Sahuji Maharaj

Sahu ji Maharaj was born on 26 July, 1874. Sahu Chhatrapati was the King of Kolhapur. He was the son of Sambhaji and grandson of Shivaji, the great. Shahu was a staunch follower of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Shahu devoted his life for the upliftment of the society. He emphasized on the development and welfare of the lower-castes.
He carried out efforts to provide education and employment to all. Shahuji initiated the process of providing free education to the children of the down-trodden class. In order to provide shelter to them and outstation students, Shahuji established hostels. During the rule of Shahu Chhatrapati, Child marriage was sincerely restricted. He also voiced his support favoring inter-caste marriage and widow remarriage. For his activities, Shahu Chhatrapati had to face

Wrestling was one of the favorite sports of Chhatrapati Shahu. Wrestlers from all over the country would come to his state of Kolhapur to participate in the wrestling competition.
The great ruler and social thinker, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj died on 6 May, 1922. It was believed that reforms started by him also faded away as there was nobody to lead the movement.