Thanjavur Maratha Kingdom

Origins

In 1674 Venkoji (Ekoji I), half-brother of Shivaji and a general of the Bijapur sultanate, seized Thanjavur from its Nayak rulers and founded a Bhonsle dynasty there. It thus became a Marathi-speaking court ruling a Tamil land.

Rule and society

The Rajas ruled the rich rice lands of the Kaveri delta, surviving pressure from the Mughals, Carnatic Nawabs and Mysore. Serfoji II, whose administration was largely ceded to the British in 1799, expanded the Saraswati Mahal library and patronised Carnatic music, Tanjore painting and printing.

Decline and legacy

When Shivaji II died in 1855 without a male heir, the British annexed Thanjavur under the doctrine of lapse. The palace, library and the painting style it fostered survive in Thanjavur.