Keshav Swami Purohit (died 1690), also known as Keshav Pandit or Keshav Bhat Pandit, was Chhatrapati Shivaji's Rajpurohit (Religious chief) and a Sanskrit scholar and poet of his times. He was also the ‘Rajpurohit’ and Danadhyaksha of Sambhaji and Rajaram I. Sambhaji's schooling took place under his guidance.
Contribution to coronation
Keshav Pandit accompanied
Shivaji’s secretary Balaji Awji in his campaign to
Uttar Pradesh and
Udaipur for obtaining
Shivaji’s family history which was necessary for the
coronation ceremony.
Contribution to history
Keshav Pandit has written in
Sanskrit poetical biographies of all the
he had worked with. Especially, his book ‘Rajaram Charitam’ written in 1690, gives a detailed account of
Rajaram I’s secret flight to
Gingee fort from
Panhala fort through the areas occupied by the
Mughal Empire army. It is supposed to be the most reliable source of Rajaram's escape as Keshav Pandit himself was one of the participants of this journey. The original book is kept intact in the royal library of
Tanjavur.
Soon after completion of this book, Keshav Pandit died at
Gingee approximately at the age of 60. His heirs are staying in the villages near Devrukh in
Ratnagiri district with the surname 'Purohit'. Most of them have now shifted to
Ratnagiri,
Thane and
Pune.
His works
