Shivaji Maharaj, the outstanding author of Maratha power, hailed from the famed Bhonsle( Bhosale) family, a noble Maratha house that claimed ancient Kshatriya lineage. Family tradition traces their origins to the Sesodia( Sisodiya) Rajputs, who considered themselves descendants of the Solar Race( Suryavansha) — one of the two great royal lineages of India.

According to legend, a Rajput legionnaire named Devraj Maharana led the family southward into Maharashtra. before, Sesodia tycoons ruled lands north of the Narmada River, but their fortunes declined after defeat by the Satavahana sovereign Shalivahan, who adjoined their area. During this bouleversement, the defeated Napoleon’s woman
fled with her youthful son into the Vindhya region, seeking sanctum with a Brahmin family. While tending cattle, the boy discovered a retired treasure, which latterly helped him reclaim power by conquering Bhil- controlled mountain homes.

A stronghold was erected near a sanctum of Goddess Bhavani and named Chitrakote, latterly notorious as Chitore( Chittorgarh). The family restored the Bhavani tabernacle and constructed another devoted to Eklingji Shiv. Their descendants ruled Chitore for nearly five centuries, bravely defying repeated irruptions after the rise of the Delhi Sultanate.

In 1275 CE, during the reign of Maharana Lakshman Singh, Chitore was besieged by Alauddin Khilji, driven by his preoccupation with the fabulous Rani Padmini. Choosing honour over rendition, the Rajput king and his soldiers fought to the death. To save the royal lineage, Prince Ajay Singh escaped to the Aravalli hills with his whoreson Humbir Singh, who latterly revived the family’s power and established Rajnagar as their capital.

Over generations, continued irruptions forced a branch of the family south into the Deccan. Devrajji Maharana, espousing the name Bhosawant Bhonsle, settled between the Krishna and Bhima gutters. Though sovereignty escaped him, his descendants came original chiefs. From this Bhonsle lineage surfaced Shahaji Raje Bhosale and eventually Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who innovated the Maratha Empire.