Shirke
Shirke is the Prominant Maratha Clan among 96 Royalties of them hailing Mostly Maharashtra and Sates Boardering to it where Maratha's are in Good Numbers in India.
Origine
Some Origine Theories of Maratha Considers Myths of Their Origine Shirke also part of that Myth but they are the Aryan Kshatriya Stem of India.
King Shivaji's Brides were from the Shirke' Maratha clan and Morever several prominant Maratha Royalties of 96 Clans used to marry with Shirke,some Knights Like Bhosale of Nagpur in their Princely Era selected 7 clans for intermarrying among them They were prominants.
Shirke were rulers of Shrungarpur and they were active Marathas in Maratha Empire Expansion and also Pre Shivaji Era.They showed their Bravery in Maratha Martial Operations.
Info About Shirke clan
Referance
4)A History of the Mahrattas By James Grant Duff, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes Edition: revised Published by H. Milford, Oxford university press, 1921 Item notes: v. 2 Original from Harvard University Digitized 7 Jul 2005 573 pages
5)The Gazetteer of Bombay Presidency : Satara District Published by Printed at the Govt. Photozinco Press, 1985 Item notes: v. 19 Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 29 Aug 2008
6)Chhatrapati Sambhaji By Kamal Shrikrishna Gokhale Published by Navakamal Publications, 1978 Original from the University of California Digitized 30 Jul 2008 438 pages
7)A history of the Maratha people By Charles Augustus Kincaid, Dattātraya Baḷavanta Pārasanīsa Published by S. Chand, 1968 Item notes: v. 1 Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 1 Aug 2007
8)The rise and fall of the Maratha Empire By Rajaram Vyankatesh Nadkarnia Published by Popular Prakashan, 1966 Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 1 Aug 2007 410 pages
9)http://books.google.co.in/books?id=gDjzm-hdzq0C&pg=PA391&dq=Shirke++maratha&lr=
10)Konkan, from the Earliest to 1818 A.D.: A Study in Political and Socio-economic Aspects By Viṭhṭhala Gopāḷa Khobarekara Published by Snehavardhan Pub. House, 2002 Original from the University of Michigan Digitized 4 Sep 2008 436 pages