Born into the Ghatge family of Kagal, Maharashtra, Yashwant was adopted by Anandibai, widow of Shivaji Raje IV of the Kolhapur State, and renamed 'Shahu'. After completing his education in 1894, he toured the entire state before assuming the reins of administration, seeking to understand the joys and hardships of his people. Despite inheriting royal grandeur, he laid the foundation of social equality through his governance.

To free his people from poverty, ignorance and superstition, Chhatrapati Shahu made primary education free, compulsory and universal. He established caste-based hostels for poor students. To make administration inclusive, he reserved fifty percent of positions in the Kolhapur State for the backward classes, laying the foundation of social justice. He extended royal patronage to art and sports. Through laws banning the Devadasi practice, legalizing widow remarriage and protecting women from domestic violence, he ushered in a new era of women's emancipation. By granting legal recognition to inter-caste and inter-religious marriages, he struck at the roots of the caste system. To strengthen an economy dependent on traditional agriculture and the vagaries of nature, he fostered agriculture, industry, trade and infrastructure, ensuring water for farms, employment, markets for produce and access to capital for the disadvantaged.

At a time when many rulers were immersed in the grandeur of the throne, Shahu Maharaj expanded his subjects' rights and used royal authority and wealth to combat social inequality. Possessing the detachment of a sage and the power of a king, he brought about a social revolution during his 28-year reign and gave direction to an inclusive Maharashtra.