the swaraj established by chhatrapati shivaji maharaj comprised of large areas of nashik, pune, satara, sangli, kolhapur, sindhudurg, ratnagiri, raigad, and thane districts of maharashtra. it also included parts of the belgaum, karwar, and dharwad districts of karnataka and jinjee, vellore, and their neighboring areas in the state of tamil nadu. he set up an efficient and sound system for the administration of this swaraj. the administration was divided into eight departments. a minister was appointed as the head of every department. his council of eight ministers was known as the ashta-pradhan mandal. shivaji maharaj followed a policy of encouraging agriculture. he paid attention to the welfare of the peasantry. he was also equally concerned about the growth of trade and the protection of industries. thus he turned the swaraj into a surajya a state which sought the welfare of all. he was a great military commander, an outstanding general, and a statesman. he had a clear concept of military organization.