• Jagdish Lohra

For the purpose of understanding how Peshwas, a family of ministers, rose to the position of the chief executive officer under the Maratha kings and ultimately wielded power throughout the empire. The Maratha confederacy was created in the 18th century after Shivaji's kingdom of Maharashtra in western India was forced to fall under Mughal domination. After the death of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Maratha's power was restored by Shivaji's grandson Shahu (1707). He gave control to the Brahman Bhat dynasty, which became hereditary Peshwa under his rule (chief ministers). He also wanted to expand northward using peshwas-controlled soldiers. The peshwas' influence grew throughout Shahu's latter years. When he died in 1749, they assumed power. It became increasingly difficult for the prominent Maratha families—Sindhia, Bhonsle, and Gaekwar—to maintain dominance over northern and central India. Panipat's defeat by the Afghans in 1761 and the death of the youthful peshwa Madhav Rao I in 1772 terminated the effective power of the peshwas. After that, the Maratha state was a confederation of five chiefs under the nominal authority of the peshwa at Poona (now Pune), western India. Despite the fact that they occasionally banded together, such as against the British in 1775–82, more frequently than not they fought. Baji Rao II sought protection from of the British after he was beaten by the Holkar dynasty in 1802, and the confederacy was abolished by British intervention in 1818. Even though the confederacy was founded on Maratha nationalist sentiments, its chiefs' rivalries torn the organisation apart. Peshwas rose to power for a variety of reasons. Tari Bai, in contrast to Chhatrapati Shahu, was self-centered and narrow-minded. Maharashtra had no one to rely on to keep the peace. Shivaji's Asht-Pradhan, which he invented, was also ineffectual. The Maratha nobles were vying for control in these circumstances. The Shahu Peshwas used their expertise to solve these issues. They excelled as diplomatic and military leaders. To the Marathas, they represented the dream of extending their influence and power into the northern part of the subcontinent. They ascended to the top of the Maratha hierarchy via hard work and leadership, and they steered them toward becoming India's dominant force. In the beginning, Shahu had a Peshwa named Balaji Vishwanath (1713-20 A.D.). Sar Subahdar of Poona & Daulatabad when Shahu arrived in Maharashtra following his escape from Mughal incarceration. For his part, he allied with Shahu and sent Tara Bai's commander-in-chief Dhanaji Jadav to support Shahu's ascent to power, which enabled him to seize control of Maharashtra.

"MARATHA EMPIRE: AN ADVANCED STUDY", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.3, Issue 6, page no.547-552, June-2016, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1701774.pdf

"MARATHA EMPIRE: AN ADVANCED STUDY", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.3, Issue 6, page no. pp547-552, June-2016, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1701774.pdf