57-530: Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1 January 1662 – 12 April 1720) was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Confederacy and other Mughal vassals during the early 18th century. Balaji Vishwanath assisted a young Maratha king Shahu to consolidate his grip on a kingdom that had been racked by civil war and persistently intruded on by
114-552: A fresh disturbance took place among the Kolis. The leader of this outbreak was Ramji Naik Bhangria, who was an abler and more daring man than his predecessors, and succeeded in baffling all the efforts of the Government officers to seize him. As force seemed hopeless, the Government offered Ramji a pardon and gave him an important police post. The word Peshwa is from Persian پیشوا pēshwā , meaning "foremost, leader". The term
171-1040: A view to utilize the Maratha soldiers to their advantage in their struggle with the Emperor. Farrukhsiyar refused to ratify this treaty, and sought to depose and murder the Sayyids.The plot was betrayed to Sayyid Abdullah Khan who was in Delhi, who succeeded in neutralizing other powerful Mughal nobles like Asaf Jah I (also known as Chin Qilich Khan and Nizam-ul-Mulk) and Sarbuland Khan (governor of Patna) with promises of rich governorships of Malwa and Kabul respectively. In September 1718, accompanied by Balaji Vishwanath, and supported by (now) sixteen thousand strong Maratha horsemen commanded by Parsoji Bhosale, Hussain Ali Khan arrived in Delhi. Most of Farrukhsiyar's supporters fled but
228-589: Is acclaimed for her role in keeping alive the resistance against Mughal rule in Konkan, and acting as the regent of the Maratha Empire during the minority of her son, Shivaji II . She defeated Mughal forces of Aurangzeb in several battles and expanded the Maratha Empire. Tarabai came from Mohite clan. She was the daughter of Hambirrao Mohite , Commander-in-Chief of Shivaji , the founder of
285-471: Is known as 'Battle of Panhala'. Balaji married Radhabai Barve and had two sons, Baji Rao I and Chimaji Appa . He also had two daughters. The older, Bhiubai married Abaji Joshi of Baramati, brother of the banker Balaji Naik famed as Bajirao I's most tormenting creditor. The younger, Anubai married Venkatrao Ghorpade of Ichalkaranji . Their heirs ruled the state of Ichalkaranji till 1947. Balaji returned in triumph from Delhi to Satara, having also secured
342-599: The Battle of Satara , Aurangzeb contested for every inch of Deccan region at great cost of life and money. Aurangzeb drove west, deep into Maratha territory notably conquering Satara (the Maratha capital) the Marathas expanded eastwards into Mughal lands Hyderabad . Aurangzeb waged continuous war in the Deccan for more than two decades with no resolution and thus lost about a fifth of his army. Signs of strain were showing in
399-676: The Chhatrapati . Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom , the office became hereditary after the death of Shahu in 1749. During the reign of Shahu, the office of Peshwa grew in power and the Peshwas came to be the de facto rulers of the Maratha Confederacy . However following the defeat of the Marathas in 1761 , the office of the Peshwa became titular as well and from that point onwards served as
456-529: The Malwa plateau . In 1706, Tarabai was captured by Mughal forces for a brief period of 4 days, but she escaped after the Mughal camp - in which she was being held - was ambushed by the Marathas. In 1706, Mughals started retreating from Maratha dominions. The Maratha country was relieved at the news of the death of Aurangzeb, who died at Ahmadnagar and buried at Khuldabad near Aurangabad, Maharashtra in 1707. Of
513-723: The Maratha kingdom . Hambirrao's sister Soyarabai was the queen of Shivaji and the mother of his younger son Rajaram I . Tarabai married Rajaram at the age of 8 in 1682, becoming his second wife. After the death of his half-brother and predecessor Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj , Rajaram ruled the Maratha Kingdom from 1689 to 1700, when his first wife Jankibai was the queen consort. On Rajaram's death in March 1700, Tarabai proclaimed her infant son, Shivaji II (later known as Shivaji I of Kolhapur) as Rajaram's successor and herself as
