Shivaji Maharaj::The Visionary Leader and Economist Shaping History
BY URMILA UDHALIKAR/ July 22, 2023
Shivaji Maharaj, the military hero, was a born fighter, a fearless Commander-in-Chief, a man of acute intelligence, and an impulsive strategist. However, Shivaji Raje was someone else too. An Economist! His progressive economy supported an army of lakhs of soldiers, hundreds of forts, and fleets.
n the year 1674, a prominent figure emerged in the pages of Indian history. Shivaji, a king belonging to the Bhosale dynasty of the Maratha community, was bestowed with the revered title of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, signifying his status as the sovereign and paramount ruler. With this momentous event, Shivaji set the stage for the establishment of a robust and influential empire known as the Maratha Empire. His policy of the division of work, based on function rather than geography distinguished Shivaji's governance through ministers from the prevalent ‘watan and jahagir’ type of governance. Watan jagirs were jagirs who served as zamindars (chieftains) in their native countries. When a zamindar is integrated into the mansabdari system, he is awarded a tankha jagir and his zamindari is regarded as watan jagir.
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In the year 1674, a prominent figure emerged in the pages of Indian history. Shivaji, a king belonging to the Bhosale dynasty of the Maratha community, was bestowed with the revered title of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, signifying his status as the sovereign and paramount ruler.
Watan jagir is a hereditary position that is passed down through the family and needs the imperial sanat for succession. Whereas, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's excellent governance strategy ensured that there was no discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, or imperial sanat. He was respected by both the wealthy and the impoverished. In the field of management, this is known as ‘horizontal decentralisation,’ wherein each minister is incharge of just one function for the entire empire.
Pictured: Illustration by unknown via Pinterest
Modern Indian administrators and policymakers can take inspiration from the way Shivaji handled all facets of administration, particularly the agricultural industry. Shivaji Maharaj prioritised the welfare of peasants in agriculture, limiting revenue collection from the farmers and encouraging cultivation. Special concessions were granted in times of famine, floods, or enemy invasion. The same stands true for the trade and commerce sector, as according to Adam Smith's division of labour theory, which entails breaking down big tasks into numerous small ones, is related to Shivaji Maharaj's distribution of work method and is essentially the only factor contributing to economic growth.
Modern Indian administrators and policymakers can take inspiration from the way Shivaji handled all facets of administration, particularly the agricultural industry.
When developing his economic plan, Shivaji Maharaj gave serious consideration to the way in which money would enter Swarajya (his independent ruling territory). By constructing an armada, he demonstrated his ability to transport this money by sea. He came to be referred to as ‘The Father of the Indian Navy.’ Various shipbuilding factories were established in Kalyan and Bhiwandi as a result of the availability of high-quality wood there. For shipbuilding, local Koli and Bhandari caste members were hired leading to increasing employment opportunities in these areas. The entire project was completed by local people in these areas.
Moreover, Shivaji Maharaj’s primary sources of income were the treasure and tribute won from his battles. The victory over Afzal Khan (Sardar in the court of Bijapur Sultanate) brought Shivaji great wealth, enabling him to acquire 65 elephants, 4,000 of the best Arabian horses, 1200 camels, and jewellery worth INR 3 lakhs. Additionally, he received thousands of tents along with cannons, guns, and weapons of all kinds. Shivaray constantly needed money to build his vast kingdom. Hence, he pillaged enemy territories to raise the money necessary for building an army and bolstering defences. This was the reason for robbing the wealthy city of Surat. He attacked Surat twice and the second attack on Surat was worth 75 lakhs of rupees and included plundering of gold and silver. Rich furniture was also discovered by the Maratha army in Surat for the first time. The Mughals however failed to defend Surat during this attack, which ended up being its final blow. Along with this, the merchants also raided Bahadur Khan's camp in Pedgaon and took 200 horses and INR 1 crore in treasure. The Portuguese gave the merchants one-fourth of the money collected.
Pictured: Illustration by unknown via pinterest
During Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's reign, great importance was placed on ensuring the well-being of the people. To prevent any untoward incidents, it was advised to establish camps in desolate fields while ensuring that lamps were extinguished at night. This cautionary measure was implemented due to the risk of rats attempting to ingest the burning wick, potentially causing fires that could engulf the farmers' barns. Such measures exemplified his deep concern for the welfare of his subjects. Under his rule, the rural economy thrived with agriculture serving as its backbone. Maharaj's initiatives convinced farmers to place their trust in him, and they demonstrated a strong commitment to repaying their loans in full and complying with tax obligations.
During Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's reign, great importance was placed on ensuring the well-being of the people.
Shivaji Maharaj was a director of the rural economy and a philanthropist as well. This is illustrated by a story about how salt pans were exceedingly expensive in a region near Goa. Salt used to be transported from the Portuguese territory to both Swaraj and Adilshahi territories (i.e Eastward into Karnataka, present-day south Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, Westward into Konkan, Pune and Dhabul which is now Mumbai), where it was sold at exorbitant prices. Shivaray made a decision knowing that the poor could not even dream of buying salt while the Portuguese got richer through slave and spice trades. In addition to imposing strict border controls and levying a high duty tax on Portuguese salt, he started producing his own salt in the newly-acquired regions and selling it for a low price. It is essentially a game theory in which one makes the same product at a much lower price in order to impose heavy duty tax.
Along with having a keen management sense he also trained the unskilled youth to become protectors, fortresses and chieftains. Skills were imparted to the youth through focused training. The common people were the primary focus of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's economy, and he ensured that they received more services and employment. The principles of social equality, support for regional workers, youth employment, industry protection, and farmer productivity served as the fundamentals of his morally pure and idealistic self-government system.
The principles of social equality, support for regional workers, youth employment, industry protection, and farmer productivity served as the fundamentals of his morally pure and idealistic self-government system.
Shivaji Maharaj minted a separate coin called 'Shivarai Hon' at the time of his coronation. There were five lakhs of Shivrai Hon coins in Swarajya's warehouses at the time of Shivaraya's death, indicating that he gained enormous wealth through multiple efforts. One of the important aspects of his painting of the coronation throne was that there was a gold scale on the tip of one of bejewelled spears and the scales on which it was balanced were symbols of justice. The policy of justice in Shivaji Maharaj's life was a parallel, egalitarian, prosperous self-governing nation with no bias towards anyone, a truly economically perfect nation.
Pictured: Illustration by unknown via Pinterest
The idea that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj inspired people by nation-building by eliminating the enslavement mentality set him apart from initial historical heroes.
The idea that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj inspired people by nation-building by eliminating the enslavement mentality set him apart from initial historical heroes. Many generations have been inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's bravery. philosophy, and sense of justice. Even now, his courageous manner of action, strategic competence, and stable political and economic structure represent an example for the youth. The key principles of his governance have been national welfare and public welfare. The benchmarks he created are still guiding us today, even after so many years.
Keywords
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Shivaji Maharaj, Military hero, Economist, Maratha Empire, Division of work, Horizontal decentralization, Father of Indian Navy, Agricultural Industry, Self-governance
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References
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Anand, A. (2022, June 11). Right Word | What modern policymakers can learn from Shivaji, an administrator par excellence.
(2022, September 20). Administrative System of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. GeeksforGeeks. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/administrative-system-of-chhatrapati-shivaji-maharaj/
(n.d.) Economic Policy of Shivaji Maharaj, Aarthik Dhoran. . TreKshitiZ.
http://trekshitiz.com/shivaji/ECONOMIC-POLICY-OF-SHIVAJI-MAHARAJ.htm
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