Class 8 Social Science Chapter 3, The Rise of the Marathas, opens with Ramachandrapant Amatya’s 1715 warning in the Ādnyāpatra about European merchants with navy and gunpowder, then traces Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Peshwas, Maratha administration, naval power and cultural revival.
What Class 8 Social Science Chapter 3 Covers
Foundation of Maratha Power and Chhatrapati Shivaji follow the geography and bhakti saints of Maharashtra, Shivaji’s vision of Hindavi Swarajya, guerrilla warfare (ganimi kava), his escape from Agra and his coronation at Raigad in 1674.
The Marathas after Chhatrapati Shivaji cover Maharani Tarabai, the expansion of the Maratha confederacy across India under the Peshwas, Panipat (1761) and the recovery under Mahadji Shinde and Nana Phadnavis.
Maratha Administration and Cultural Revival detail the Ashta Pradhan council, fort and military administration, Kanhoji Angre’s maritime supremacy, the judicial panchayat system, Ahilyabai Holkar, and Ekoji and Serfoji II in Thanjavur.
Exercises in Chapter 3
- Questions and activities at the end of the chapter, after a Before we move on… recap.
Read Class 8 Social Science Chapter 3 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 2: Reshaping India’s Political Map
- Next: Chapter 4: The Colonial Era in India
- Hindi medium: Class 8 Social Science Chapter 3 PDF in Hindi (Samaj Ka Adhyayan)
- All Social Science chapters and the other Class 8 books: Class 8 NCERT books 2026-27
- All Class 1 to 12 NCERT Textbooks: NCERT Books PDF (Class 1–12)
FAQ
What was the Ashta Pradhan in Maratha administration?
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s council of eight ministers, each heading a key department such as prime minister (Peshwa), finance (Amatya), foreign affairs (Sumant) and defence (Senapati).
Which Maratha women are highlighted in Chapter 3?
Jijabai, Maharani Tarabai (who led the Maratha resistance against Aurangzeb), and Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore.