Chitnis Bakhar

Shakakarte Chhatrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj yanche Saptaprakaranatmak Charitra,[1] better known as Chitnis Bakhar, is a Marathi language biography of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. It was written by Malhar Ram Rao Chitnis, whose great-grandfather Balaji Avaji held the position of Chitnis (head clerk) under Shivaji.[2] Chitnis had been ordered to write the text by king Shahu II of Satara (died 1808), but the work was completed after his death, during 1810–1811.[3] The author wrote seven bakhars (chronicles) in total, including six biographies of the Maratha kings (chhatrapatis), and a treatise on political diplomacy.[2]

Chitnis Bakhar
AuthorMalhar Ram Rao Chitnis
Original titleShakakarte Chhatrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj yanche Saptaprakaranatmak Charitra
CountryIndia
LanguageMarathi
SubjectBiography of Shivaji
GenreBakhar
Publication date
1810-1811

Chitnis Bakhar is not arranged chronologically, and does not cite any sources.[3] The text glorifies Shivaji with narratives of his early life, but these narratives are not substantiated by other sources.[4] Historian Jadunath Sarkar dismissed it as unreliable for the purposes of history, stating that "the book is incorrect, rambling or pure guess work in many places, with not even the idea of correct chronology."[5]

References
  1. Prachi Deshpande (2007). Creative Pasts: Historical Memory and Identity in Western India, 1700-1960. Columbia University Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-231-51143-8.
  2. Amaresh Datta (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo. Sahitya Akademi. p. 330. ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1.
  3. Dinesh Chandra Verma (1974). History of Bijapur. Indian Institute of Islamic Studies / Kumar Bros. p. 282.
  4. Siba Pada Sen (1975). History in Modern Indian Literature. Institute of Historical Studies. p. 148.
  5. Suresh Kumar Srivastava (1989). Sir Jadunath Sarkar, the Historian at Work. Anamika. p. 59. ISBN 978-81-85150-12-3.


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