Balaji Vishwanath

Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1680 – April 2, 1719), better known as Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, was the first of a series of hereditary "Peshwas" (Marathi for Prime Minister) hailing from the Brahmin family who gained effective control of the Maratha Empire during the eighteenth century. Balaji Vishwanath assisted a young Shahu to consolidate his grip on an empire that had been racked by civil war and persistent attack by the Mughals under Aurangzeb.

Biography

Balaji Vishwanath Rao was born into a Marathi Smartha Brahmin family belonging to the Chitpavan subcaste. The community hailed from the coastal Konkan region of present-day Maharashtra. He was named "Balaji," which is another name for Venkateshwara, a manifestation of Vishnu. His family was of modest means, and Balaji began his career as an accountant for the Maratha general, Dhanaji Jadhav, at Chiplun. Between 1699 and 1703, he served as the "Sar-subhedar" or head-administrator at Pune. By the time Dhanaji died, Balaji had proven himself as an honest and able officer. Chhatrapati Shahu, ruler of the Marathas, took note of his abilities and appointed Balaji as his assistant ("c."1708).

Ascent to Peshwa

In the next few years, Balaji by his tactful negotiations became a prominent personality.He is recorded as having participated in the invasion (1708) of the then Mughal city of Ahmedabad [ [http://www.cityofahmedabad.com/milestone1.htm Invasion of Ahmedabad] ] Again, during the Maratha civil war (1707-13) which followed the release of Shahu from Mughal captivity, the maratha general Chandrasen Jadhav, a prominent partisan of the Tarabai faction, (opposed to Shahu), ravaged the southern districts of the state. He was defeated by Balaji after a prolonged engagement. In 1713, Shahu faced personal danger when he was attacked at Khed near Satara by forces loyal to Tarabai. At this critical juncture, Shahuji turned to Balaji, appointed him "Senakarta" (army commander) and gave him full authority to wage the battle that had become unavoidable.

This increased the confidence that Shahu had in him. Balaji was appointed as Shahu's plenipotentiary to negotiate with Kanhoji Angre, admiral of the Maratha navy, who was allied with Tarabai. Before Balaji took up this assignment,Fact|date=February 2007 he requested Shahu to appoint him "Peshwa" or prime minister. Shahu conceded this request, and on November 16, 1713, Balaji became the Shahu's first "Peshwa". Kanhoji agreed to become the "Sarkhel" (admiral) of Shahu's navy.

Attack on the Mughal empire

There existed a power vacuum in the Mughal empire, caused by the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, subsequent intenecine conflict within the imperial family and civil war. Farrukhsiyar came to the throne in 1713 with the help of the Sayyid brothers, who had turned king-makers in the anarchy following the death of Aurangzeb. Differences soon arose between them and the Emperor.

In 1716, Shahuji's army chief Dabhaji Thorat arrested Balaji. The reason for this two-year imprisonment is unknown.

After his release as directed by Shahu, in 1718 Balaji negotiated a treaty with the Sayyid brothers, which the Mughal emperor later refused to ratify. With the help of Maratha troops commanded by the gallant Parsoji Bhosale, Husain Ali (one of the Sayyid brothers) marched on Delhi, dethroned Farrukhsiyar, and substituted in his place a more pliable puppet, Rafi-ul-darjat in February 1719. The Marathas also supplied a 15,000 strong army to enforce the Mughal Empire's authority in the Deccan. In exchange for the help thus rendered to Husain Ali, Balaji extracted a formal recognition of the autonomy of the Marathas in the territories held by them and the right to collect "chauth" (literally: "one-fourth," a basic tax) in the six Deccan provinces.

Personal life

Balaji married Radhabai (1700 – 1752) and had two sons, Bajirao and Chimnaji Appa. Balaji's health suffered considerably as a result of the campaign against the mughals, and he died on April 2, 1719. He was succeeded by his elder son, the celebrated Balaji Bajirao I, who was anointed "Peshwa" by Chattrapati Shahu.A statue of Balaji Vishwanath stands at his ancestral village of Shrivardhan near Raigad in coastal Maharashtra.

Notes

References

* [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V02_476.gifImperial Gazeteer of India] , v.2, Pg 441
* Cox, Linda. "The Chitpavans", Illustrated Weekly of India, February 22, 1970