Between the years 1659 and 1818, the Marathas fought hundreds of  battles, not only in the Sahyadris, but across the country. Some of  these were pivotal and game changing - such as the Pratapgad Campaign,  Palkhed or Panipat. The course of Maratha and Indian history was altered  by these battles. This book attempts to throw a light on a dozen of  these significant battles and campaigns, focusing on the reasons, the  chess - like moves and the effects of victories and defeats.   In this episode, the author of the book Aneesh Gokhale breaks down the  significance of some well-known battles of the Maratha Empire. He began  by describing the situation in the Deccan before the rise of Chhatrapati  Shivaji, followed by his encounter with Afzal Khan and his fight  against the British. He also broke down the significance of the 27 year  war with the Mughal empire and the reasons for the eventual fall of the  Maratha Empire.  This episode is hosted by author Ami Ganatra, who has appeared on the Bharatvaarta episode "Mahabharata Unravelled".