Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a State
for the people, founded with the noble
intention of the welfare of common
people, removal of oppression and the
protection of Maharashtra Dharma. In the
period after Shivaji Maharaj, Maratha
power spread to all parts of India. It
lasted for about 150 years.
We gathered information about the
Maratha administration in the last few
chapters. In this chapter, we shall study
the social conditions and life of the
people in that period.
Social conditions : Agriculture and
occupations based on agriculture were the
major sources of production at the village
level. The Patil was responsible for the
protection of the village and the Kulkarni
handled the revenue. The Patil received
land as inam for his work as a Patil. He
also received a part of the village revenue.
The balutedars were paid in kind (in the
form of objects, foodgrains, etc.) for the
work they did for the village people. The
village occupations were divided into kali
and pandhari. Peasants worked in their
fields in the kali (land, earth or soil) and
others, in pandhari - within the village
precincts. It was considered important to
conduct the affairs of the village with
mutual understanding. Joint family system
was prevalent.
Customs and traditions : Child
marriages were prevalent. It was
acceptable to have many wives. There
are a few examples of widow marriages
in this period. To perform the last rites,
burning, burial and immersion methods
were used as per tradition. Muhurta, or
auspicious occasions were sought for
every little thing, and also to open battles.
People believed in dreams and omens.
‘Anushthans’ were performed to avoid the
wrath of gods and planets. Charitable
deeds were also done for the same
purpose. People believed in astrology.
There was a general lack of a scientific
attitude and offerings to god (navas) were
considered more important than medical
treatment.
Standard of living : A majority of
people lived in villages. The villages were
mostly self-sufficient. Only salt had to be
imported from other places. The needs of
farmers were limited. They grew jowar,
bajra, wheat, ragi (nachani), maize, rice
and other grains in their fields. The daily
diet consisted of bhakari, onion, chutney
and an accompaniment. Barter system was
used for everyday transactions. Village
houses were simple mud and brick
constructions. Wadas with one or two
storeys were seen in cities. Rice, dal,
chapatis, vegetables, salads, milk and dahi
products were mainly included in the rich
people’s diet. Men wore a dhoti, kurta,
angarakha and mundase. Women wore
nine-yard sarees and blouses.
Festivals : People celebrated Gudhi
Padwa, Nagpanchmi, Bail-pola, Dasara,
Diwali, Makarsankrant, Holi, Eid and
other festivals. In the Peshwa period,
Ganeshotsava was celebrated in many
homes. The Peshwa himself being a
devotee of Ganesha, these celebrations
acquired importance. Every year these
celebrations lasted from Bhadrapad
Chaturthi up to Anant Chaturdashi.
Dasara being considered as one of the
three and a half most auspicious occasions,
many new things were started on this day.
Weapons were offered puja, and it was
customary to cross the boundaries
ceremoniously (seemollanghana) and
distribute ‘apta’ leaves on Dasara. The
Marathas launched their campaigns after
Dasara. During Diwali, Balipratipada and
Bhau-beej celebrations had special
importance. In most of the villages, fairs
were held. Wrestling bouts were a common
feature of the fairs, (jatras). Gudhis were
raised to celebrate Gudhi Padwa.
Celebrations included entertainment
programmes like songs and dances. Tamasha
was a popular form of entertainment.
Education : Pathshalas and
madarasas were the institutes that imparted
education. Reading, writing and arithmetic
was taught at home. The modi script was
used in most transactions.
Travels and communication :
Transport was carried out by roads,
through ghats and across bridges on
rivers. Cloth, foodgrains, groceries were
transported by loading them on the backs
of bullocks. Small boats were used in
rivers. Messengers and camel riders
carried letters to and fro.
Mallakhamb
Sports : Various sports were popular
in this period. They were a means of
entertainment. Wrestling and martial arts
were very popular. Mallakhamb, dand,
lathi, dandpatta, bothati were practised.
Hututu, kho-kho, atyapatya were the
popular outdoor games and chess, ganjifa,
dice were popular indoor games.
Religion and conduct : The two
major religions seen in this period were
Hindu and Muslim. Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj had a liberal religious policy.
The general understanding was that
everyone should follow their own religion
and should not impose it on others. The
government gave grants to pathshalas,
temples, madarasas and mosques.
Followers of both religions took part in
the celebration of each other’s festivals.
Varkari, Mahanubhav, Datta, Nath and
Ramdasi panths were prevalent.
Women’s life : Women’s life in those
days was full of hardships. Their world
was confined to the house of first their
father, and then their husband. Their
education was neglected. Only a few
exceptional women had achieved any
progress in literacy, administration and
battle skills. They include Veermata Jijabai,
Maharani Yesubai, Maharani Tarabai, Umabai Dabhade, Gopikabai, Punyashlok
Ahilyabai. Customs like child marriage,
unequal marriage, widowhood, keshwapan,
sati, polygamy had imposed harsh
restrictions on the way women lived.
