Introduction · The Peshwa Century
Between 1713 and 1818, Pune was not just a city. It was the nerve centre of the largest empire in 18th-century India — a realm that stretched from the Arabian Sea to Bengal, from the Vindhyas to the Deccan plains.
They were generals. They were diplomats. They were builders.
The Peshwas turned a Maratha stronghold into the capital of the subcontinent's most powerful empire.
The Seat of Power
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Bajirao I · 1720–1740
"Let us plant the flag of the Marathas
at the walls of Attock."
— Bajirao I, Peshwa of the Maratha Empire
Balaji Vishwanath did not conquer territories — he conquered politics. A master diplomat and administrator from Shrivardhan, he navigated the fractured Maratha court and engineered the Treaty of 1719 with the Mughal Emperor, freeing the Chhatrapati from captivity and returning vast territories to the empire. He turned the office of Peshwa from a ceremonial post into the beating heart of a nation. When he died in 1720, he left his son Bajirao an empire stitched together by paperwork, diplomacy, and brilliance.
When Bajirao I chose the site of Shaniwar Wada on the banks of the Mutha river, he was not just building a palace — he was building the capital of the largest empire in India. The construction cost 16,110 rupees. Inside: a complex of seven palaces, five massive gates, lotus-shaped fountains, administrative offices, and a military command post. For 70 years, every significant decision — wars, treaties, marriages, rebellions — was made within these teak-and-stone walls. The city of Pune grew outward from this single structure.
The Official State Seal
The Third Battle of Panipat
On 14 January 1761, at the plains of Panipat, the Maratha army faced Ahmad Shah Durrani's Afghan forces. It was one of the largest battles of the 18th century — and for the Marathas, one of the most devastating defeats in history. Over 100,000 soldiers and civilians died.
Nanasaheb Peshwa, who had built the empire to its peak, died of grief shortly after hearing the news. Pune fell into silence. But the Marathas regrouped, rebuilt, and endured for another 57 years — a testament to the resilience of the culture Pune had cultivated.
Every peth you walk through, every ghat you visit, every temple you see — the Peshwas built it. The very urban fabric of old Pune is their greatest monument, more enduring than any fort or palace. Walk through Shaniwar Peth today and you walk through their memory.
