RAS question
Shivaji established the Maratha kingdom and was crowned Chhatrapati in which year?
Correct answer: (C) 1674.
Shivaji Maharaj was crowned at Raigad Fort on 6 June 1674 and assumed the title of Chhatrapati.
Explanation
Shivaji Maharaj was crowned at Raigad Fort on 6 June 1674 and assumed the title of Chhatrapati. This makes 1674 the relevant year for the question, rather than a year associated only with one of his military campaigns. According to the Press Information Bureau account, Shivaji Maharaj had Raigad rebuilt and developed as the capital; it then became a major centre of Maratha administration and the kingdom's expansion. Gaga Bhatt, a Brahmin from Varanasi, conducted the coronation. Shivaji Maharaj's well-organised administration included the Ashtapradhan, a council of eight ministers, so Raigad is central to understanding the political significance of the coronation.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 1664 is associated with the plunder of Surat, not with Shivaji Maharaj's coronation at Raigad or his assumption of the title Chhatrapati.
- (B) 1680 marks Shivaji Maharaj's death, whereas, according to the Press Information Bureau, his coronation at Raigad and assumption of the title Chhatrapati took place on 6 June 1674.
- (D) 1659 is associated with the killing of Afzal Khan, not with Shivaji Maharaj's formal coronation at Raigad.
Concept
This question tests the rise of Maratha power in medieval Indian history and the significance of Shivaji Maharaj's coronation, Raigad as the capital and the Ashtapradhan administrative system. Such questions recur in RAS because these themes connect chronology with political legitimacy, state formation and institutions rather than treating years as isolated facts.