Was Chatrapati Shivaji was the father of the modern Navy in india ?
The great Rajendra 1st Chola
On the other hand , the great Chatrapati Shivaji is said to be the father of modern Navy in india . However, Navy under Shivaji was defensive. He made Navy effective in guarding coastal regions.Navy was supported by various forts on the coastal regions. But his Navy was not strong enough to flush out western powers from deep sea . According to the historian, B K Apte , Navy under Shivaji was no match to the British Navy in the deep sea. It is worth noting that while Shivaji looted twice Surat, the Mughal depot, in 1664 and 1770 , he didn't dare to loot British factory located at Surat . Nor he ever tried to capture Goa , Daman and Diu from the Portuguese who had entrenched themselves since 1509 . Maratha Navy was adept in protecting the coastal regions because of their better knowledge of the coasts and creeks. But in the deep sea , Maratha Navy could not match European powers. During the Peshwa rule , no adequate attention was paid on the advancement of Maratha Navy. That's why, the British could be able to establish their rule over in the 18th century on account of their naval superiority.
To sum up, While Navy under Rajendra Chola was assertive, conquering large tracts of land in South East Asia and fostering trade relations, Shivaji 's Navy was structured to protect the western coast of India so that its territorial integrity could be safeguarded . Maratha Navy was basically defensive in nature.
No comments:
Post a Comment