Hindavi Swarajya

Hindavi Swarajya (Hindavī Svarājya; "self-rule of Hindu people"[1][2][3]) is a term attributed to Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Kingdom.[3] After Shivaji's death, the term swarajya came into widespread use, without "Hindavi" but rather associated with "Maratha". According to André Wink, the term Maratha Swarajya meant a form of zamindari sovereignty, not necessarily attached to any particular territory.[4]

The term Swaraj was later adopted by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, one of the early leaders of the Indian independence movement against the British Empire.[5][6]

  1. ^ Smith, On Understanding Islam 1981, pp. 194–195.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pagadi, Shivaji 1983 98 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Jackson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Wink, Land and Sovereignty in India (2007), pp. 43–44: "Maratha Svarajya was a form of ‘zamindari sovereignty’ not merely in the eyes of the Mughals but actually established by people who were often just one or two generations away from village or district zamindari status and the practice of ‘organizing cultivation and expelling robbers’."
  5. ^ "Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Freedom Fighter Who Said, "Swaraj Is My Birth Right"". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  6. ^ Choudhary, Ratnadeep (2018-07-23). "Lokmanya Tilak — the strongest advocate of Swaraj & a prime architect of freedom movement". ThePrint. Retrieved 2023-12-17.