Tarabai

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Tarabai (1675-1761) was a queen of the Maratha Empire in India. Her husband was Chhatrapati Rajaram, son of Shivaji the Great. The Marathas were continually at war with the Mughals, and in 1700 the Maratha capital Satara was besieged and surrendered to the Mughals. At about the same time Rajaram died, and Tarabai, assumed control in the name of her son, Sambhaji II. A truce was offered which promptly was rejected by the emperor, and Tarabai took control of the Maratha resistance.

By 1705, Marathas had crossed the Narmada and entered Malwa, then in Mughal possession. In 1707, Shahuji – who had spent most of his life in Mughal captivity – was released by the Mughals and immediately challeneged Tarabai and Sambhaji II for leadership of the Maratha polity. Shahu eventually prevailed thanks in part to the Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, and Tarabai was sidelined for a time. She established a rival court in Kolhapur in 1713.

After Shahu's death in 1749, Tarabai helped conduct Ramaraja to the kingship. Afterwards, however, she denounced Ramaraja on the grounds that he was not her grandson as he claimed. During this period of weakened royal power, Tarabai exercised great influence in the Maratha state. She headed one of several factions vying for control within the increasingly fractious confederacy.

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Tarabai is also the name of a small town in São Paulo, Brazil.

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