the Hindus from the Mughals and Muslim Sultanate of Bijapur and this kingdom was known as the Hindavi Swarajya in the Marathi language. He utterly destroyed the power of the orthodox and infamous Muslim ruler Aurangzeb, a key component of the Maratha administration was the council of eight ministers, called the Ashta Pradhan. The senior-most member of the Ashta Pradhan was called the Peshwa or the Mukhya Pradhan, the Peshwa was the right-hand man of Raja Shivaji. Raja Shivaji and most of the Maratha warriors belonged to the Maratha caste of the four-tier Hindu caste system, after Raja Shivajis death, the Peshwas gradually became the effective rulers of the state. While the Marathas were fighting the Mughals in the early 18th century, the British fortified the naval base of Bombay after they saw the Marathas defeat the Portuguese at neighbouring Vasai in May 1739. In an effort to keep the Marathas out of Bombay, the British sent envoys to negotiate a treaty, the envoys were successful, and a treaty was signed on 12 July 1739 that gave the British East India Company rights to free trade in Maratha territory
22.
Presidencies and provinces of British India
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Provinces of India, earlier Presidencies of British India and still earlier, Presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in the subcontinent. Collectively, they were called British India, in one form or other they existed between 1612 and 1947, conventionally divided into three historical periods. During 1612–1757, the East India Company set up factories in several locations, mostly in coastal India and its rivals were the merchant trading companies of Holland and France. By the mid-18th century, three Presidency towns, Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta had grown in size, during the period of Company rule in India, 1757–1858, the Company gradually acquired sovereignty over large parts of India, now called Presidencies. However, it increasingly came under British government oversight, in effect sharing sovereignty with the Crown. At the same time it gradually lost its mercantile privileges, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Companys remaining powers were transferred to the Crown. In the new British Raj, sovereignty extended to a few new regions, increasingly, however, unwieldy presidencies were broken up into Provinces. In 1608, the English East India Company established a settlement at Surat, and it was followed in 1611 by a permanent factory at Machilipatnam on the Coromandel Coast, and in 1612 the company joined other already established European trading companies in Bengal. Company rule in Bengal, however, ended with the Government of India Act 1858 following the events of the Bengal Rebellion of 1857 and these rulers were allowed a measure of internal autonomy in exchange for British suzerainty. British India constituted a significant portion of India both in area and population, in 1910, for example, it covered approximately 54% of the area, in addition, there were Portuguese and French exclaves in India. Independence from British rule was achieved in 1947 with the formation of two nations, the Dominions of India and Pakistan, the latter also including East Bengal, present-day Bangladesh. The term British India also applied to Burma for a time period, starting in 1824, a small part of Burma. This arrangement lasted until 1937, when Burma commenced being administered as a separate British colony, British India did not apply to other countries in the region, such as Sri Lanka, which was a British Crown colony, or the Maldive Islands, which were a British protectorate. It also included the Colony of Aden in the Arabian Peninsula, the original seat of government was at Allahabad, then at Agra from 1834 to 1868. Bombay Presidency, East India Companys headquarters moved from Surat to Bombay in 1687, the East India Company, which was incorporated on 31 December 1600, established trade relations with Indian rulers in Masulipatam on the east coast in 1611 and Surat on the west coast in 1612. The company rented a trading outpost in Madras in 1639, meanwhile, in eastern India, after obtaining permission from the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to trade with Bengal, the Company established its first factory at Hoogly in 1640. Almost a half-century later, after Emperor Aurengzeb forced the Company out of Hooghly, by the mid-18th century the three principal trading settlements, now called the Madras Presidency, the Bombay Presidency, and the Bengal Presidency were each administered by a Governor. After Robert Clives victory in the Battle of Plassey in 1757, in 1772, the Company also obtained the Nizāmat of Bengal and thereby full sovereignty of the expanded Bengal Presidency
23.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
24.
Maharaja
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Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a great ruler, great king or high king. It has also been the title of emperors, including Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh empire, the female equivalent, Maharani, denotes either the wife of a Maharaja, and also in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajmata queen mother, Maharaj Kumar generally denotes a son of a Maharaja, but more specific titulatures are often used at each court, including Yuvaraj for the heir. The form Maharaj indicates a separation of noble and religious offices, the word Maharaja originates in Sanskrit and is a compound karmadhāraya term from mahānt- great and rājan ruler, king). It has the Latin cognates magnum great and rex king, the Sanskrit title Maharaja was originally used only for rulers who ruled a considerably large region with minor tributary rulers under them. Since mediaeval times, the title was used even by monarchs of smaller states claiming to be the descendants of ancient Maharajas, the word Maharaja may be understood simply to mean ruler or king, in spite of its literal translation as great king. The word, however, can also mean emperor in contemporary Indian usage, two Rajas who became Maharajas in the twentieth century were the Maharaja of Cochin and the legendary Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. Variations of this include the following, each combining Maha- great with an alternative form of Raja king, so all meaning Great King, Maharana, Maharawal, Maharawat, Maharao. Maharajah has taken on new spellings due to change and migration. It has even been shortened to Mahraj and Maraj but the most common is Maharajah, despite its literal meaning, unlike many other titles meaning Great King, neither Maharaja nor Rajadhiraja, nor even its equivalent amongst. Maharaja, Maharajadhiraja, never reached the standing required for imperial rank, dharma-maharaja was the devout title of the rulers of the Ganga dynasty. In the Mughal Empire it was common to award to various princes a series of lofty titles as a matter of protocolary rank. The british would, as partamaount power, do the same, Maharajadhiraja, Great Prince over Princes, a title of honour, one degree higher than Sawai Maharaja Bahadur. Sawai Maharaja Bahadur, a title of honour, one higher than Sawai Maharaja. Sawai Maharaja, a title of one degree higher than Maharaja Bahadur. Maharaja Bahadur, a title of honour, one higher than Maharaja. Maharaja itself could also be grahted as a personal, non-hereditary style, like Raja and various other titles, Maharaja was repeatedly awarded to notables without a princely state, such as zamindars. g. The Diwan Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad, held such a Maharaja-title, Maharaj Kumar means son of a Maharaja or Heir-Apparent, the female equivalent is Maharaj Kumari, daughter of a Maharaja
25.
