Jadhav Gotra
जाधव
At a glance
- Founding Rishi
- Vashishtha
- Veda
- Rigveda
Related Gotras
Common surnames
About
Jadhav (also Jadhavrao, Jadhao) is a Maratha clan of Maharashtra that claims descent from the Yadavas of Devagiri. Its best-known house is the Jadhavrao family of Sindkhed Raja, the family of Jijabai, mother of Shivaji. The name is also borne by other communities. The site's index files the clan under Vashishtha.
Founding Rishi
Pravara Lineage
The Pravara is the line of illustrious ancestral rishis recited in ritual, from the first ancestor down:
- 1Vashishtha
- 2Indrapramada
- 3Abharadwasu
Regional Spread
The Jadhav Gotra is predominantly found in:
Etymology
Jadhav is the Marathi form of Yadav, 'of the Yadu line'. The Puranas place Yadu in the Lunar line (Chandravansha), the line of Krishna. Enthoven (1922) lists 'Yadav or Jadhav' among Maratha surnames and explains that followers often took the surnames of their patrons, so sharing the name does not by itself prove descent from the Yadava kings.
Historical Journey
The clan's own account is that it descends from the Yadava (Seuna) kings of Devagiri, who ruled much of the Deccan until the Delhi conquests of the early 14th century. Kincaid and Parasnis (1918) say that Lakhuji Jadhav Rao, deshmukh of Sindkhed (Sindkhed Raja, in Buldhana district), claimed descent from the ancient Yadava kings of Devagiri and commanded 10,000 horse in Ahmadnagar service. The Yadavas of Devagiri themselves called their line the descendants of Krishna. Whether the Jadhav deshmukhs were their kin is a claim; no record found ties the two. Enthoven also records a Jadhav Maratha chief who revolted at Daulatabad in 1370. Lakhuji's daughter Jijabai married Shahaji Bhonsle, and their son was Shivaji, so Lakhuji was Shivaji's maternal grandfather. Kincaid and Parasnis date the marriage to 1604 and say Lakhuji opposed it before the Nizam Shah pressed the match. Lakhuji was killed at Daulatabad in 1629. Kincaid and Parasnis name the Nizam Shah as the killer; other accounts add that his sons and a grandson died with him. After the Bhonsles rose, the Jadhavs became one of their senior military families. Dhanaji Jadhav served as Senapati (commander-in-chief) under Rajaram, Tarabai and Shahu, backed Shahu at Khed in 1707, and died of an old leg wound at Wadgaon on the Warna. Kincaid and Parasnis date his death to June 1710 and note that Grant Duff gives 1709; other sources say 1708. His son Chandrasen succeeded him as Senapati, later turned against Shahu and went over to the Nizam. Jadhav is also a clan or surname in other communities, among them Koli, Banjara and Veershaiv Vani groups, so this page describes the Maratha Jadhav.
Migration & Diaspora
The seat of the senior house was Sindkhed Raja and the neighbouring Buldhana towns of Deulgaon Raja and Mehkar. Through service in the Deccan sultanates and then the Maratha state, Jadhav families spread across Pune, Satara and Kolhapur districts, Marathwada and north Karnataka. Chandrasen and his brother Shambhusing entered the Nizam's service after the civil war, and descendants of the Sindkhed house stayed in the Nizam's dominions.
Presence Across Regions
Sindkhed Raja, Buldhana district (Maharashtra)
Maratha
Seat of the Jadhavrao deshmukhs. The town holds the memorial to Lakhuji Jadhav, built by his family, and a palace tradition linked to Jijabai.
Satara, Kolhapur and Pune (Maharashtra)
Maratha
Dhanaji Jadhav and his sons served the Maratha state from these districts; Dhanaji died at Wadgaon near the Warna river.
Marathwada and the Nizam's dominions
Maratha
Chandrasen Jadhav went to the Nizam's court, and branches of the family held land in Hyderabad state.
Notable Personalities
Lakhuji Jadhav Rao
Died 1629
Deshmukh of Sindkhed and a sardar of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. Father of Jijabai and maternal grandfather of Shivaji. Killed at Daulatabad in 1629.
Jijabai
Late 16th century to 1674
Daughter of Lakhuji and wife of Shahaji. Mother of Shivaji, whom she raised at Pune. Her birth year is given as 1596 or 1598 by different sources.
Dhanaji Jadhav
17th to early 18th century (died 1708 to 1710)
Maratha Senapati under Rajaram, Tarabai and Shahu. He fought the Mughals with Santaji Ghorpade and raided into Gujarat, and he backed Shahu at the battle of Khed.
Chandrasen Jadhav
18th century
Son of Dhanaji by his wife Gopikabai. He succeeded his father as Senapati, later rebelled against Shahu and joined the Nizam.
Stories & Legends
The betrothal at the Holi gathering
Kincaid and Parasnis (1918) tell how, at a Holi gathering in Lakhuji's house, Lakhuji remarked how well his daughter Jijabai and Shahaji suited each other. Maloji Bhonsle took the remark as a betrothal and said so before the guests. Lakhuji's wife Mhalsabai objected, and Lakhuji refused to honour it until the Nizam Shah pressed the match. The wedding is dated to 1604. It is a family tradition reported by a historian, not a contemporary record.
Jijabai's account of the Yadavas
Kincaid and Parasnis report that Jijabai told the young Shivaji he was descended from the Yadavas of Devagiri, and urged him to restore the rule of his forefathers. Through her, the Bhonsle house took on the Yadava line as part of its story. Historians treat the claim as tradition, since the Yadava rule of Devagiri ended in the early 14th century and no unbroken record links the Jadhav or Bhonsle houses to it.
Ritual Significance
Among the Sindkhed Raja Jadhavs the family seat and the memorial to Lakhuji are the places families visit. We found no source that names a single Jadhav kuldevi; among Marathas Bhavani, Khandoba and Vithoba are common family deities, and practice differs by branch and village. The site's index files the clan under Vashishtha, but Enthoven notes that authorities assign Maratha clans to different gotras and that most families go by their priest's list. Among Marathas the shared kul and devak, not the gotra, bar marriage.