New Delhi: The history of the Maratha Empire is replete with brave women and Tarabai was one of them. From 1700 to 1708, Maharani Tarabai Bhosale was the Maratha Empire’s regent. She was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s daughter-in-law and fought against the Mughals, defeating Emperor Aurangzeb’s forces in several battles.
How did Tarabai gain control of the Maratha Empire?
Tarabai’s father Hambirrao Mohite was Shivaji’s Commander-in-Chief. Her aunt Soyarabai was Shivaji’s queen and the mother of Rajaram I. When she was eight years old, Tarabai married Rajaram.
After Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj passed away, Rajaram became the ruler of the Maratha Empire and served in that position from 1689 to 1700. At that time, his first wife Jankibai was the queen consort. Rajaram passed away in March 1700 and Tarabai proclaimed her infant son, Shivaji II as the successor and made herself the regent of the empire.
Tarabai versus the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb
Tarabai was adept in cavalry movement and came up with strategies in the wars against the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. She led the wars from the front and continued the Maratha resistance against the Mughal expansion.
Aurangzeb, after the Battle of Satara, became obsessed with conquering the Deccan region. As he drove west deep into Maratha territory at the great cost of life and money, the Marathas entered into the Mughal lands, notably Hyderabad. The Deccan campaigns of Aurangzeb took a great toll on the Mughal treasury and the army and there were signs of strain in the Mughal camp.
The Marathas made small incursions in Malwa by 1705 and by the end of that year, they had taken good control of Central India and Gujarat. Under the leadership of Tarabai, the Mughals were pushed out of Maratha dominions and the contest became lopsided once Aurangzeb passed away on March 3, 1707. According to historian Jadunath Sarkar, from 1700 to 1707, queen Tarabai guided the Maratha Empire and used her administrative genius to save the empire. She would later get involved in a clash with Shahu I who would allow her to live independently without any political power. Tarabai also had a clash with Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao but they later reconciled.
Tarabai was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s daughter-in-law and is famous for her fights against the Mughals. Notably, she defeated the forces of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and expanded the boundary of the Maratha Empire. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
