Shivaji left a radical and lasting legacy.

• Shivaji Maharaj, a Maratha warrior, opposed Aurangzeb’s expansionism during Mughal rule in India.
 • He led dangerous campaigns, earning respect and loyalty from his soldiers, leading to the creation of the Hindavi Svarājya, an Indian autarky.
 • Shivaji’s guerrilla warfare, referred to as ganimi kawa in Marathi, disrupted enemy supply lines and used hit-and-run tactics in harsh terrain.

 Shivaji’s Rule
 • Shivaji’s rule was progressively meritocratic, with his Svarājya defended by two hundred and forty forts.
 • He allowed those who wished to revert back into Hinduism, a move that contrasted with the orthodox Brahmins who opposed his coronation due to his unverifiable caste heritage.
 • Shivaji also started projects to replace Persian legalese with Indian ones, such as the Rājavyavahārakośa (Lexicon of Royal Institutes), which provided Sanskrit synonyms for over 1,500 Persian administrative terms.
 • His rule was an affront to the orthodoxy prevalent in the age, providing dignity and opportunity to all who came under his chattra (protection).

 Shivaji’s Liberation of Slavery and State Revenue Reforms

 • Slavery was a persistent issue under Aurangazeb’s rule, with the Al-Fatawa al-Alamkiriyyah stating the right of Muslims to own and have sexual relations with slaves.
 • Shivaji challenged this, signing a charter banning, freeing, and stopping the import and export of all slaves under his rule.
 • The charter emphasized the prohibition of buying and transporting slaves without hindrance, and warned against the practice in neighbouring lands.
 • Shivaji’s revolutionary attitudes towards the feudal structure were reflected in his reforms of taxation and state revenue.
 • He abolished the ‘vatandari’ system, a form of landlordism, and implemented the Ryotwari system, giving land cultivators greater control over production means.
 • The revenue system of Svarājya was described as freeing the ryots from the yoke of Jamindars.
 • The Adnyapatra, drafted by Shivaji’s Finance Minister Ramchandra Pant Amatya, criticized the Vatandars as enemies of the state.