Bhonsle (clan)
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox tribe The Bhonsle (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> are a prominent group within the Maratha clan system of India.
History
Earliest members
The earliest accepted members of the Bhonsles are Mudhoji Bhonsle and his kin Rupaji Bhonsle, who were the village headman (pāṭīl) of Hingani — this branch has been since known as Hinganikar Bhonsles.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite thesis</ref> A branch seem to have split soon, who went on to claim an ancestral right to the post of district steward (deśmukhī) of Kadewalit: Suryaji Bhonsle during the reign of Ahmad Nizam Shah I (early 1490s), and his son Sharafji Bhonsle during the conquest of the region by Daniyal Mirza (1599).<ref name=":3" />Template:EfnTemplate:Efn This branch has been since known as Kadewalit Bhonsles.<ref name=":3" />
The next significant Bhonsle was probably Maloji Bhosale from the Hinganikar branch.<ref name="varma-saberwal" /> He was the great-grandson of one Kheloji (c. 1490).<ref name="varma-saberwal" />
Origins
In the opinion of Jadunath Sarkar and other scholars, Bhonsles were predominantly Deccani tiller-plainsmen from the Shudra caste; they were part of the Marathas/Kunbis, an amorphous class-group.<ref name="Jaffrelot2006">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name="Eraly2000">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Sarkar1992">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Efn Scholars have however disagreed about the agricultural status of Bhosles.<ref name="varma-saberwal" /> Rosalind O'Hanlon notes that the historical evolution of castes grouped under the Maratha-Kunbis is sketchy.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Ananya Vajpeyi rejects the designation of Shudra, since the category has remained in a state of flux across centuries; she instead notes them to be a Marathi lineage, who enjoyed "reasonably high" social status as landholders and warlords, being in the service of Deccan Sultanate or Mughals.<ref name="varma-saberwal" />Template:Efn
According to R. C. Dhere's interpretation of local oral history and ethnography, Bhonsles descend from the Hoysalas and Yadavas of Devagiri, who were cow-herding Gavli sovereigns.<ref name="varma-saberwal">Template:Cite bookTemplate:PbEdited version of Template:Cite thesis</ref><ref name="Feldhaus" />Template:EfnTemplate:Efn In early thirteenth century, "Baliyeppa Gopati Sirsat", a Hoysala cousin of Simhana migrated from Gadag to Satara along with his pastoral herd and kul-devta; the Sambhu Mahadev was thus installed at a hill-top in Singhnapur.<ref name="varma-saberwal" />Template:EfnTemplate:Efn Historical records indicate that this shrine received extensive patronage from Maloji onwards.<ref name="varma-saberwal" />Template:Efn Further, there exists a branch of the Bhosles named "Sirsat Bhosles" and Bhosle (or "Bhosale") is linguistically similar to "Hoysala".<ref name="varma-saberwal" /> M. K. Dhavalikar found the work to convincingly explain the foundation of the Bhosle clan (as well as Sambhu Mahadev cult).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Vajpeyi too advocates that Dhere's theory be probed in greater detail — "[f]rom pastoralist big men to warlords on horseback, is not an impossible distance to cover in two to three centuries."<ref name="varma-saberwal" />
Shivaji and his claim of Rajput origin
By 1670s, Shivaji had acquired extensive territory and wealth from his campaigns.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> But, lacking a formal crown, he had no operational legitimacy to rule his de facto domain and technically, remained subject to his Mughal (or Deccan Sultanate) overlords; in the hierarchy of power, Shivaji's position remained similar to fellow Maratha chieftains.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="varma-saberwal" /><ref name=":1">Template:Citation</ref>Template:Efn Also, he was often opposed by the orthodox Brahmin community of Maharashtra.<ref name="varma-saberwal" /> A coronation sanctioned by the Brahmins was thus planned, in a bid to proclaim sovereignty and legitimize his rule.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name="BaviskarAttwood2013" />
