{{Short description|Chhatrapati of the Marathas from 1689 to 1700}} {{Use Indian English|date=October 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}} {{Infobox royalty | name = Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj [I] | title = Kshatriya Kulavantas | image = Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaja.jpg | caption = Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj 1st in 1689 | succession = Chhatrapati of the Marathas | reign = 11 March 1689{{Spaced ndash}}3 March 1700 | coronation = 12 February 1689 | predecessor = Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj | successor = Shivaji II | birth_date = {{Birth date|1670|02|24|df=y}}<ref>{{Cite book |author=Sir Jadunath Sarkar |title=Shivaji and His Times |publisher=S.C. Sarkar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cur64uYmVvcC |date=1948 |pages=318 | quote="Rajaram, the second son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was born on 24 February 1670".}}</ref> | birth_place = Rajgad Fort, Ahmadnagar Subah, Mughal Empire {{small|(present-day Pune district, Maharashtra, India)}} | death_date = {{Death date and age|1700|03|03|1670|02|24|df=y}} | death_place = Sinhagad Fort, Maratha Kingdom {{small|(present-day Pune district, Maharashtra, India)}} | spouse = Jankibai <br> Tarabai <br> Rajasbai <br> Ambikabai | issue = Shivaji II <br> Sambhaji II | father = Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj | mother = Soyarabai | religion = Hinduism | reg-type1 = Peshwa | regent1 = Ramchandra Pant Amatya | royal house = Bhonsale | signature = File:Seal_of_Chhatrapati_Rajaram_Maharaja.jpg | signature_type = Seal }} '''Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj I''' (Rajaram Bhonsale, {{IPA|mr|[ɾaːd͡ʒaɾaːm ˈbʱos(ə)le}}; 24 February 1670 – 3 March 1700), also known as '''Ram Raaje''',<ref>Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007). ''The Mughul Empire'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, {{Listed Invalid ISBN|81-7276-407-1}}, p.296</ref> was the third king (Chhatrapati) of the Maratha Kingdom, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the kingdom, and younger paternal half-brother of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, whom he succeeded. His eleven-year reign was marked with a constant struggle against the Mughals. He was succeeded by his infant son Shivaji II under the regentship of his Rajmata Maharani Tarabai.
==Early life and family== Rajaram was born in the Bhonsle dynasty to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his second wife, Soyarabai, on 24 February 1670. He was thirteen years younger than his brother, Sambhaji. Given the ambitious nature of Soyarabai, Rajaram was installed on the Maratha throne upon the death of his father in 1680 at the age of 10. However, the Maratha generals wanted Sambhaji as the king and thus Sambhaji claimed the throne. Upon Sambhaji's death at the hands of the Mughals in 1689, Rajaram was informally crowned as Chhatrapati of as a regent for his nephew Shahu I.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mehta|first1=J. L.|title=Advanced study in the history of modern India, 1707-1813|date=2005|publisher=New Dawn Press, Inc.|location=Slough|isbn=9781932705546|pages=45–52|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1wUgKKzawoC}}</ref> He vowed to avenge his brother's execution.
