Indian warrior Sivaji (1627-1680) was the leader of a seventeenth-century independent Hindu nation in the region of Maharashtra. By successfully repelling the forces of the invading Mughal empire, often through the use of guerilla warfare, he insured the civil and religious freedom of the Maratha people.

The warrior Sivaji was the leader of an independent Hindu nation in western India in the 1600s. Although that part of India was primarily controlled by Muslim Mughal forces at the time, Sivaji and his Maratha people were able to successfully resist the invaders and maintain control of much of the area known as Maharashtra, the homeland of the Maratha people. While his armies could not compare in size with those of the Mughal emperor, Sivaji was able to win many victories by relying more on cunning tactics than strength; he was one of the first military figures to make use of...