Origins
Baji Rao was the son of the first Bhat family Peshwa, Balaji Vishwanath. At the age of 20, he was appointed by Chhattrapati Shahu as Peshwa upon the death of his father, keeping aside all other claimants. It is quite clear from this appointment that Shahu recognized his talent even as a boy and positioned him as Peshwa. Bajirao was popular with his soldiers and even today his name is an honorable one.
Standing tall, poised and confident before Shahu Maharaj and his court, the young new Peshwa Baji Rao 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. | ” |
He fixed his piercing gaze on Shahu Maharaj and said, “Strike, strike at the trunk and the branches will fall off themselves. Listen but to my counsel, and I shall plant the saffron flag on the walls of Attock”. Shahu was deeply impressed and exclaimed, “By heaven, you shall plant it on the Himalayas”.
This story indicates the vision of Bajirao and Shahu Maharaj's faith in the young man. Shahu Maharaj appointed him as a Peshwa at a young age, recognising his talents and entrusting to him imperial troops who had recently emerged victorious in the Mughal-Maratha conflict that ended in 1707. Baji Rao's greatness lay in that, true to the judgment of his master and seasoned troops at his disposal, he struck terror with the Maratha armies in conquering the Indian sub-continent.
Read more about this topic: Baji Rao I
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