CHAPTER XV.
GOVERNMENT, INSTITUTIONS AND POLICY
§ 1. Extent of his kingdom, and dependencies.
At the time of his death Shivaji's kingdom included all the country (except the Portuguese possessions) stretching from Ramnagar (modern Dharampur State in the Surat Agency) in the north, to Karwar or the Gangavati river in the Bombay district of Kanara, in the south. The eastern boundary embraced Baglana in the north, then ran southwards along an irregular shifting line through the middle of the Nasik and Puna districts, and encircled the whole of the Satara and much of the Kolhapur districts. This tract formed what the Marathi documents describe as his swaraj or 'own kingdom' and the Persian accounts as his 'old dominions.' Here his ownership was recognised as legally established and beyond question. A recent but permanent acquisition was the Western Karnatak or the Kanarese-speaking country extending from Belgaum to the bank of the Tungabhadra opposite the Bellary district of the Madras Presidency.
This, the consolidated portion of his kingdom, was divided into three provinces, each under a viceroy. The northern division, including the Dang and Baglana, the Koli country south of Surat, Konkan
