Hindu Samrajya Diwas — Shivaji Maharaj's Coronation, 1674 हिन्दू साम्राज्य दिवस

The coronation of 6 June 1674

The ceremonies at Raigad lasted several days. Gaga Bhatta, a renowned scholar from Varanasi, presided. Because orthodox opinion questioned whether a Maratha could be consecrated as a kshatriya king, a genealogy linking the Bhonsles to the Sisodia Rajputs of Mewar was accepted, and in late May Shivaji underwent the sacred-thread ceremony (upanayana) before the coronation rites.

On the main day he was bathed with waters from sacred rivers, weighed against gold and other valuables that were then given away in charity (tulā), and seated on a richly ornamented throne. He took the titles Chhatrapati and Kshatriya Kulavatamsa, and a new era — the Rajyabhishek Shaka — was counted from the coronation. New coins were struck: the gold hon and the copper shivrai, bearing the legend "Śrī Rāja Śiva Chatrapati".

An envoy of the English East India Company, Henry Oxenden, attended and recorded the occasion in his diary — one of the few eyewitness accounts. Shivaji's mother Jijabai, who had shaped his ideals, died at Raigad on 17 June 1674, only days after seeing her son crowned. A second, Tantric coronation was performed later that year, in September, under Nischalpuri Gosavi.

Three decades to the throne

The coronation gave legal and ritual sovereignty to a state that already existed in fact: a ruler crowned in his own right could make treaties, grant lands and command loyalty without appearing as a rebel against Bijapur or Delhi.

1. 1630Born at Shivneri fort, near Junnar, to Shahaji Bhonsle and Jijabai (the date of 19 February 1630 is the one adopted by the Maharashtra government).
2. c. 1645–47As a teenager begins taking forts in the Pune region, including Torna.
3. 1659Defeats the Adil Shahi general Afzal Khan at Pratapgad.
4. 1663Night raid on the Mughal governor Shaista Khan in Pune.
5. 1664Raids Surat; begins building the sea fort of Sindhudurg.
6. 1665–66Treaty of Purandar with the Mughals; visit to Agra, house arrest and escape.
7. 1670Recovers lost forts, including Sinhagad, where Tanaji Malusare falls.
8. 1674Coronation at Raigad (6 June).
9. 1677–78Southern campaign to Gingee and Vellore.
10. 1680Dies at Raigad (3 April).

What "Hindavi Swarajya" meant

The phrase "Hindavi Swarajya" — self-rule of the people of Hindustan — is widely associated with Shivaji. It appears in a letter of 1645 attributed to him, though some historians question that letter's authenticity. Whatever the wording, his state aimed at self-rule by and for the people of the land, protection of their religion and culture, and freedom from the exactions of distant rulers.

This idea — a people's own rule, rooted in their own civilization — is why later generations, from Lokmanya Tilak to the freedom fighters of the twentieth century, saw Shivaji as a symbol of swaraj. Tilak revived public celebration of Shivaji's memory in the 1890s.

Government: the Ashta Pradhan and a new vocabulary

Shivaji governed with a council of eight ministers, the Ashta Pradhan: the Peshwa (chief minister), Amatya (finance), Sachiv (correspondence), Mantri (internal affairs and intelligence), Senapati (army), Sumant (foreign affairs), Nyayadhish (justice) and Panditrao (religious affairs). Officers were generally paid salaries rather than granted hereditary estates, which limited the power of local strongmen.

To replace the Persian vocabulary of Deccan administration, he commissioned the Rajavyavahara Kosha, a dictionary of Sanskrit terms for offices and procedures compiled by Raghunatha Pandita — an early act of cultural self-assertion in government.

Forts, cavalry and a navy

Shivaji's power rested on a network of hill forts across the Sahyadri, carefully garrisoned and supplied. His light cavalry was famous for swift movement and surprise — the style later called ganimi kava. He was among the first Indian rulers of his age to build a navy, with sea forts such as Sindhudurg and Vijaydurg protecting the Konkan coast against the Siddis of Janjira and the European trading powers.

Religion and tolerance in his rule

Shivaji was a devout Hindu who protected temples and Brahmins and restored Hindu practice in his territories. Contemporary and near-contemporary accounts also record his respect for other faiths. The Mughal historian Khafi Khan, otherwise hostile to him, wrote that Shivaji ordered that no harm be done to mosques, the Quran or women, and that any copy of the Quran that fell into his men's hands be treated with respect. Muslims served in his army and navy, among them the naval commander Daulat Khan.

Historians continue to debate how far his campaigns were driven by religion and how far by politics; both elements are present in the sources.

Samarth Ramdas and the spiritual background

Tradition holds the saint Samarth Ramdas, author of the Dasbodh and founder of the Ramdasi movement, to be Shivaji's spiritual guide, and Ramdas's writings praise him warmly. Historians differ on when the two first met and how close their relationship was; the devotional poet-saint Tukaram is also linked with Shivaji in Maharashtra's memory. What is clear is that the Bhakti movement of Maharashtra had created a strong sense of shared culture among ordinary people on which Shivaji's state could build.

Why Hindu Samrajya Diwas is observed

Hindu Samrajya Diwas is observed on Jyeshtha Shukla Trayodashi, the tithi of the coronation, which falls in May or June. It is one of six festivals traditionally observed by shakhas of the national volunteer movement, alongside Varsha Pratipada, Guru Purnima, Raksha Bandhan, Vijayadashami and Makar Sankranti. For them it marks the restoration of self-rule after centuries of foreign domination.

In Maharashtra, Shivrajyabhishek Din is also celebrated every 6 June at Raigad itself, with a ceremony at the fort, processions and cultural programmes. Schools, institutions and community groups across India mark the day with talks on Shivaji's life, songs and plays.

• A talk on Shivaji Maharaj's life and ideals of good government
• Recitation of the Ekatmata Stotra or patriotic songs
• Visits to forts and memorials
• Service activities in his memory — cleaning forts, planting trees, helping the needy

Read more on this site

• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj — biographyGreat Lives of Bharat
• Glossary: Hindavi Swarajya, Rajyabhishek, Ashta PradhanRashtriya Vichar Shabdakosh
• Ekatmata StotraThe hymn of national unity

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