List of Maratha dynasties and states

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (June 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "List of Maratha dynasties and states" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This is a list of Maratha dynasties and Maratha princely states.

The word Maratha is derived from the word Maharatthi - Maharatta. The Rathikas were the mighty people of Maharashtra. The Rathikas were also called Rashtriks. Hence it was referred to as Maharashtrik. The nation of Maharashtriks was identified as Maharashtra.

According to R. G. Bhandarkar, the term Maratha is derived from Rattas, a tribe which held political supremacy in the Deccan from the remotest time. The Rattas called themselves Maha Rattas or Great Rattas, and thus the country in which they lived came to be called Maharashtra, the Sanskrit of which is Maha-rashtra.^[1] In the Harivamsa, the Yadava kingdom called Anaratta is described as mostly inhabited by the Abhiras (Abhira-praya-manusyam). The Anartta country and its inhabitants were called Surastra and the Saurastras, probably after the Rattas (Rastras) akin to the Rastrikas of Asoka's rock Edicts, now known as Maharashtra and the Marathas.^[2]