570-634: The Mughals under Aurangzeb . He was called the Second Founder of the Maratha State . He secured a grant from the Mughal court that confirmed Shahu as the legitimate Mughal vassal, at the expense of his rival Sambhaji II . Later, his son Bajirao I became the Peshwa. Balaji Vishwanath Bhat was born into a Marathi Konkanastha Chitpavan Brahmin family. The family hailed from the coastal Konkan region of present-day Maharashtra and were
627-563: The Satara fort and asked Tarabai to release Rajaram II, whose physical and mental condition had deteriorated considerably. Tarabai refused and Balaji Baji Rao left for Pune, since a siege of the well-provisioned and strong Satara fort would not be easy. Meanwhile, Damaji Gaekwad, Umabai Dabhade and their relatives were arrested by the Peshwa's men. A section of Tarabai's troops in the Satara garrison unsuccessfully rebelled against her. She beheaded
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#1732771978071684-533: The Emperor's partisans resisted but were overcome at the cost of two thousand Maratha soldiers. Farrukhsiyar was dethroned, blinded and imprisoned by the Sayyid's, who substituted in his place a more pliable puppet, Rafi-ul-darjat in February 1719. This hapless prince was dying of tuberculosis and was in turn replaced after a reign of only three months by his older brother Rafi Ud-Daulah.) Rafi-ul-Darjat duly ratified
741-528: The Konkan coast, including Balaji's birthplace of Shrivardhan, which became part of the Angre fiefdom. Delighted with Balaji's success, Shahu dismissed Bahiroji Pingale and appointed Balaji Vishwanath as Peshwa on 16 November 1713. There existed a power vacuum in the Mughal empire , caused by the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, and that of his successor Bahadur Shah , leading to continual internecine conflict within
798-542: The Maratha Confederacy reached its zenith, ruling major areas of India . The subsequent Peshwas brought in autonomy and as a result later on many states were controlled and administered by the Maratha chiefs such as Scindias and Gaekwads . In 1760, the peace of Peshwa government was broken by a rising of Kolis under their Naik Javji Bamble . Javji withdrew to the hills and organised a series of gang robberies, causing widespread terror and misery throughout
855-526: The Maratha fleet. The conflict between Tarabai and Shahu offered Kanhoji an opportunity to effectively free himself of the suzerainty of either. He captured the major trading center of Kalyan and the neighboring forts of Rajmachi and Lohgad. Shahu sent a large force under his Peshwa or Prime Minister, Bahiroji Pingale . Kanhoji defeated Pingale and imprisoned him at Lohagad, and started to advance towards Shahu's capital Satara. Shahu commanded Balaji again to raise another army to subdue Kanhoji. Balaji preferred
912-551: The Maratha general, Dhanaji Jadhav , at Janjira . Between 1699 and 1702, he served as the Sar-subhedar or head-administrator at Pune and from 1704 to 1707 as Sarsubedar of Daulatabad. By the time Dhanaji died, Balaji had proven himself as an honest and able officer. Balaji fell out with Dhanaji's son and successor, Chandrasen Jadhav and went over to the newly released Maratha ruler Shahu who took note of his abilities and appointed Balaji as his assistant ( c. 1708). Since
969-785: The Maratha treaty. Shahu and his successors were recognized by the Mughal Emperors as the rightful heirs to Chattrapati Shivaji. Shahu I wanted to establish his rule in the Northern part of Kolhapur territory. After he defeated Shivaji II of Kolhapur in 1714, Sambhaji II son of Rajasbai became the Chhatrapati of Kolhapur. He ruled his territory with the advice of the Ramchandra Pant Amatya . In 1716, Ramchandra Pant died in Panhala . Now, Sambhaji began to raid
1026-436: The Marathas in a pitched battle and weary of chasing after constantly marauding Maratha horsemen, Hussain Ali Khan sought to make peace with the Marathas. In July 1718, Balaji negotiated a Maratha-Mughal treaty with Hussain Ali Khan, demanding the Maratha right of " Chauth " (literally: 1/4th of revenues) and " Sardeshmukhi " (an additional 10% of revenues) of the old Mughal provinces of the Deccan. To this Balaji Vishwanath added