Rajaram married three times. His first marriage was at the age of ten to Jankibai, the five -year-old daughter of Shivaji's army chief, Prataprao Gujar.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mehta|first1=J. L.|title=Advanced study in the history of modern India, 1707-1813|date=2005|publisher=New Dawn Press, Inc.|location=Slough|isbn=9781932705546|page=51|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1wUgKKzawoC}}</ref> His other wives were Tarabai, the daughter of Sarsenapati Hambirrao Mohite, the Maratha army general who succeeded Prataprao, and Rajasbai from the influential Ghatge family of Kagal. Rajaram had three sons,
*Raja Karna (died in 1700) with mistress Sagunabai<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/FeaturesFarEast/India_EarlyModern_Marathas10.htm|title = The Marathas: Chatrapati Rajaram Maharaj}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=PAWAR |first=Dr JAYSINGRAO |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UtNNDwAAQBAJ |title=MARATHYANCHE SWATANTRA YUDHA |date=2018-03-01 |publisher=Mehta Publishing House |isbn=978-93-87789-22-7 |language=mr}}</ref> *Shivaji II with Tarabai, *Sambhaji II with Rajasbai.<ref name="sarkar">{{cite book|editor-last1=Pati|editor-first1=Biswamoy |last2=Guha|first2=Sumit|last1=Chatterjee|first1=Indrani|title=Issues in modern Indian history : for Sumit Sarkar|date=2000|publisher=Popular Prakashan|location=Mumbai|isbn=9788171546589|pages=29–30|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S2Yn4LlujqsC}}</ref>
== Ancestry == {{ahnentafel|1. '''Rajarajm I'''|2.Shivaji I|3.Soyarabai|4.Shahaji|5.Jijabai|6.Sambhaji Mohite||8.Maloji|9. Uma Bai|10.Lakhuji Jadhav|11.Mahalsabai Jadhav|||collapsed=yes|align=center|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;}}
==Coronation and attack by the Mughals==
After the execution of Sambhaji by the Mughals, Rajaram was informally crowned at Raigad on 12 March 1689. Rajaram then moved towards to the Bhavani temple at Pratapgad.<ref name="auto1">A history of the Maratha people Vol. II, CA Kincaid and DB Parasnis, pg. 64 [https://archive.org/details/historyofmaratha02kinc/page/n81/mode/2up?q=title]</ref> As he went inspecting the fortresses that lay along the route, he had them provisioned and armed.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/shivaji-the-great-4-dr.-balkrishna|title=Shivaji The Great - 4 (Dr. Balkrishna)|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>[[File:Seal_of_Chhatrapati_Rajaram_Maharaja.jpg|left|thumb|Royal Seal of Chhatrapati Rajaram: “Like the King Rama of old this seal of Rajaram shines forth, impelled by the motive of inspiring all people alike with a sense of their national duty."<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32141|title=New History Of The Marathas Vol.1|first=Govind Sakharam|last=Sardesai|date=29 May 1946|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>]]
As the Mughals under Itikad Khan (later Zulfikar Khan) started laying siege to the region around Raigad on 25 March 1689, Rajaram's general Santaji Ghorpade organized a counter offensive.<ref name="auto3">New History Of The Marathas Vol.1 by GS Sardesai, pg 321 [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32141/page/n333/mode/2up]</ref> Santaji's plan was for the Maratha army to entrench itself at Phaltan and from that base draw the attention of Mughal generals while Santaji and a small cavalry contingent would raid the main Mughal camp at Tulapur, and if possible kill Aurangzeb in the middle of his army. Santaji and Vithoji Chavan, his second in command, led a two thousand strong contingent for this purpose towards Tulapur. On stealthily reaching the Mughal camp they rushed at Aurangzeb's pavilion, cut down the supporting ropes and the huge cloth edifice came down in a crash, killing everyone inside.<ref>Dr. Sheshrao Patahde. "Lokamnya Lokshahir Momin Kavathekar", "Punya Nagari- a Marathi Daily", Mumbai, 28-Nov-2021</ref> Afterwards it was discovered that Aurangzeb by chance was passing that night in his daughter's tent, thus escaping death.<ref name="auto3"/>
After some rest at Sinhagad, Santaji led the Maratha contingent down the Bhor Ghat and attacked the rear of Itikad Khan's army besieging Raigad, carrying off five imperial Mughal war elephants. Following this Maratha contingents under Dhanaji Jadhav and Santaji attacked and completely routed Muqarrab Khan, the Mughal general responsible for capture of Sambhaji, at Bhudhargad 45 miles south of Kolhapur. Muqarrab Khan and his son were mortally wounded and chased up to the Mughal camp at Kolhapur and all their loot was captured.<ref>जिंजीचा प्रवास, VS Bendrey, pg. 15</ref><ref>A history of the Maratha people Vol. II by CA Kincaid and DB Parasnis, pg. 67-68 [https://archive.org/details/historyofmaratha02kinc/page/n85/mode/2up?q=title]</ref>
Determined at all costs to take Raigad, Aurangzeb continued to send reinforcements to Itikad Zulfikar Khan, who was soon able to invade Panhala as well. Rajaram who was in Panhala slipped through the besieging lines.