Jiwajirao Scindia
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The Maharaja was and till date is very popular due to his interests in the toy trains and cars. He also assembled a toy train made up of silver in his dining table in jai vilas palace, Gwalior to serve food, wines. Jivajirao was a scion of the Scindia family, descended from the Maratha general Ranojirao Scindia, Ranojirao was the head of the Maratha armies in Malwa during the first part of the 18th century, as the Maratha Empire was expanding rapidly at the expense of the Mughal Empire. Daulatrao Scindia shifted the capital from Ujjain to the new city of Lashkar, near the historic fortress-city of Gwalior, the Scindias accepted British suzerainty in 1818 at the conclusion of their benefits from them after they lost 3rd War Third Anglo-Maratha War. At 68,291 km², Gwalior was the largest state in the Central India Agency, jivajirao became Maharaja on 5 June 1925, succeeding his father Madho Rao Scindia upon his death. On 21 February 1941, he married Lekha Divyeshwari Devi, afterwards known as Vijaya Raje Scindia and they were the parents of five children, four daughters and a son, including, Padma Raje, was married to HH Maharaja Kirit Dev Burman of Tripura. Usha Raje, is married to Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, Kathmandu and they are the parents of Devyani Rana. Madhavrao Scindia, former cabinet minister in India. Vasundhara Raje, present chief minister of the Indian state of Rajasthan, yashodhara Raje, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Member of Parliament. Jivajirao ruled Gwalior state as absolute monarch and a British vassal until shortly after Indias independence on 15 August 1947, the rulers of Indian princely states were required to accede to either of the two dominions created by the India Independence Act 1947. Jivajirao signed a covenant with the rulers of the princely states that united their several states form a new state within the Union of India known as Madhya Bharat. This new covenanted state was to be governed by a council headed by a ruler to be known as the Rajpramukh, Madhya Bharat signed a fresh Instrument of Accession with the Government of India effective 15 June 1948. Jivajirao Scindia became the first rajpramukh, or appointed governor, of the state on 28 May 1948 and he served as Rajpramukh until 31 October 1956, when the state was merged into Madhya Pradesh. After his death in 1961, Jivajiraos family remained involved in politics, in 1962, his widow, Rajmata Vijayraje Scindia, was elected to the Lok Sabha, beginning the familys career in electoral politics. She was initially a member of the Indian National Congress party and their son, Madhavrao Scindia, was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971, representing the Congress Party. He served until his death in 2001, madhavraos son, Jyotiraditya Scindia, also a member of the Congress Party, was elected in 2002 to the seat formerly held by his father. Jivajiraos daughter Vasundhara Raje is an eminent politician associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party and she was the first woman Chief Minister of Rajasthan and also was a member of the Lok Sabha for four consecutive terms since 1989
26.
States and union territories of India
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India is a federal union comprising twenty-nine states and seven union territories. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and further into smaller administrative divisions, the Constitution of India distributes the sovereign executive and legislative powers exercisable with respect to the territory of any State between the Union and that State. The Indian subcontinent has been ruled by different ethnic groups throughout its history. Between 1947 and 1950, the territories of the states were politically integrated into the Indian Union. The new Constitution of India, which came into force on 26 January 1950, the new republic was also declared to be a Union of States. The nine Part A states were Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Orissa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The eight Part B states were former princely states or groups of states, governed by a rajpramukh, who was usually the ruler of a constituent state. The rajpramukh was appointed by the President of India, the Part B states were Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Bharat, Mysore, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, and Travancore-Cochin. The ten Part C states included both the former chief commissioners provinces and some states, and each was governed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President of India. The Part C states were Ajmer, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Coorg, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Cutch, Manipur, Tripura, the only Part D state was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the central government. The Union Territory of Puducherry was created in 1954 comprising the previous French enclaves of Pondichéry, Karaikal, Yanam, Andhra State was created on 1 October 1953 from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras State. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 reorganised the states based on linguistic lines resulting in the creation of the new states, as a result of this act, Madras State retained its name with Kanyakumari district added to from Travancore-Cochin. Andhra Pradesh was created with the merger of Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking districts of Hyderabad State in 1956, kerala was created with the merger of Malabar district and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara districts of Madras State with Travancore-Cochin. The Laccadive Islands which were divided between South Canara and Malabar districts of Madras State were united and organised into the territory of Lakshadweep. Bombay State was enlarged by the addition of Saurashtra State and Kutch State, Rajasthan and Punjab gained territories from Ajmer and Patiala and East Punjab States Union respectively and certain territories of Bihar was transferred to West Bengal. Bombay State was split into the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra on 1 May 1960 by the Bombay Reorganisation Act. Nagaland was formed on 1 December 1963, the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966 resulted in the creation of Haryana on 1 November and the transfer of the northern districts of Punjab to Himachal Pradesh. The act also designated Chandigarh as a territory and the shared capital of Punjab
27.
Madhya Bharat
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The union had an area of 46,478 square miles. Gwalior was the capital and Indore was the summer capital. The state was mostly Hindu and Hindi-speaking, on 1 November 1956, Madhya Bharat, together with the states of Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal State, was merged into Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Bharat comprised sixteen districts and these districts were divided into three Commissioners Divisions, which were later reduced to two. It had also the post of an Uparajpramukh, the state had a Vidhan Sabha of 99 members, who were elected from 79 constituencies. There were 9 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, jivaji Rao Scindia was Rajpramukh of the state from 28 May 1948 to 31 October 1956 and Liladhar Joshi was the first Chief Minister. He was succeeded by Gopi Krishna Vijayvargiya in May 1949, on 18 October 1950, Takhatmal jain became the third Chief Minister of Madhya Bharat. In the first general election in 1951, the Indian National Congress won 75 seats, mishrilal Gangwal of Indian National Congress became the Chief Minister on 3 March 1952. After his resignation, Takhatmal Jain again became the Chief Minister on 16 April 1955 and he was the Chief Minister of the state till 31 October 1956. Madhya Bharat state was situated in the Madhya Bharat plateau and this plateau is bounded by the Indo-Gangetic plain to the north, the Bundelkhand upland to the east, the Malwa Plateau to the south, and the East Rajasthan Uplands on the west
28.
