Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Biography: The Bhonsle line of Marathas had a ruler named Shahu. He was also known as Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu, Shahu IV, and Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj. Shahu was a Raja from 1894 to 1900 and the first Maharaja of the Indian princely state of Kolhapur from 1900 to 1922.
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People saw Rajarshi Shahu as a true liberal and social reformer. During his time in power, Shahu Maharaj was a smart leader who pushed for many positive changes.
From the time he became king in 1894 until he died in 1922, he fought for the rights of lower caste people in his state. One of his main goals was to make sure that everyone, no matter their race or religion, got a basic education.
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Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Wiki and Biography
People saw Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, who was also known as Rajarshi Shahu, as a real liberal and social reformer.
He was the first Maharaja of the princely state of Kolhapur and an important figure in the history of Maharashtra.
Shahu Maharaj was a great leader and ruler who was greatly inspired by the work of social reformer Jyotiba Phule. During his rule, he was involved in many activities that were innovative and broke new ground.
He was crowned king in 1894 and died in 1922. During that time, he worked hard for the lower caste people in his state. One of his main goals was to make sure that everyone, no matter their race or religion, got a basic education.
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Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Height
Chhatrapati Shahu was taller than five feet nine inches and looked very royal and impressive.
Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Early Life
He was born in 1874 as Yeshwantrao Ghatge and grew up in Kagal village, Kolhapur, with Jaisingrao Ghatge and Radhabai.
He lost his mother when he was three years old, and until Queen Anandibai adopted him, he went to school with his father. Even though the rules for adoption said the child had to be from the Bhosale line, Yeshwantrao’s family history was different.
He finished his schooling at Rajkumar College and learned about running a business from Sir Stuart Fraser.
As soon as he became king in 1894, the British Government set up a royal council to run the country. He changed his name to Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj while he was king.
He supported wrestling the whole time he was king because it was one of his favorite sports. For wrestling events, wrestlers from all over the country would come to his state.
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Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Career
During his rule from 1894 to 1922, Chhatrapati Shahu, the 28th ruler of Kolhapur, made many changes to the way people lived.
His main goal was to improve education by creating hostels for people of different faiths and races, giving poor students scholarships, and making primary school free for everyone. He also set up Vedic Schools and schools just for village heads.
Shahu fought hard for equality between all social classes and got rid of the Brahmins who were Royal Religious Advisors as a result.
He started the Deccan Rayat Association in Nipani to make sure that non-Brahmins had political rights and that they could take part in politics equally.
He ended the practice of separating people by caste and the practice of “untouchability.” He also made it acceptable for people from untouchable castes to marry people from other castes.
He also worked to improve the lives of women by building schools and outlawing the Devadsi Pratha practice.
Shahu set up projects like the Shahu Chhatrapati Spinning and Weaving Mill, special markets, and farmer co-operative groups to help his people make a living in their chosen fields.
He also set up the King Edward Agricultural Institute and gave farmers loans to help them update their farming methods.
Shahu really cared about art and culture and always supported writers, artists, and thinkers. He was given the title of Rajarshi by the Kurmi warrior group of Kanpur for his outstanding work.
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Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Achievements
The special LLD degree from Cambridge University was given to him because of all the good things he did for his students.
Queen Victoria gave him the title of Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (G.C.S.I.). The Duke of Connaught gave him the title of Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (G.C.V.O.), and the Imperial Darbar gave him the title of Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (G.C.I.E.).
In 1902, he also got the King Edward Coronation Medal.
Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Wife
In 1891, he married Lakshmibai Khanvilkar, who was the daughter of a Barodaristocrat. There were four kids in the family: which include two boys and two girls.
Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Death
It was May 6, 1922, when the great social reformer Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj passed away. His eldest son Rajaram III took over as Maharaja of Kolhapur after him.
It’s too bad that Chhatrapati Shahu’s changes stopped working over time because there wasn’t any good leadership to carry on the work.
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