History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v5.c78.s2.4

v5.c78.s2.4

At Jinji Rajaram created Prahlad Niraji his *Pratinidhi* (king's proxy), who eclipsed the nominal prime-minister or *Peshwa* Nilkantha Moreshwar Pingle. We have a parallel to this in the action of Bahadur Shah I., the weak successor of Aurangzib, who could not help appointing Munim Khan as his *wazir* (prime-minister) and at the same time felt bound to oblige his foremost noble, Asad Khan, by giving him an equally high position as *wakil* (or king's proxy),—with the result of friction between the two. The office of *Senapati* (commander-in-chief) was changed five times in Rajaram's short reign of eleven years; and, in addition, five officers at one time enjoyed titles varying in terminology but all meaning "leader of the army"* and all being entitled to the rank banner and other paraphernalia of the *Senapati* [Chitnis, ii. 40-41.]