Rajpramukh
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Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India which existed from Indias independence in 1947 until 1956. Rajpramukhs were the governors of certain of Indias provinces and states. The British Indian Empire, which included most of present-day India, Pakistan, at the time of the proclamation of Queen Victoria as Empress of India in 1877, more than 700 Indian princely states and territories enjoyed treaty relations with the British Crown. The exact relationship between the Government of India and these states varied enormously, ranging from treaties of alliance, defence, protection, the hundreds of princely states varied greatly in size, from Hyderabad, with a population of over ten million, to tiny states. Two agencies, the Central India Agency and Rajputana Agency, were made up of numerous princely states, on 20 February 1947, the British government announced its intention to transfer power in British India to Indian hands by June 1948. However, the Cabinet Mission Plan on 16 May 1947 failed to evolve a constitution for India acceptable to all contending parties, subsequently, the British government announced on 3 June 1947 its intention to partition British India into two dominions. On 15 July 1947, the House of Commons passed the India Independence Bill 1947, to divide British India into the dominions of India, the House of Lords followed suit the next day. The Bill received the Royal assent on 18 July 1947, the Rulers of the Indian States became sovereign rulers from 18 July 1947, and in principle they were free to accede to either of the two dominions or to remain independent. As per the provisions of the Act, on 15 August 1947 two independent dominions of India and Pakistan were established, the leaders in the Indian Independence movement put strong pressure on the Indian rulers to accede their states to the Dominion of India. These Rulers also signed another agreement known as the Stand Still Agreement, three Indian states namely Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, and Junagadh, failed to accede to either of the dominions. Jammu together with parts of Kashmir was incorporated into India after the Maharaja Hari Singh was forced to seek Indian military intervention against the marauding Pakistani sponsored tribal lords, in time, the two remaining states of Hyderabad and Junagadh were invaded and annexed by India. In 1948 the Maharaja of Gwalior signed a covenant with the rulers of the princely states to form a new state known as Madhya Bharat. This new covenanting state was to be governed by a council of the rulers with a known as Rajpramukh. This new state signed a fresh Instrument of Accession with the Indian dominion, in the intervening period the Dominion Government of India had set up a Constitution Assembly to formulate a new Constitution for India. The thinking among the India Leaders at that time was that each Princely state or Covenanting State would remain independent as a Federal state along the lines suggested originally by the 1935 Act,294, Art 362, Art 366, Art 363 were incorporated. By 26 October 1949 the constituent assembly had finalised a new constitution for India and all the Acceding Indian States and these agreements were entered into before 26 January 1950 so as to bring them within the ambit of Art. On 26 January 1950, India became a republic, as per Art.366 of the Indian Constitution, Art 366, Rajpramukh means- in relation to the States of Hyderabad, the person for the time being is recognised by the President as Nizam of Hyderabad. The eight Part B states were Hyderabad, Saurashtra, Mysore, Travancore-Cochin, Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Hyderabad State had its last Nizam, HEH Mir Osman Ali Khan as Rajpramukh from 26 January 1950 to 31 October 1956
29.
Madhya Pradesh
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Madhya Pradesh is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, nicknamed the heart of India due to its geographical location in India, Madhya Pradesh is the second-largest state in the country by area. With over 75 million inhabitants, it is the fifth-largest state in India by population and it borders the states of Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the southeast, Maharashtra to the south, Gujarat to the west, and Rajasthan to the northwest. Its total area is 308,252 km², subsequently, the region was ruled by the major dynasties of India. By the early 18th century, the region was divided into small kingdoms which were captured by the British and incorporated into Central Provinces and Berar. This state was the largest in India by area until 2000, in recent years, the states GDP growth has been above the national average. Rich in mineral resources, MP has the largest reserves of diamond, more than 30% of its area is under forest cover. Its tourism industry has seen growth, with the state topping the National Tourism Awards in 2010–11. Isolated remains of Homo erectus found in Hathnora in the Narmada Valley indicate that Madhya Pradesh might have been inhabited in the Middle Pleistocene era, painted pottery dated to the later mesolithic period has been found in the Bhimbetka rock shelters. Chalcolithic sites belonging to Kayatha culture and Malwa culture have been discovered in the part of the state. The city of Ujjain arose as a centre in the region. It served as the capital of the Avanti kingdom, other kingdoms mentioned in ancient epics — Malava, Karusha, Dasarna and Nishada — have also been identified with parts of Madhya Pradesh. Chandragupta Maurya united northern India around 320 BCE, establishing the Mauryan Empire, ashoka the greatest of Mauryan rulers brought the region under firmer control. After the decline of the Maurya empire, the region was contested among the Sakas, the Kushanas, the Satavahanas, Heliodorus, the Greek Ambassador to the court of the Shunga king Bhagabhadra erected the Heliodorus pillar near Vidisha. Ujjain emerged as the predominant commercial centre of western India from the first century BCE, the Satavahana dynasty of the northern Deccan and the Saka dynasty of the Western Satraps fought for the control of Madhya Pradesh during the 1st to 3rd centuries CE. The Satavahana king Gautamiputra Satakarni inflicted a defeat upon the Saka rulers and conquered parts of Malwa. Subsequently, the region came under the control of the Gupta empire in the 4th and 5th centuries, and their southern neighbours, the attacks of the Hephthalites or White Huns brought about the collapse of the Gupta empire, which broke up into smaller states. The king Yasodharman of Malwa defeated the Huns in 528, ending their expansion, later, Harsha ruled the northern parts of the state
30.
