In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the image of Shivaji assumed a central position in movements of self-assertion and identity formation. Phule's interpretations of Shivaji was that of a non-brahman king; Tilak's of a champion of Hinduism. Shivaji always represented resistance - sometimes to foreign rule, at others to Muslim rulers. Shivaji's many images were reactions and responses to the establishment of colonialism in western India.
