Marriage of Shivaji to Saibai Nimbalkar at Lal Mahal in Pune

The marriage of Shivaji to Saibai Nimbalkar consolidated crucial clan alliances among the Maratha nobility of Western Maharashtra. It raised the social prestige of the Bhonsle family and established durable political ties with the powerful Nimbalkars of Phaltan. Saibai became the principal Maharani of the emerging Maratha state and the mother of Shivaji's successor, Sambhaji Maharaj.