The House of Mohite or Mohite clan is a prominent Maratha clan, that held significant positions as Senapati and Sardar within the Maratha Empire. The House of Mohite was established by Sambhaji Mohite, who served as the Subedar of Saswad and was the brother of Shahaji's wife, Tukabai. He was also the father of Soyarabai, who later became the wife of Chhatrapati Shivaji. His son Hambirrao Mohite became the Senapati of the Maratha Empire. The Mohite clan played significant role during the Mughal-Maratha wars.

House of Mohite
Mohites of Talbid
Flag of the Maratha Empire
Parent houseChahamanas of Ranastambhapura[citation needed]
Place of originTalbid
Founded17th century
FounderRatoji Mohite
Titles
Connected familiesHouse of Bhonsle
Cadet branchesMohites of Rajewadi

Origins edit

History edit

The Mohite name is first documented in "Shivabharat," a Sanskrit poem dating back to the 17th century. During that period, the Mohite clan served different Deccan sultanates, including the Nizamshahi and the Adilshahi of Bijapur, similar to other Maratha clans like Bhosale, Ghorpade, More, Shirke, Thorat, and so on.[1] One of Shahaji's wives, Tukabai, hailed from the Mohite family. Their son, Venkoji, presided over the Maratha kingdom of Tanjore. Tukabai's niece, who was her brother's daughter, Soyarabai, subsequently became the second wife of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The renowned female Maratha warrior, Tarabai, who was the wife of Rajaram I, also belonged to the Mohite clan. With the ascendancy of Shivaji, the Mohite clan earned his trust and emerged as his esteemed generals. Amidst the internal conflicts within the Bhosale family following Shivaji's demise in 1680, Soyarabai's own brother and army chief, Hambirrao Mohite, shifted allegiance to support Sambhaji's claim to the Maratha throne.[2] His descendant, Bhavanji Mohite, held the position of commander at the Maratha naval base in Malvan during the early years of the 18th century.[3]

Family tree edit

Family tree of Mohites of Talbid[citation needed]
Ratoji
Mohite
Tukoji
Mohite
Sambhaji
Mohite
TukabaiShahaji
Hambirrao
Mohite

Senapati
(5)
1674-1687
Soyrabai
Maharani
of
Maratha Empire

Vyankoji
Raja of
Thanjavur

1675-1684
Tarabai
Maharani
of
Maratha Empire

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Stewart Gordon (16 September 1993). The Marathas 1600–1818. Cambridge University Press. pp. 46, 53, 61. ISBN 978-0-521-26883-7.
  2. ^ Jaswant Lal Mehta (1 January 2005). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707–1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. pp. 48–. ISBN 978-1-932705-54-6.
  3. ^ Surendranath Sen; Surendra Nath Sen (1993). Studies in Indian History: Historical Records at Goa. Asian Educational Services. p. 47. ISBN 978-81-206-0773-6.