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"The Marāthās" (Marathi: मराठा)is a term referring to an Indo Aryan group of Hindu warriors hailed mostly from the present-day state of Maharashtra, who created a substantial empire, covering a major part of India, in the late 17th and 18th centuries AD. The "Marathas" were known by that name since their native tongue was almost invariably Marathi, however, not all those whose native tongue is Marathi are Marathas. In present time, the term "Maratha" refers only to those Marathi-speaking people who also belong to certain specific Hindu castes: for one available listing, refer to Maratha clan system. Thus, the terms "Marathi people" and "Maratha people" are not interchangeable and should not be confused for each other. Historically, however, the term Maratha has been used to describe Marathi people.
Etymology
The word Maratha is a derivative of the Prakrit word 'Marhatta' found in Jain Maharashtri literature. Other theories link the words Marātha and Rāshtri with Ratta, supposedly a corruption of Rāshtrakuta, the name of a dynasty that held sway over the Deccan from the 8th-10th centuries CE. However, the Ashokan inscriptions predate the Rashtrakutas by more than a millennium, and these theories cannot be reconciled. All theories however affirm, as do linguists, that the modern Marathi language has developed from the Prakrit known as Mahārāshtri. Image:Shivaji and Marathas.jpg Shivaji and his faithful Maratha comrades Maratha clans
FeaturesMarathas are thought to have originated from Indo-Aryans. The Maratha population is extremely large (close to 40 million), which makes it very difficult to have a standard for common features among them. The complexion of Marathas range from being extremely fair-complexioned to being dark. Most Marathas are well-built, unlike other Marathi castes and have a distinctive look which distinguishes them from other Indians. Historical prominenceImage:India1760 1905.jpg Maratha empire c.1760 AD Different Maratha (also called as Rastriks or Maha-rathis or Mahrattas) rulers during Medieval period (before 12th century) include Satavahana, Rashtrakuta, Yadhav-Jadhavs. They re-united into historical prominence under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the 17th century. Shivaji Maharaj, born into the Bhosale clan of Marathas, secured an independent state by dint of lifelong struggle and thereby founded an empire, the remnants of which lasted until the independence of India in 1947. The state thus founded by Chhatrapati Shivaji attained its zenith under the tutelage of the Brahmin Peshwas in the 18th century, extending from the Indus in present-day Pakistan to Orissa in the east and from the Punjab to central Karnataka in the south. The kingdom of Thanjavur in present-day Tamil Nadu was also ruled by a Maratha dynasty, albeit outside the ambit of the main Maratha Empire. At its peak, the Maratha Empire established a protectorate over the mughal emperor and paramountcy over the numerous Rajput chieftains of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Central India and elsewhere. They had also managed to bring Punjab under their sway and end Muslim rule there and keeping the field open for the Sikhs. This vast empire declined gradually after the third battle of Panipat (1761); by 1818, all of present-day India had fallen to the British East India Company. The history of the states and dynasties comprising the Maratha Empire constitutes a major portion of the history of late medieval India. While that extensive history is detailed elsewhere, it is noteworthy that the rise of the Marathas:
Maratha statesSince the marathas ruled much of India in the period immediately preceding the consolidation of British rule in India, the maratha states came to form the largest bloc of princely states in the British Raj, if size be reckoned by territory and population. Prominent maratha states included: Image:Raigad.JPG Ruins of the Raigad Fort which served as a capital of Maratha Empire in the 17th century
Prominent Maratha dynasties
Bilingual MarathasThe empire also resulted in the voluntary relocation of substantial numbers of Maratha and other Marathi-speaking people outside Maharashtra, and across a big part of India. Thus, there are today several small but significant communities descended from these emigrants living in the north, south and west of India. These communities tend often to speak the languages of those areas, although many do also speak Marathi in addition. Gujarati, Hindi, Konkani, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil are some of the other languages thus spoken Notable MarathasHistorical
Political
WritersArtistsWrestlers
Armed forcesArmy
Air force
SportsTejaswini Sawant Uday Pawar References
See also
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