1083-859: The Mughal camp in late 1701. Asad Khan , Julfikar Khan's father, counselled Aurangzeb to end the war and turn around. The expedition had already taken a giant toll, much larger than originally planned, on the empire and it looked possible that 175 years of Mughal rule might crumble due to being involved in a war that was not winnable. By 1705, Marathas had crossed the Narmada River and made small incursions in Malwa , retreating immediately. With his 8000 men, Dabhade attacked and defeated Mahomed Khan's forces numbering almost fourteen thousand. This left entire Gujarat coast wide open for Marathas. They immediately tightened their grip on Mughal supply chains. By 1705 end, Marathas had penetrated Mughal possession of Central India and Gujarat. Nemaji Shinde defeated Mughals on
1140-442: The advice of his general Zulfikar Khan released Shahu I , Sambhaji's son and Tarabai's nephew, on certain conditions. Shahu immediately challenged Tarabai and her son Shivaji II for leadership of the Maratha polity. Tarabai at that time demanded loyalty from the Maratha generals saying that Sambhaji (Shahu's father) had lost the kingdom which Shivaji had created. Rajaram through his efforts had regained that kingdom and therefore it
1197-493: The case against Balaji Vishwanath before him. Instead of obeying Shahu Chandrasen defected to the cause of Tarabai in April 1711. Haibatrao Nimbalkar, who Shahu had dispatched against Chandrasen, also defected to Tarabai, and Shahu's fortunes were an at their lowest. Bereft of his experienced generals, Shahu turned to Balaji Vishwanath, who undertook to raise a new army in the cause of Shahu. For his efforts, Shahu bestowed Balaji with
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#17327719780711254-526: The ceremonial head of the Confederacy underneath the Chhatrapati. All Peshwas during the rule of Shivaji , Sambhaji and Rajaram belonged to Deshastha Brahmin community. The first Peshwa was Moropant Pingle , who was appointed as the head of the Ashta Pradhan (council of eight ministers) by Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Kingdom. The initial Peshwas were all ministers who served as
1311-495: The chief executives to the king. The later Peshwas held the highest administrative office and also controlled the Maratha confederacy. Under the Chitpavan Brahmin Bhat family , the Peshwas became the de facto hereditary administrators of the Confederacy. The Peshwa's office was most powerful under Baji Rao I (r. 1720–1740). Under Peshwa administration and with the support of several key generals and diplomats,
1368-518: The civil war between the factions of Shahu and Tarabai, the Marathas themselves became a major factor in the quarrels between the Emperor and the Sayyids. To rid himself of the tutelage of the Sayyids in 1718, Farrukhsiyar dispatched Sayyid Hussain Ali Khan as Viceroy of the Deccan with orders to restore Mughal authority over the south. Hussain Ali Khan found himself harried by the Marathas who resorted to their traditional guerilla tactics. Unable to defeat
1425-447: The country. For twenty years he held out bravely, defeating and killing the generals the Peshwa's Government sent against him. At last he was so hotly pursued that, on the advice of Dhondo Gopal, the Peshwa's governor at Nasik , he surrendered all his forts to Tukoji Holkar and, through Holkar 's influence, was pardoned and placed in military and police charge of a district of sixty villages with powers of life and death outlaws. In 1798,
1482-466: The death of Shivaji , his two sons Sambhaji and Rajaram continued the Maratha war against the Mughal Empire. Aurangzeb entered the Deccan in 1686, hoping to put an end to the fledgling Maratha state. Aurangzeb spent the next 27 years in the Deccan in ceaseless warfare against the Marathas. Despite the cruel executions of Sambhaji and early death of Rajaram, Rajaram's widow Tarabai continued
1539-716: The death of Dhanaji Jadhav in June 1708, Shahu appointed Dhanaji's son Chandrasen Jadhav as Senapati, but the rivalry between Chandrasen and Balaji led the former to intrigue with Tarabai, while seeking an opportunity to eliminate Balaji. A dispute over the conduct of a junior officer in Balaji's employ led Chandrasen to attack Balaji, who fled to the fortress of Purandar. Chandrasen besieged Purandar whereupon Balaji fled again to Pandavgad whence he sent an emissary to plead for help from his sovereign. Shahu had Balaji Vishwanath brought under escort to his capital Satara and asked Chandrasen to make
1596-535: The demand of Chauth and Sardeshmukhi over the rich provinces of Gujarat and Malwa, and the restoration of Chattrapati Shivaji's conquests in Karnataka, in return for which Balaji promised that Shahu would acknowledge the nominal overlordship of the Mughal Emperor, and the Marathas would provide a force of 15,000 armed horsemen to the Mughal Empire.To these demands, Sayyid Hussain Ali Khan readily agreed, with
