New History of the Marathas v1.c19.s1.10

v1.c19.s1.10

3. Contact with Balaji Vishvanath.—One outstanding figure hitherto entirely unknown to the world outside, now appears on the stage of Maratha politics and works in favour of Shāhu, viz., Bālājī Vishvanāth Bhat, whom later on Shāhu appointed his Peshwa and who was instrumental in changing the entire character of the Marátha Government. When and how Shāhu came to know him and why he decided to raise him to the first position in the State, are questions which have not been convincingly solved. He was a hereditary Deshmukh of Shriwardhan on the west coast under the jurisdiction of the Siddis of Janjira, and appears to have migrated to the region of Poona possibly during the last days of Shivaji's reign. Definite evidence is available that he was the Sarsubahdar of the Poona division since 1696 and of the Daulatabad division from 1704 onwards, under orders of the Maratha Government. We possess letters issued by Ramchandra Nilkanth Amātya and other ministers to Balaji Vishvanath, calling upon him to ex-