But, like a great man, he proved to be a Bahujan-friendly king fighting all these casteist troubles. Who got the Dalits a proper place and raised their honor at that time, at which time touching the Dalits by the upper caste people of the society was considered to be corrupt.
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Let us know about some important things related to his life –
Full Name Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj (Yashwantrao)
Born June 26, 1874, Kolhapur (Shahu Maharaj Jayanti)
Death May 10, 1922, Mumbai
Father’s Name Shrimant Jaisingh Rao Abasaheb Ghatge
Mother’s Name Radhabai Sahiba
Wife Name Laxmibai
Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj, the forerunner of the social revolution, was born on 26 June 1874 in Kolhapur in the state of Maharashtra to Shrimant Jai Singh Rao Aaba Saheb Ghatge and Radhabai Sahiba. In childhood, everyone used to call him Yashwant Rao.
Let us tell you that Shivaji IV, a descendant of the second son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (I), used to handle the kingship of Kolhapur. At the same time, in the year 1884, Maharani Anandi Bai Sahiba, wife of Shivaji Maharaj, adopted Yashwant Rao, son of her vassal, Jai Singh Rao, after the assassination of fourth Shivaji due to a British conspiracy.
After which his name was changed to Shahu Chhatrapati Ji and then he was given the responsibility of Kolhapur Raj at a very young age, although, from April 2, 1894, he got full right to rule over Kolhapur Raj. Later he did many commendable works for the upliftment of Dalits in the society.
Shahu Ji Maharaj’s education
Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj took his education from Rajkumar College established in Rajkot. After this, he did his further studies from the year 1890 to 1894 by staying in Dharabad. During this time he studied history, English, and running a state business.
Wedding of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj
King Shahu Ji Maharaj, the emancipator of the backward and downtrodden, married Shri Mant Lakshmi Bai, the daughter of Maratha Sardar Khanvikar of Baroda, in the year 1897.
Social work done by Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj –
‘Bahujan Pratipalak’, Chhatrapati Sahu Ji Maharaj:
In the year 1894, when Shahuji Maharaja took over the Rajrath of Kolhapur, out of the total 71 posts in the general administration, 60 posts were held by Brahmin officers, while the remaining 11 posts were held by backward caste people.
In fact, at that time Dalit and backward caste people were subjected to inhuman atrocities and kept away from education, were not allowed to go anywhere in public places, and Brahmins and upper caste people were not allowed to be touched by Shudras. He considered his religion corrupt.
After seeing this, he decided to remove this inequality spread in the society and break the Brahminical system.
He believed that for the development of the state, the participation of all sections of the people was equally necessary. Therefore, he took the historic step of liberating the Bahujan Samaj by removing all the Brahmins under his rule and ended Brahminism with complete devotion.
Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, the pioneer of reservation:
Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj made the law of reservation for the first time in the country for eradicating the evil of casteism spread in the society, giving equal status to all sections of the society and equal participation to Bahujan Samaj.
So that the condition of the downtrodden and backward classes can be improved in the society and they can get respect and respect. Under this revolutionary law, in the year 1902, Bahujan Pratipalak Shahu Ji Maharaj arranged for 50 percent reservation for Bahujan Samaj.
Under this, it was decided to give 50 percent reservation to the backward and low caste people in government jobs, this historic decision of Shahu ji showed a new way of making a constitutional system of reservation in the future.
Schools opened for Dalits and Backwards:
Bahujan’s friendly ruler Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj opened the door of education for the backward and downtrodden classes and showed them the way to liberation.
To make them aware of education among the children of Shudras and Dalits, many new hostels were established and arrangements for free education were made for them.
Shahu ji Maharaj established the Untouchable Mill, Clark Hostel in 1908, Motheron Hostel in the year 1906, Jain Hostel in the year 1904, and Marathaj Students’ Institute and Victoria Maratha Boarding Institute in the year 18 April 1901.
Apart from this, in the year 1912, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj made primary education compulsory and made a law about giving free education.
Emphasis on child marriage and widow remarriage:
It would also not be wrong to call Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj the father of modern India, because, in view of the ill effects of child marriage, he banned it in his state and got inter-caste marriage and widow remarriage to break the caste system of Brahmin priests. At the same time, in the year 1917, the law of remarriage was also passed.
Let us tell you that the great thinker and social worker Jyotiba Phule had a great influence on Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj.
He was also the patron of Satya Shodhak Samaj for a long time. He had also established branches in place of Satyashodhak Samaj.
Apart from this, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj had also played his main role in sending Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, abroad to pursue higher education and also contributed a lot to the publication of Bhimrao Ambedkar’s Mooknayak newspaper.
Shahu Maharaj Death
On May 6, 1922, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj, who worked in the interest of society, died. He will always be remembered for the revolutionary changes he made in society and for ushering in the reservation.
The entire team of onlinehistory.in salutes this great social worker of India, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj Ji, and pays homage to him.