The period from 1630 ce to 1810 ce
is broadly defined as Maratheshahi. Let
us review the art and architecture of this
period in brief.
Sculpture : We find references to
restoration of Kasba Ganapati Mandir,
building of the Lal Mahal, construction
on Rajgad and Raigad, building of sea
forts, etc. that are related to architecture.
Hiroji Indulkar was a famous architect of
that period.
While setting up a village, the usual
pattern was : roads cutting one another
at right angles, stone construction along
the sides and extensive ghats (steps) along
the river bank. During the Peshwa period,
a drinking water supply system was built
like the one at Ahmadnagar and Bijapur.
The Peshwas built underground pipes,
small dams, gardens and courts, tanks,
fountains, etc. The Mastani Talav at
Diveghat, Hadapsar near Pune city is
worth a mention in this regard.
Shaniwarwada and Vishrambagwada
in Pune, Sarkarwada in Nashik,
Raghunathrao Peshwa’s wada at
Kopargaon, the wadas of the Satara
Chhatrapati, as also the old wadas at Wai,
Menvali, Toke, Shrigonde, Pandharpur are
symbols of the medieval wada culture.
Baked as well as unbaked bricks
were used to build the wadas. Wooden
columns, rafts, boards, dressed stones,
arches, finely prepared lime, round tiles
for the roof, mud and bamboo were all
used in the construction. The wadas were
decorated with sketches, paintings, wooden
sculptures and mirrors.
Temples : The temples of this period
are build in the Hemadpanti style of the
Ghrishneshwar Temple
Yadav period. The shikhar of the Ambabai
temple at Kolhapur, the temples on the
Jotiba hill, Shambhu Mahadev temple at
Shikhar-Shinganapur, Ghrishneshwar
temple at Verul are excellent specimens of
sculpture. The Bhavanidevi temple on
Pratapgad and the Saptkoteshwar temple
at Goa were built by Shivaji Maharaj.
Other temples of the Peshwa period are
the Kalaram temple at Nashik, the Shiva
temple at Trimbakeshwar, the Shiva
temples at Kaygaon and Toke on the
confluence of the Godavari and Pravara,
and the Mohiniraj temple at Newase.
Ghat : Stone ghats built on a river or
at the confluence of rivers are characteristic
of Maratheshahi. The most remarkable
specimen of a ghat is the one at Toke,
Pravara Sangam on the confluence of the
Godavari and Pravara. In a flight of steps,
there would be one wide step at regular
intervals. This would lend beauty to the
entire ghat construction. Strong bastions
were built at regular intervals so as to
prevent damage due to water currents.
Painting : The paintings on the walls
of Shaniwarwada are the important ones
of the Peshwa period. Ragho, Tanaji,
Anuprao, Shivram, Mankoji are some of
the important painters of this period. The
painter Gangaram Tambat was famous at
the time of Sawai Madhavrao Peshwa. The Peshwas encouraged painting. Wadas
in the Pune, Satara, Menvali, Nashik,
Chandwad and Nipani regions during the
Peshwa period had paintings on their
walls. Temples at Pandeshwar, Morgaon,
Pal, Benwadi, Pashan near Pune have
paintings on the walls. The themes of
those paintings were Dashavatara,
Ganapati, Shankar, Rampanchayatana,
mythological stories, Ramayana,
Mahabharata, festivals and so on. At
Jamod in Vidarbha, Jin Charitra paintings
adorned the Jain temple. Illustrations in the
pothis, minatures, portraits, scenes, etc.
were also painted.
Sculpture : Important specimens
include the sculpture of the meeting between
Mallamma Desai and Shivaji Maharaj at
the time of his Karnataka campaign, the
sculpture at Bhuleshwar temple including
sculptures of individuals and animals (e.g.,
elephant, peacock, monkey), the sculptures
on the Toke temple and the idols within,
the Trishund Ganapati temple in Pune, the
memorial to Punyashlok Ahilyabai in
Madhya Pradesh, the sculptures at the
Mohiniraj temple at Newase.
Metal idols : The Peshwas had
specially commissioned the metal idols of
Parvati and Ganapati in the Parvati temple
for the purpose of Puja. Wooden sculptures
were also seen.
Literature : Important forms of
literature include the compositions of the
Sants, mythological narratives, ‘teeka’
literature, owi, abhanga, treatises, narrative
poems, biographies, aaratis of deities,
powadas, bakhars, historical letters, etc.
Drama : At Tanjavur in the South,
Marathi plays has emerged near the end of
the seventeenth century. Sarfoji Raje
encouraged this art. Songs, music and
dance were prominent parts of these plays.
So far we reviewed the medieval
period of history and the rise and
expansion of the Maratha power. Next
year, we shall study the modern period.
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