GS I – Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society

Enumerate the contribution of the Maratha empire to India’s rich cultural heritage. 

The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian empire and later a confederation that controlled large portions of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shivaji of the Bhonsle dynasty as the Chhatrapati. Even recently, the Government of Maharastra reclaimed the iconic sword of Maratha warrior Raje Raghuji Bhonsle I at an auction in London. Moreover, India is set to nominate the “Maratha Military Landscapes” for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage recognition in 2024-25.

Cultural contributions of the Maratha empire:

Paintings: 

• The development of Maratha miniature Paintings is seen through illustrations on the manuscripts such as pothis, pattachitra, and patrikas. The same style is maintained in the glass paintings as well. Illustrated manuscripts of Sanskrit texts such as “Bhagvat Gita’, ‘Devi Saptashati’, ‘Bhagvat Purana’ as well as Marathi texts such as ‘Dnyaneshwari’, “Shivaleelamrut’, ‘Pandavapratap’ etc. are available. 
• Dnyaneshwari, also referred to as Jnanesvari, Jnaneshwari or Bhavartha Deepika is a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita written by the Marathi saint and poet Dnyaneshwar in 1290 CE. The text is the oldest surviving literary work in the Marathi language, one that inspired major Bhakti movement saint-poets such as Eknath and Tukaram of the Varkari tradition.
• The paintings of Dashavatara are included in them. The wooden stands of the pothis have paintings of various deities such as Ganapati, Riddhi-siddhi, Ramapanchayatana, Gopalkrishna, Vishnulakshmi in dark red, green, and yellow colours. 
• Remarkable portraits of Bajirao I, Nanasaheb Peshwa, Pilaji Jadhavrao are available. 
• Murals are found on the facade of the Wadas, as well as on the walls of reception areas (Diwankhana) and bedrooms. 
• In the temples, the mandapa wall, owri (varanda), shikhara, gabhara (sanctum sanctorum), and chhat (ceiling) were also decorated with paintings. 

Music & Dance: 

• During the Maratha period, keertan and Mahadji Shinde singing of Bhajans were popular. Powadas (Ballads) were composed during this period to encourage the spirit of heroism among the people. 
• The ballads are known as ‘powadas’ and ‘katavas’, composed by the Shahirs were the types of historical poetry. The literary tradition of ‘Lavani’ developed in the later Peshwa period. 
• Shahirs like Anantafandi, Prabhakar, Ramjoshi, Saganbhau, and Honaji Bala are known for their beautiful compositions. 
• Various dance forms from the Maratha period have existed until today such as including Lavani, Koli dance, Gaja Nrutva, etc. The tradition of vocal music also received patronage in the Maratha States.

Architecture: 

• Shivaji Maharaj gave priority to build forts.
  1. The ‘Maratha Military Landscapes’ is a network of 12 forts and fortifications that represent the extraordinary military system and strategy of the Maratha rulers in the 17th-19th centuries
  2. The twelve parts of this nomination are, Salher Fort, Shivneri Fort, Lohgad, Khanderi Fort, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala Fort, Vijay durg, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra and Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu.
• The Kasaba temple in Pune and Vitthal temple in Vitthalwadi were reconstructed by Veermata Jijabai. 
• The construction of temples began on a large scale during the later Peshwa period. 
• These temples were of three types.
  1. Examples of the temple architecture of this period are found at Saswad (“Vateshwar’, ‘Sangameshwar’), Mahuli (‘Vishweshwar’), Jejuri, etc. These are huge in size. The plan of these temples is in star-shaped design, the foundation of the temple was multi-layered, and was named accordingly.  The construction of shikhara is made in bricks and stucco method.  
  2. The ‘Kalaram’, ‘Goraram’, and ‘Sundarnarayan’ temples at Nashik and ‘Mahadev’ temple at Trimbakeshwar, ‘Mohiniraj’ temple at Nevasa were similar to the temples in Malwa and Rajasthan. The temples were constructed in stone.
  3.  In the third type of temples, the temples at Pune, Satara, Wai, etc. were built in an independent style. It included arches, a wooden hall (sabha mandapa), and sanctum sanctorum (gabhara). The Shikhara slopes inwards at the top. In the small niches of the Shikhara, beautiful sculptures are made of stucco. It includes images of dashavataras and other deities as well as male and female figures. The stone deep mala is a remarkable feature of these temples. 
• Since most of the villages and temples were located on river banks, stone steps (ghats) were also built on the river. 
• Such extensive ghats are seen at Nashik, Puntambe, Wai, Menavali, Mahuli, etc. The Chhatris (Samadhis) built at various places are noteworthy.

Literature: 

• Marathi literature developed greatly during this period. 
• Sant Tukaram of this period was a poet of the warkari sect. Samarth Ramdas wrote ‘Dasbodh’ and ‘Manache Shlok’ in Marathi. 
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj got the ‘Rajyavyavaharakosha’ prepared which was a compilation of Sanskrit lexicon for Persian terms. 
• Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was a great writer and Sanskrit scholar. Apart from Sanskrit, he also knew many other languages. He wrote texts in Brij language namely ‘Nayikabhed”, “Nakhshikh’, and ‘Satasattak. 
• Muhammad Qasim Ferishta wrote the history of India in 12 volumes named ‘Gulshane-i- Ibrahimi’. 
• Bakhar literature is important among the historical literature in Marathi. It contains eulogies of the heroes and stories of historic events, battles, lives of great men. Sabhasad Bakhar, Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, Panipatchi Bakhar are some of its examples. Bakhar literature is important among the historical literature in Marathi. It contains eulogies of the heroes and stories of historic events, battles, lives of great men. Sabhasad Bakhar, Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, Panipatchi Bakhar are some of its examples.

Significance of Maratha art and culture: 

1. Maratha fort architecture is one of the wonders of India that safeguarded the Maratha kingdom from the Mughals and later from the British. 
2. Influenced other regional cultures like in Tanjore of Tamil Nadu, Mysore of Karnataka, etc. 
3. Provided a huge impetus to the contemporary Bhakti movement and later to an extent to the Indian National Movement. 

Source: 

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-history/raghuji-bhonsle-sword-9975236/