1653-471: The entire state under many challenges such as the Mughal influx, the betrayal of Vatandars , and scarcity of food. With his help, Sachiv kept the Maratha State on a sound economic footing. The Maratha war of succession between Tara Bai and Shahu resulted in latter's victory and assumption of Maratha throne as Chhatrapati. In 1713, Shahu appointed Balaji Vishwanath (Bhat) , as Peshwa. The appointment of Balaji's son, Baji Rao I , as Peshwa in 1719 by Shahu made
1710-407: The field the Marathas owed the spread of their empire". The mechanism of revenue collected was supported by credit facilities from established banking families. A statue of Balaji Vishwanath stands at his ancestral village of Shrivardhan near Raigad , Maharashtra . Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Confederacy , next in rank and prestige only to that of
1767-465: The hereditary Deshmukh for Shrivardhan under the Siddi of Janjira . He went out in search of employment to the upper regions of western ghats and worked as a mercenary trooper under various Maratha generals. According to Kincaid & Parasnis, Balaji Vishwanath entered the Maratha administration during the reign of Sambhaji or the regency of his brother, Rajaram . Later, he served as an accountant for
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1824-667: The imperial family and the leading Mughal grandees. Farrukhsiyar came to the throne in 1713 with the help of the two powerful nobles, Sayyid Hussain Ali Khan and Sayyid Abdullah Khan. Claiming descent from the Islamic prophet, Muhammad , the Sayyid Brothers had turned king-makers in the Mughal court. Soon after, differences arose between them and the Emperor Farruksiyar. And while the Mughals were intriguing in
1881-546: The intrigues following the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal governor of the Deccan released Shahu from captivity, hoping to keep the Marathas locked in an internecine struggle between the partisans of Shahu, and Tarabai , the widow of Rajaram who governed in the name of her son Shivaji and denounced Shahu as an impostor substituted by the Mughals for the son of Sambhaji. Tarabai sent the Maratha Senapati Dhanaji Jadhav to attack Shahu. Balaji Vishwanath
1938-545: The path of negotiation and was appointed as Shahu's plenipotentiary to negotiate with the admiral. Balaji and Kanhoji met at Lonavala . The newly appointed Peshwa appealed to the old sailor's patriotism for the Maratha cause. Angre agreed to become the Sarkhel (admiral) of Shahu's navy with control of the Konkan. Balaji and Angre then jointly attacked the Muslim Siddis of Janjira. Their combined forces captured most of
1995-538: The position hereditary in the Bhat family. Baji Rao proved his loyalty by controlling the feudal chieftains who wanted independence from the Maratha Empire. The rebellion of General Trimbak Rao Dabhade, the senapati (commander in chief), over Chauthai (revenue collection) of Gujarat is one example of such internal Maratha feuds. The followers of Baji and Trimbak clashed at the Battle of Bilhapur on 1 April 1731, and Trimbak
2052-581: The rebel leader, Anandrao Jadhav. However, she realized that she would not be able to fight Balaji Baji Rao, and agreed to meet him in Pune for a peace agreement. Janoji Bhonsle , also a rival of Balaji Baji Rao, was in the neighbourhood of Pune with a strong army and agreed to protect her against any harm. In Pune, Balaji Baji Rao treated her respectfully and after some reluctance, Tarabai accepted Balaji Baji Rao's superiority. She agreed to dismiss her lieutenant Baburao Jadhav, whom Balaji Baji Rao disliked. In return,
2109-423: The regent. As the regent, Tarabai took charge of the war against the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb 's forces. Tarabai was skilled in cavalry movement and made strategic movements herself during wars. She personally led the war and continued the fight against the Mughals. A truce was offered to the Mughals in such a way that the Mughal emperor promptly rejected it, and Tarabai continued the Maratha resistance. After
