The Foundation of Naval Forces of Shivaji Maharaj

Synopsis
Pranita Jorvekar

Introduction
The aim of this study is to analyze what are importance of naval forces, why Shivaji Maharaj
established naval forces, how he had done the foundation of naval forces which causes drastic
changes in war with other rulers. A strong navy is an important element of every Maritime
Nation. The Navy is always called upon for rescue and relief operations. The Navy maintains,
trains and equips combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and
maintaining the freedom of the seas. It also has big part in foundation Indian navy. Shivaji
Maharaj established a royal name for himself in history with his administrative skills by
upholding the Swarajya values and the Maratha heritage. He was known for his bravery and
tactics with which he won numerous wars against the Mughals. Shivaji Maharaj Known as the
Father of Indian Navy, Shivaji Maharaj was the first to realise the importance of having a naval
force, and therefore he strategically established a navy and forts at the coastline to defend the
Konkan side of Maharashtra.  The Jaigad, Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg and other such forts still stand
to testify his efforts and ideas.

Conceptual Framework

Shivaji Maharaj was the founder of Maratha navy in medieval India. the Muslim rulers (such as
the Deccan Sultanates and Mughal Sultanate) had mostly ignored the naval arm of their military
forces. It may be because they came overland from the North and won decisively in land battles.
This scenario changed, however, when the Portuguese arrived in India and started monopolizing
and controlling trade on the western coast of the continent. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj realized
the importance of a strong navy; the first keel of a Maratha naval vessel was laid down in a creek
near Kalyan circa 1654
Shivaji Maharaj demonstrated great skill in creating his military organisation. He built a strong
naval presence across the coast of Konkan and Goa to protect sea trade. The navy under Shivaji
Maharaj was so strong that the Marathas could hold they’re against the British, Portuguese and
Dutch. Shivaji Maharaj realised the importance of having a secure coastline and protecting the
western Konkan coastline from the attacks of Siddi’s fleet. His strategy was to build a strong
navy to protect and bolster his kingdom. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was one of the bravest,
most progressive and sensible rulers of India. The founder of the Maratha Kingdom Shivaji
Maharaj was born to be a natural leader and fighter on 19th February, 1630 in the prestigious
Shivneri Fort
Shivaji Maharaj built ships in towns such as Kalyan, Bhiwandi, and Goa for building fighting
navy as well as trade. He also built a number of sea forts and bases for repair, storage and shelter.
Shivaji Maharaj fought many lengthy battles with Siddis of Janjira on coastline. The fleet grew
to reportedly 160 to 700 merchants, support and fighting vessels. He started trading with
foreigners on his own after possession of eight or nine ports in the Deccan.
Shivaji Maharaj took up the task of constructing multiple naval bases along the coast of present-
day Maharashtra. He organized two fleets – one under the command of Admiral Mainak
Bhandari and the other under Daulat Khan. The Maratha Navy consisted mostly of
native Konkani sailors; however, it was commanded mostly by mercenaries,
including Siddi and Portuguese. Circa 1659, the Maratha Navy consisted of around 20 warships.
Hiring mercenaries was relatively common in Maratha military culture and the Navy was no
exception to this practice. The Portuguese naval officer Rui Leitao Viegas was hired as fleet
commander, in part because the Maratha wanted to get insight into the Portuguese naval
technology and capabilities. The Maratha knew the Portuguese had a powerful navy. The
Portuguese convinced their mercenary officers to leave the service of the Maratha; however, the
Portuguese allied with the Maratha when the latter went to war against the Mughal Sultanate.
The Battle of Surat of 1664 was a well-coordinated one, whereby the Maratha used
their Army and Navy in a coordinated way. In 1679, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj annexed the
island of Khanderi, which was 11 miles (18 km) off the entrance to Mumbai. In response
the English and the Siddi repeatedly attacked the island, but they were unable to oust the
Maratha from the islands. Circa 1674, during Shivaji's Maharaj’s coronation, the Portuguese at
Goa noted and acknowledged the Maratha naval power and sent their emissary to Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj with gifts; they signed a treaty of friendship. Around this time, the Maratha
Navy's strength was around 5,000 men and 57 warships. During its expedition
to Karwar (present-day Karnataka), the navy possessed around 85 assorted Gallivants (war boat)
ranging from 30 to 150 tons and 3 three-master Gurabs/Grabs (warship). In terms of terrestrial
location, the Maratha Swarajya could be categorized as 'Maritime location', i.e., a territory
having access to sea and also connected with land. Shivaji, therefore, deployed naval forces not
merely for defensive purposes, but also for maritime commerce so that the cost of defense, to
some extent, could be successfully met. Though the contemporary literature/documents (which
were compiled for specific purposes, and were essentially non-military and non-warfare-oriented
in nature) may not directly help in making-out the real intent of the thought-process of genius of
Shivaji Maharaj. we can, at least have some practical deductions and reconstruct his appreciation
of the situation of that time.

