1630-1680 CE

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his Public Administration

“One who was the very incarnation of lord Siva, about whom prophecies were given out long before he was born; and his advent was eagerly expected by all the great souls and saints of Maharashtra as the deliverer of the Hindus from the hands of the Mlecchas, and as one who succeeded in the reestablishment of Dharma which had been trampled underfoot by the depredations of the devastating hordes of the Moghals.”^[1] ------- Swami Vivekananda on Shivaji

In the annals of history, we come across a few outstanding rulers whose legacies have served as inspiration for subsequent generations. One such benevolent ruler is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, who has been called the ‘father of the Maratha nation’. He cherished and promoted the values of personal integrity, religious tolerance, patriotism, and public welfare. Besides being a great conqueror and diplomat, he was also an enlightened ruler of his people. Shivaji military tactics were one side of his mastermind, while his administrative caliber won for him a status of a civil ruler. Contemporary public administrators have especially so much to learn from this noble ruler, whom his guru Samarth Ramdas wonderfully described as;

“He is like a high mountain in determination. He is the support of many people. He is unflinching in his ideals. He is rich in asceticism. The stream of his good deeds is ever flowing. How can the greatness of his virtues be compared to others? He is a glorious, victorious, valorous, virtuous, charitable, diplomatic, and wise king. He is devoted to virtue, reason, charity and religion. He is humble, though he is omniscient. He is unwavering, liberal, grave, heroic and ever-ready for action. This best of kings has outdone others in resourcefulness. He is the protector of the gods* religion, cows and Brahmans. In his heart God has established Himself to inspire him. Scholars, Sadhus, poets, Brahmans devoted to sacrifices, and philosophers are supported by him. There is none like him as a protector of religion in this world. If the religion of Maharashtra is somewhat alive now, it is due to him.” ^[2]

Shivaji was a popular monarch who kept a close watch on the administrative affairs of his state. All powers were concentrated on him but he ruled with the advice of his ministers. The common people regarded him with great devotion and considered him their greatest will-wisher.^[3] He organised and built civil institutions with the consideration to achieve the ideal of Hindavi Swarajya ("self-rule of Hindu people" and “independence from foreign rule”). The success of the movement of asserting national independence from the rule of the Mughals and establishing an independent state based on the conception of Dharma owes largely to the civil and administrative institutions initiated by Shivaji. His administrative system displays originality and breadth to the systems of government then prevalent in India.^[4] Shivaji, in fact, revived ancient Hindu polity as described in Mahabharata, Dharmashastras, and Arthasastra that the king should reign but not rule, and rejected kingship that argues for centralised monarchial despotism.^[5] The administrative institutions created by him for the attainment of Swarajya, mark him as the greatest statesman of the medieval period.

Shivaji revived ancient Indian polity, the manifestation of which can be seen the formation of Council of Eight Ministers called Astapradhan. Each minister was assigned responsibilities as the head of the separate departments. He made no office hereditary. What makes him tallest among all the rulers of India was his keen interest in the welfare of the peasantry. His revenue administration was as efficient as civic administration in which middleman were not allowed to oppress ryots. In the judicial system as well, Shivaji revived ancient laws of the land that suited his times. Social harmony was integral part of his body politics.^[6]

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