Member of a people of Maharashtra, W India.
Their language is Marathi, belongs to the
Indo-European family. In the 17th and 18th
centuries the Mahratta formed a powerful
military confederacy in rivalry with the
Mogul emperors. The Afghan allies of the
latter defeated them 1761, and, after a
series of wars with the British 1779-1871,
most of their territory was annexed.