How was dakhan (Maharashtra) before Chatrapati shivaji maharaj

Before Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Deccan region was ruled by Sultans. There were three major sultanates – Adilshahi in Bijapur, Qutubshahi in Gowalkonda and Nizamshahi in Ahmednagar. All these three dynasties were the successors of the Bahamani Empire established in 1340. The politics of that time was very complex but equally interesting. Each court had different factions. A group of Habshis- Habshis were slaves brought from Africa to fight, but after coming to the Deccan, they grew in power and rose to important positions. There were also local Deccani Muslims, a group of them. Apart from that there were Afakis- ie Muslims who came from abroad, a group of them. Also in Maharashtra there would be a group of Maratha feudal lords. A group of Telugu Hindus will be at the court in Govalkonda. And finally, these Sultans of the Deccan employed a large number of Brahmin officers in their bureaucracy, i.e. for day-to-day administrative work. In this way, many players were working in the political arena. Sultan, who balanced all these players, was considered competent and capable. For, when one of these groups increased in power, the other groups naturally felt jealous and were likely to take some action on their part. So it was very important to maintain a balance between these groups.

How was Adilshahi in Deccan?

The cultural life of that time also shows diverse influences. For example, although the Adilshahi sultans were Muslim, this was not limited to that. The first Adilshahi Sultan, Yusuf Adil Khan, was an alien Muslim from the then Iran, but his wife was the sister of a Maratha feudal lord. That is, from the beginning there was a mixture of Persian and Marathi groups in the Adilshahi Sultanate. Some of these sultans gave more importance to Persian heritage, while others emphasized Hindu or Marathi heritage. Ismail Adil Shah preferred Persian - Persian language and Persian dress, etc., were influential at that time.

But during the rule of Ibrahim Adilshah II who died three years before the birth of Shivaji Maharaj, Marathi language was preferred, at that time Hindu influence was seen, also there were Sufi saints in the state, there were also Nathpanthis. He used to have debates with Brahmins. This Sultan, who was a Sunni Muslim, described himself as the son of Saraswati and Ganapati in an article. That is, we see many religious and intellectual influences in this period.

How was the administration of Nizamshahi and Qutbshahi?

Many similar influences are seen in Nizamshahi too. All the Nizamshahs were Shia Muslims. After most of them died, their bodies were taken to the holy city of Karbala in Iraq for burial. But all the Nizamshahs are descendants of a Brahmin. In fact even after conversion they had relations with their Brahmin relatives. Some wives of Nizamshahi sultans were Marathi, some were Persian. Begums of at least two sultans were Habshis. Many influences are seen in Nizamshahi too.

If we consider the Qutb Shahi, the prime ministers of the last Adilshahi Sultanate were Akanna and Madanna Brahmins. There was a lot of Hindu influence during that government. The Qutb Shahi Sultans patronized the Telugu language to a great extent. A regional poet was under his patronage. So, multiple influences are seen in the Qutb Shahi court as well.

Moreover, it was not only at the royal level. Similar multiple influences are seen at other levels as well. Shivaji Maharaj's grandfather, Maloji Raje Bhosale - he and his wife were childless for many years. So he went to a monk for advice. The saint blessed them with two children. In course of time Maloji Raja had two sons. These children were named after the Sadhu - accordingly the elder son was Shahaji Raje, while the younger one was Sharifji. So, Shah Sharif was the name of that sadhu - he was basically a Muslim Sufi saint.

Shivabharata is a very interesting source book. In that epic, the then history of Deccan is told from Shivaji Maharaj's point of view. Shivaji Maharaj does not describe all Sultans as villains, nor does he say that all Sultans did negative deeds. He criticizes some sultans. There is a negative comment in Shiv Bharat about the Adilshahs and Nizamshahs of his time - the Nizamshahi was extinct then, but the Nizamshahs of the later period come into it. But positive comments have also been made about some of the earlier Sultans.

The Sultans of the time of Shivaji Maharaj's grandfather have been described as 'Dharmatma'. Also, Malik Ambar, who was a Habashi Muslim by origin, opened a united front with the Marathas and held off the Mughal invasion of the Deccan for nearly 25 years. Shivaji Maharaj also praised him a lot. In fact, Malik Ambar is referred to as 'Lord Kartikeya' at one point. As Kartikeya opposed the Asuras, Malik Ambar opposed the Mughals by taking the Maratha feudal lords as his companion, it is mentioned in Shivabharata.

What was the situation in Deccan like before Shivaji Maharaj?

When Shivaji Maharaj was born, the Deccan province was in a very bad condition. On the one hand, there was famine everywhere, extreme poverty, people were starving, many were selling children for a living. On the other hand, the Mughal invasion begins. Extremely powerful Mughal forces had invaded the Deccan. A few years before the birth of Shivaji Maharaj, Malik Amber, a leading opponent of the Mughals, had died. Ibrahim Adilshah, who had been a good sultan, had died. Shivaji Maharaj's father, Shahaji Raje Bhosale tried to save the Nizamshahi, but unfortunately he did not succeed. Eventually the Nizamshahi fell completely from Kollam. So, it was a time of great crisis. But in order to oppose the Mughals, the respective monarchies needed money, for the money - that is, for the revenue - the people had to be taxed, and at that time they could not pay the tax because the people were facing famine. So, the overall economic and political situation at that time was very bad.