Purandare is prominent Indian family of Nobles, Sardars, Patil, Jagirdars during Maratha Empire. They belong to Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin (DRB) community.[1] Dhondo Malhar Purandare, a member of purandare family held the patilki watan of Vadule, a village in present day Shevgaon taluka in Ahmednagar district.[2] Purandare wada (palace} in Saswad was the seat of the Purandares until 1818, when the Peshwas lost control to the British East India Company after the Third Anglo-Maratha War.The Purandare Wada still stands but is in a much dilapidated state.[3] The design of the Purandare wada was the inspiration for the better known Shaniwar Wada in Pune.[4]
The Purandares belonged to the original group that rose to eminence from the time of Balaji Vishwanath. They were Rigvedi Deshastha Brahmans and Deshpandes of Saswad, enjoying one- half part of the rights of the Deshkulkarnis of the district Raryat Marval.