Shivaji's Hoysala Origin

There is a long-standing claim that Chhatrapati Shivaji, one ofIndia's greatest warriors, and his Bhosale family were descendants ofSisodia Rajputs of Rajasthan. Contesting the claim, eminent Marathischolar Dr R.C. Dhere in his book Shikhar Shinganapurcha ShambhuMahadev says the founder of the Bhosale clan had links with theHoysala Yadavas of Karnataka.

The book focuses on the history of the Shiva temple at ShikharShinganapur in Satara, one of the sacred spots for the Maratha community. "Dr Dhere's book is the result of ten years of painstakingresearch," says Aruna Dhere, eminent Marathi writer and the scholar'sdaughter. "The origins of the Bhosales were discovered by accident."

Dhere's 101st book is bound to be controversial as it claims that acertain Baliappa was the founder of the Bhosale family. He hadrelations with the Hoysala Yadavas of Dwarsamudram (Halebid) inKarnataka. "Following the demise of Satvahanas the polity is firstinfluenced by the Abhiras and then by the Yadava lineages whichfinally resulted in a kingdom of Yadavas by the end of the 12thcentury in the Deccan. This influence of the Yadava lineagecontinues, as shown by Dr Dhere's work, up to the 17th century," saysDr Ajay Dandekar, senior research fellow at the Social Science Centreat St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.

Dr R.C. Dhere in his book Shikhar Shinganapurcha Shambhu Mahadev saysthe founder of the Bhosale clan had links with the Hoysala Yadavas of Karnataka.

The Yadavas ruled over the Konkan coast of Maharashtra, but when theDwarsamudram kingdom collapsed, most of the Yadava landlord familiessought refuge in the Vijayanagar kingdom. When the Vijayanagarkingdom declined, a branch of the Yadavas moved north and secured afoothold at Pande Pedgaon, Chambhargonde and Vaijapur in theMarathwada region of Maharashtra.

In support of his claim that Baliappa was the founder, Dhere citesevidence from Radha Madhav Vilas Champu by poet Jairam Pinde andSangeet Shah Makrand. Both mention the name of Balip (Baliappa), saysDhere.

According to Dhere, it was L.G. Ghanekar in his 1933 book PrachinDravid who first claimed that the Bhosales did not have any linkswith the Sisodia Rajputs. Not much importance was given to the claimbecause Ghanekar was not a historian.

The claim that the Bhosales are a branch of the Sisodia Rajputs can be found in the firmans of Ghorpades of Mudhol in Karnataka.According to the Ghorpade family tree, the Bhosales and they aredescendants of a Sisodia warrior.

The late Marathi historian Narahar Kurundkar in his foreword toRanjit Desai's Shriman Yogi, one of the finest literary works onShivaji's life, says that Shahaji believed that he was a Rajput because the Ghorpades considered themselves Sisodias. "Shahaji stakeda claim to the Ghorpade estates by claiming that Bhosales andGhorpades were brothers," says Kurundkar. But there is no evidence toprove that the Bhosales had Rajput origins, he says.

"When Maloji (Shahaji's father) became a soldier, he used the titleShrimant Maloji Raje. Shahaji later legalised the name by saying thatthey were Rajput Kshatriyas," wrote Kurundkar in a 1966 foreword tohis book.

In 1916, Marathi historian V.K. Rajwade found a letter of Shahaji toMuhammed Adil Shah of Bijapur saying he would not tolerate an insultsince he was a Rajput. Dhere argues that Shahaji's use of the word Rajput in the letter merely meant a soldier by profession. "Shahajihad written to complain about his cousin Trimbakji Bhosale," Dhereexplains. "He said that while he was a Rajput, his brother was anakartuk, a person who has not achieved much in his life."

Dhere says the Sisodia Rajput myth was perpetuated because ofpolitical compulsions. When Shivaji ascended the throne on June 6,1674, there was a debate about whether he was a Kshatriya or not.Gagabhatta, a Banaras Brahmin who was specially invited for thecoronation, said that Shivaji was a true-blooded Kshatriya andconducted the coronation in the Rajasthani Rajput style. "Shivajiused this Rajput angle only once at his coronation as he was moreconcerned about achieving his goal of establishing a 'Swarajya',"says Dhere.

The Bhosale family never mentioned their so-called Rajput origins. Itwas only after the Mughals released Shahu, Shivaji's grandson, in1707 that he started claiming that the Bhosales were Sisodia Rajputs.Dhere says that those who believe in the Rajput link base their viewson Sabhasad Bakhar (1697), which Krishnaji Anant Sabhasad, acouncillor in Shivaji's court wrote 17 years after Shivaji's death.In the Sabhasad Bakhar, Shivaji is quoted as saying, "Amhi Chitodche Sisodia Rajput (We are Sisodia Rajputs from Rajasthan).

"There are various views about the origins of the Bhosale family,"says Dr G.T. Kulkarni, a contemporary historian. "Dhere's thesis isone of them. People tend to get very emotional whenever the topic ofShivaji comes up for discussion, so we will have to analyse theevidence scientifically." He points out that in a letter Shivajiaddressed his commander Jedhe Deshmukh as 'Rajputani Deshmukh.' Atthe same time, no letter has been discovered in which Shivaji claims that he is a Rajput, says Kulkarni.