Maratha_titles

Maratha titles

Maratha titles

Titles used by Maratha community of India


The following list includes a brief about the titles of nobility or orders of chivalry used by the Marathas of India and by the Marathis/Konkanis in general.

A Maratha Durbar showing the Chief (Raja) and the nobles (Sardars, Jagirdars, Istamuradars & Mankaris) of the state.

Titles used by the Maratha Royals

The titles used by royalty, aristocracy and nobility of the Maratha Empire

  • Chhatrapati: Chhatrapati is an Indian royal title most equivalent to a King or an Emperor. It means the 'Lord of the Parasol'[1] and is a title conferred upon the founder of Maratha Empire, Chhatrapati Shivaji. The title is also used by Shivaji's descendants.
  • Maharaj: The English equivalent of Maharaj is great king. It is a title first conferred upon Chhatrapati Shivaji's father Shahaji Raje Bhosale.
  • Maharani: The English equivalent of Maharani is great queen. It is a title first used by Tarabai, as regent of marathas empire .
  • Raje: The English equivalent of Raje is Your Majesty. It is a title first conferred upon Chhatrapati Shivaji's grandfather Maloji Raje Bhosale
  • Kshatriya Kulavantas: It means 'The Head of the Kshatriya varna' and was a title first given to Chhatrapati Shivaji at the time of his coronation[2]
  • Sinhasanadhishwar: It means 'the enthroned King' and was a title first given to Chhatrapati Shivaji at the time of his coronation[2]
  • Peshwa: It is a word of Persian origin and means 'Foremost' or 'the first minister'[3] or 'Premier' (or Prime Minister). It was a title given to the prime ministers of the Maratha Empire
  • Peshwin: The wife of a Peshwa[4]
  • Chitnis: It means the Personal Secretary and high-ranking minister of the Chhatrapati, usually from the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu community.

(Chitnis)

Desais were the rulers of Kudal (Sindhudurg) in Maharashtra.[22] [23] [24] Desai, or a loftier compound, was a rare title for rulers of a few princely states, notably - Raja Sar Desai in the Maratha Savantvadi State from 1627 until the adoption of "Raja Bahadur" in 1763.

Titles given by the British

Other titles

  • Rao: It is an honorary title used by men as a suffix to their first name, example Malhar Rao Holkar, the prince of Indore
  • Sinh: It is a word derived from the Sanskrit word siḿha, meaning 'lion'.[29] It is used as a suffix to the first name, example Maharaja Pratapsinh Gaekwad[30] or H.H. Meherban Shrimant Raja Vijaysinhrao Madhavrao Patwardhan, Raja of Sangli[citation needed]
  • Shett/Sheth: Shett/Sheth is a name given to the Daivajnas of Konkani origin residing on the west coast of India. For example, the Saldanha-Shet family is one of the well known Konkani Catholic families from Mangalore.[31]

See also


References

  1. Alain Daniélou (11 February 2003). A Brief History of India. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. pp. 257–. ISBN 978-1-59477-794-3.
  2. Temple, Sir Richard Carnac (1953-01-01). Sivaji and the rise of the mahrattas. Susil Gupta.
  3. Yule, Henry; Burnell, A. C.; Teltscher, Kate (2013-06-13). Hobson-Jobson: The Definitive Glossary of British India. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780199601134.
  4. Sardesai, HS (2002). Shivaji, the Great Maratha, Volume 3. Cosmo Publications. p. 649. ISBN 9788177552874.
  5. Singh, Ravindra Pratap (1987-01-01). Geography and Politics in Central India: A Case Study of Erstwhile Indore State. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 9788170220251.
  6. Social Science. FK Publications. 2006-01-01. ISBN 9788179730423.
  7. Copeman, Jacob; Ikegame, Aya (2012-01-01). The Guru in South Asia: New Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Routledge. ISBN 9780415510196.
  8. Central India (1908). The Central India State Gazetteer Series. Thacker, Spink.
  9. Sarkar, Jadunath (1992-01-01). Fall of the Mughal Empire. Sangam. ISBN 9780861317493.
  10. Raj Kumar (2003). Essays on Modern India. Discovery Publishing House. p. 73. ISBN 9788171416905.
  11. Syed Siraj ul Hassan (1989). The Castes and Tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions, Volume 1. Asian Educational Services. p. 111. ISBN 9788120604889.
  12. Sandhya Gokhale (2008). The Chitpavans: Social Ascendancy of a Creative Minority in Maharashtra, 1818-1918. Shubhi Publications. p. 28. ISBN 9788182901322. Hereditary rights of Karhades were those of Desai, district officer, or Deshmukh, and Sardesai, senior district officer.
  13. V. D. Divekar (1993). South India in 1857 War of Independence. Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Trust. p. 148.
  14. "Anthropological Society of Bombay". Anthropological Society of Bombay. 1909.
  15. "Numismatic Digest". Numismatic Digest. 1997.
  16. "No. 22523". The London Gazette. 25 June 1861. p. 2622.
    • Saheb: It is an honorary title used by men as a suffix to their first name, example AnnaSaheb Magar, a politician in Maharashtra
    • Bai: It is an honorary title used by women as a suffix to their first name, example Rani Laxmibai, the Queen of Jhansi
    • Devi: It is an honorary title used by women as a suffix to their first name.
  17. Sawhney, Clifford (2004-12-01). Strange But True Facts. Pustak Mahal. ISBN 9788122308396.
  18. Farias, Kranti (1999), The Christian impact in South Kanara, Church History Association of India, p. 279

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