Core: A narrow strip along the Sahyadris and Konkan coast (Pune, Raigad, Satara).
South: Detached territories in Tamil Nadu (Gingee, Thanjavur) and Karnataka.
Strategy: This “Southern Extension” was deliberate. When Aurangzeb captured the core Maharashtra forts later, the Maratha leadership shifted to Gingee in the south, stretching Mughal supply lines until they broke.
Fig 3.11: Maratha Empire (1759)
Extent: From the Indus river (Attock/Peshawar) in the North to the Tungabhadra in the South. From Gujarat in the West to Odisha in the East.
Color Coding:
Orange: Direct Maratha rule or Tributary states.
Green (Nizam): Confined to Hyderabad.
Yellow (Mysore): Confined to the south.
Significance: This map proves the Marathas were the true pan-Indian successors to the Mughals. The British had to conquer this map, not the Mughal map, to rule India.
