Remembering Bajirao-I on His 320th Birth Anniversary: Interesting Facts About The Great Maratha Warrior

Bajirao-I was well known for his battle tactics, which helped him win many battles.

One of the greatest warriors to have ever lived, Bajirao-I, was a capable general of the Maratha Empire who served as the Peshwa to Shahu. He is credited with expanding the Maratha Empire in India, and is said to have never lost a battle in his military career spanning 20 years. Today, August 18, we remember him on his 320th birth anniversary by taking a look at some interesting facts about him.

Bajirao-I was born on August 18, 1700 in Dubere, Sinnar, Maratha Empire (present-day Nashik district in Maharashtra) to Balaji Vishwanath and Radhabai Barve, and had three younger siblings, a brother and two sisters. He was inspired by the life stories of Shivaji, Sambhaji, Ramchandra Pant Amatya and Santaji Ghorpade.

Some of the interesting facts about him are as follows:

1. Bajirao-I was trained as a diplomat and as a warrior under his father Balaji Vishwanath, and his formal education included reading, writing and learning Sanskrit.

2. He would often accompany his father on military campaigns, and was with the latter when he was imprisoned by Damaji Thorat.

3. After his father Balaji Vishwanath died, Bajirao-I was appointed as the Peshwa when he was only 20-years of age.

4. Bajirao-I helped Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah I win the Battle of Sakhar-kheda in October 1724, and was awarded with a robe, a mansabdari of 7,000, an elephant, and a jewel.

5. He fought against Nizam at the Battle of Palkhed on February 25, 1728 and defeated him, earning Shahu the recognition as the Chhatrapati as well as the Maratha right to collect taxes in the Deccan.

6. Bajirao-I had two wives, with the first being Kashibai, who bore him three sons, namely Balaji Baji Rao, Raghunath Rao and Janardhan Rao. His second wife was Mastani and she bore him a son named Krishna Rao, who later came to be known as Shamsher Bahadur.

7. Bajirao had moved his base of operations from Saswad to Pune in 1728, and also started construction of Shaniwar Wada in 1730. The Shaniwar Wada was the seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire until 1818.

8. On April 23, 1740, Bajirao-I died after suffering from a fever for five days while he was in a camp in Raverkhedi. He was cremated on the same day, and his son Balaji Baji Rao ordered a memorial to be built there.

Bajirao-I was well known for his battle tactics, and his skill in rapid troop movement which helped him win many battles. British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, in his book A Concise History of Warfare, termed Bajirao’s success at the Battle of Palkhed as being ‘a masterpiece of strategic mobility’.