Marathas
 
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Castes of India
Maratha
Classification warrior, peasant, landlord
Subdivisions ninety-six clans
Significant populations in Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh
Languages Marathi
Religions Hinduism
Flag of the Maratha
Flag of the Maratha

The Marāthās (Marathi: मराठा, also Mahrattas) form an Indo Aryan group of Hindu warriors hailing mostly from the present-day state of Maharashtra, who created the expansive Maratha Empire, covering a major part of India, in the late 17th and 18th centuries.

The "Marathas" were known by that name since their native tongue was almost invariably Marathi, however, not all those whose native tongue is Marathi are Marathas. Historically "Maratha" was a common term used for people of Maharashtra region that speak Marathi.[1] In present time, the term "Maratha" refers only to those Marathi-speaking people who also belong to certain specific Hindu castes: for one available listing, refer to Maratha clan system. Thus, the terms "Marathi people" and "Maratha people" are not interchangeable and should not be confused for each other.

Contents

Etymology

The etymology of the words "Marātha" and "Marāthi" is uncertain. It may be a derivative of the Prakrit word Marhatta found in Jain Maharashtri literature, itself from Sanskrit Maharāṣhṭra "great realm" (from maha "great" and rāṣṭra "nation, dominion, district"). One theory holds that a reference to a clan known as Rāṣṭrika in some of Ashoka's inscriptions alludes to a people of the Deccan who were progenitors of the Marathi-speaking people; that the later "Mahārāṣhṭri Prakrit" is associated with these people

Other theories link the words Marātha and Rāṣhṭri with Ratta, supposedly a corruption of Rāshtrakuta, the name of a dynasty that held sway over the Deccan from the 8th to 10th centuries.

All theories however affirm, as do linguists, that the modern Marathi language has developed from the Prakrit known as Mahārāshtri.

Shivaji and his faithful Maratha comrades
Shivaji and his faithful Maratha comrades

Maratha clans

Main article: Maratha clan system

According to some sources (mostly elitist), most Marathas must belong to one of the 96 different clans (The "96 Kuli Marathas", but it's been forever debatable as there is no constructive evidence or social hierarchical structure that determines who is 96 Kuli & who is not). The list of 96 Maratha clans is different as per different historians. An authoritative listing was apparently first attempted in 1889 and a list finalised in 1956 by the Government of India.

Population

The Marathas originated as a social class of Marathi speakers (Indo-Aryans). They number some 40 millioncitation needed, about half the number of native Marathi speakers.Maratha people are the original people of Maharashtra pradesh. They belong to the Kshatriya (King /Warrior) class.

Historical prominence

The extent of the Maratha Confederacy c.1760 AD, roughly corresponding to its peak (denoted by the yellow region)
The extent of the Maratha Confederacy c.1760 AD, roughly corresponding to its peak (denoted by the yellow region)
Main article: Maratha Empire

Different Maratha (also called as Rastriks or Maha-rathis or Mahrattas) rulers during Medieval period (before 12th century) include Satavahana, Rashtrakuta, Yadhav-Jadhavs. They re-united into historical prominence under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the 17th century. Shivaji Maharaj, born into the Bhosale clan of Marathas, secured an independent state by dint of lifelong struggle and thereby founded an empire, the remnants of which lasted until the independence of India in 1947. The state thus founded by Chhatrapati Shivaji attained its zenith under the tutelage of the Peshwas in the 18th century, extending from the Indus in present-day Pakistan to Orissa in the east and from the Punjab to central Karnataka in the south. The kingdom of Thanjavur in present-day Tamil Nadu was also ruled by a Maratha dynasty, albeit outside the ambit of the main Maratha Empire. At its peak, the Maratha Empire established a protectorate over the mughal emperor and paramountcy over the numerous Rajput chieftains of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Central India and elsewhere. They had also managed to bring Punjab under their sway and end Muslim rule there and keeping the field open for the Sikhs. This vast empire declined gradually after the third battle of Panipat (1761); by 1818, all of present-day India had fallen to the British East India Company.

The history of the states and dynasties comprising the Maratha Empire constitutes a major portion of the history of late medieval India. While that extensive history is detailed elsewhere, it is noteworthy that the rise of the Marathas:

  • represented the revival of the political power of the Hindus in north India after many centuries of Muslim rule;
  • prevented the spread of the Mughal Empire and associated Islamic culture to south India;
  • was the primary cause of the decline of the Mughal Empire;
  • led to the dilution of the caste system as an overwhelming number of Brahmins too, fought along with them;
  • led to the modernisation of India's armed forces, as they introduced indigenously designed and manufactured muskets (known as Gardi muskets)
  • encouraged the development of the Marathi language and was seminal to the consolidation of a distinct Maharashtrian identity.

