Rajmata Jijabai
A statue of Jijabai and young Shivaji Raje on Shivneri fort.
Rajmata of the Maratha Empire
Reign1645-1674
BornJijabai Jadhav Rao
(1598-01-12)12 January 1598
Jijau Mahal, Sindkhed Raja, Ahmadnagar Sultanate
(present-day Buldhana District, Maharashtra, India)
Died(1674-06-17)17 June 1674 (aged 76)
Pachad, Maratha Empire
(present-day Raigad District, Maharashtra, India)
SpouseShahaji (m.1605 - 1664)
Issue
HouseJadhav (by birth)[1]
Bhonsle (by marriage)
FatherLakhuji Rao Jadhav
MotherMahalsabai Jadhav
ReligionHinduism

Jijabai Bhonsle (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle) or Jadhav (12 January 1598 – 17 June 1674[2]), referred to as Rajmata, Rastramata, Jijabai, Jijamata or Jijau, was the mother of Chattrapati Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire.[3][4] She was a daughter of Lakhujirao Jadhav of Sindkhed Raja.[5]

Early life

Jijabai was born on 12 January 1598, to Mhalasabai Jadhav and Lakhuji Jadhav at Sindkhed Raja in present-day Buldhana district of Maharastra. Lakhujiraje Jadhav was a Maratha noble who claimed descent from the Yadavas.[6] Jijabai was married at an early age to Shahaji Bhosle, son of Maloji Bhosle of Verul village, a military commander serving under the Nizam.

Jijabai on a 1999 stamp of India.

Birth and Upbringing of Shivaji Raje

Shahaji Raje Bhosle and Jijabai's second son, Shivaji was born in February 1630. Her elder son Sambhaji lived with his father and had died in a war at an young age. In his elder brother's memory, Shivaji Raje named his elder son as Sambhaji Raje.

When Shivaji was 14 years old, Shahaji Raje handed over the Jagir of Pune to him. The responsibility of managing the Jagir fell on Jijabai. Jijabai and Shivaji Raje arrived in Pune with skilled officers. Due to the persistent interests of Nizamshah, Adilshah and Mughals, the condition of Pune was very bad. Under such adverse circumstances, she redeveloped the city of Pune. She plowed the farmland with a golden plow, giving sanctuary to the locals. She was responsible for the education of Shivaji Raje. Jijabai told Shivaji Raje stories from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, which began and ended in independence.

She managed her husband's Jagir in Pune and developed it. She established Kasba Ganapati Mandir. She also renovated Kevareshwar Temple and Tambadi Jogeshwari Temple.

Death

When Jijabai's husband Shahaji Raje died, she decided to sacrifice herself according to the Sati tradition, but Shivaji Maharaj opposed it and prevented her from performing sati.

She died on 17 June 1674 at Pachad village near Raigad Fort. At that time it was only twelve days since the coronation of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.[7]

In popular culture

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jijabai.
  1. ^ Reddy (November 2005). General Studies History 4 Upsc. p. B.50. ISBN 9780070604476.
  2. ^ GHUGARE, GANESH JANARDAN (2017). IMPORTANCE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES OF CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI ON THE BATTLE GROUND A STUDY. Chapter 3. Shri Jagdishprasad Jhabarmal Tibarewala University. p. 47. hdl:10603/193985.
  3. ^ Gordon, Stewart (1 February 2007). The Marathas 1600-1818. Cambridge University Press. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-521-03316-9.
  4. ^ Congress, Indian History (1959). Proceedings - Indian History Congress. pp. 361–363.
  5. ^ Tibbetts, Jann (30 July 2016). 50 Great Military Leaders of All Time. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-93-85505-66-9.
  6. ^ Kuber, Girish (6 May 2021). Renaissance State: The Unwritten Story of the Making of Maharashtra. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-93-90327-40-9.
  7. ^ "Jijabai Shahaji Bhosale Birth Anniversary: Interesting Facts about Chhatrapati Shivaji's Mother". News18. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
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