Editing Gujarat (section)

=== Maratha Empire ===

When the cracks had started to develop in the edifice of the [[Mughal Empire]] in the mid-17th century, the [[Maratha Confederacy|Marathas]] were consolidating their power in the west, [[Chatrapati Shivaji]], the great Maratha ruler, attacked Surat in southern Gujarat twice first in 1664 and again in 1672.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Patel |first=Aakar |date=6 April 2012 |title=Blame the British Raj on bankers – Livemint |url=http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/zgaDxyMuIrH3QWHElwkX3M/Blame-the-British-Raj-on-bankers.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807152732/http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/zgaDxyMuIrH3QWHElwkX3M/Blame-the-British-Raj-on-bankers.html |archive-date=7 August 2017 |access-date=7 August 2017 |website=livemint.com |publisher=Livemint}}</ref> These attacks marked the entry of the Marathas into Gujarat. However, before the Maratha had made inroads into Gujarat, the Europeans had made their presence felt, led by the Portuguese, and followed by the Dutch and the English.

The [[Peshwa]]s had established sovereignty over parts of Gujarat and collected taxes and tributes through their representatives. [[Damaji Rao Gaekwad]] and [[Kadam (clan)|Kadam]] Bande divided the Peshwa territory between them,<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/60443/8/08_chapter%204.pdf |title=MULTIPLE AUTHORITIES – DISPUTED SOVEREIGNTY |access-date=7 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807152712/http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/60443/8/08_chapter%204.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> with Damaji establishing the sway of [[Gaekwad dynasty|Gaekwad]] over Gujarat and making [[Baroda]] (present day [[Vadodara]] in southern Gujarat) his capital. The ensuing internecine war among the Marathas was fully exploited by the British, who interfered in the affairs of both Gaekwads and the Peshwas.

In [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]], as elsewhere, the Marathas were met with resistance.<ref name="cpc">{{Cite book |last1=Behera |first1=Deepak Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R--XMUsk7sIC&pg=PA198 |title=The concept of tribal society |last2=Pfeffer |first2=Georg |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |year=2002 |isbn=9788170229834 |page=198}}</ref> The decline of the [[Mughal Empire]] helped form larger peripheral states in Saurashtra, including [[Junagadh State|Junagadh]], [[Nawanagar State|Jamnagar]], [[Bhavnagar State|Bhavnagar]] and a few others, which largely resisted the Maratha incursions.<ref name=cpc />