Vijaya Raje Scindia
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Vijaya Raje Scindia born Lekha Divyeshwari Devi and known popularly as the Rajmata of Gwalior, was a prominent Indian political personality. In the days of the British Raj, as consort of the last ruling Maharaja of Gwalior, Jivajirao Scindia, in later life, she became a politician of considerable influence and was elected repeatedly to both houses of the Indian parliament. She was also a member, for many decades, of the Jana Sangh. Vijaya Raje Scindia was born in 1919 at Sagar in present-day Madhya Pradesh, the eldest child of Thakur Mahendra Singh and she was named Lekha Divyeshwari Devi at birth. Her father was a deputy collector in the provincial administration and her mother, who belonged to the influential Rana family of Nepal, died at Vijaya Rajes birth. Her brothers name is Dhyanendra Singh, who is married to Maya Singh, Lekhas maternal grandfather, Khadga Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, had been exiled to India and had taken up residence at Sagar. It was in Sagar that Lekha was born and her mothers death meant that Lekha never lived with her father, she was raised in the household of her maternal grandparents. The young Lekha was deeply influenced by her grandmother, Rani Dhan Kumari, the impress of this early influence was to leave a lasting impact on Lekhas personality. Although her family was aristocratic, their exile status meant that they were not very affluent and she was educated at home initially, later studying at both the Vasanta College, Benares, and the Isabella Thoburn College, Lucknow. She stayed at a ladies hostel during this period and lived largely as other students did, during this period, the Indian independence movement was at it peak. Already drawn towards austerity by the influence of her grandmother, Lekha gave up the use of foreign goods, the era of leading a normal life was however destined to end at quite an early age. In 1941, at the age of 22, Lekha was married to Jivajirao Scindia, Maharaja of Gwalior, one of the largest, richest and highest-ranking 21-gun-salute princely states in India. As per tradition, a new name was chosen for Lekha based upon the matching of the couples horoscopes and they had four daughters and a son, Padmavati Raje Akkasaheb Burman, who wed Kirit Deb Burman, last ruling Maharaja of Tripura. Usha Raje Rana, who wed her distant cousin, Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and they are the parents of Devyani Rana and Urvashi Rana, see Nepalese royal massacre. Madhavrao Scindia, prominent Indian politician belonging to the Congress Party, and he is the father of Jyotiraditya Scindia. Vasundhara Raje prominent BJP politician and presently Chief Minister of Rajasthan for the second time and she was formerly married to the titular Maharaja of Dholpur. Yashodhara Raje, an aspiring BJP politician and she was formerly married to Dr. Siddharth Bhansali, a US-based cardiologist. The situation was in every sense reversed where her children were concerned, the demise of Jiyajirao in 1961 left Vijayaraje the only parent for her growing children
31.
Lok Sabha
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The Lok Sabha is the Lower house of Indias bicameral Parliament, with the Upper house being the Rajya Sabha. The house meets in the Lok Sabha Chambers of the Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi, under the current laws, the strength of Lok Sabha is 545, including the two seats reserved for members of the Anglo-Indian community. The total elective membership is distributed among the states in proportion to their population, a total of 131 seats are reserved for representatives of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The quorum for the House is 10% of the total membership, term of the House The Lok Sabha, unless sooner dissolved, continues to operate for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and the expiration of the period of five years. An exercise to redraw Lok Sabha constituencies boundaries has been carried out by the Delimitation Commission based on the Indian census of 2001, the 16th Lok Sabha was elected in May 2014 and is the latest to date. The Lok Sabha has its own channel, Lok Sabha TV. A major portion of the Indian subcontinent was under British rule from 1858 to 1947, the Indian Councils Act 1861 provided for a Legislative Council consisting of the members of the Executive Council and non-official members. The Indian Councils Act 1892 established legislatures in each of the provinces of British India, although these Acts increased the representation of Indians in the government, their power still remained limited, and the electorate very small. The Indian Councils Act 1909 and the Government of India Act 1919 further expanded the participation of Indians in the administration, the Constituent Assembly was divided into two for the separate nations, with each new Assembly having sovereign powers transferred to it for the respective dominion. The Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950, proclaiming India to be a sovereign, democratic republic. This contained the principles of the law of the land which would govern India in its new form. The Lok Sabha was duly constituted for the first time on 17 April 1952 after the first General Elections held from 25 October 1951 to 21 February 1952 and he / She should not be less than 25 years of age. He / She possesses such other qualifications as may be prescribed in that behalf by or under any law made by Parliament, a seat in the Lok Sabha will become vacant in the following circumstances, When the holder of the seat, by writing to the speaker, resigns. When the holder of the seat is absent from 60 consecutive days of proceedings of the House, when the holder of the seat is subject to any disqualifications mentioned in the Constitution or any law enacted by Parliament. A seat may also be vacated when the holder stands disqualified under the Anti-Defection Law, a member both of Parliament and of a House of the Legislature of a State. System of elections in Lok Sabha Members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people of India, for the purpose of holding direct elections to Lok Sabha, each state is divided into territorial constituencies. This provision does not apply for states having a population of less than 6 million, note, The expression population here refers to the population ascertained at the preceding census of which relevant figure have been published. Lok Sabha has certain powers that make it more powerful than the Rajya Sabha, motions of no confidence against the government can be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha
32.
