Jijabai Shahaji Bhosale (née Jadhav; 12 January 1598 – 17 June 1674), referred to as Rajmata Jijabai or Jijau, was the mother of Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire. She was a daughter of Lakhujirao Jadhav of Sindkhed Raja.
History
Maa Saheb Jijabai was born on 12 January 1598, to Mahalasabai Jadhav and Lakhuji Jadhav of Deulgaon, near Sindkhed, in present-day Buldhana district of Maharastra. Lakhojiraje Jadhav was a Maratha noble. Maa Saheb Jijabai was married at an early age to Shahaji Bhosle, son of Maloji Bhosle of Verul village, a military commander serving under the Nizam Shahi sultans. She taught Shivaji about swarajya and raised him to be a great warrior.
Maa Saheb Jijabai died on 17 June 1674.
Jijabai on a 1999 stamp of India
In popular culture
- Jijabai was a portrayed by Mrinal Kulkarni in the popular TV series Raja Shivchatrapati which aired on Star Pravah in 2008.
- Mrinal Kulkarni played Jijabai in Farzand, an Indian Marathi language epic, historical drama film.
- Mrinal Kulkarni played Jijabai in the 2019 Marathi language historical drama film, Fatteshikast.
- Shilpa Tulaskar portrayed Jijabai in the 2011 series Veer Shivaji
- Smita Deshmukh starred as Jijabai in the 2011 Marathi language film Rajmata Jijau based on the life of Jijabai, based on Madan Patil’s historical novel Jijausaheb
- Prateeksha Lonkar played Jijabai in Swarajyarakshak Sambhaji, an Indian historical drama based on the life of Sambhaji.
- Padmavati Rao plays Jijabai in the 2020 Indian Hindi-language biographical period action film, Tanhaji.
- Amruta Pawar portrays Jijabai in Swarajya Janani Jijamata, a show based on the life of Rajmata Jijabai.
- The 2011 film Rajmata Jijau is a biography of Jijabai.