Ekoji I

Venkoji (Marathi: व्यंकोजी/एकोजी १) (born 1629) or Ekoji I was the younger half-brother of Shivaji and founder of Maratha rule in Thanjavur. He was the progenitor of the junior branch of the Bhonsle family which ruled Thanjavur until the formal annexation of the kingdom by the British in 1855.