Indian National Congress
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The Indian National Congress is one of two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress was founded in 1885 during the British Raj, its founders include Allan Octavian Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji, there have been seven Congress Prime Ministers, the first being Jawaharlal Nehru, and the most recent Manmohan Singh. The partys social liberal platform is considered to be on the centre-left of Indian politics. From 2004 to 2014, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, a coalition of regional parties. As of March 2017, the party is in power in five states, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Meghalaya, in Bihar, it is a part of the ruling coalition. The Congress has previously directly ruled Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, in the 2014 general election, the Congress had its poorest post-independence general election performance, winning only 44 seats of the 543-member house. The party primarily endorses social liberalism—seeking to balance individual liberty and social justice, the Congress was founded in 1885 by Indian and British members of the Theosophical Society movement, including Scotsman Allan Octavian Hume. It has been suggested that the idea was conceived in a meeting of 17 men after a Theosophical Convention held in Madras in December 1884. Hume took the initiative, and in March 1885 the first notice convening the first Indian National Union to meet in Poona the following December was issued. Its objective was to obtain a share in government for educated Indians and to create a platform for civic. The first meeting was scheduled to be held in Poona, Hume organised the first meeting in Bombay with the approval of the Viceroy Lord Dufferin. Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee was the first president of the Congress, the first session was held from 28–31 December 1885, representing each province of India, the Partys delegates comprised 54 Hindus and 2 Muslims, the rest were of Parsi and Jain backgrounds. It also included Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Mohammed Ali Jinnah—later leader of the Muslim League and instrumental in the creation of Pakistan. The Congress was transformed into a movement by Surendranath Banerjea and Sir Henry Cotton during the partition of Bengal in 1905. Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa in 1915, in 1923 following the deaths of policemen at Chauri Chaura, Gandhi suspended the agitation. In protest, a number of leaders, Chittaranjan Das, Annie Besant, the Khilafat movement collapsed and the Congress was split. Although its members were predominantly Hindu, it had members from other religions, economic classes, at the Congress 1929 Lahore session under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, Purna Swaraj was declared as the partys goal, declaring 26 January 1930 as Purna Swaraj Diwas, Independence Day. The same year, Srinivas Iyenger was expelled from the party for demanding full independence, the British government allowed provincial elections in India in the winter of 1936–37 under the Government of India Act 1935
33.
Bharatiya Janata Party
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The Bharatiya Janata Party is one of the two major political parties in India, along with the Indian National Congress. As of 2016, it is the countrys largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament and state assemblies. The BJP is a party, with close ideological and organisational links to the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The BJPs origins lie in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, formed in 1951 by Syama Prasad Mookerjee, after the State of Emergency in 1977, the Jana Sangh merged with several other parties to form the Janata Party, it defeated the incumbent Congress party in the 1977 general election. After three years in power, the Janata party dissolved in 1980 with the members of the erstwhile Jana Sangh reconvening to form the BJP. Although initially unsuccessful, winning two seats in the 1984 general election, it grew in strength on the back of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. After the 1998 general election, the BJP-led coalition known as the National Democratic Alliance formed a government under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for a year. Following fresh elections, the NDA government, again headed by Vajpayee, lasted for a term in office. In the 2004 general election, the NDA suffered an unexpected defeat, long time Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi led it to a landslide victory in the 2014 general election. Since that election, Modi leads the NDA government as Prime Minister and as of March 2017, the official ideology of the BJP is integral humanism, first formulated by Deendayal Upadhyaya in 1965. The party expresses a commitment to Hindutva, and its policy has historically reflected Hindu nationalist positions, the BJP advocates social conservatism and a foreign policy centred on nationalist principles. Its key issues have included the abrogation of the status to Jammu and Kashmir, the building of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. However, the 1998–2004 NDA government did not pursue any of these controversial issues and it instead focused on a largely neoliberal economic policy prioritising globalisation and economic growth over social welfare. The BJPs origins lie in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, popularly known as the Jana Sangh and it was founded in collaboration with the Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and was widely regarded as the political arm of the RSS. The RSS loaned several of its leading pracharaks, or full-time workers, prominent among these was Deendayal Upadhyaya, who was appointed General Secretary. The Jana Sangh won only three Lok Sabha seats in the first general elections in 1952 and it maintained a minor presence in parliament until 1967. The Jana Sanghs first major campaign, begun in early 1953, centred on a demand for the integration of Jammu. Mookerjee was arrested in May 1953 for violating orders from the state government restraining him from entering Kashmir and he died of a heart attack the following month, while still in jail
34.
Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia
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Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia is an Indian politician. He is a Member of Parliament, representing the Guna constituency in the state of Madhya Pradesh and he was the Minister of State with independent charge of Power in the cabinet of prime minister Manmohan Singh from October 2012 until May 2014. Scindia was born in Mumbai to Madhavrao Scindia and Madhavi Raje Scindia and he studied at Campion School in the city and at The Doon School, Dehradun. He studied Economics at Harvard University and graduated in 1993, in 2001, he received a M. B. A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Upon his death in 1961, his son, Madhavrao Scindia became the titular Maharajah of Gwalior and he is married to Priyadarshini Raje Scindia of the Gaekwad family of Baroda. Scindia was elected to the Lok Sabha in February 2002 from Guna District - formerly represented by his father and he was re-elected in May 2004, and was introduced to the Union Council of Ministers in 2007 as Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology. He was then re-elected in 2009 for a consecutive term and became Minister of State for Commerce. Later, he became Minister of State for Power, P. N. Singh and Jitendra Singh. Scindia was among the richest ministers in the UPA government with assets nearly Rs.25 crore and it included investments in Indian and foreign securities worth over Rs 16 crore and jewellery worth over Rs 5.7 crore. He has also filed a claim to be the sole inheritor of the property belonging to his late father worth Rs 20,000 crores. However, this has been challenged in court by his aunts, Scindia is President of the Board of Governors of Scindia School, Gwalior, which was founded by his great-grandfather, Madho Rao Scindia, in 1897 for schooling the sons of Indian princes and nobles. In 1947, the school opened its doors to the public and he is also a hereditary patron of Daly College, Indore, which was established in 1882 to educate the children of the royalty, nobility and aristocracy of Central Indian princely states. He is chairman of the regional Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association in India, jai Vilas Mahal, the current residence of the Scindia family. List of Maratha dynasties and states Maratha Confederacy Members of Fourteenth Lok Sabha - Parliament of India website