A 300-strong Maratha army then fought with the Mughals and led the new Maratha king, Rajaram to escape through Kavlya ghat to the fort of Jinji in present-day state of Tamil Nadu via Pratapgad and Vishalgad forts. After crossing the crocodile-infested Tungabhadra river swimming on Bahirji Ghorpade's back,<ref>The Quarterly Review of Historical Studies Volumes 33-34 1993</ref> Rajaram and Bahirji reached Keladi (Near present-day Sagar in Karnataka) in disguise entering the territory of Kasim Khan. As per Keladinṛipavijaya of Linganna, Rajaram and Bahirji sought assistance from Queen Chennamma of Keladi - who kept the Mughal attack in check to ensure safe passage and escape of Rajaram. To punish Chennamma, Aurangzeb dispatched Jannisar Khan, Matabar Khan, and Sharza Khan, who captured the forts of Madhavpura, Anantpur and besieged Bednur while Chennama escaped to Bhuvangiri to save her life. The Maratha general Santaji Ghorpade then defeated the three Khans, protecting Chenamma and throttling the Khans' attempts to pursue Rajaram.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iwBuAAAAMAAJ&q=santaji+ghorpade+%22jan+nisar+khan%22|title=The Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society|first=Mythic Society (Bangalore|last=India)|date=29 May 2001|publisher=Mythic Society|via=Google Books}}</ref> Rajaram reached Jinji after a month and a half on 1 November 1689. Details of his escape are known from the incomplete poetical biography of Rajaram, the ''Rajaramacharita'' written by his Rajpurohita, Keshav Pandit, in Sanskrit.<ref>Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007). ''The Mughul Empire'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, {{Listed Invalid ISBN|81-7276-407-1}}, p.609</ref> After defeating the Mughals, Rajaram cremated his late brother.
==Siege of Jinji== Aurangzeb deputed Ghazi-ud-din Firoze Jung against the Marathas in the Deccan, and specially sent Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung to capture the Jingi Fort. He laid siege to it in September, 1690. When Rajaram had retired from Maharastra to Jinji, there was virtually no money in his treasury. Raigad, the capital of the Maratha Kingdom, fell into the hands of Aurangzeb. There were no practical centralised Maratha army or government. In these adverse circumstances Rajaram and his advisers were compelled to offer inducements of feudal estates to their helpers, in order to retain their services and allegiance.<ref>The Main Currents Of Maratha History(1933) by G. S. Sardesai, pg. 91-93 [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.537050/page/n103/mode/2up]</ref>
Rajaram's Government deliberately weaned away many Maratha Chiefs who had accepted Mughal service. In turn, Aurangzeb profusely offered lands, titles and rewards as inducements to Maratha lords to renounce Rajaram and accept Mughal service. Maratha Government adopted the same methods for counteraction.<ref name="auto"/>
The Jinji siege dragged on through 1694 and 1695.<ref>A History of the Maratha People Vol II, CA Kincaid and DB Parasnis, pg 83 [https://archive.org/details/historyofmaratha02kinc/page/83/mode/2up]</ref> After three failed Mughal attempts to conquer Jinji, it was captured on 8 January 1698. Rajaram, however, successfully escaped due to intervention of the Shirke family who hid him in the Mughal camp itself and then furnished him with horses to travel first to Vellore and later to Vishalgad.<ref>Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007). ''The Mughul Empire'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, {{Listed Invalid ISBN|81-7276-407-1}}, pp.294-5</ref>
==Santaji and Dhanaji== {{Main||Siege of Panhala 1694-1696}}
Rajaram had occupied the fort at Jinji from 11 November 1689, but left before it fell in 1698. Rajaram then set up his court at Satara Fort.
