Shivaji
Videos
Page
Shivaji I was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adilshahi Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire. In 1674, he was formally crowned the Chhatrapati of his realm at Raigad Fort.
Portrait of Shivaji (c. 1680s), British Museum
Shivneri Fort
Young Shivaji (right) meets his father Shahaji. (left)
An early-20th-century painting by Sawlaram Haldankar of Shivaji fighting the Bijapuri general Afzal Khan
Bhonsle dynasty
Videos
Page
The Bhonsle dynasty are a prominent Indian Marathi royal house. They claimed descent from the Rajput Sisodia dynasty, but were likely Kunbi Marathas.
Rajmudra (royal seal) of Shivaji I
Portrait of Shivaji Bhonsle, later known as Shivaji I, the first Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire.
Raigad Fort served as the initial capital of the Bhonsles.
Emblem depicting Chatrapati Shahu I of the Maratha Confederacy.