| Peshwa of the Marathas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Residence | Shaniwar Wada,Pune (1732–1818) Bithur,Kanpur (1818–57) |
| Appointer |
|
| Formation | 6 June 1674 |
| First holder | Moropant Trimbak Pingle |
| Final holder |
|
| Abolished | 3 June 1818 (de jure) 16 July 1857 (de facto) |
| Succession | The Peshwas split into 3 dynasties after abolishment |
ThePeshwa[a] was the second highest office in theMaratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of theChhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointedprime minister in theMaratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave the seat of Peshwa toBajirao Ballal. During the reign of Shahu, the office of Peshwas were handed more responsibilities to keep theJagirdars andVatandars of theMaratha Empire from rebelling.[1] After the passing ofShahu I the empire had no male heir apparent; hence the duty of maintaining peace lay with the Peshwas till the heir apparent (Rajaram II) was of age. The Peshwas from the time ofBalaji Rao became the supreme authority in Maratha empire and the Chhatrapati's position became nominal.
All Peshwas during the rule ofShivaji,Sambhaji andRajaram belonged toMarathiDeshastha Brahmin community.[2][3] The first Peshwa wasMoropant Pingle, who was appointed as the head of theAshta Pradhan (council of eight ministers) by Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Kingdom. The initial Peshwas were all ministers who served as the chief executives to the king. The later Peshwas held the highest administrative office and also controlled the Maratha confederacy. Under theBhat family, the Peshwas became thede facto hereditary administrators of the Confederacy. The Peshwa's office was most powerful underBaji Rao I (r. 1720–1740).
Under Peshwa administration and with the support of several key generals and diplomats, the Maratha Confederacy reached its zenith, ruling majority of theIndian subcontinent. The subsequent Peshwas brought in autonomy and as a result later on many states were controlled and administered by the Maratha chiefs such asScindias,Holkars,Gaekwads andBhonsles[4] though they often held allegiance to the Peshwa. The Peshwas decline was initiated whenRaghunath Rao (Son of the great Baji Rao I) along with his wifeAnandibai blinded by greed, had his 18 year-old nephewNarayanrao assassinated.[5]
The word Peshwa is fromPersianپیشواpēshwā, meaning "foremost, leader".[6] The term was inherited from the political vocabulary of previousPersianate empires operating in the Deccan. As early as 1397, theBahmani Sultanate designated its prime minister as "peshwa". In the 16th and 17th centuries, this practice was continued by theAhmednagar Sultanate and theBijapur Sultanate, both successor states of the Bahmani Sultanate.[7] After the coronation of Shivaji in 1674, he appointedMoropant Trimbak Pingle[8] as his first Peshwa. Shivaji renamed this designation asPantpradhan in 1674 but this term was less commonly used. Moropant Trimbak Pingale's son,Nilopant Moreshvar Pingale, succeeded him duringSambhaji's rule after Moropant Pingle's death in 1683.[9]
Ramchandra Amatya recaptured many forts from theMughals between 1690 and 1694, some in person, as well as personally conducting guerilla war techniques. WhenRajaram 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.[10]
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 appointedBalaji Vishwanath (Bhat), as Peshwa. The appointment of Balaji's son,Baji Rao I, 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, thesenapati (commander in chief), overChauthai (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 Maharaja gave the Peshwas and the Bhat family more responsibilities in the Maratha empire.[11] 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.
The earlier Peshwas had a modest lifestyle in comparison to theirMughal andNawabi counterparts. There is aMarathi legend about how PeshwaBajirao 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 theMaratha Confederacy.[12]
Contrary to belief, the Marathas were not fully committed tocasteism 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 byNarayan Rao Peshwa, when he altered the disputed status of thePrabhus.[13]
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 likeNana Fadnavis.[14]
In 1760, the peace of Peshwa government was broken by a rising ofKolis under theirNaikJavji 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 atNasik, he surrendered all his forts toTukoji Holkar and, throughHolkar'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 theKolis. 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.[15]
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 sonBaji Rao I, who never lost a battle. Baji Rao and his son, Balaji Baji Rao, oversaw the period of greatest[16] Maratha expansion, brought to an end by the Marathas' defeat by anAfghan army at theThird Battle of Panipat in 1761. The last Peshwa,Baji Rao II, was defeated by theBritish East India Company in theBattle of Khadki which was a part ofThird Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818). The Peshwa's land (Peshwai) was annexed to theBritish East India Company'sBombay province, and Bajirao II, the Peshwa was pensioned off.