On proposing the Brahmins of his court to have him proclaimed as the rightful king, a controversy erupted: the regnal status was reserved for those belonging to the kshatriya varna.<ref name="Gandhi1999">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Allison2011" /> Not only was there a fundamental dispute among scholars on whether any true Kshatriya survived in the Kali Yuga,Template:Efn having been all destroyed by Parashurama but also Shivaji's grandfather was a tiller-headman, Shivaji did not wear the sacred thread, and his marriage was not in accordance with the Kshatriya customs.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="BaviskarAttwood2013" /><ref name="Deshpande" /> Thus, the Brahmins had him categorised as a shudra.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="BaviskarAttwood2013">Template:Cite book</ref>
Compelled to postpone his coronation, Shivaji had his secretary Balaji Avji Chitnis sent to the Sisodiya Rajputs of Mewar for inspection of the royal genealogies; Avji returned with a favorable finding — Shahji turned out to be a descendant of Chacho Sisodiya, a half-Rajput uncle of Mokal Singh.<ref name="varma-saberwal" />Template:Efn Gaga Bhatt, a famed Brahmin of Banaras,Template:Efn was then hired to ratify Chitnis' find, and the Bhonsles were now permitted to stake a claim to Kshatriya caste.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="varma-saberwal" /><ref name="Allison2011">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Efn The coronation would be re-executed in June 1674 but only after going through a long list of preludes.<ref name="varma-saberwal" />Template:Efn
Led by Bhatt, who employed traditional Hindu imagery in an unprecedented scale, the first phase had Shivaji penance for having lived as a Maratha despite being a Kshatriya.<ref name="varma-saberwal" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name="Keay2011">Template:Cite book</ref> Then came the sacred thread ceremony ('maunjibandhanam') followed by remarriage according to Rajput customs ('mantra-vivah') and a sequence of Vedic rituals before the eventual coronation ('abhisheka') — a public spectacle of enormous expense that heralded the rebirth of Shivaji as a Kshatriya king.<ref name="varma-saberwal" />Template:Efn Panegyrics composed by court-poets during these spans (and afterward) reinforced onto the public memory that Shivaji (and the Bhonsles) indeed belonged from the Sisodiyas.<ref name="varma-saberwal" /><ref name="Allison2011" />
However, the Kshatriyization was not unanimous; a section of Brahmins continued to deny the Kshatriya status.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Brahmins of the Peshwa period rejected Bhatt's acceptance of Shivaji's claims and blamed the non-dharmic coronation for all ills that plagued Shivaji and his heirs—in tune with the general Brahminical sentiment to categorize all Marathas as Shudras, carte-blanche; there have been even claims that Bhatt was excommunicated by Maratha Brahmins for his role in the coronation of Shivaji!<ref name="Deshpande" /> Interestingly, all claims to Rajput ancestry had largely vanished from the family's subsequent projections of identity.<ref name="varma-saberwal" />
Accuracy
Vajpeyi notes the "veridical status" of Chitnis' finds to be not determinable to "historical certainty" — the links were tenuous at best and inventive at worst.<ref name="varma-saberwal" /> According to some claims, Shivaji was a Rajput of the Sisodia Rajput clan while other claims say that he was a Kunbi Maratha and the sole purpose of the lineage claim as a Rajput was to guarantee Shivaji's consecration as a Kshatriya, in a tactic that had clear parallels to Rajputisation.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name="varma-saberwal" />Template:Efn Jadunath Sarkar deemed that the genealogy was cleverly fabricated by Balaji Awji and after some reluctance accepted by Gaga Bhatt, who in turn was "rewarded with a huge fee". V. K. Rajwade, Dhere, Allison Busch, John Keay and Audrey Truschke also agree with Sarkar about the fabrication.<ref name="Sarkar1992" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Keay2011" /><ref name="Allison2011" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> G. S. Sardesai notes that the descent is "not authentically proved".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Efn Stewart N. Gordon does not pass any judgement but notes Bhatt to be a "creative Brahmin".<ref name="varma-saberwal" /><ref name=":1" />Template:Efn André Wink deems that the Sisodia genealogical claim is destined to remain disputed forever.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Efn
Princely States
Satara State, Kolhapur State, Thanjavur State, Nagpur State,<ref name="google1">Template:Cite book</ref> Akkalkot State,<ref name=":4">Template:Cite book</ref> Sawantwadi State<ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Barshi<ref name="akola.nic.in">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> were amongst the prominent states ruled by the Bhonsles.