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Class 8 The Rise of the Marathas: cheat sheet
CBSE Social Science. The rise of the Marathas: Chhatrapati Shivaji and Swarajya, the ashta pradhan, forts and the navy, chauth and sardeshmukhi, and the Peshwas.
Key ideas
- The Marathas were people of the Deccan, mainly present-day Maharashtra, identified by the Marathi language.
- Chhatrapati Shivaji’s idea of a sovereign kingdom was Swarajya; he was crowned at Raigad in 1674.
- He was advised by a council of eight ministers, the ashta pradhan mandala.
- He abolished hereditary posts, paid officials salaries from the treasury and transferred them.
- Forts were the core of defence, and a full-time navy guarded the coast and trade.
- From areas they protected but did not rule directly, the Marathas collected chauth and sardeshmukhi.
- Later the Peshwa (prime minister) led the state; Maratha power ended with the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818.
Remember
| Born / crowned | 1630 / 1674 at Raigad |
| Chauth | 25% (one-quarter) |
| Sardeshmukhi | an extra 10% (one-tenth) |
| Bargir / shiledar | horse paid for by the state / brought his own |
| Sea fort | Sindhudurg, off the Konkan coast |
| Naval commander | Kanhoji Angre |
| Adnyapatra | text on Maratha statecraft, 1715 |
Watch out
- Swapping the taxes: chauth is 25%, sardeshmukhi 10%.
- Mixing up a bargir and a shiledar.
- Thinking the Peshwa was the king: the word meant prime minister.
Worked example
A town’s revenue is ₹8,000. Work out chauth (25%), sardeshmukhi (10%) and the total.
Working: 8000 ÷ 4; 8000 ÷ 10
Answer: chauth ₹2,000, sardeshmukhi ₹800, total ₹2,800
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