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Vasundhara Raje
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Vasundhara Raje Scindia, commonly referred to as Vasundhara Raje, is an Indian politician who has been Chief Minister of Rajasthan since 2013, previously she served in the same post from 2003 to 2008. She is the first female Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje was born on 8 March 1953 in Mumbai. She is daughter of Vijayaraje Scindia and Jivajirao Scindia, Maharaja of Gwalior, Vasundhara Raje married Hemant Singh, of the ex-royal Dholpur family, on 17 November 1972, but the couple separated a year later. Her son Dushyant Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha from her former constituency, owing to the atmosphere Vasundhara was enveloped in at a tender age, public service and politics has been ingrained strongly into her mind and heart. Meanwhile, the nation initiated an agitation against the supreme forces ruling then, amidst the wild animosity in the nation, Rajmata Vijaya Raje was arrested during the concerned Emergency. In 1984, Raje stepped into the Indian political system, initially, she was made a Member of the National Executive of the newly formed Bharatiya Janata party. She was also elected as a member of the 8th Rajasthan Assembly from Dholpur, the same year, she was appointed as the Vice President of the Yuva Morcha, Rajasthan BJP. In March 1998, the nation elected the 12th Lok Sabha in which BJP clinched a humungous mandate of 182 seats and it was Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was sworn in as the Prime Minister of the nation for the tenure 1998-2004. Notably, Vasundhara Raje got an opportunity to work closely under the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee has been described as a large influence in Raje’s life. Vasundhara also received a battery of delegations from across the world, in 1998, India became highly equipped with nuclear capabilities, thereby becoming an influential nuclear power in the World. Nonetheless, this new status was regarded contrarily by the World community, the International community imposed sanctions on India. Raje became the face of India’s Foreign policy and she engaged with various sections of the international community and succeeded in restoring confidence of global communities towards the country. The International community withdrew sanctions in no time, on 25 August 2011, Lalit Modi revealed that BJP leader Vasundhara Raje signed a document supporting Modis application to the British authorities. The application had a clause that it should not be revealed to the Indian authorities. The application was never presented to the British authorities, In her affidavit, earlier, in 2013, a Jaipur-based lawyer Poonam Chand Bhandari had filed a public interest litigation in the Delhi high court. She had claimed that Lalit Modi had transferred millions of rupees to a company owned by Vasundhara Raje and her son Dushyant Singh, niyant Heritage Hotels Private Limited is owned by Dushyant Singh, and his mother Vasundhara Raje holds 3,280 shares in the company. In 2008, Lalit Modis company Anand Heritage Hotels Private Limited provided a loan of ₹38 million to NHHPL. During 2008–09, AHHPL acquired 815 shares in NHHPL, paying ₹96,000 for each share, NHHPL, which previously had a paid up capital of ₹1 million, thus received a total of 116.3 million from AHHPL
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Parliament of India
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The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. The Parliament is composed of the President of India and the houses and it is bicameral with two houses, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. The President in his role as head of legislature has powers to summon. The president can exercise these powers only upon the advice of the Prime Minister and those elected or nominated to either house of Parliament are referred to as members of parliament. The Parliament meets at Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi, the Sansad Bhavan is located in New Delhi. It was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, who were responsible for planning, the construction of buildings took six years and the opening ceremony was performed on 18 January 1927 by the then Governor-General of India, Irwin. The construction costs for the building were ₹8.3 million, the parliament is 560 feet in diameter and covers an area of 6 acres. The Central hall consists of the chambers of Lok sabha, Rajya Sabha, surrounding these three chambers is the four storied circular structure providing accommodations for members and houses Parliamentary committees, offices and the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. A new Parliament building may replace the existing complex, the new building is being considered on account of the stability concerns regarding the current complex. A committee to suggest alternatives to the current building has been set up by the Ex, the present building, an 85-year-old structure suffers from inadequacy of space to house members and their staff and is thought to suffer from structural issues. The building also needs to be protected because of its heritage tag, the Indian Parliament consists of two houses called the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha with the President of India acting as their head. The President of India, the Head of state is a component of Parliament, the President of India is elected by the members of Parliament of India and the state legislatures and serves for a term of five years. Lok Sabha or the house has 545 members. It has a term of five years, Rajya Sabha or the upper house is a permanent body not subject to dissolution. One third of the members every second year, and are replaced by newly elected members. Each member is elected for a term of six years and its members are indirectly elected by members of legislative bodies of the states. The Rajya Sabha can have a maximum of 250 members and it currently has a sanctioned strength of 245 members, of which 233 are elected from States and Union Territories and 12 are nominated by the President. The number of members from a state depends on its population, the minimum age for a person to become a member of Rajya Sabha is 30 years
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Rajasthan
