bAji rAva pEshvA (= vishvanAtha after the grandpa = vishAji), son of peshva bAlAji vishvanAtha, excellent general, who vowed to fly the bhagva flag at aTTak, rescuer of chatrsAl, husband of mastAni (one wife too many), an alpha male. Died at age 40.
Legend has it that, standing tall, poised and confident before Shahu Maharaj and his court, the young new Peshwa Bajirao is said to have thundered:
‘Let us transcend the barren Deccan and conquer central India. The Mughals have become weak indolent womanizers and opium-addicts. The accumulated wealth of centuries in the vaults of the north can be ours. It is time to drive from the holy land of Bharatvarsha the outcaste and the barbarian. Let us throw them back over the Himalayas, back to where they came from. The Maratha flag must fly from the Krishna to the Indus. Hindustan is ours..’ .
R.C Majumdar “The History and Culture of the Indian People: The Maratha supremacy”
- He strategically preferred to keep the mughal as a puppet and focus on the grander plan of ridding India of the jihAdi-s.
- A great leader, who reigned in the then rowdy malharrAv hoLkar [TW].
- Bajirao is reported to have requested the Rana of Udaipur to become the emperor of India to head what he called ‘Hindu Padpadshahi’ (Hindu empire). “Baji Rao was more conciliatory & preferred to work with the Rajputs. On the Rajput side too there were leaders like Sawai Jai Singh (of the Jantar Mantar fame) who were cooperative for the sake of Hindu interests. Later Peshwa-s & Maratha-s lost sight of this (e.g. Bhau’s quarrel with Suraj Mal on the eve of Panipat).” But this was put on hold on the orders of shAhu [WP].
- Letter to jayapura rAjA [IMG]
- He withstood great opposition from the orthodoxy [Bh] to pursue his kAma without loosing sight of dharma and artha.