IMPACT OF SHIVAJI’S CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE GROWTH OF NATIONALISM IN INDIA

Shivaji is one of the most important heroes of India. Shivaji dedicated his entire life in fights against the “foreigners”. He was the man who fought for the rights of the Marathas. So he is considered probably the greatest hero in the Indian province of Maharashtra. All over India, Shivaji is recognized as a warrior legend. He is also considered as the man who gave birth to India’s nationalism. Many historians prefer to believe that Shivaji was the root of India’s self-pride and esteem. This research studies the reigning period of Shivaji. It is an applied or refinery study that tries to judge if this period can be called the golden era of Indian history or not in terms of growth of nationalism. While trying to do so this research took into account the success as well as the failures of Shivaji. Ruling period of any ruler is bound to have both success and failures. So this study was not about if there are failures in the reigning period of Shivaji or not. It explored about the heavier side i.e. whether success is heavier or failures and thus, made an attempt to reach the conclusion about if this period can be called the golden era or not regarding contributions of Shivaji towards the growth of nationalism in India.