Jijabai Bhonsle, the woman behind Shivaji's dream of Swarajya

India Today

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It was the year 1630, within the stone walls of Shivneri Fort near Junnar, Maharashtra, a child was born far from royal courts and political power. Jijabai gave birth to the soon-to-be first Chattrapati of Marathas. Shivaji's crying sound echoed in Shivneri Fort. At that moment, Jijabai was surrounded not by armies or nobles, but by a handful of trusted chieftains of Shahaji Bhonsle, Shivaji's father.advertisementJijabai's role in raising Shivaji in the early years wasn't wrapped in grand declarations. While Shahaji served under Adil Shahi of Bizapur, it was Jijabai who remained behind, shaping Shivaji's world with stories and lessons.Jijabai's valour could be matched with Jawantabai of Mewar, whose persistence shaped the greatest of Maharanas, Maharana Pratap.
And then there's the lesser-known side: historians and history books suggest that Shivaji's early exposure to the ideas of Swarajya didn't come from battlefield tales, but from philosophical debates at home, the words, the stories that he was hearing from Jijabai.The lessons of leadership were instilled in Shivaji by Jijabai herself. It was she who taught Shivaji to remain close to the masses, which worked and Shivaji became popular at a very young age, bowed by the people in all corners of the jagirs (feudal land grant) granted to him by Shahji Bhonsle.advertisementIt's this mix -- a remote fort, a political mother, a child raised not just to rule, but to think -- that sets the early story of Shivaji apart.RAJMATA OF MARATHASBorn in 1598 in the town of Sindkhed Raja, Jijabai entered a world often dictated by political unrest and clan rivalries.Daughter of Lakhuji Jadhav, a Maratha noble serving the Nizamshahi, and Mhalasabai, Jijabai was married young to Shahaji Bhonsle.The marriage was politically strategic, but it meant long years of separation. With Shahaji engaged in military service under the Nizamshahi and later the Adilshahi sultanates, Jijabai was left to raise Shivaji Maharaj largely on her own.
Jijabai, with Shivaji Maharaj standing alongside, and Tanaji kneeling in front (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
When Shivaji was born at Shivneri Fort in 1630, the Deccan was already fractured by shifting alliances and growing imperial ambitions.At the age of six, Shivaji and Jijabai were sent to Pune, where Shahaji had appointed Dadoji Konddev to manage his jagir.Pune, a place of prominence to Marathas once thriving, had been devastated by Murar Jagdeo, a Maratha noble allied with the Nizam, in retaliation for Shahaji's shift to the Adilshahi. The town lay in ruins when Shivaji first saw it.advertisementJijabai did not see the place in ruins -- she saw the ground for rebuilding. She called on villagers to return, revived civic life, and had young Shivaji ceremonially plough the land with a golden plough.It was no mere ritual, but the quiet herald of Maratha self-assertion, a moment wherein young Shivaji first began to feel the stirrings of duty to connect with the soil beneath him.As regent of the Pune jagir, Jijabai worked with Dadoji Konddev to restore not just order, but identity.She rebuilt temples such as Kasba Ganpati and Tambdi Jogeshwari, re-establishing the region's cultural and religious life.Jijabai oversaw Shivaji's education, making sure he studied Sanskrit, Persian, and the duties of statecraft.
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He was trained in horse-riding and swordsmanship, but also raised on the stories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.advertisementRC Majumdar writes in Shivaji, "The courage that made Shivaji courageous and fearless came from Jijabai. She not only instilled the thoughts of Swarajya but at times became her mentor."Jijabai remained active beyond the palace -- riding on horseback, visiting fields, and meeting villagers.She encouraged Shivaji to do the same. Many of his companions -- local Mavalas -- would later become the backbone of his early army.Discipline and purpose defined the way Jijabai raised Shivaji. She steered Shivaji away from luxury, and towards achieving Swarajya.As Rajmata, she shaped not just Shivaji, but a vision -- one that would go on to challenge first the Adil Shahi and then Mughal empire.
Treaty of Purandar was signed in 1665 which forced Shivaj to give up on several major forts (Image: Wikimedia COmmons)
THE GURU MOTHER: RAJMATAOne of the earliest lessons Jijabai taught Shivaji was to respect women. It stayed with him. As a ruler, Shivaji brought in strict laws against anyone who harmed or insulted women, even those from the Mughals.advertisementIn his early years, when Afzal Khan killed Shivaji's elder brother Sambhaji, Jijabai asked Shivaji to take a stand, and it was then Shivaji planned to kill Afzal Khan which he later achieved.Whenever Shivaji was away -- leading campaigns or handling political matters -- it was Jijabai who managed the affairs of the kingdom.In 1665, when Shivaji was forced to sign the Treaty of Purandar under pressure from Mirza Raja Jai Singh and Aurangzeb, Jijabai reminded him that it was not the end.She told him to treat it as a temporary compromise and to stay focused on the bigger goal -- Swarajya.A year later, when Shivaji was called to Aurangzeb's court in Agra and no one knew if he would return, Jijabai took care of the political matters of the state.After the death of Shivaji's wife Saibai, Jijabai took care of Sambhaji Maharaj and instilled him with the thoughts of Swarajya, repeating the role she had taken with his father.As a grandmother to Sambhaji, Jijabai guided him with the same values she had given Shivaji -- strength, discipline.
(Image: Wikimedia Commons)
advertisementJijabai also supported Shivaji's efforts to bring change. She stood behind his land reforms, his push for social equality, and his decision to welcome back Hindus who had converted under pressure.When Shahaji passed away in 1664, Jijabai chose not to follow the practice of Sati, which was still common at the time.On June 6, 1674, Shivaji was crowned as Chhatrapati at Raigad. For Jijabai, it was the result of a lifetime of effort and belief.Twelve days later, on June 18, the same year at Panchad, Maharashtra, she passed away.Jijabai played a key role in ending the long-standing conflict between the Bhosales and the Jadhavs -- her husband's and her own families.At a time when Maratha clans were often divided by ego and pride, Jijabai called for unity.In one of her most remembered conversations, she told her father, Lakhuji Jadhav: 'Marathas are fighting with each other for ego and greed. If they unite, the invaders will be defeated. It is a shame to work under foreign rulers -- you must stop.'Those words helped bring the two families -- the Jadhavs and the Bhonsles -- together and laid the foundation for future unity among the Marathas.