Maloji Bhonsale | |
|---|---|
| Born | Maloji Babaji Bhonsale c.1552 |
| Died | c. 1605(1605-00-00) (aged 52–53) |
| Title | Sardar[1] |
| Children | Shahaji Sharifji |
| Parent | Babaji Bhosale (father) |
| Relatives | Vithoji (brother) Jijabai (daughter-in-law) Shivaji (grandson) Lakshoji Bhonsle (grandfather) Krishnaji Bhonsle (great-grandfather) |
Maloji Bhonsale (c. 1552 – 1605) was aMaratha chief (Sardar) who served theAhmadnagar Sultanate.[1] He was the father ofShahaji and the grandfather ofShivaji, the founder of theMaratha kingdom.
Maloji was born in 1552 to Babaji Bhosale (d. 1597), aPatil (chief) of the Hingani Berdi and Devalgaon villages aroundPune.[2][3] Maloji also had a younger brother, Vithoji.
Maloji and his brother Vithoji migrated away from Pune, and initially served as cavalrymen under theJadhavs ofSindkhed.[4] The Jadhavs provided military service to the Ahmednagar Sultanate.Maloji married Uma Bai (also known as Dipa Bai), the sister of JagpalraoNimbalkar, who was theDeshmukh ofPhaltan
According toShiva Digvijaya,[5][6] a text regarded as a modern work by historians such asJadunath Sarkar and Surendra Nath Sen,[7] Maloji's wife Umabai allegedly prayed at the tomb of Ahmadnagar'sSufiPir Shah Sharif, to be blessed with a son. Afterwards when Maloji and Umabai settled inDevagiri, Umabai went on to give birth to two sons, first of whom was Shahaji and second one was Sharifji, born two years later.[8]
According to one account, during aHoli function, the Jadhav chiefLakhuji remarked, in a lighter vein, that his daughterJijabai and Shahaji would make a fine couple. Maloji took Lakhuji's remark seriously, and announced publicly that his son was engaged to Lakhuji's daughter. This irked Lakhuji, who considered Maloji to be a lower-rankingShiledar.[9] He dismissed Maloji from his services. Later, Nimbalkar's influence and the rising status of the Bhosale family helped Shahaji marryJijabai.
According to Shedgaonkar Bakhar, presumably composed after 1854 and rejected by historians likeJadunath Sarkar,[10] Maloji and Vithoji once found a treasure while tilling a field and became rich.[11]
In 1577, like the Nimbalkars, the two brothers joined the service of the Ahmednagar Sultanate, under Murtaza Nizam Shah I. Maloji became a trusted aide ofMalik Amber, who rose to the Prime Ministership of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.[12] Maloji's cousins, the Ghorpades ofMudhol, also became successful noblemen, serving the rival Sultanate ofBijapur.[13]
Maloji rose rapidly in the service of Malik Ambar, fighting against the rivalDeccan Sultanates and theMughals. He and his brother were granted the control of threeparganas (administrative units):Elur (Verul), Derhadi and Kannarad (including Jategau and Vakadi), beside several small towns and villages.[9] In 1595 or 1599, Maloji was given the title ofraja byBahadur Nizam Shah, the ruler of the Ahmednagar Sultanate.[14] On the recommendation of Malik Ambar, he was given thejagir ofPune andSupeparganas, along with the control of theShivneri andChakan forts. Maloji carried out the restoration of theGrishneshwar temple near Verul, and also constructed a large tank at the Shambhu Mahadev temple inShikhar Shingnapur.[15]
Maloji died during a battle against theBijapur Sultanate, atIndapur. One account puts his year of death as 1605, and mentions that his son Shahaji, five-years old at the time, was raised by his brother Vithoji.[9] Other accounts put the year of his death as 1620[16] or 1622.[13] After his death, his jagir was transferred to his son Shahaji.
Origin andEarly life | ||
| Ancestry and family |  | |
| Battles | ||
| Forts | ||
