Shivaji Jayanti  

Shivaji, the first Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, was born on 19 February 1630. The day is celebrated as Shivaji Jayanti in India. 
 

India in the 17th century held an immense fascination for travellers from the western world. One of the many western travellers who succumbed to this lure was a French explorer and linguist named Jean de Thevenot. His memoirs talks about an encounter with an Indian kind he met during his travels through the Deccan. The king was none other than the legendary Chhatrapati Shivaji, then the head of the warrior Bhonsle clan from Maharashtra. As we all know, he would go on to establish one of India’s mightiest empires — the Marathas. While Shivaji Maharaj’s reign has attained an almost cult-like status in India, how many of you know about his childhood days in Bengaluru? Let’s find out more in this episode of India Untold with Sunita Iyer.

As the nation celebrates Shivaji Jayanti today, here are five historic battle the warrior king won with his remarkable battle skills and clever tactics and emerged as a powerful force against the Mughals