“States fall, empires break up, dynasties become extinct, but the memory of a true “hero as King” like Shivaji remains an imperishable historical legacy…” – Jadunath Sarkar, House of Shivaji (1919) Shivaji Bhonsle was an Indian warrior king who went on to lay the foundation of the strong Maratha Empire. The first Chhatrapati, he is known to have outdone his predecessors as well as successors in giving an identity and status to Marathas. A tactful military commander and skilled administrator, he steadily built his army from a mere two thousand soldiers to almost five-fold, and also developed a naval force. He defeated Afzal Khan and Adil Shah, giving strong resistance to the Mughal forces. From forming guerilla forces to immensely contributing in the development of the civilization of Marathas, he carved a niche in all spheres of operation. Shivaji: The Great Rebel explores the lifespan of Shivaji as an Indian king who instigated a new fire in the hearts of people against the Mughal Empire and taught them to fight for their rights. It highlights Shivaji as one of the prominent rulers to inspire people to fight for Hindu pride and raise their voice against cruelty. He stood up to guard and preserve the nation's honour, and is a great source of inspiration till date.

'The epic text of Ranjit Desai's Shriman Yogi finds new voice in Vikrant Pande's nuanced translation, an immersive narrative of the foundations of the Maratha empire and the saga of its charismatic founder.' - Namita Gokhale. Young Shivaji reaches Pune, a dying fort city, with his mother Jijabai and lights the first lamp within its ruins. While his father Shahaji Bhosle is away on deputation by the Adil Shah sultanate after having failed in a revolt against it, Shivaji learns how an empire is built from the ground up. Thus begins the life of the Great Maratha. What awaits Shivaji is nothing short of the vast scroll of history, and it takes him from Surat to Thanjavur and all the way to Aurangzeb's durbar in Agra. He dreams of freeing his land from the clutches of Mughal rule, and though he suffers many defeats and personal losses along the way he never gives up his vision of Hindavi Swaraj. Amidst political intrigue and a chain of skirmishes, Shivaji becomes a leader, a warrior and a tactician par excellence, driven by immense pride and love for his motherland.

"Land of the Marathas, Western India, 1641-1660 The Indian sub - continent is ruled by three tyrannical Sultanates... the powerful Mughals in the North, and the Shia rulers - Adilshah and Qutubshah in the South. The native population, supressed for centuries, is subjected to slavery, bigotry, injustice and even torture. Through generations of subservience, the very idea of freedom has been wiped from their minds. As incessant battles rage between the Sultanates, the soldiers who fight and die on the battlefields are mostly Marathas, sons of the soil. Villages and crops are repeatedly razed by the invading armies, men killed in both peacetime and war, their women abducted. Maharashtra, once a prosperous land ruled by competent native rulers and inhabited by peaceful people, has been reduced almost to a wasteland. In this dark era, the sixteen-year-old son of an Adilshahi jagirdar stands up to declare: “I shall not serve, and neither shall my people!” The dream of a free State and an identity for his peoplesmouldering in his heart, he dares to rebel against the powerful Sultan, Adilshah. He begins with nothing... no army, no weapons and an empty treasury. Yet he achieves what no soldier, chieftain or king has ever achieved in defiance of the imperialists who rule. 300 Brave Men is the incredible story of Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhosale, a legendary warrior king, guerrilla fighter, brilliant tactician and clever diplomat. But above all, a remarkable human being. You have read history... now read his story..."

In Rebel Sultans, Manu S. Pillai narrates the story of the Deccan from the close of the thirteenth century to the dawn of the eighteenth. Packed with riveting tales and compelling characters, this book takes us from the age of Alauddin Khilji to the ascent of Shivaji. We witness the dramatic rise and fall of the Vijayanagar empire, even as we negotiate intrigues at the courts of the Bahmani kings and the Rebel Sultans who overthrew them. From Chand Bibi, a valorous queen stabbed to death, and Ibrahim II of Bijapur, a Muslim prince who venerated Hindu gods, to Malik Ambar, the Ethiopian warlord, and Krishnadeva Raya on Vijayanagar s Diamond Throne they all appear in these pages as we journey through one of the most arresting sweeps of Indian history.

First published in 1938, the author describes the ways in which the British lived in India from the early adventurous period of the East India Company until the 1930s when modern means of travel and communication enabled the sahibs to keep in close touch with home and eschew oriental influences. He describes their amusements and sports, their domestic arrangements, their relations with the native population. There is a delicious period panorama of Simla in the eighties. He gives a careful historical account of the growth and fate of the Eurasian population. The approach throughout is decorative rather than academic, and leads to a highly entertaining pageant of the British in India.