| Maratha army | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Painting depicting a Marathalight cavalryman | |
| Active | c. 1650–1818 |
| Country | Maratha Empire |
| Type | Land-based army |
| Commanders | |
| Senapati | Mankoji Dahatonde Netaji Palkar Prataprao Gujar Anandrao Hambirrao Mohite Mhaloji Ghorpade Santaji Ghorpade Dhanaji Jadhav Yasajirao Kank Trimbak Rao Dabhade Khanderao Dabhade Bajirao I Chimaji Appa Sadashivrao Bhau Ranoji Shinde Malharrao Holkar Raghoji I Bhosale Haibatrao Shilimkar |
TheMaratha army was the land-based armed forces of theMaratha Empire, which existed from the late 17th to the early 19th centuries in theIndian subcontinent.
Shivaji, the founder of theMaratha Kingdom, raised a small yet effective land army. For better administration, Shivaji abolished the land-grants orjagir for military officers and instituted a system of salary or cash payment for their services known as thesaranjam. During the 17th century the Maratha army was small in terms of numbers when compared to theMughal Army, numbering some 100,000.Shivaji gave more emphasis toinfantry compared tocavalry, considering the rugged mountainous terrain he operated in. Furthermore, Shivaji did not have access to the North Indian Mughal dominated horse markets. During this era, the armies of the Marathas were known for their agility due to the light equipment of both infantry and cavalry.Artillery was mostly confined to the Marathafortresses, which were located on hilltops, since it gave a strategic advantage and furthermore, these fortresses had the ability to withstand sieges (such as being equipped with sufficient water supply).[1] The Marathas used weapons likemuskets,matchlocks,firangi swords, clubs, bows, spears, daggers, etc.[2] The cavalry rode theBhimthadi horse, which was developed by crossingArabian and local horse breeds.[3][4]
The Maratha army, during Shivaji's era was systematic and disciplined. A case in point here is that the Marathas achieved success in the systematic elimination of all forts which came their way during theBattle of Surat circa 1664.[citation needed] When it came to the artillery, Shivaji hired foreign (mainly Portuguese) mercenaries for assistance to manufacture weapons. The hiring of foreignmercenaries was not new to the Maratha military culture. Shivaji hired seasoned cannon-castingPortuguese technicians fromGoa. The Marathas attached importance to hiring of experts, which can be corroborated by the fact that important posts in the army were offered to the officers in charge of the manufacture of guns.[5]
The Army deployed musketeers as well - both regular soldiers and mercenaries. During the late 17th century, there is a mention of the Marathas using "well-armed musketeers" during their attack on Goa (during the reign ofSambhaji). Furthermore, during the same period there is also a mention of Marathas usingKarnatakimusketeers renowned formarksmanship[6][7]
Below was the structure and ranks of armies of the great Maratha at a high level during the reign of Shivaji:Cavalry was divided into two at a high level:
Theinfantry consisted of the below:[9]
Ranks and salary of the cavalry are as below. The infantry had a similar structure[10]
Infantry ranks (starting with senior-most rank):[11]
During theDeccan Wars (1680–1707), the Maratha State's regular army dispersed, and the theater of war expanded to encompass the entireDeccan region. During this period, the Maratha forces adoptedguerrilla warfare tactics. In addition to the regular army, bands of irregular soldiers joined the fight, transforming the conflict into a people's war. A distinct army was raised, with principal leaders including PowarVishwas Rao, ThoratDinkar Rao, and AtowlaySamsher Bahadur. Raiding the enemy's rear positions and attacking isolated posts and supply lines became common strategies.[12] Throughout this period, ordinary men and women from virtually every town and village offered shelter and support to the Maratha forces, led by the valiant generalsSantaji Ghorpade andDhanaji Jadhav. These collective efforts significantly contributed to the success of the Marathas in their struggle against the Mughal Empire.[13][14]
Jadunath Sarkar, the noted historian, writes in his famous book, the military history of India aboutSantaji Ghorpade, a brilliant strategist who fought against the Mughals in the 27-year war.
He was a perfect master of this art, which can be more correctly described asParthian warfare than as guerrilla tactics, because he could not only make night marches and surprises, but also cover long distances quickly and combine the movements of large bodied over wide areas with an accuracy and punctuality which were incredible in any Asiatic army other than those ofChengiz Khan andTamurlane.
