Ancient & Medieval Maharashtra: Satavahanas to the Peshwas — Practice

Question 1

Which Satavahana inscription praises Gautamiputra Satakarni, and who issued it?

Accepted Answer

The Nashik Prashasti, issued by his mother, Queen Gautami Balashri. It records his victory over the Kshaharata ruler Nahapana.

Question 2

Under which dynasty was the Kailasa temple at Ellora cut, and by which ruler?

Accepted Answer

Under the Rashtrakutas, by Krishna I, in the 8th century. It is Ellora Cave 16, cut from a single mass of rock.

Question 3

Who renamed Devagiri as Daulatabad, and when?

Accepted Answer

Muhammad bin Tughlaq, who shifted his capital there in 1327.

Question 4

Assess the contribution of Malik Ambar to the history of the Deccan. (~150 words)

Accepted Answer

Malik Ambar, an Abyssinian who rose to be regent of Ahmadnagar, kept the Mughals from conquering the Nizam Shahi state for about two decades after the fall of the city in 1600. His light cavalry, using guerrilla or bargi tactics, avoided pitched battles and cut Mughal supply lines. He reorganised land revenue on the basis of measured land and assessment in cash, which stabilised the peasantry. He founded Khadki, later Aurangabad and now Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. His lasting legacy was military: Maratha commanders such as Shahaji Bhosale learned his methods, which Shivaji later used against both Bijapur and the Mughals.

Question 5

Arrange in order: coronation at Raigad, Treaty of Purandar, killing of Afzal Khan, sack of Surat.

Accepted Answer

Killing of Afzal Khan (1659), sack of Surat (1664), Treaty of Purandar (1665), coronation at Raigad (1674).

Question 6

Which member of the Ashtapradhan handled foreign affairs, and which handled finance?

Accepted Answer

The Sumant (Dabir) handled foreign affairs and the Amatya (Mazumdar) handled finance and accounts.

Question 7

What was the significance of the Sangola agreement of 1750?

Accepted Answer

It shifted effective power in the Maratha state from the Chhatrapati at Satara to the Peshwa at Pune, under Balaji Bajirao.

Question 8

Evaluate the administrative system of Shivaji. (~250 words)

Accepted Answer

Shivaji turned a frontier principality into a centralised state. At the top, the Ashtapradhan divided work by function: the Peshwa for general administration, the Amatya for finance, the Sachiv and Mantri for correspondence and records, the Senapati for the army, the Sumant for foreign affairs, the Nyayadhish for justice and the Panditrao for religious affairs. Most also held military command, which kept power tied to the king. Revenue was assessed on measured land, and officers were paid in cash rather than jagirs, which limited hereditary local power. Chauth and sardeshmukhi, a quarter and a tenth, were levied on neighbouring territories and funded expansion. Forts were the core of defence, each under divided command so that no single officer could betray it. A navy, with Sindhudurg at Malvan, protected the Konkan. The limits were real: the cash-salary principle faded under his successors, and tribute bred conflict. Yet the system survived Aurangzeb's long campaign, which is its best evaluation.

Question 9

Why did the Marathas lose to the British between 1775 and 1818? (~250 words)

Accepted Answer

The Marathas were the strongest Indian power of the late 18th century, yet they lost in three wars. The first reason was division. After Panipat and the death of Madhavrao I, the state became a confederacy of the Peshwa, Shinde, Holkar, Gaikwad and Bhonsle, whose rivalry the British exploited. The Treaty of Bassein of 1802, by which Bajirao II accepted a subsidiary alliance, turned that rivalry into war. The second reason was military. The British had disciplined infantry, artillery and steady finance, while Maratha armies relied increasingly on mercenaries and could not match them in pitched battles such as Assaye in 1803. The third was political: the British signed separate treaties, such as Deogaon with the Bhonsles and Surji-Anjangaon with the Shindes, and never faced the confederacy together. The third war, from Khadki in 1817 to Ashti in 1818, ended with Bajirao II's surrender. The lesson is that disunity and outdated military organisation, more than any single defeat, ended Maratha power.

Practice — Ancient & Medieval Maharashtra: Satavahanas to the Peshwas

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