MAHRATTAS. The Mahrattas are a mixed people inhabit ing Central India from Gwalior to Goa. Their religion is Hinduism and their language is Marathi. Their origin is obscure, but they seem to have entered India before Mahmud of Ghazni with his Mohammedan horde conquered Indian states in the early century. The real founder of the Mahrattas as a power was Sivaji Bhonsla (1627-8o). He gradually succeeded in compelling the independent chiefs to acknowledge his suzerainty, and draw ing upon their military resources he subdued much of the terri tory of the emperor of Delhi. In 1674 he was proclaimed mahara jah of the Konkan, and he instituted a levy of a fourth of the land revenues. Sivaji was succeeded by his son, Sambaji, in 168o, and in 1689 the latter was captured and put to death by Aurangzeb (q.v.). Thereafter, there being no stable rule in existence, the peshwas or chief ministers indulged their ambitions to the full and the Mahrattas began to decline, being divided among them selves.
Sivaji's successor was merely a titular monarch, the peshwa becoming the hereditary ruler. These peshwas were Brahman by faith and gradually the struggle became one between the military and religious powers. In the early r8th century the five Mahratta states of Baroda, Gwalior, Indore, Nagpur and the "dominions of the Peshwa" were constituted. Owing to internal strife the East India company was forced to intervene. When, in 1739, Nadir Shah invaded the empire of Delhi the peshwas saw an opportunity of seizing further territory from the mogul emperor. In i 761 their
power was almost irretrievably destroyed in their defeat by Ahmad Shah, ruler of Afghanistan, at the battle of Panipat. In 1779 began a series of wars between the Mahrattas and the British and the names of Wellesley and Lake are famous in con nection with the brilliant victories over the soldiers of Indore, Nagpur and Gwalior in the third Mahratta War (18o3—o5). The efforts of these officers resulted in the accession of much territory to the British flag. In 1817 the Mahratta peshwa united with Nagpur and Indore in attacking the British forces, and the result was the annexation of the peshwa's territories to the presidency of Bombay. Later, Indore and Nagpur were annexed by the British and the state of Gwalior was brought under British control in the middle of the 19th century. At the present day there are special titles for the rulers of the Mahratta states, the ruler of Indore being known as Holkar of Indore, Sindia of Gwalior, and Gaikwar of Baroda. These are family names.