NCERT Class 8 Social Science Chapter 3

The rise of the Marathas refers to the emergence of the Maratha Empire under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the 17th century, which grew into a dominant power challenging Mughal authority across the Indian subcontinent during the 18th century.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the founder and first Chhatrapati (king) of the Maratha Empire. He is celebrated for his brilliant military strategies, including guerrilla warfare, his administrative genius, and his resistance against the Mughals and Bijapur Sultanate.

Shivaji used guerrilla warfare tactics, built a strong navy, constructed strategic forts, and relied on rapid cavalry movements. He understood the importance of using local terrain to his advantage against larger, more conventional armies.

The Maratha Confederacy was a political and military alliance of powerful Maratha clans — including the Peshwas, Scindias, Holkars, Bhonsles, and Gaekwads — that together controlled much of India after Shivaji's descendants.

The Peshwas were originally Prime Ministers of the Maratha Empire but gradually became its de facto rulers. Under able Peshwas like Baji Rao I, the empire expanded dramatically across India.

The Maratha decline was triggered by their defeat at the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) against Ahmad Shah Durrani, internal conflicts within the Confederacy, and increasing pressure from the British East India Company.

The Maratha Empire is significant because it challenged Mughal supremacy, united various Hindu kingdoms, and became the last major Indian power before British colonisation. It is a symbol of Indian resistance and political organisation.