Maratha states

Since the Marathas ruled much of India in the period immediately preceding the consolidation of British rule in India, the Maratha states came to form the largest bloc of princely states in the British Raj, if size be reckoned by territory and population. Prominent Maratha states included:

Ruins of the Raigad Fort which served as a capital of Maratha Empire in the 17th century
Ruins of the Raigad Fort which served as a capital of Maratha Empire in the 17th century

Prominent Maratha dynasties

Bilingual Marathas

The empire also resulted in the voluntary relocation of substantial numbers of Maratha and other Marathi-speaking people outside Maharashtra, and across a big part of India. Thus, there are today several small but significant communities descended from these emigrants living in the north, south and west of India. These communities tend often to speak the languages of those areas, although many do also speak Marathi in addition. Gujarati, Hindi, Konkani, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil are some of the other languages thus spoken Zinjurke's of Shirur...

Presence in politics

Marathas have dominated the state politics of Maharashtra since its inception in 1960. The very first Chief Minister of Maharashtra was a maratha (Yashwantrao Chavan). After that, Maharashtra has witnessed heavy presence of Maratha community in the ministry, local municipal commissions, panchayats etc. The reason for the same is said to be the majority of the population in the state (around 40%) as per 1991 census.

Notable Marathas

List of Marathi people - other Wikipedia page listing notable Marathis

Historical

Maratha Saints & Philosophers

Chakradhar Swami, Dnyaneshwara, Namdeo, Chokhamela,Goroba Kaka, Narhari Sonar, Shekh Mahammad, Eknath, Tukaram, Ramdas

Speakers

Dada Dharmadhikari, Gokak V.K., Shivajirao Bhosale, Nirmalkumar Phadkule, Pandurang G. Patil

Corporate World


Political

Science

Writers

Artists

Sports

Bandu Patil (January 1, 1936 – August 23, 1988), Olympic Gold medal Men's hockey 1964 - Tokyo

Cricket

Wrestlers

Armed forces

A special mention needs to be made of the Maratha Light Infantry regiment of the Indian Army, which represents the military qualities of the Marathas. One of the famous regiments of the Indian Army, the Maratha Light Infantry is also one of the oldest. Its First battalion, also known as the Jangi Paltan, was raised as far back in 1768 as part of the Bombay Sepoys. The Marathas came to special attention in the Great War (World War I) and have been awarded up to and about 2 Ashok Chakra, 10 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, 4 Maha Vir Chakra, 4 Kirti Chakra, 1 ACCL II, 14 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, 34 Vir Chakra, 18 Shaurya Chakra, 4 ACCL III, 4 Yudh Seva Medals, 107 Sena Medals, 1 Shaurya Chakra & Bar, 23 Vishisht Seva Medals, 1 Padma Bushan, 1 Arjun Award and 3 Unit Citations.

Army

  • Naik Yashavantrao Ghadge(recipient of Victoria cross)
  • Second Lt Ram Raghoba Rane(Recipient of Paramvir Chakra)
  • Major-General Jagnathrao Bhosale
  • Major-General Hanmantrao M. Mohite (Former chief of Southern Command)
  • Lt-General S.S.Thorat
  • Pandurang Salunkhe(recipient of Mahavir Chakra)
  • Brig.Udaykumar Wamanrao Deshmukh.(A.V.S.M.)(son-in-law of Major General Jaganathrao Bhosale)
  • Major Ragobha Rane (Recipient of Paramvir Chakra)
  • Shaheed Major Manish Pitambare {Recipient Of Kranti Chakra)(kunbi Maratha caste)

Air force

Sports

References

  1. Haplogroups of the Marathi people
  2. Molecular insight into the genesis of ranked caste populations of western India by Sonali Gaikwad and VK Kashyap
  3. Influence of language and ancestry on genetic structure of contiguous populations by Sanghamitra Sahoo and VK Kashyap
  4. Polarity and Temporality of High-Resolution Y-Chromosome Distributions in India Identify Both Indigenous and Exogenous Expansions and Reveal Minor Genetic Influence of Central Asian Pastoralists by Sengupta et al.

See also

External links
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