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Rajasthan is Indias largest state by area. Elsewhere it is bordered by the other Indian states, Punjab to the north, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast, and Gujarat to the southwest. Rajasthan is also home to two national reserves, the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur and Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar. The state was formed on 30 March 1949 when Rajputana – the name adopted by the British Raj for its dependencies in the region – was merged into the Dominion of India. Its capital and largest city is Jaipur, also known as Pink City, other important cities are Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Kota and Ajmer. Parts of what is now Rajasthan were partly part of the Vedic Civilisation, kalibangan, in Hanumangarh district, was a major provincial capital of the Indus Valley Civilization. Matsya Kingdom of the Vedic civilisation of India, is said to roughly corresponded to the state of Jaipur in Rajasthan. The capital of Matsya was at Viratanagar, which is said to have named after its founder king Virata. Bhargava identifies the two districts of Jhunjhunu and Sikar and parts of Jaipur district along with Haryana districts of Mahendragarh, bhargava also locates the present day Sahibi River as the Vedic Drishadwati River, which along with Saraswati River formed the borders of the Vedic state of Brahmavarta. Manu and Bhrigu narrated the Manusmriti to a congregation of seers in this area only, the Indo-Scythians invaded the area of Ujjain and established the Saka era, marking the beginning of the long-lived Saka Western Satraps state. Gurjars ruled for many dynasties in this part of the country, up to the tenth century almost the whole of North India, acknowledged the supremacy of the Gurjars with their seat of power at Kannauj. The Gurjar Pratihar Empire acted as a barrier for Arab invaders from the 8th to the 11th century, the chief accomplishment of the Gurjara Pratihara empire lies in its successful resistance to foreign invasions from the west, starting in the days of Junaid. Majumdar says that this was acknowledged by the Arab writers. He further notes that historians of India have wondered at the progress of Muslim invaders in India. Traditionally the Rajputs, Jats, Meenas, REBARI, Gurjars, Bhils, Rajpurohit, Charans, Yadavs, Bishnois, Sermals, PhulMali, all these tribes suffered great difficulties in protecting their culture and the land. Millions of them were killed trying to protect their land, a number of Gurjars had been exterminated in Bhinmal and Ajmer areas fighting with the invaders. Meenas were rulers of Bundi, Hadoti and the Dhundhar region, hem Chandra Vikramaditya, the Hindu Emperor, was born in the village of Machheri in Alwar District in 1501. Hem Chandra was killed in the battlefield at Second Battle of Panipat fighting against Mughals on 5 November 1556, maharana Pratap of Mewar resisted Akbar in the famous Battle of Haldighati and later operated from hilly areas of his kingdom
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Yashodhara Raje Scindia
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She is the youngest daughter of Jivajirao Scindia, Maratha Maharaja of Gwalior, and the Late Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia of Gwalior. She was elected from Gwalior to the 15th Lok Sabha, having won a by-election in 2007. Her siblings are Vasundhra Raje Scindia Chief Minister of Rajasthan, late Madhavrao Scindia, Padmavati Raje Akkasaheb Burman and her brother was Madhavrao Scindia who was born in 1945. He was an eminent politician belonging to the Indian National Congress Party Indian National Congress as opposed to his mother, madhav Rao died in a plane crash in 2001. Her other sister is Vasundhara Raje Scindia of Dholpur who is the Current Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara has one son Dushyant who is currently the Member of Parliament from the Jhalawar constituency in Rajasthan. Yashodhara moved to New Orleans, USA in 1977 after marrying Sidharth Bhansali a cardiologist and she has 3 children, Akshay a producer at MTV Desi in New York, Abhishek a student at the NYU Stern School of business and Trishala a student at NYU. The funds were dedicated to a permanent Indian exhibit space at the Audubon zoo and she finalized her divorce and joined politics after returning to India in 1994. She is a member of her State Legislative Party. She served in Madhya Pradesh Government as a Cabinet Minister for Tourism, in by-elections to be held in early March 2007, she has been nominated as the partys candidate from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. On Sunday 11 March 2007 Yashodhara Raje Scindia of the BJP was declared elected to the Gwalior Lok Sabha seat and she defeated her nearest Congress rival Ashok Singh by over 35,000 votes. On 8 December 2013 she won Legislative Assembly elections in Shivpuri with 76,330 votes
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Shivpuri
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Shivpuri is a city and a municipality in Shivpuri district located in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is in the Gwalior Division of northwest Madhya Pradesh and is the headquarters of Shivpuri District. It is situated at an altitude of 1,515 feet above sea level, Shivpuri district shares border with Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh towards the east and Rajasthan towards the west. It has nine tehsils, Badarwas, Karera, Kolaras, Narwar, Pichhore, Pohri, Bairad, Shivpuri, the city is a popular tourist attraction in the monsoon season as it has a number of minor waterfalls and lakes. The city is known for its greenery, thick dense forests. Shivpuri was the capital of the rulers of Gwalior - the Scindias. The kings used to spent their summer here in Madhav Vilas Palace to escape the heat of Gwalior. Therefore, the city came to be known as mini Shimla, the rulers had constructed the famous Chattri, George Castle and the Madhav Vilas Palace in Shivpuri. The vast dense forests of Shivpuri served as the grounds for the Scindias. In 1564, Mughal emperor Akbar came with his hunters to catch elephant herds from the forests of Shivpuri. Shivpuri is located at coordinates d|25. 43|N|77. 65|E| and it has an average elevation of 468 metres As of provisional figures of 2011 India census, Shivpuri had a population of 179,972. Males constitute 919,369 of the population and females 806,413, Shivpuri has an average male literacy rate of 76. 2% and female literacy rate of 49. 5%. Children population of shivpuri is 2,85,770, Chattri Chattri was built by the Scindia rulers. The structure has two main cenotaphs, both cenotaphs are surrounded by mughal gardens and have a streak of fountains between them. Chhatari made of marble is a fine example of workmanship. Madhav National Park The Madhav National Park surrounds the Sakhya Sagar Lake and it has variety of wild animals and birds. It used to have a significant number of tigers but these have vanished due to maintenance and transference of tigers to other National Parks. George Castle George Castle stands on the highest point of the National Park and it was built by George Jivajirao Scindia for a overnight stay for tiger shooting by British king George V while he was to pass that way during his visit to India in 1911
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Dushyant Singh
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Dushyant Singh is an Indian politician and businessman. He is a member of the 15th Lok Sabha of India and he represents the Jhalawar-Baran constituency of Rajasthan as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is son of last recognized titular Maharaja of Dholpur, Hemant Singh and his mother, Vasundhara Raje, is the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, and a former Union Minister. He completed his schooling at Colonel Brown Cambridge School and The Doon School and he then went on to St. Stephens College, Delhi, Johnson and Wales University, Providence, R. I. and IHTTI School of Management, Neuchatel, Switzerland. Dushyant Singh owns Niyant Heritage Hotels Private Limited and his mother Vasundhara Raje holds 3,280 shares in the company, there shares were gifted to her by Singh and his wife. In 2008, Lalit Modis company Anand Heritage Hotels Private Limited provided a loan of ₹38 million to NHHPL. During 2008-09, AHHPL acquired 815 shares in NHHPL, paying ₹96,000 for each share, NHHPL, which previously had a paid up capital of ₹1 million, thus received a total of 116.3 million from AHHPL. In 2011, while Modi was in United Kingdom, his passport was revoked by the Congress-led Indian government on charges of financial irregularities, in June 2015, the Congress accused Vasundhara Raje of corruption, alleging that she had granted favours to Lalit Modi in exchange for the money. BJP argued that Raje had acted as a friend of Modi, in his defence, Dushyant Singh stated that his company had not done anything illegal
