Maratha Military Landscapes

Also called: Maratha Military Landscapes of India · Topic: The Marathas · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 3 "The Marathas"

Meaning

Maratha Military Landscapes of India is a UNESCO World Heritage property made up of twelve forts: eleven in Maharashtra and one, Gingee (Senji), in Tamil Nadu. The Marathas built, adapted or expanded these forts between the late 17th and early 19th centuries [4][5]. The forts sit on hills, plateaus, the coast and islands. UNESCO recognises them as one connected defence system that helped the Marathas hold land and survive long wars [4].

Explanation

Background: why forts mattered to the Marathas

• Forts were the first mainstay of Maratha power. Shivaji built and controlled a large number of them.
• A fort did two jobs:
• It commanded the routes. A fort on a pass or ridge decided who could move through the valley below.

• It sheltered the army during guerrilla warfare (fighting with small, fast attacks instead of big open battles). Troops struck the enemy, then pulled back into hills that were hard to besiege.

• The Adnyapatra ('The Royal Edict', 1715) was written by Ramachandrapant Amatya, Shivaji's finance minister. It says "Forts are the core of the state". It also says the kingdom was "created… from forts alone".

• The same text says the state survived Aurangzeb's attacks because of its forts. Aurangzeb had already conquered Bijapur and Bhaganagar (Golconda/Hyderabad), but he could not take all the Maratha forts at once.

The twelve forts and their types

• The twelve forts are: Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg (all in Maharashtra) and Gingee (Senji) in Tamil Nadu [4][5].
• They are grouped by the land they stand on [4]:
• Hill forts: Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Raigad, Rajgad, Gingee
• Hill-forest fort: Pratapgad
• Hill-plateau fort (a fort on a flat-topped hill): Panhala
• Coastal fort: Vijaydurg

• Island forts: Khanderi, Suvarnadurg, Sindhudurg

• Each type was suited to its ground. Hill forts used steep slopes. Island forts used the sea as a moat and guarded the Konkan coast.

How the system worked

• The forts worked together, not as separate buildings. UNESCO says they were used for military control, trade protection and holding territory [4].
• They supported all three wings of the army:
• Hill infantry held the hill forts.
• Cavalry raided the plains and then fell back to the forts.

• The navy used the coastal and island forts as bases.

• Sindhudurg was the key naval fortification. It is an island fort near the Maharashtra–Goa border, built in 1660 by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj [2][4].

• It is about 550 km from Mumbai and about 135 km from the naval station at Goa [2].

• Its position shows that Maratha sea power reached far south, right up to Portuguese Goa.

• The sea forts backed a strong navy. In the 1665 Muscat episode, the ruler of Oman planned to attack Shivaji's coast. He backed off after hearing that the Maratha navy had more than a hundred ships.

Results and modern recognition

• Strategic result: Maratha strategy was defensive at its base (hold the forts and wear the enemy down) and offensive at its edge (raid with cavalry). Mughal siege warfare was not built to defeat this mix.
• Heritage result: UNESCO inscribed the property on the World Heritage List at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris. It became India's 44th World Heritage property [4][5].
• UNESCO's reasoning matches the Adnyapatra: both treat the forts as one system shaped to the land [4].

Time, place and evidence

• Period: The forts were built, adapted or expanded between the late 17th and early 19th centuries [4][5]. This falls within the wider Maratha era, c. 1630–1818.
• Rulers and people:
• Shivaji built and controlled many forts. He built Sindhudurg in 1660 [2].
• Shivneri is known in textbooks as Shivaji's birthplace.
• Raigad was Shivaji's capital.

• In the 18th century, the Angre (Angria) family ran the fleet from Kolaba and other west-coast centres [3].

• Region:

• Eleven forts are in Maharashtra, across the Sahyadri hills, the Konkan coast and the islands off it.

• Gingee is in Tamil Nadu [4][5]. It shows how far south Maratha power reached.

• Evidence:

• The Adnyapatra (1715) by Ramachandrapant Amatya is a Maratha text that describes forts as the core of the state.
• NCERT Class 8, Ch 3 "The Marathas" covers the forts and the navy.

• Official records:

  • India's UNESCO nomination for 2024–25 [4]
  • The UNESCO World Heritage List entry [5]
  • PIB records of Navy Day 2023 at Sindhudurg [2]

• Heritage status: UNESCO World Heritage property. It was inscribed at the 47th session in Paris and is India's 44th property [4][5].

Don't confuse with

• Rajkot Fort (Sindhudurg district): A statue of Shivaji Maharaj was unveiled here on Navy Day 2023 [2]. Rajkot Fort is not one of the twelve listed forts. The listed fort is Sindhudurg, the island fort.
• Vijaydurg vs the island forts: Vijaydurg is the only fort classed as "coastal". Khanderi, Suvarnadurg and Sindhudurg are classed as island forts [4]. MCQs often mix these up.
• Kolaba: This was a base of the Angre fleet [3]. It is not one of the twelve forts in the UNESCO list.
• Gingee vs a Maharashtra fort: Gingee is the only fort outside Maharashtra. It is in Tamil Nadu and is classed as a hill fort, not a coastal fort [4][5].

Prelims Hooks

• Maratha Military Landscapes of India became India's 44th World Heritage property. It was inscribed at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris [4][5].
• It has 12 forts: 11 in Maharashtra + Gingee (Senji) in Tamil Nadu [4][5].
• Island forts: Khanderi, Suvarnadurg, Sindhudurg. Coastal fort: Vijaydurg only. Hill-forest fort: Pratapgad. Hill-plateau fort: Panhala [4].
• Sindhudurg is an island fort near the Maharashtra–Goa border. It was built in 1660 by Shivaji [2][4].
• The Adnyapatra (1715, by Ramachandrapant Amatya) calls forts "the core of the state".
• Trap: Rajkot Fort and Kolaba are not among the twelve forts. Gingee is one of them, even though it is outside Maharashtra.

Mains Points

• Forts explain how the Marathas survived. The Adnyapatra (1715) says the state lived through decades of Aurangzeb's attacks because of its forts. Hill, coastal and island forts worked together as one network. That is why UNESCO listed them as a single "landscape", not as twelve separate monuments [4].
• The forts show Indian military engineering shaped to the land. The builders used hills, plateaus, forests, coasts and islands for different jobs: controlling routes, sheltering guerrilla troops, protecting trade and basing a navy [4]. Use this point for GS-I questions on Indian heritage and architecture.
• Sea forts point to Maratha maritime power. Sindhudurg and the island forts backed a navy that reversed the cartaz system (the Portuguese trade pass) by demanding passes from European ships. The Maratha navy was strong enough to make Oman back off in 1665. On Navy Day 2023, the modern Indian Navy linked its inspiration to Shivaji's fleet at Sindhudurg [2]. This is a good example of continuity between historical heritage and present national identity.

Related concepts

• Adnyapatra
• Bargir and shiledar
• Bargi raids
• Sindhudurg Fort
• Maratha navy
• Kanhoji Angre

Read more

• Military organisation: army, forts, navy