u/Human_Experience_881

Bajirao I, remembered for his staggering ~41 battles/campaigns as Peshwa (1720-40), died owing over 14.5 lakh rupees in debt. What is often forgotten is that one of his largest creditors was also his spiritual guru and patron. Brahmendra Swami is a name we often don't hear or see in contemporary narratives of Maratha history. The Swami settled in what is now Ratnagiri District (Maharashtra) and would become a respected guru and guide for the early Bhatt family Peshwas, Chhatrapati Shahu, and even the Siddis! He tactfully used his influence and temple as almost a "clearing house" for credit to underwrite campaigns of the Maratha State at a time when credit ran dry, and moneylenders were a perpetual headache to the Peshwas. This is an interesting, lesser-known story of religion, moneylending, and political ambition in the 18th c. Konkan!

The Marathas built one of South Asia's greatest indigenous empires, yet almost nobody outside India knows their name. From Chhatrapati Shivaji's state-building in the Sahyadri to the 27-year war which eventually broke Aurangzeb and the Mughal Sultanate in the Deccan and the century of Maratha mastery of India (18th c.), this incredible history cuts across caste, religion, and even language. Today, hundreds of thousands of historical records remain untranslated, obscure, and analog. But, understanding the history of the Marathas means going back a millennium to when Roman trade ships docked on the Konkan coast, fort architecture began to be carved out of the basalt landscape of the rugged Western Ghats, and Maharashtri Prakrit was developing into the Medieval Marathi of Nyaneshwar and Tukaram we cherish today.

I write to uncover some of these more obscure narratives lost to time. Enjoy!