The Maratha Empire: Map & History
The formidable Hindu warrior confederacy founded by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that rolled back Mughal hegemony and ruled over two-thirds of the Indian subcontinent.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. For most of its existence, it comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent Maratha states under the nominal leadership of the former and nominal loyalty to the Chhatrapatis who were successors of Shivaji.
Modern Countries Once Part of The Maratha Empire
At its mapped extent, The Maratha Empire covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside The Maratha Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
The Maratha Empire in Depth
History
Shivaji (1630–1680) was a Maratha aristocrat of the Bhonsle clan and was the founder of the Maratha state. Shivaji led a resistance against the Sultanate of Bijapur in 1645 by winning the fort Torna, followed by many more forts, placing the area under his control and establishing Hindavi Swarajya (self-rule of Hindu people). He created an independent Maratha state with Raigad as its capital and successfully fought against the Mughals to defend his kingdom. He was crowned as Chhatrapati (sovereign) of the new Maratha Kingdom in 1674.
The Maratha dominion under him comprised about 4.1% of the subcontinent, but it was spread over large tracts.
Government and military
Chitnis – Personal Secretary and senior writer of the Chhatrapati. Sometimes considered second to the Peshwa in their absence, not in the Ashta Pradhan Mandal but equal to them.
With the notable exception of the priestly Panditrao and the judicial Nyayadisha, the other pradhans held full-time military commands and their deputies performed their civil duties in their stead. In the later era of the Maratha Confederacy, these deputies and their staff constituted the core of the Peshwa's bureaucracy.
The Peshwa was the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Kingdom. Prior to 1749, the Peshwas held office for 8–9 years and controlled the Maratha Army.
Geography
The Maratha Confederacy, at its peak, encompassed a large area of the Indian sub-continent. At its zenith, it expanded from Punjab in the north to Hyderabad in the south, Kutch in the west to Oudh in the east. It bordered Oudh and Rajputana in the north. Apart from capturing various regions, the Marathas maintained a large number of tributaries who were bound by agreements to pay a certain amount of regular tax, known as Chauth. The confederacy collected defeated the Sultanate of Mysore under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, the Nawab of Oudh, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Nawab of Bengal, Nawab of Sindh and the Nawab of Arcot as well as the Polygar kingdoms of South India. They extracted chauth from the rulers in Delhi, Oudh, Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Rajputana.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Maratha Empire (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The Maratha Empire: Key Facts
| Capital | Raigad Fort |
|---|---|
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Form of government | absolute monarchy |
| Currency | rupee |
| Founded | 1674 |
| Dissolved | 1818 |
Preceded by
- Jaoli State
Succeeded by
- Tonk State
- Nagpur kingdom
Facts from Wikidata Q83618 (CC0).
Maratha Empire Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which The Maratha Empire appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj carved out an independent realm (Hindavi Swarajya) in the rugged Western Ghats through revolutionary guerrilla warfare (Ganimi Kava), hill fortress networks, and the construction of India’s first modern blue-water navy under Kanhoji Angre. Following the prolonged 27-year Mughal-Maratha war, the Maratha Confederacy expanded dramatically under the leadership of Peshwa Baji Rao I, planting the Maratha saffron flag (Bhagwa Jhanda) from the Deccan all the way to Attock on the Indus River in modern Pakistan.
Maratha Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj coronated, formally establishing Hindavi Swarajya.
Maratha confederates engage Mughal armies across Maharashtra, wearing down Aurangzeb.
Baji Rao launches rapid cavalry blitzes, liberating Gujarat, Malwa, and Bundelkhand.
Raghunath Rao plants the Bhagwa Jhanda on the banks of the Indus; peak extent of 2.8 million km².
Defeat of the Peshwa leads to the dissolution of confederate sovereignty.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓Pioneering mountain guerrilla warfare (Ganimi Kava) and indigenous light cavalry tactics
- ✓Establishment of the Maratha Navy (Armada) guarding the Konkan coast against Portuguese and British fleets
- ✓Rebuilding and restoration of historic temple complexes across India (Kashi Vishwanath, Somnath, Kedarnath)
- ✓Decisive rollback of Mughal imperial hegemony across the Deccan and Northern India
Maratha Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Maratha Empire exist?
The Maratha Empire is dated to 1674 CE – 1818 CE (Peak: 1758 CE), in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
What was the capital of the Maratha Empire?
The capital of the Maratha Empire was Raigad (early), Jinji, Satara, Pune (under the Peshwas).
How large was the Maratha Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 1758 the Maratha Empire covered about 2,800,000 km².
Geographic Lifelines
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Cusco