History
| Festival | Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti |
| Year | 2024 |
| Category | Jayanti |
| Date | 19 February 2024 |
| Day | Monday |
| Anniversary | 394th |
| Founder of | Maratha Empire |
Shivaji Bhosale (1630-1680 C.E.) was a great warrior King of Marathas who established the Maratha Empire. He was born in 1630 to Shahaji Bhosale and Jijabai near the city of Junnar in Pune district, Maharashtra. Shivaji Bhosale is popularly known as Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was one of the bravest, most progressive and sensible rulers of India. Founder of the Maratha kingdom, Shivaji Maharaj managed to establish a royal name for himself in history with his administrative skills by uploading the Swarajya value and the Maratha heritage.
Named after a regional Goddess, Shivai, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was known for his bravery and tactics with which he won number of wars against the Mughals. His feud with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, killing of Afzal Khan, general of the Bijapur Sultanate and many more are some of the brave stories everyone have heard of. He was formally crowned as the Chhatrapati (Monarch) of his realm at Raigad in 1674.
Significance of Shivaji Jayanti
The state-wide festival of Shivaji Jayanti is celebrated with great fanfare and enthusiasm. In addition, the Maratha people celebrate their rich and varied cultural history. They often commemorate Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his birthday, and this year marks the 394th birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji, so people hold cultural festivities in his honour. There is no end to the courage and intelligence of Shivaji Maharaj.
The king of the Maratha kingdom, Shivaji, encouraged the use of regional languages such as Marathi and Sanskrit in both the court and government, and as a result he stopped using the standard language of his day, Persian. In 1674, Shivaji Maharaj was crowned as the Chhatrapati in the Raigad fort.
Shivaji Maharaj was a staunch supporter of women and stood for their honour. He strongly opposed violence or harassment against women and gave strict instructions to the soldiers that no woman should be harmed while raiding. Under Shivaji’s rule, women of the captured territories were left unharmed and none were taken as prisoners. People who raped or molested women were severely punished by Shivaji Maharaj.