Chhatrapati Shivaji belongs to a Maratha lower caste.

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj belongs to a lower-caste, born in 1627 into a family of Maratha bureaucrats.

Shivaji's caste dispute has arisen many times even after 300 years of his death. His father Shahji Bhonsle was a lower-caste Maratha, and the community was considered a Shudra at that time. His mother Jijabai hailed from the high-ranking Yadava caste. He wasn't born in a royal household but as a peasant boy who rose to become one of the greatest kings in India. Because he wasn't originally from a high ranking Maratha caste and wasn't eligible to become a king, he had taken the help of Brahmanas to enact a ceremony through which he could be raised to the status of a Kshatriya. However, one historian argues that Shivaji's caste is Kshatriya because his generations were experts in fighting skills.

Reference links

BBC News हिंदी

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India Today

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UCLA

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