Chapter 3 Solutions — The Rise of the Marathas

Questions and Activities

1. 1.
   Analyse how geography (particularly mountains and coastlines) guided Maratha military strategy and state formation.
2. 2.
   The chapter states, "The British took India from the Marathas more than from the Mughals or any other power." What do you think this means? What evidence from the chapter supports this idea?
3. 3.
   Compare how Chhatrapati Shivaji and later Marathas treated religious places and people of different faiths. What evidence from the chapter shows their approach to religious diversity?
4. 4.
   The chapter describes how forts were 'the core of the state' for Marathas. Why were they so important? How did they help the Marathas survive against larger enemies?