UPSSSC PET · Bite-size lessons

Maratha Empire

About 7 min · Indian History · English

Time worked out from the lesson's 511 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.

The Maratha Empire was one of the most formidable regional powers in 17th and 18th century India, challenging Mughal supremacy and establishing Hindu self-rule across large parts of the subcontinent. For UPSSSC PET, this topic covers Shivaji's administration and military innovations, the Peshwa administrative system, and the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) — which marked the end of Maratha expansion dreams in northern India.

Key ideas

• Shivaji's state-building (1645–1680): Established independent Maratha kingdom in western Deccan by exploiting Mughal-Bijapur conflicts; crowned Chhatrapati in 1674 at Raigad; created navy and forts network; introduced land revenue reforms (Ryotwari system with direct state-peasant contact).
• Guerrilla warfare tactics (Ganimi Kava): Fast-moving cavalry raids, hill-fort strongholds, surprise attacks on larger armies; avoided pitched battles against superior Mughal forces; used local terrain knowledge as strategic advantage.
• Ashtapradhan (Council of Eight): Peshwa (prime minister), Amatya (finance), Sachiv (correspondence), Mantri (interior), Senapati (military commander), Sumant (foreign affairs), Nyayadhish (justice), Panditrao (religious affairs) — posts not hereditary under Shivaji; all except Nyayadhish and Panditrao held military commands.
• Chauth and Sardeshmukhi: Chauth = 25% of land revenue collected from non-Maratha territories as protection money; Sardeshmukhi = additional 10% claimed as hereditary right of Maratha sardars; became major revenue source for expansion.
• Peshwa ascendancy (1713–1818): After Shahu's succession dispute, Balaji Vishwanath (first hereditary Peshwa) made the office dominant; Peshwas became de facto rulers while Chhatrapati became ceremonial; shifted capital to Pune from Satara.

Watch out for

• Confusing Shivaji with later Peshwas → Fix: Shivaji (1630–1680) founded the kingdom and was Chhatrapati (emperor). Peshwas came later (post-1713) and were prime ministers who became hereditary rulers, reducing the Chhatrapati to a figurehead.
• Mixing up Panipat battles → Fix: Three Battles of Panipat — First (1526, Babur vs Ibrahim Lodi), Second (1556, Akbar vs Hemu), Third (1761, Abdali vs Marathas). Only the third involves Marathas.
• Thinking Marathas were centralized empire → Fix: After Shivaji's death and especially after 1740, Marathas became a loose confederacy of five major houses operating independently, which weakened coordinated military action.

Quick reference

• Shivaji reign: 1674–1680 as Chhatrapati; guerrilla warfare expert; built 300+ forts; established Maratha Swarajya.
• Ashtapradhan: Eight-minister council; non-hereditary under Shivaji; collective decision-making body.
• Peshwa dominance: Started with Balaji Vishwanath (1713); Baji Rao I (1720–1740) expanded north to Delhi.
• Third Panipat: 14 January 1761; Abdali defeated Marathas; 40,000+ Maratha casualties; end of northern expansion.
• Maratha Confederacy: Five powers — Peshwa, Gaekwad, Bhonsle, Holkar, Scindia — semi-independent after 1740.

Check yourself: 3 questions

This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 17 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.

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