Marathi people
| मराठी लोक | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Total population | |
| c. 74.7 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 India
|
71,936,894 |
| Languages | |
| Marathi and Marathi dialects | |
| Religion | |
|
Predominantly: Hinduism Minorities: |
|
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) are an ethno-linguistic group that speak the Marathi language and inhabits the Maharashtra region as well as some border districts such as Belgaon and Karwar of Karnataka and Madgaon of Goa states in western India. Their language, Marathi, is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages. The community came to prominence in 1674 when Maratha warriors under Shivaji Maharaj established the Maratha Empire, which is credited to a large extent for ending the Mughal rule in India.
During ancient period around 230 BC Maharashtra came under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty which ruled the region for 400 years. The greatest ruler of the Satavahana Dynasty was Gautami putra Satakarni. The Vakataka dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the 3rd century to the 5th century. The Chalukya dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the 6th century to the 8th century and the two prominent rulers were Pulakeshin II, who defeated the north Indian Emperor Harsh and Vikramaditya II, who defeated the Arab invaders in the 8th century. The Rashtra kuta Dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the 8th to the 10th century. The Arab traveler Sulaiman called the ruler of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty (Amoghavarsha) as "one of the 4 great kings of the world". From the early 11th century to the 12th century the Deccan Plateau was dominated by the Western Chalukya Empire and the Chola dynasty. The Seuna dynasty, also known as the Yadav dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the 13th century to the 14th century. The Yadavas were defeated by the Khiljis in 1321.After the Yadav defeat, the area was ruled for the next 300 years by a succession of Muslim rulers including in the chronological order, the Khiljis , the Tughlaqs, the Bahamani Sultanate and its successor states such as Adilshahi and Nizamshahi and the Mughal Empire.
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