The size of the Indian Army was quite large during the Mughal rule although the army was not organized properly and was in a bit uncorrected condition, the situation improved during the Maratha period. It was also the period when the British rulers were tending to take over the power in all over India. In fact, a number of foreign troops were trying their lucks in India at that time, and the troops included the likes of French, Portuguese, British and Dutch. The result was both positive and negative. While the foreign troops were capturing new areas and looting those areas, some of the Indian kings like the Maratha ruler, Shivaji were taking their help for upgrading the skills of their soldiers. The Indian kings also took the help of the foreigners for a better organisation and maintenance of their Army.

The 17th century was actually the time for the Indian Army to be handled with more professionalism and discipline. With the help of the foreigner, the Indian kings like Shivaji started to professionalise their armies and that was the real theme of military organisation of the Indian Army during that period. The Indian kings started to provide their armies with the modern training methods like the use of drill to make the units capable of military action as units. They also inculcated discipline in the infantry, in an attempt to professionalise their armies. Apart from that, hey divided the Indian Army into separate divisions and also arranged for a regular salary, along with a longer period of service for the soldiers.

The change in the organisation of the India Army was mainly influenced by the change in the overall Indian society that occurred because of the foreigners. The liberal lifestyle of the foreigners influenced the literate Indian people to fight against the caste system and all the other religious bad customs of the Indian society. As the Indian Army was closely related to the Indian society still then the change of the society reflected in the Indian Army also. The Maratha ruler, Shivaji Rao played an extraordinary role in modernising the Indian Army during his reign. He started to organize his army according to the modern European military methods, by the second half of the 17th century. His Army was mainly based ion the Southwestern India and though he faced a lot of difficulties, he became successful to do so to a considerable extent. This new methods followed by Shivaji made his army one of the most dominant ones in India in the 17th century

The military reforms of Shivaji Rao had great resemblance with that of Europe. He first made the soldiers independent of the particular elements in society, like the large landholders; however, he kept them dependent on the state. Shivaji insisted that he should pay his soldiers in cash out of his central treasury. Shivaji also kept his soldiers under tight discipline in military camps, and the soldiers had a little contact with the local society and none with their women. Shivaji recruited his soldiers from all social strata, including the Mahars, the untouchables in Maratha territory and he got benefit from the liberal Maratha society of that time, for creating a disciplined, coherent army. The military reforms of Shivaji were carried forward by his successor, Sambagee (Sambhaji Rao) and he took help of the European military officers in doing so. He hired them for providing European military training to the Indian Army. As, the Indian Army became more disciplined during the Maratha rule, their strength also increased to a substantial extent. The example of the Marathas influenced most of the other Indian kings to refurbish the military organisation of the Indian Army and the Army under the command of Sindhia Rao was considered to be one of the best organised armies in India at that time.