Art and architecture in Maharashtra during medieval times, especially under Maratha rule, has not received its due from modern academia. It is classified wrongly as part of vernacular and/or regional phenomena. However, since the rise of Shivaji Maharaj’s rule in the 17th century CE till the end of the Maratha Empire in 1818, one witnesses a marked socio-cultural revival movement in Maharashtra. The material manifestation of this revival can be witnessed in religious, military and secular architecture of the times, spreading across areas under the Maratha confederacy, beyond present state boundaries. This was complimented by royal patronage to Maratha wall and miniature paintings, portraits, woodwork, sculpture and other urban development including water management structures and river front development. At our Online Talk #RoyalRenaissance, Indologist Saili K Palande-Datar traces the rationale and drivers of this socio-cultural renaissance and underlines the nature and character of Maratha art and architecture. About the speaker: Saili K Palande-Datar is an Indologist, historian and ecologist working in the fields of history and environment for the last 17 years. She has worked in various capacities as an academic researcher, consultant, columnist & heritage interpreter and has served on various government committees related to these subjects. Currently, she is a Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, UK and engaged as a Principal Investigator as part of Imagining Futures Consortium on a project titled “Socio-cultural and Socio-ecological assessment of Lateritic Plateaus of Konkan.” She is member of the Editorial board of the Gazetteer Department of Maharashtra State and is contributing to the Sindhudurg District Gazetteer. She is also working on a book on Pune’s history and culture based on her column in the national daily, Hindustan Times.