| Sr. | Name | Reign Began C.E. | Reign Ended C.E. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moropant Trimbak Pingle | 1674 | 1683 |
| 2 | Nilakanth Moreshvar Pingale | 1683 | 1689 |
| 3 | Ramchandra Pant Amatya | 1689 | 1708 |
| 4 | Bahiroji Pingale | 1708 | 1711 |
| 5 | Parshuram Trimbak Kulkarni | 1711 | 1713 |
| Sr. | Name | Particulars | Reign Began C.E. | Reign Ended C.E. | Portrait |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Balaji Vishwanath (Sixth appointed Peshwa) | Assisted theSyed Brothers in deposing the Mughal EmperorFarrukhsiyar in 1719 | 1713 | 1720 |  |
| 7 | Baji Rao I (Seventh appointed Peshwa) | Known as Thorle (elder) Bajirao and acknowledged as the most influential of the nine Peshwas. Said to have fought for the establishment of "Hindu Pad Padshahi"(Hindu Empire). Helped conquer Central India (Malwa) andRajputana and extended his dominions intoGujarat in the northwest and Deccan in the south. Attacked Delhi in 1737. Fought in over 41 battles and is one of the few to have never lost a single battle. Died at the age of 40 of sudden fever in camp en route to Delhi; he has been commemorated in the form of an equestrian statue erected atShaniwar Wada in Pune. | 1720 | 1740 |  |
| 8 | Balaji Bajirao (Eighth appointed Peshwa) | Known as Nanasaheb Peshwa. Managed to extend the Maratha territories into most of North-West, East and Central India. CapturedAttock on the banks of theIndus River andPeshawar in 1758 in the Battle of Attock. Under his leadership, the Maratha Empire reached its peak but his general and cousin lost theThird Battle of Panipat against Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761. Contributed to the development of the city of Pune which was the seat of the Peshwas. Built the famousParvati Temple, Lakdi Pool and established Nana Peth (area) in Pune. Built a water reservoir nearKatraj to provide clean water to Pune city; this 250-year-old system is still functioning. | 1740 | 1761 |  |
| 9 | Madhav-Rao I (First hereditary Peshwa) | Fraught with internal dissensions and successful Wars with theNizam. During his tenure, Maratha power recovered from the losses suffered during the Third Battle of Panipat, a phenomenon known as Maratha Resurrection. Repaired the recently weakened administration, treasury, and accounts of the Maratha Empire. He died of tuberculosis in 1772; a memorial commemorating his greatness stands at Peshwe Park in Pune. One of the theory says that he was assassinated by his aunt, Anandi Bai (wife of Raghunath Rao). | 1761 | 1772 |  |
| 10 | Narayan-Rao | Assassinated by Gardi guards. Raghunath Rao was in favor of just kidnapping him but Anandi Bai (wife of Raghunath Rao) decided to kill him. Narayan Rao was assassinated in Shanivar Wada. Nowadays, it is considered one of the haunted place in Maharashtra. | 1772 | 1773 |  |
| 11 | Raghunath-Rao | Responsible for extending the Maratha empire to the zenith in the North as a General and also saw the decline of Maratha power in North India. Deposed byNana Phadnis and 11 other administrators in what is now called "The Barbhai Conspiracy". | 1773 | 1774 |  |
| 12 | Madhav-Rao II | Appointed Peshwa as an infant with a council of Maratha Generals and ministers as regents. Era dominated by the political intrigues ofNana Phadnis. Saw the resurgence of Maratha power in North India. | 1774 | 1796 |  |
| 13 | Baji Rao II | 1st Reign – Was defeated byYashwantrao Holkar, ruler ofIndore, at theBattle of Poona. Fled toBritish protection, and in December 1802, concluded theTreaty of Bassein with theBritish East India Company, ceding territory for the maintenance of a subsidiary force and agreeing to treaty with no other power. This provoked theSecond Anglo-Maratha War that began the breakup of theMaratha confederacy. | 1796 | 1802 |  |
| – | Amrut Rao[17][18] (Appointed as Peshwa byYashwantrao Holkar) | Appointed Peshwa byYashwantrao Holkar after defeatingBaji Rao II andDaulat Rao Sindhia inBattle of Poona. | 1802 | 1803 | |
| 13 | Baji Rao II | 2nd Reign – During his second reign began theThird Anglo-Maratha War. After the defeat at theBattle of Koregaon in January 1818, he was on the run from the British. Eventually, the British took over his dominion and made the Maratha King Pratap Singh of Satara declare in favour of the British. This ended the Peshwa's legal position as head of theMaratha confederacy. On 3 June 1818, Baji Rao surrendered to the British; he was banished toBithur nearKanpur. | 1803 | 1851 | |
| 14 | Nana Sahib (Pretender to the position of Peshwa) | Was a leader during theIndian Uprising of 1857. As the adopted son of the exiled Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao II, he sought to restore theMaratha confederacy and the Peshwa tradition. | 1851 | 1857 |  |
Under Shivaji the Great, Sambhaji and Rajaram all the incumbents of the office of Peshwa were from the Deshastha (residing in the Desh area of Maharashtra) subcaste of the Brahmans.