During the 18th century the Maratha army continued its emphasis on itslight cavalry, which proved better against theheavy cavalry of the Mughals. Post 1720, the armies of the Maratha Confederacy, in the reign ofShahu I made their presence felt in Northern India (the bastion of the Mughals) and scored numerous military victories, primarily due to the skills ofBajirao I as a great cavalry commander and military strategist.[15] Bajirao Peshwa made excellent use of small and heavy ammunition (using it in excellent coordination) and used smothering tactics. The Marathas led by Bajirao I would use their artillery to create a blanket of projectiles to smother the enemy.[5]
A hallmark ofBajirao I contingents was that of long-distance cavalry attacks, typically light and agile cavalry. During the reign ofShahu I, the cavalry strength was some 100,000. His own cavalry was called as theHuzurat Cavalry,[16] which was an elite cavalry division.[17][18] Furthermore, Bajirao used massed ranks of infantry consisting offlintlock-armed regulars under South Asian officers.[19]
When the Marathas confronted theFrench (allies of theNizam of Hyderabad) on the battlefield in the 1750s, they realized the importance of western-style disciplined infantry. Hence the process of modernization began even before theThird Battle of Panipat (1761).Sadashivrao Bhau admired Western-style disciplined infantry.[20] Circa 1750s, the Marathas endeavored to hire the services of theFrench GeneralMarquis de Bussy-Castelnau (who served in theNizam's Army) for training purposes, but when they failed in their efforts, they managed to hireIbrahim Khan Gardi. Ibrahim Khan was an artillery expert trained under the leadership of Bussy. The wordgardi is a corruption of the French wordgarde (guard) and thisgardi formed the backbone of Maratha infantry.[21] Ibrahim Khan played a major role in re-configuring the Maratha artillery. He served the Marathas in the infamousThird Battle of Panipat. During the battle, out of the approximate 40,000 Maratha army soldiers, some 8000 or 9000 were artillery (Gardi Infantry). They possessed 200 cannons (consisting of heavy field-pieces as well as light camel or elephant-mountedzambaruks (camel-mountedswivel guns) and also possessedhandguns.[22]
During this era, sources state that the Marathas made use of bothflintlocks andmatchlocks and that their matchlocks had a technological advantage having superior range and velocity.[23] However atThird Battle of Panipat, they possessed mainly just swords and spears whilstAbdali possessed a larger force withflintlockmuskets.[24]
From the 17th century till the mid-18th century theartillery of theMarathas was more dependent on foreigngunners rather than their own.
After 1761,Mahadaji Shinde, a distinguished Maratha general, focused his attention on European artillery and secured the services of the notedFrenchmanBenoît de Boigne who had received training from the best of the European military schools. Following suit, the other Maratha chiefs such as thePeshwas,the Holkars,the Bhosales, also raised French-trained artillery battalions.The army ofBaji Rao II included the Pinto brothersJose Antonio andFransisco from the famousGoan noble family who had escaped Goa after trying to overthrow the government in theConspiracy of the Pintos.[25][26]
"However a point to be noted here is that it is untrue to conclude that armies of the Maratha got disciplined only post 1761. The Marathas were well aware of the importance of discipline and disciplined and drilled infantry in Maharashtra existed even in the Hindu classical era. The Mahrattas were aware of the Portuguese infantry models having concepts like 'Spanish square' since sixteenth century."[34]
In the late 18th and early 19th century, with French-trained artillery and infantry, the Marathas managed to regain their lost ground in North India, however they could not match the superior artillery of theBritish East India Company, which in due course of time, among other reasons, led to the defeat of the Marathas at theThird Anglo-Maratha War and decline of theirConfederacy itself.[35]
Pindaris were irregular horsemen and their primary role was to plunder in return of payment. Pindaris composed of both Muslims and Hindus. They had implicit support from Maratha chiefs (Maharajas) such asScindias of Gwalior,Holkars of Indore, andBhosales of Nagpur. This band of freebooters accompanied Maratha forces during their campaigns and helped win wars in return for plunder and pay. They were a part of the Maratha army during theThird Battle of Panipat and almost allAnglo-Maratha Wars.[36]
The Nagpur Bhosales employed thousands of units calledbargi to invade theBengal Subah. The invasions lasted annually for ten years until finally theNawab of Bengal, European merchants and locals built theMaratha Ditch to safeguard themselves from war.[37]
In 2025, theMaratha Military Landscapes of India, a group of 12 forts, were enlisted as a culturalWorld Heritage Site byUNESCO. The forts showcase the military prowess of Maratha rule.[38]