Administrative System of the Marathas c7.s6.20

c7.s6.20

So far as my information goes, no attempt has yet been made of sifting and examining these scattered materials on scientific lines and of presenting the results in a handy and intelligible form to the ordinary student. No one will contest that such an endeavour is worth making. In the following pages, it has been my aim to present a fairly accurate sketch of the Maratha government, its principle and working. I have, for the sake of convenient treatment, divided the history of the Maratha administrative system into two periods. The first period opens with the rise of Shivaji and closes with the accession of Shahu. The second period begins with the accession of Shahu and ends in 1818, when the Peshwa's territories were finally annexed to the British dominions. The administrative system of Shivaji practically continued unchanged till the death of Rajaram, and the Peshwas also found it convenient to leave the old system intact with a few changes in the central government. Otherwise, the administrative system of Shivaji was, for all essential purposes, identical with that of the Peshwas. It will, therefore, be my duty to indicate the few differences that existed in theory and practice between the governments of the two periods. But there is another interesting enquiry to be made. Shivaji was not the creator of a new system. He modified and reformed what he had inherited from his Hindu and Muhammadan predecessors. Every administrative system has its roots in the past and the Maratha system was by no means an exception. I have made an attempt to trace the growth and development of the Maratha institutions from their old Hindu prototypes. But my account does not claim to be complete and should not be treated as the last word on this comprehensive subject.