Education of Shivaji Maharaj

Shivaji Maharaj and his brother Venkoji (Ekoji I) was Trained in southern India, Till date we know it as Bangalore, under the administration of his father Shahaji Maloji Bhosale, and later on, at Fort Shivneri near Pune. Under the guidance of his Mother Jijbai Bhosale as well as Dadoji Konddev as his personal Trainer. In a short span of time Shivaji Maharaj became a skilled combatant

and good Horse-Rider. After that two military commanders known as Baji Pasalkar and Kanhoji Zade were appointed as martial art trainer for him. Gomaji Naik taught him swordsmanship and later on Gomaji Naik is served as military advisor of Shivaji Maharaj.

Again there is one more dispute on whether Shivaji Maharaj was literate or not. Some historians writing centuries after his Death, mentioned that Shivaji had mastered in science as well as in art also at his young age, but the point is that there is no any synchronous or no any contemporary record found which says that Shivaji Maharaj was Literate, apparently allegedly written by Shivaji Maharaj or lines written by him, are available.

However, the authenticity of these letters has not gained universal acceptance among the historians. "The weight of evidence is in favour of the view that Shivaji was unlettered, like three other heroes of medieval India Akbar, Haidar Ali, Ranjit Singh” had written by Jadunath Sarkar. Because many peoples who visited Shivaji Maharaj but they never saw him to write anything; whenever they present any proposal to Maharaj, he always passed it to his ministers to be read to him. No piece of writing in his own hand is known to exist. However, Shivaji Maharaj’s naming of forts in Sanskrit language also indicates that he was literate.

Whether or not Shivaji was literate, it is well known that he had mastered the two great Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, by listening to recitations and story-telling. The noble examples mentioned in the epics greatly impressed his young mind. He was deeply interested in religious teachings, and sought the society of Hindu and Muslim saints wherever he went.