Literature review

There is no doubt about the fact that Shivaji Maharaj, in his effort to create a political niche for
himself, struck a fine balance between the unique geographical situations of the Deccan country
on the one hand, and the aspirations of the Maratha people on the other. His creativity and genius
are well attested by his political and military exploits which have earned him a special place in
the history of warfare in India. An analysis of the military activities of Shivaji Maharaj reveals
the working of the mastermind seeking balance between military force and stratagem, direct
fighting and indirect methods of warfare. Geographically speaking, the stretch of territory –
Shivaji Maharaj began with as an independent entity was too hilly and narrow. Given the
resources at his disposal, initially, if it was difficult to expand eastward because of the presence
of the mighty Mughals, in the west, the Arabian Sea hindered any logical expansion of the
Maratha territorial base. Credit must be given to the genius of Shivaji in recognizing the value of
a navy for a country with an extensive coastline. It was the foresightedness of this great leader,
therefore, that the foundations of Maratha Navy were laid during his regime. So that the Maratha
navy could achieve its declared objectives and, at the same time, function profitably, a national
strategy encompassing the geographical realities of the Swarajya was implemented by Shivaji
Maharaj. Shivaji Maharaj was also aware of the fact that the hold on the sea would have helped
to keep open an alternative line of communication/conveyance for him in case his main base was
(political capital/stronghold on land) was cut across by any of the enemies. Hence, as on land, a
chain of marine fortresses, both - on the coast and on the off-shore islands, were constructed.
During the time of naval fights, the marine forts acted as the most immediate source of supply of
war materials and also the place of safe refuge for the fleet in case of adversity. Such places, if
properly fortified, and with ample store of water, ammunition and ganison, could very well serve
the function of naval bases, and would successfully stand against the attack of any enemy. At the
same time, the artillery and guns of the naval forts would keep the creek or bay safe for
navigation. They would thus, discourage the enemy ships from entering the sea/channel or the
river lane on which they stood. Boat-building activities were also taken at hand. At a brisk pace,
vessels of different specifications and sizes were produced at different dockyards such as Kalyan
Bhiwandi, Jaitapur etc. In a short span of time, the number of vessels under the Maratha naval
establishment exceeded more than a couple of hundreds. The logic behind the production of
vessels in large numbers could be understood in terms of the overall strategy and tactical
considerations, the Marathas followed during their naval wars.
True, the resources of the Marathas, particularly in the early years of the Swarajya, were too
scarce to have allowed them to go for a full-fledged naval establishment, but the foresightedness
of the great visionary Shivaji saw the humble beginning and corroborating success of the
Maratha Navy. And, with a proper system of naval administration in place, Shivaji tried to
overcome the resource crunch too. Apart from resource crunch, the limitations faced by Shivaji
were too many to have allowed the Maratha navy to grow and flourish in a proper manner. The
first and foremost of the limitations was the unavailability of time with him. He faced the 'time
constraint' largely on account of his bigger political compulsions. Most of the time he was hard
pressed from the eastern side by the Mughals or the Bijapuris or even some recalcitrant elements.
The recurrence of the likes of 'Shaista Khans', 'Afzal Khans', 'Jai Singhs', and 'Khem Sawants'
etc., on the political spectrum of Deccan kept him pre-occupied throughout his political career.
The end result was that the naval planning and actions depended on the urgency /outcome of
these events. That Shivaji had a keen desire to personally supervise the naval establishment of
the Swarajya and take it to newer horizons, has been demonstrated quite early in his political
career. The laying of the foundation stone of his naval headquarters at Sindhudurg in 1664, and
his participation in the Basrur Naval Expedition of 1665, speaks more than volumes about the
real intents of this military visionary. Another noticeable limitation Shivaji faced was in terms of
technological backwardness. Though this is a strictly comparative terminology, and depends
upon a number of factors. But, keeping in mind the facts: (a) that he had raised a naval
establishment from scratch; and (b) the complex nature of challenges from the rivals, he was
facing (viz. the European companies, backed by a full-fledged naval establishments back home
or even the Siddi of Janjira who were always aided by the Europeans and financed by the
Mughals); his naval establishment appeared to be too primitive for any of his rivals. He lacked
the technology to construct sea-worthy ships which could frequent 319 the vast expanses of the
sea and also put up an effective resistance to the enemy challenges. At best, what Shivaji could
manage was a coastal navy or what can be described as the rudiments of a 'Brown Water Navy'.
For that also he had to depend, many a times, on the foreign technical expertise. We have
references of few Portuguese ship-wrights engaged by Shivaji for the purpose of boat-building.
Artillery was another serious limiting factor with the Maratha warfare - both on land as well as
on water

Hypothesis

If Shivaji Maharaj has not realized the importance of naval force in its early stages and believed
that it would keep them independent from foreign invaders it had become hard to Indian people
to over through the foreign invaders from coastline and afterword India can become late to raise
naval forces.

Question

1. Why Shivaji Maharaj raised a navy?

2. What are objectives of Maratha navy?

3. What is importance of navy?

4. What is the main job of navy?

Research Methodology

This research used qualitative method of research. Primary and secondary sources are used.

Tentative Chapterization

Chapter One: Introduction

Chapter Two: Conceptual Framework

Chapter Three: War

Chapter Four: limitation

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