2166-432: The release after decades of Mughal captivity, the mother (Yesubai), wife (Savitribai) and half-brother (Madan Singh) of Shahu. Weary from his labors and the tiresome journey back from the imperial capital, Balaji Vishwanath's health began to fail. In October 1719 he obtained leave from Shahu to retire to the village of Saswad near Pune that had been granted by Shahu to the Peshwa. Balaji Vishwanath died on 12 April 1720. He
2223-406: The resistance while Sambhaji's son Shahu was captured at a very young age and held captive of the Mughals. Aurangzeb died at Ahmednagar in 1707 at the age of eighty-eight, with the Mughal armies exhausted and the treasury empty. The ensuing war of succession in the Mughal Empire resulted in accession of the aged Prince Mu'azzam, who ascended the Mughal throne under the title of Bahadur Shah . In
2280-415: The son of Tarabai and install her own son, Sambhaji II , on the throne of Kolhapur. This brought the ruling house of Kolhapur under protection and subordination of Shahu at that time. Next Shahu turned to subdue the Angre clan. Tukoji Angre had commanded Chattrapati Shivaji's navy, and was succeeded in 1690 by his son Kanhoji Angre . Kanhoji received from Tarabai the title of "Sarkhel" or Koli Admiral of
2337-535: The territory of Shahu with the help of Udaji Chavan and Yashwantrao Thorat . The Shirol was under Chavan and the Ashta, Yelvi, Walwa and the jagir in Warana valleys was under Yashwantrao. After Balaji Vishwanath returned from Delhi with imperial sanads , he decided to march against Sambhaji. He captured Ashta, Yelvi and other villages in the Warana valley, and went on to attack Panhala. At that time Yashwantrao Thorat
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2394-488: The throne. Sambhaji II imprisoned Tarabai and her son. Shivaji I of Kolhapur died in 1726. Tarabai later reconciled with Shahu I in 1730 and went to live in Satara but without any political power. In the 1740s, during the last years of Shahu's life, Tarabai presented to the heirless Shahu I, a young man who she claimed was her grandson, and thus, a direct descendant of Shivaji. She claimed that Rajaram had been concealed after his birth for his protection and had been raised by
2451-405: The title of Senakarte or Organiser of Maratha armies (20 August 1711). Balaji next turned against Tarabai and her own armory of intrigue. The fall of Tarabai at Kolhapur in 1712 was the outcome of a conspiracy hatched by Balaji Vishwanath in connivance with the disgruntled elements of Tarabai's court. Balaji Vishwanath induced Rajaram's other widow, Rajasbai to conduct a coup against Shivaji II ,
2508-499: The titular Raja of Satara , were called Swami ( Marathi for the 'real owner') by the Peshwas who reported to them, and officially they were to seek guidance from the Raja. However, the Peshwa also became a ceremonial head of state after the battle of Panipat and the death of Madhavrao . The first Peshwa to receive the status of a pantpradhan was Ramchandra Pant Amatya Bawdekar in 1689 by Rajaram. The first (Bhat) Deshmukh family Peshwa
2565-463: The wife of a soldier. Shahu, who did not have a son of his own, adopted the young man who later succeeded him as Rajaram II (also known as Ramaraja). After Shahu's death in 1749, Rajaram II succeeded him as the Chhatrapati . When Balaji Baji Rao left for the Mughal frontier, Tarabai urged Rajaram II to remove him from the post of Peshwa . When Rajaram refused, she imprisoned him in a dungeon at Satara, on 24 November 1750. She also claimed that he
2622-463: The years 1700–1707, Jadunath Sarkar , a prominent Indian historian, especially of the Mughal dynasty, has opined: "During this period, the supreme guiding force in Maharashtra was not any minister but the dowager queen Tarabai. Her administrative genius and strength of character saved the nation in that awful crisis." In order to divide the Maratha forces, the son of Aurangzeb , Azam Shah on
2679-561: Was Balaji Vishwanath (Bhat) Deshmukh. He was succeeded as Peshwa by his son Baji Rao I , who never lost a battle. Baji Rao and his son, Balaji Baji Rao, oversaw the period of greatest Maratha expansion, brought to an end by the Marathas' defeat by an Afghan army at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761. The last Peshwa, Baji Rao II , was defeated by the British East India Company in the Battle of Khadki which
