On 19th February 1630, Shivaji Bhonsale I also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji, an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan, was born in the hill-fort of Shivneri, Pune district. Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the founder of the Maratha Empire in western India and is considered to be one of the greatest warriors of his time and even today. In 1674, he was formally crowned the Chhatrapati of his realm at Raigad Fort. Over the course of his life, Shivaji engaged in both alliances and hostilities with the Mughal Empire, the Sultanate of Golkonda, Sultanate of Bijapur and the European colonial powers. He revived ancient Hindu political traditions, court conventions and promoted the usage of the Marathi and Sanskrit languages, replacing Persian in court and administration.Shivaji died at the age of 52 on April 3, 1680, at the Raigad Fort, after suffering from a bout of dysentery. Nearly two centuries after his death, he began to take on increased importance with the emergence of the Indian independence movement, as many Indian nationalists elevated him as a proto-nationalist and hero of the Hindus.