Question

Write about him in your own words.

Balaji Vishwanath

Answer 1

1. Balaji Vishwanath hails from Shrivardhan, in Konkan. When the Mughals released Shahu Maharaj, he gave the position of Peshwa to Balaji.
2. He was competent and experienced and convinced many Sardars that Shahu Maharaj was the real heir of the Maratha empire. He thus made these Sardars join hands with him.
3. He avoided a war with Kanhoji Angre, the chief of the Maratha Navy under Maharani Tarabai, and convinced him to support Shahu Maharaj.
4. After strengthening Shahu Maharaj’s position in Maharashtra, he took interest in the politics in the North. In 1719 CE, with the help of the Sayyid brothers, Abdulla (Hasan) and Hussein Ali, he obtained the grants or sanads from the Mughal Emperor to collect Chauthai and Sardeshmukhi from the Mughal territory in the Deccan.