Samacheer Class 7 Social Science - Rise of Marathas and Peshwas

Bhakti
2. …………… was the key official of the revenue administration of Peshwa.
Kamavisdar3. The imperial moment of the Marathas sadly ended at ………………. in 1761.
Panipat
4. ……………… was the foreign minister in the Ashtapradhan.
Sumant / Dubeer
5. Shambhuji succeeded Shivaji after a succession tussle with ………………..
Anaji Datto

1. The rocky and mountainous terrain gave protection to the Marathas from invaders. True. The Deccan's difficult geography provided natural fortifications that helped the Marathas defend their territories against larger armies. 2. Hymns composed in Sanskrit by the Bhakti saints were sung by people of all castes and classes. False. The Bhakti saints composed devotional hymns in regional languages, not Sanskrit, which made them accessible to common people of all castes and classes. 3. Shivaji captured Puranthar from the Mughals. True. Puranthar was one of the important forts captured by Shivaji during his military campaigns to expand Maratha territory. 4. Deshmukhs held sway over rural regions and their control was over between twenty and a hundred villages. True. Deshmukhs were local administrators who controlled significant rural areas comprising multiple villages under the Maratha administrative system. 5. Abdali invaded ten times before finally marching on Delhi. False. Ahmad Shah Abdali, the Afghan king, invaded the Indian subcontinent eight times before his final march on Delhi that led to the Battle of Panipat in 1761.

The Bhakti movement in Maharastra helped the Maratha people to develop consciousness of their identity and oneness.
It promoted a feeling of unity and social equality among the Marathas.

Chauth and Sardeshmukhi were two important forms of taxation and revenue collection used by Shivaji and the Marathas to strengthen their economic power and military resources. Chauth was a tax equal to one-fourth of the revenue collected from neighboring regions as protection money. This tax was levied on areas that came under Maratha protection, and the money collected was used to maintain Maratha armies and administration. Sardeshmukhi was an additional tax equal to one-tenth of the revenue, collected as the chieftain's due by Shivaji. This extra tax acknowledged Shivaji's authority as the supreme ruler of the region. Together, these two taxes gave the Marathas significant financial resources and helped establish their political authority over the Deccan. These revenue systems were innovative for their time and demonstrated Shivaji's administrative skills in organizing a stable and efficient government.

The Kamavisdar held a crucial position in the revenue administration of the Peshwas and was responsible for collecting taxes and maintaining order in the administrative area. The Kamavisdar headed the revenue administration and had to maintain a small body of soldiers to police the administrative region from which they collected tribute or tax from the people. This official served as the link between the central Peshwa authority and the local population, ensuring that revenue collection was efficient and that law and order were maintained. The Kamavisdar's role was essential in organizing the Maratha administrative system and converting Shivaji's military conquests into a well-organized and revenue-generating empire.

The Battle of Panipat fought in 1761 marked a tragic turning point in Maratha history and ended their period of imperial expansion. The battle took place near Delhi in January 1761 between the Marathas and the Afghan forces led by Ahmad Shah Abdali, the king of the Afghans. Abdali had invaded the Indian subcontinent eight times before finally marching onto Delhi for this decisive confrontation. By this time, the Marathas were divided among several commanders who approached the battle with different tactics, lacking the unified leadership that had characterized their earlier successes. The battle was decided by artillery, with the mobile and superior artillery of the Afghan forces proving lethal against both the Maratha cavalry and infantry. The Afghans' technological advantage in weaponry overwhelmed the Maratha forces despite their courage and military experience. This defeat at Panipat significantly weakened Maratha power and marked the end of their dreams of establishing a pan-Indian empire, though they continued to remain an important regional power in India.

Village Administration:
Deshmukh control twenty and a hundred villages.
Each village was administered by village headman ‘Patil’, who was assisted by village accountant ‘Kulkami’.
Military Administration:
Shivaji gave utmost attention to his army and the training of its personnel.
Every soldier was selected by Shivaji.
Retired captains holding in charge of guarding the forts.
Ashtapradhan:
Shivaji designated eight ministers as ‘Ashtapradhan’. Peshwa was the Prime minister and Amatya was the finance minister.
Revenue Administration:
He collected Chauth and Sardeshmukhi taxes.
The assessments were made 3/5 left to the cultivator and 2/5 taken by the Government.
Judicial Administration:
Civil cases decided by the Panchayat and village council.
Criminal laws were based on the shastras of Hindu law books.

Geographical Features:
The rocky and mountainous terrain proved to be advantageous in guerrilla warfare for Marathas.
Bhakti Movement and the Marathas:
The Bhakthi Movement in Maharashtra helped the Maratha people develop consciousness of their identity and oneness. It promoted a feeling of unity and social equality among the Marathas.
Literature and Language of the Marathas:
Marathi Language and literature also served to develop unity among the people.

The revenue administration of the Peshwas differed significantly from that of Shivaji in both structure and collection methods. Under Shivaji's system, the assessment was based on a division where three-fifths (3/5) of the revenue was left to the cultivator and two-fifths (2/5) was taken by the government. Shivaji also collected Chauth, which was one-fourth (1/4) of the revenue collected as protection money from neighboring territories, and Sardeshmukhi, an additional one-tenth (1/10) of revenue claimed as a chieftain's due. In contrast, the Peshwas appointed officials called Kamavisdar to collect taxes and employed a small staff of clerks and servants to maintain detailed revenue records. The Peshwas introduced a system where the contract for revenue collection was auctioned to prospective tax collectors or revenue farmers, who were required to pay one-third to one-half of the total revenue to the state. This auction system made revenue collection more systematic but also created a layer of intermediaries between the government and the cultivators. While Shivaji's system was more direct and based on fixed proportions, the Peshwa system relied on competitive bidding and contractual arrangements, reflecting the more centralized administrative structure of the later Maratha state.