2736-423: Was a part of Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818). The Peshwa's land (Peshwai) was annexed to the British East India Company 's Bombay province , and Bajirao II, the Peshwa was pensioned off. Tarabai Maharani Tarabai Bhosale ( née Mohite ) was the regent of the Maratha Empire from 1700 until 1708. She was the queen of Rajaram I , and daughter-in-law of the kingdom's founder Shivaji I . She
2793-425: Was an impostor and she had falsely presented him as her grandson to Shahu. In early October 1750, Tarabai had met Umabai Dabhade , who also held a grudge against the Peshwa. Umabai dispatched 15,000 troops led by Damaji Rao Gaekwad in support of Tarabai. Gaekwad defeated a 20,000-strong force led by the Peshwa loyalist Trimbakrao Purandare at Nimb , a small town north of Satara. He then marched to Satara, where he
2850-590: Was despatched by Dhanaji Jadhav to meet secretly with Shahu and verify his bona fides . Balaji is believed to have persuaded his master to support the cause of Shahu. Dhanaji's forces met Shahu's at Khed, in Pune District. Instead of attacking Shahu, Dhanaji Jadhav declared him to be the rightful successor to the Maratha throne. Dhanaji's confidence in Balaji Vishwanath, however, aroused the jealousy of his son and successor, Chandrasen Jadhav. After
2907-458: Was in Bijapur territory. He got the news that Balaji Vishwanath captured his jagir in Warana valley and went to attack on Panhala fort. He immediately took some troops with him and went towards Panhala fort . The forces of Peshwa Balaji and Yashwantrao came in front of each other near Panhala fort. This battle was fought in 1719. Yashwantrao Thorat was defeated and killed in the battle. This battle
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#17327719780712964-801: Was inherited from the political vocabulary of previous Persianate empires operating in the Deccan. As early as 1397, the Bahmani Sultanate designated its prime minister as "peshwa". In the 16th and 17th centuries, this practice was continued by the Ahmednagar Sultanate and the Bijapur Sultanate , both successor states of the Bahmani Sultanate. After the coronation of Shivaji in 1674, he appointed Moropant Trimbak Pingle as his first Peshwa. Shivaji renamed this designation as Pantpradhan in 1674 but this term
3021-418: Was killed. In gratitude, Shahu gave the Peshwas and the Bhat family unchallenged control over Maratha empire. who also appointed Baji Rao's son as Peshwa in 1740, gave considerable authority to the Peshwas to command the Maratha armies, and they responded well during his reigns. At the time of his death in 1749, Shahu made the Peshwas his successors under these conditions: Shivaji's descendants, who remained as
3078-463: Was less commonly used. Moropant Trimbak Pingale's son, Nilopant Moreshvar Pingale , succeeded him during Sambhaji 's rule after Moropant Pingle's death in 1683. Ramchandra Amatya recaptured many forts from the Mughals between 1690 and 1694, some in person, as well as personally conducting guerilla war techniques. When Rajaram I fled to Jinji in 1689, before leaving Maharashtra, he gave "Hukumat panha" (King Status) to Pant. Ramchandra Pant managed
3135-526: Was not the same kingdom but a new one created by Rajaram. Shahu eventually prevailed, sidelining Tarabai, due to his legal position and Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath 's diplomacy. Tarabai established a rival court in Kolhapur in 1709, and established her son Shivaji II as the first Chhatrapati of Kolhapur, known as Shivaji I of Kolhapur. However, Shivaji I of Kolhapur was deposed in 1714 by Rajaram's other widow, Rajasabai, who put her own son, Sambhaji II , on
3192-475: Was received by Tarabai. However, Trimbakrao re-formed his army and on 15 March, attacked Gaekwad's army, which was encamped on the banks of Venna River . Gaekwad was defeated in this battle and forced to retreat with heavy losses. Meanwhile, Balaji Baji Rao returned from the Mughal frontier, reaching Satara on 24 April. He stormed the Yavateshwar garrison in Satara, defeating Tarabai's forces. He surrounded
3249-437: Was succeeded by his elder son, the celebrated Baji Rao I , who was appointed Peshwa by Chattrapati Shahu. Balaji Vishwanath also laid the foundation for the complex administrative system of the Marathas that held sway for a century after his death. The Maratha tax collection system from a wide swathe of nominally Mughal provinces was based on a widespread network of agents and collectors. "To it as much as to their victories in
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