Chhatrapati facts for kids

The word Chhatrapati is a special royal title from Sanskrit that means "king." It comes from two Sanskrit words: chhatra (which means parasol or umbrella) and pati (meaning master or lord). So, a Chhatrapati is like a "Lord of the Umbrella," which was a symbol of protection and power.

This important title was used by the House of Bhonsle, a powerful family, from 1674 to 1818. They were the leaders of the Maratha Confederacy, a large group of states in India.

After some time, in 1707, two new states were formed: Satara and Kolhapur. This happened because of a disagreement over who should be the next king. Shahuji, who was supposed to be the next ruler of the Maratha Kingdom, had been captured by the Mughals when he was only nine years old. He remained their prisoner even after his father, Sambhaji, died in 1689. Sambhaji was the elder son of Shivaji I, who founded the Maratha Kingdom.

While Shahuji was a prisoner, his aunt, Maharani Tarabai (the wife of Rajaram I), declared her own son, Shivaji II, as the Chhatrapati. She ruled as his guardian. In 1707, the Mughals released Shahuji under certain conditions. He returned to claim his rightful place. He defeated Tarabai's forces in a battle and set up his capital in Satara. Tarabai and her son then moved to Kolhapur. By 1710, it was clear that there were now two separate Maratha kingdoms.

Later, another wife of Rajaram, Rajasbai, took over in Kolhapur. She made her son, Sambhaji II, the new ruler there. In 1731, Sambhaji II and his cousin Shahuji signed a special agreement called the Treaty of Warana. This treaty officially recognized the two separate branches of the Bhonsle family, each with their own Chhatrapati.

First Chhatrapatis

Here are some of the most important early Chhatrapatis:

Picture	Chhatrapati	Born	Ruled	Died
	Shivaji I	19 February 1630	6 June 1674 – 5 April 1680	5 April 1680
	Sambhaji	14 May 1657	16 January 1681 – 11 March 1689	11 March 1689
	Rajaram I	24 February 1670	11 March 1689 – 3 March 1700	3 March 1700
	Shivaji II	9 June 1696	1700–1707, 1710 – 2 August 1714 (Kolhapur State)	14 March 1726
	Shahu I	18 May 1682	12 January 1708 – 15 December 1749	15 December 1749

Chhatrapatis of Satara

The Satara branch of the Bhonsle family continued to use the Chhatrapati title. Here are some of the rulers from Satara:

Picture	Chhatrapati	Born	Ruled	Died
	Shahu I	18 May 1682	12 January 1708 – 15 December 1749	15 December 1749
	Rajaram II	June 1726	15 December 1749 – 11 December 1777	11 December 1777
	Shahu II	1763	11 December 1777 – 3 May 1808	3 May 1808
	Pratapsingh	18 January 1793	1818 – 5 September 1839	14 October 1847
	Shahaji	1802	5 September 1839 – 5 April 1848	5 April 1848
	Shahu III		1925–1950	23 February 1960
	Udayanraje	24 February 1966	1978–present

Chhatrapatis of Kolhapur

The Kolhapur branch also had its own line of Chhatrapatis. Here are some of them:

Picture	Chhatrapati	Born	Ruled	Died
	Shivaji II	9 June 1696	1700–1707, 1710–1714 (Kolhapur State)	14 March 1726
	Sambhaji II	1698	1714–1760	18 December 1760
	Shivaji III	1756	22 September 1762 – 24 April 1813	24 April 1813
	Shivaji V	26 December 1830	1838–1866	4 August 1866
	Rajaram II	April 13, 1850	August 18, 1866 – November 30, 1870	November 30, 1870
	Shivaji VI	April 05, 1863	1871–1883	December 25, 1883
	Shahu IV (overall) Shahu I of Kolhapur	26 June 1874	2 April 1894 – 6 May 1922	6 May 1922
	Rajaram III	31 July 1897	1922–1940	26 November 1940
	Shivaji VII	22 November 1941	31 December 1941 – 28 September 1946	28 September 1946
	Shahaji II	4 April 1910	1947–1971	9 May 1983
	Shahu V (overall) Shahu II of Kolhapur	7 January 1948	1983–present

Images for kids

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  Genealogy of Kolhapur Chhatrapatis

See also

• House of Bhonsle
• Maratha Empire
• Maratha
• Maratha titles