Sivaji and the Rise of the Mahrattas

Within the last generation the Government has in Oriental phrase lifted up the veil of these mountains piercing them with well-made roads and with railways."AND THE RISE Or THE MAHRATTAS 7 it is the range of the Western Ghats which enabled the Mahrattas to rise against their Muhammadan conquerors to reassert their Hindu nationality against the whole tower of the Moghul empire and to establish [...] AND THE RISE OF THE MAHRATTAS 15 This being the physical topographical and political character of the hills I have to remind you that the leader of the Mahrattas and the founder of their empire was Sivaji. [...] As the Khan fell the signal gun was fired from the bastion ; then of course the Muhammadan army who were at breakfast in the encampment were fired upon from all sides by the Mahrattas concealed in the forest; and you can imagine the destruction the struggle the misery the flight which ensued. [...] The sketch which served as the original to the illustration was taken in the height of the rains just after one of the violent showers that caused the brilliant"24 SIVAJIAND THE RISE OP THE MAHRATTAS 25 cascades to go tumbling over the precipices. [...] The viceroy of course according to the Muhammadan fashion was sleeping with his staff on one side of the house and the ladies of the family were sleeping on the other side; so after Sivaji and his men had entered by the window they had to pass not far from the ladies' apartments and one of the ladies heard the sound of men moving.