Rajaram then set his objectives on rallying the Maratha army to drive out the Mughal invaders.<ref>Chhatrapatis Of Kolhapur by M. Malgonkar, pg 36</ref>
In 1691, as a direct taunt to Mughal encroachment in the Deccan and to show off the undaunted morale of the Marathas, Rajaram issued contemptible bounties which were deliberately small to his generals for capturing Mughal cities. One such challenge was as follows: "Having clearly grasped your readiness to quit the Mughal service and return to the Chhatrapati's for defending the Maharashtra Dharma, we are assigning to you for your own personal expenses and those of your troops, an annuity...". Hanmantrao Ghorpade was entitled to receive, 62,500 hons after the capture of Raigad, 62,500 hons after the capture of Bijapur, 62,500 hons after the capture of Bhaganagar, 62,500 hons after the capture of Aurangabad, and 2,50,000 hons after the capture of Delhi itself. Similarly, Krishnaji Ghorpade was entitled to receive 12,500 hons after the conquest of Raigad territory, 12,500 hons after the conquest of Bijapur, 12,500 hons after the conquest of Bhaganagar, 12,500 hons after the conquest of Aurangabad and 50,000 hons after the conquest of Delhi.<ref name="auto"/><ref>शिवचरित्र साहित्य खंड ५, 10-12</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qA1BAAAAMAAJ&q=%22hanmantrao+ghorpade%22+%22bhaganagar%22|title=The Mughal-Maratha Relations: Twenty Five Fateful Years, 1682-1707|first=G. T.|last=Kulkarni|date=29 May 1983|publisher=Department of History, Deccan College Post-Graduate Research Institute|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>Journal of Indian History Volumes 29-30 1952, pg. 84 [https://books.google.com/books?id=hhy2AAAAIAAJ&q=%22hanmantrao+ghorpade%22+%22bhaganagar%22]</ref>
Rajaram also aimed to capture Delhi, though he was unsuccessful.<ref>New History Of The Marathas Vol. I, by GS Sardesai pg. 328-329</ref>
Animated by a desire to avenge their wrongs, the Maratha bands spread over the vast territories from Khandesh to the south coast, over Gujarat, Baglan, Gondwana, and the Karnataka, devastating Mughal stations, destroying their armies, exacting tribute, plundering Mughal treasures, animals and stocks of camp equipage.<ref name="auto"/>
Through imminent peril Rajaram had won his goal and at Jinji had sustained that which scholars like C.A. Kincaid call, "a siege hardly shorter than that of Troy with the skill and valour and more than the fortunes of Hector".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/historyofmaratha02kinc|title=A history of the Maratha people|first1=Charles Augustus|last1=Kincaid|first2=Dattātraya Baḷavanta|last2=Pārasanīsa|date=29 May 1918|publisher=London, New York [etc.] H. Milford, Oxford university press|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
== Death == [[File:Chhatrapati Rajaram Memorial.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Memorial atop Sinhgad Fort marking the place of death of Rajaram.]] Rajaram led a large Maratha force to attack the Mughal city of Jalna which he successfully plundered and set on fire. Entering the Godavari valley, he plundered Paithan, Beed and other Mughal-occupied towns along the river banks. Instead of progressing further he turned back towards Sinhagad to deposit the accumulated loot when his burdened army was ambushed by Zulfikar Khan. Rajaram fought a continuous series of rearguard actions for fifty miles, before reaching Sinhgad. The hardships and exposure of the chase had aggravated a weakness of Rajaram's lungs contracted at Jinji.<ref name="auto2">A History of the Maratha People Vol. II, CA Kincaid and DB Parasnis, pg. 103-104 [https://archive.org/details/historyofmaratha02kinc/page/n123/mode/2up]</ref>
After some days high fever set in with frequent hemorrhages. Knowing his end was near, Rajaram called upon his council and commanded them not to relax their efforts in the war of liberation until Prince Shahu had been freed and the Mughals driven from the land of the Marathas. Rajaram died of lung disease in 1700 at Sinhagad near Pune in Maharashtra leaving behind widows and infants. Rajaram's funeral ceremonies were performed by Jivajiraje Bhonsle, the descendant of Vithoji Bhonsle, younger brother of Maloji Bhosale and Chhatrapati Shivaji's great uncle. To keep alive Rajaram's memory, Ramchandra Bavdekar built a temple to Shiva on the edge of Sinhgad fort. The temple was endowed with lands and money, and remains standing. Ambikabai,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gokhale|first1=Kamal|title=Rajaram Chhatrapati in Marathi Vishwakosh|publisher=Marathi Vishwakosh|location=Wai, Maharashtra India|url=https://marathivishwakosh.maharashtra.gov.in/khandas/khand14/index.php/component/content/article?id=10358}}</ref> one of his widows, committed sati upon Rajaram's death.