Scindia

Scindia/Shinde (anglicized from Shinde and also spelled as Scindhia, Sindhia, Sindia) is a Maratha clan from Maharashtra. This clan included rulers of the Gwalior State which was a part of the Maratha Confederacy in the 18th and 19th centuries, collaborators of the colonial British government during the 19th and the 20th centuries until India became independent, as well as politicians in independent India.

History

The Scindia dynasty was founded by Ranoji Scindia, who was the son of Jankojirao Scindia, the Deshmukh of Kanherkhed, a village in Satara District, Maharashtra. Peshwa Baji Rao's career saw the strengthening of the Maratha Empire. Ranoji was in charge of the Maratha conquests in Malwa in 1726. Ranoji established his capital at Ujjain in 1731. His successors included Jayajirao, Jyotibarao, Dattajirao, Jankojirao, Mahadji Shinde and Daulatrao Scindia. The Scindhia state of Gwalior became a major regional power in the latter half of the 18th century and figured prominently in the three Anglo-Maratha Wars. They held sway over many of the Rajput states, and conquered north India.