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British Empire
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The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It originated with the possessions and trading posts established by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. At its height, it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1913, the British Empire held sway over 412 million people, 23% of the population at the time. As a result, its political, legal, linguistic and cultural legacy is widespread, during the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain pioneered European exploration of the globe, and in the process established large overseas empires. Envious of the great wealth these empires generated, England, France, the independence of the Thirteen Colonies in North America in 1783 after the American War of Independence caused Britain to lose some of its oldest and most populous colonies. British attention soon turned towards Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, after the defeat of France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Britain emerged as the principal naval and imperial power of the 19th century. In the early 19th century, the Industrial Revolution began to transform Britain, the British Empire expanded to include India, large parts of Africa and many other territories throughout the world. In Britain, political attitudes favoured free trade and laissez-faire policies, during the 19th Century, Britains population increased at a dramatic rate, accompanied by rapid urbanisation, which caused significant social and economic stresses. To seek new markets and sources of raw materials, the Conservative Party under Benjamin Disraeli launched a period of imperialist expansion in Egypt, South Africa, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand became self-governing dominions. By the start of the 20th century, Germany and the United States had begun to challenge Britains economic lead, subsequent military and economic tensions between Britain and Germany were major causes of the First World War, during which Britain relied heavily upon its empire. The conflict placed enormous strain on the military, financial and manpower resources of Britain, although the British Empire achieved its largest territorial extent immediately after World War I, Britain was no longer the worlds pre-eminent industrial or military power. In the Second World War, Britains colonies in Southeast Asia were occupied by Imperial Japan, despite the final victory of Britain and its allies, the damage to British prestige helped to accelerate the decline of the empire. India, Britains most valuable and populous possession, achieved independence as part of a larger movement in which Britain granted independence to most territories of the empire. The transfer of Hong Kong to China in 1997 marked for many the end of the British Empire, fourteen overseas territories remain under British sovereignty. After independence, many former British colonies joined the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Kingdom is now one of 16 Commonwealth nations, a grouping known informally as the Commonwealth realms, that share a monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The foundations of the British Empire were laid when England and Scotland were separate kingdoms. In 1496, King Henry VII of England, following the successes of Spain and Portugal in overseas exploration, Cabot led another voyage to the Americas the following year but nothing was ever heard of his ships again
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Mahadaji Shinde
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Mahadaji Shinde also spelled as Mahadji Scindia, was a Maratha ruler of the Maratha Empire of the state of Gwalior in central India. He was the fifth and the youngest son of Sardar Ranoji Rao Scindia, Mahadaji was instrumental in resurrecting Maratha power in North India after the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, and rose to become a trusted lieutenant of the Peshwa, leader of the Maratha Empire. Along with Madhavrao I and Nana Fadnavis, he was one of the three pillars of Maratha Resurrection, during his reign, Gwalior became the leading state in the Maratha Empire and one of the foremost military powers in India. After accompanying Shah Alam II in 1771 to Delhi, he restored the Mughals in Delhi and he annihilated the power of Jats of Mathura and during 1772-73 and destroyed the power of Pashtun Rohillas in Rohilkhand and captured Najibabad. After the Treaty of Salbai in 1782, he invaded and overpowered the Rajput states, particularly Jodhpur and Jaipur through the Battle of Patan, the Battle of Medtya, even Sikh sardars of the cis-Sutlej region paid tributes to him. Mahadji became Vakil-ul-Mutlaq, and The Mughals also gave him the title of Amir-ul-Umara in 1784, when the Maratha army crossed the Narmada in February 1770, the Jat king Nawal Singh of Bharatpur opposed them. However, in the battle on 6 April 1770 Mahadji defeated him, in 1777-78, Mahadji provided military assistance to the Peshwas against the Maratha army of Kolhapur. Mahadji besieged and conquered the town of Karvir in Kolhapur, in 1773, Peshwa Narayanrao was murdered in a conspiracy involving his uncle Raghunathrao who placed himself as the next Peshwa although he was not a legal heir. Meanwhile, a group of twelve Maratha chiefs known as the Barbhai council made Narayanraos infant son Sawai Madhavrao the legal Peshwa, the Barbhai council included Mahadji Scindia and Nana Phadnis, who was acted as the Peshwas regent. Raghunathrao, unwilling to give up his position of power, sought help from the British East India Company at Bombay, in 1777, Nana Phadnis violated his treaty with the Calcutta Council by granting the French a port on the west coast. The British replied by sending a force towards Pune, the British were also made to pay Rs.41,000 as an indemnity to the army of Mahadji. It was agreed that Raghunathrao would be handed to the Marathas, on 18 January 1779 Mahadji captured Raghunathrao and his forces. He also defeated and arrested Sakharam Bapu and imprisoned him in the jail of Sinhagad, goddards 6,000 troops captured Ahmedabad in February 1779, and Bassein in December 1780. Skirmishes took place between Mahadji Scindia and General Goddard in Gujarat, but indecisively, another Bengal detachment led by Captain Popham captured Gwalior Fort on 4 August 1780, before Mahadji Scindia could make preparations. Hastings sent yet another force commanded by Major Camac to harass Mahadji Scindia, thereafter, the military threat from Scindias forces to the British was much reduced. Colonel Murre arrived with forces in April,1781, to assist Popham. After his defeat at Sipri, Mahadji Scindia got alarmed, finally, he decisively crushed the forces of Murre on 1 July 1781. Learning about these defeats, Warren Hastings, who arrived at Varanasi, the treaty also returned to Shinde all his territories west of the Yamuna and so was made to withdraw to Ujjain
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Media related to Scindia at Wikimedia Commons