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Feldhaus|editor-first1=Anne|title=Images of women in Maharashtrian literature and religion|date=1996|publisher=State University of New York Press|location=Albany|isbn=978-0791428375|page=183|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ooV3Rz9zQvQC&q=rajaram&pg=PA171}}</ref> Many folk tales are centered on her powers of piety.<ref name="auto2"/>
Rajaram's widow Tarabai then proclaimed her own young son, Shivaji II as the Chhatrapati Shivaji prophesied by Shivaji I destined to conquer all India from Attock to Rameshwaram, going against the popularly held notion that it was Shahu I (whose original name was Shivaji) who was to be the Shivaji prophesied about, and ruled as her son's regent. However, the release of Shahu, by the successors of Aurangzeb led to an internecine conflict between Tarabai and Shahu with the latter emerging as the successful claimant to the Maratha throne of Satara.<ref>{{cite book|last1=mehta|first1=JL|title=Advanced study in the history of medieval India.|date=1981|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd.|isbn=978-81-207-1015-3|page=562|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-TsMl0vSc0gC&pg=PR7 }}</ref><ref>Cox, Edmund Charles. A short history of the Bombay Presidency. Thacker, 1887, pages 126-129.</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Thompson|first1=Edward|last2=Garratt|first2=G.T.|title=History of British rule in India|date=1999|publisher=Atlantic Publishers|location=New Delhi|isbn=81-7156-803-3|page=56|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=93fnssiWvjoC&pg=PR2 }}</ref> Tarabai established a separate seat at Kolhapur and installed her son as the rival Chhatrapati. She was shortly deposed by Rajasbai, the other surviving widow of Rajaram. She installed her own son by Rajaram called Sambhaji II on the Kolhapur throne. The Kolhapur line has continued to this day through natural succession and adoptions per Hindu customs. The Satara seat passed to a grandson of Rajaram called Ramaraja after he was adopted at the insistence of Tarabai, by Shahu who did not have a natural male heir. Later Tarabai disowned him saying she had presented Shahu with an imposter.<ref>V.S. Kadam, 1993. ''Maratha Confederacy: A Study in its Origin and Development.'' Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, New Delhi.</ref>
== Books == * Chhatrapati Rajaram Tararani (Dr. Sadashiv Shivade) {{Citation Needed|date=September 2024}} * Shivaputra Chhatrapati Rajaram (Dr. Jaysingrao Pawar) * Swarajya Rakshanacha Ladha (Mohan Shete, Pandurang Balakawade, Sudhir Thorat) * Hukumatpanah Ramchandrapant Amatya Charitra (Saurabh Deshpande) {{cn|date=September 2024}} * Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj (Ashokrao Shinde Sarkar) {{cn|date=September 2024}} * Marathi Riyasat - Chhatrapati Rajaram Govind Sakharam Sardesai) * Bhangale Swapna Maharashtra (Drama, written by Bashir Momin Kavathekar)
== Movies == * He was portrayed by Varun Buddhadev in the 2025 Hindi film ''Chhaava''.
==See also== * Khando Ballal Chitnis
{{S-start}} {{succession box | before=Sambhaji | title=Chhatrapati of the<br /> Maratha Empire | years=1689–1700 | after=Shivaji II }} {{S-end}}
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==References== *{{cite book |last1=Kincaid |first1=Charles Augustus |last2=Parasnis |first2=Rao Bahadur Dattatraya Balavant |title=A history of the Maratha people |date=1922 |publisher=London, Milford |url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofmaratha02kincuoft/historyofmaratha02kincuoft_djvu.txt|ref=none}}{{PD-notice}} * [https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V02_475.gif Imperial Gazetteer of India], v. 2, p. 440.
==External links== {{commons category|Rajaram}}
{{MarathaEmpire}}{{Shivaji}} {{Portal bar|Royalty|India|History}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chhatrapati, Rajaram}} Category:1670 births Category:1700 deaths Category:17th-century Indian monarchs Category:17th-century regents Category:Maratha kings Category:Hindu monarchs Category:People from Maharashtra