Administrative System of the Marathas c18.s3.2

c18.s3.2

"Abaji Krishna Shelukar went to Satara to bring from Shrimant Maharaj Rajashri Chhatrapati Swami, the clothes of peshwaship for Rajashri Baji Rao Raghunath Rao and brought the clothes on the 3rd Jamadilakhar."¹⁵ It should be noted here that unlike the Pope, the Chhatrapati Maharaj raised no trouble about granting his sanction to the authority already seized, even if the grantees were usurpers. Thus Raghunath Rao, Chimnaji Raghunath transformed by Parashram Bhau Patwardhan into Chimnaji Madhava, and Vinayak Rao, son of Amrit Rao, had no difficulty in getting the clothes of peshwaship, although they could not retain the authority which they aspired to, or (as in the case of Chimnaji) which was thrust on an unwilling victim of state conspiracy. In the case of the other chiefs, the hereditary successors of the members of Shivaji's Ashta Pradhan Council, the saranjam or jagir was invariably granted by the Peshwas, but they were either referred to the state prisoner at Satara for grant of clothes of their office, or this mark of royal sanction was procured for them by the Peshwa's agent. Thus Madava Rao I writes to Achyut Rao Ganesh (1762-1763) that "the pratinidhiship as before has been granted to Shrinivas Pandit and he has been accordingly sent to the Raja to receive clothes of honour." 6