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History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

Give social background to the rise of the Maratha movement during the seventeenth century.

  • UPSC 2012
  • Mughal Empire in the Seventeenth Century

The rise of the Maratha movement in the seventeenth century, first under Shahaji Bhosle and then decisively under Shivaji, cannot be read purely as a political or military phenomenon — its deepest roots lie in the social tensions and aspirations of Maharashtrian society of the time.

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What the full answer covers

  • The Deshmukh-Watandar Class and Agrarian Structure
  • The Peasant and Maval Base
  • The Quest for Kshatriya Status
  • The Bhakti Movement and "Maharashtra Dharma"

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