Balaji Vishwanath | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Balaji Vishwanath at the Peshwa Memorial in Parvati Hill, Pune | |
 6th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy | |
| In office November 16, 1713 – April 12, 1720 | |
| Monarch | Shahu I |
| Preceded by | Parshuram Pant Pratinidhi |
| Succeeded by | Baji Rao I |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Balaji Vishwanath Bhat 1 January 1662 Shrivardhan, Bijapur Sultanate (modern day Maharashtra, India) |
| Died | 12 April 1720 (aged 58) Saswad, Maratha Empire (modern day Maharashtra, India) |
| Spouse(s) | Radhabai |
| Children | Bajirao I Chimaji Appa Bhiubai Joshi Anubai Ghorpade [1] Bhikaji Ranoji |
| Parents |
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Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1 January 1662 – 12 April 1720) was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Confederacy and other Mughal vassals during the early 18th century. Balaji Vishwanath assisted a young Maratha king Shahu to consolidate his grip on a kingdom that had been racked by civil war and persistently intruded on by the Mughals under Aurangzeb. He was called the Second Founder of the Maratha State.[2] He secured a grant from the Mughal court that confirmed Shahu as the legitimate Mughal vassal, at the expense of his rival Sambhaji II. Later, his son Bajirao I became the Peshwa.
- ^ G.S.Chhabra (2005). Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume-1: 1707-1803). Lotus Press. pp. 19–28. ISBN 978-81-89093-06-8.
- ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 202–204. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.