New History of the Marathas v1.c13.12

v1.c13.12

At the same time Shivaji by this ceremony dealt a death-blow to the notion that he was a jagirdar of the Bijapur State and as such its bond servant, or that he was a mere robber. There were still some Maratha nobles who could not conceive an independent position and who hugged the idea that they were vassals of Bijapur. Such antiquated notions were to be for ever shattered : once an independent kingdom is formally proclaimed, the king could exercise the inherent right of levying taxes, of dealing with other Powers on terms of equality and prove that he was no longer to be looked upon as a mere upstart. There was also a prevalent notion even among his own clansmen that there no longer existed any Kshatriyas of ancient tradition and that there could now be no Kshatriya king after the great Parashuram had annihilated that caste. This palpably absurd social theory required to be knocked on its head by means of a bold stroke. With these various purposes in mind, Shivaji decided upon his own formal coronation and laboured to establish his lineal connection with the Sisodiā Kshatriya clan of the north.