The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave the seat of Peshwa to Bajirao I. During the reign of Shahu, the office of Peshwas were handed more responsibilities to keep the Jagir and Vatandar of the Maratha Empire from rebelling
All Peshwas during the rule of Shivaji, Sambhaji and Rajaram I belonged to Marathi people Deshastha Brahmin community.
Under Peshwa administration and with the support of several key generals and diplomats, the Maratha Confederacy reached its zenith, ruling majority of the Indian subcontinent. The subsequent Peshwas brought in autonomy and as a result later on many states were controlled and administered by the Maratha chiefs such as , Holkars, Gaekwad dynasty and Bhonsles
First use
The word Peshwa is from
Persian language pēshwā, meaning "foremost, leader".
[under Jahangir, M. Learning focus. Longman History & Civics ICSE 7, 84.] The term 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 Peshwe as his first Peshwa. Shivaji renamed this designation as
Pantpradhan in 1674 but this term 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 Pant Amatya (Bawadekar)
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 ordered Ramchandra Pant to safeguard the throne; and he managed the entire state under many challenges such as the Mughal influx, rebellions, and scarcity of food. With his help, Sachiv kept the Maratha State on a sound economic footing.
Bhat Family
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,
Bajirao, as Peshwa in 1720 by Shahu made 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
(revenue collection) of Gujarat is one example of such internal Maratha feuds. The followers of Baji and Trimbak clashed at the Battle of Dabhoi on 1 April 1731, and Trimbak was killed. As reward,
Shahu I gave the Peshwas and the Bhat family more responsibilities in the Maratha empire.
[ Encyclopædia Britannica, Micropædia Vol. II, p. 17] 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.
Lifestyle and political stature
The earlier Peshwas had a modest lifestyle in comparison to their
Mughal Empire and
counterparts. There is a
Marathi people legend about how Peshwa
Bajirao I would always utilize the same amenities as his troops, often going to the extent of sharing the same food and going without it for 2–3 days at a time if his army shared the same fate. However this fraternity was largely reduced after the Maratha Resurrection and gradual prosperity of the Maratha Confederacy.
Contrary to belief, the Marathas were not fully committed to casteism and discrimination, as the support of all groups was required for waging wars and appropriate taxation in the Confederacy. The only major involvement in matters of caste was by Narayan Rao Peshwa, when he altered the disputed status of the Prabhus.
Politically, during the early days of the Peshwa, their direct involvement in everyday life and stronger hold over the empire ensured that they formed the right alliances, especially with the new foreign powers. Gradually due to the confederate structure, this political wit was often influenced by the Maratha nobles, or by political advisors and ministers like Nana Fadnavis.
Rebellions
In 1760, the peace of Peshwa government was broken by a rising of
Koli people under their Naik
Javji Bamble. Javji withdrew to the hills and organised a series of gang robberies, causing widespread terror and misery throughout 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
Nashik, 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, a fresh disturbance took place among the
Koli people. 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.
Legacy
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 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
[Shirgaonkar, Varsha S. "Peshwyanche Vilasi Jeevan" (Luxurious Life of Peshwas). Continental Prakashan, Pune (2012). . In Marathi.] Maratha expansion, brought to an end by the Marathas' defeat by an
Durrani Empire 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 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 state, and Bajirao II, the Peshwa was pensioned off.
File:Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath.jpg|Statue of Balaji Vishwanath, the first Peshwa from the Bhat family, at Shrivardhan, Raigad district, Maharashtra, India.
File:Bajirao Peshwa.jpg|Statue of Bajirao I, the second Peshwa from the Bhat family, outside Shaniwar Wada, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
File:Shaniwarwada gate.JPG|Shaniwar Wada's Delhi Gate. It was the seat of the Peshwas at Pune, Maharashtra, India.
List of Peshwas
Hereditary Peshwas from Bhat family
Notable generals and diplomats
In popular culture
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Kaustubh Kasture has written a book in marathi titled "Peshwai-Maharashtrachya Itihasatil Ek Suvarnapan" based on Peshwai.
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Pramod Oak has written a book in marathi titled "Peshwe Gharanyacha Itihas" where he gave detailed information about Peshwas of Bhat family.
See also
Notes
Bibliography
