Tarabai Mohite

Tarabai Bhosale (Pronunciation: [t̪aːɾabaːi]; ) was the regent of the Maratha Empire of India from 1700 until 1708. She was the empress of Rajaram Bhonsale, and daughter-in-law of the empire's founder Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. She is acclaimed for her role in keeping alive the resistance against Mughal occupation of Maratha territories after the death of her husband, and acting as the regent during the minority of her son, Shivaji II. Tarabai came from Mohite clan. She was the daughter of Hambirrao Mohite, Commander-in-Chief of Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire. Hambirrao's sister Soyarabai was the empress of Shivaji Maharaj and the mother of his younger son Rajaram I. Tarabai married Rajaram Maharaj at the age of 8 in 1682, becoming his second wife. After the death of his step-brother and predecessor Sambhaji Maharaj, Rajaram ruled the Maratha Empire from 1689 to 1700, when his first wife Jankibai was the empress consort. On Rajaram's death in March 1700, Tarabai proclaimed her infant son, Shivaji II (later known as Shivaji I of Kolhapur) as Rajaram's successor and herself as the regent. Mughal–Maratha Wars#Marathas under Tarabai As the regent, Tarabai took charge of the war against the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's forces. Tarabai was skilled in cavalry movement and made strategic movements herself during wars. She personally led the war and continued the fight against the Mughals. A truce was offered to the Mughals in such a way that the Mughal emperor promptly rejected it, and Tarabai continued the Maratha resistance. By 1705, Marathas had crossed the Narmada River and made small incursions in Malwa, retreating immediately. In 1706, Tarabai was captured by Mughal forces for a brief period of 4 days, but she escaped after the Mughal camp - in which she was being held - was ambushed by the Marathas. The Maratha country was relieved at the news of the death of Aurangzeb, who died at Ahmadnagar and buried at Khuldabad near Aurangabad, Maharashtra in 1707.