Beyond Mastani: The unmatched military genius of Peshwa Bajirao, know why Amit Shah brought the legendary warrior to NDA campus in Pune

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (July 4, 2025) unveiled a statue of Peshwa Bajirao I at the National Defence Academy (NDA) campus in Pune, Maharashtra. As has become common nowadays, this too has sparked political controversy. In Maharashtra, historical figures like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Peshwa Bajirao, Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar are revered icons. Politics thrives on their legacies, with each having their own sets of supporters and critics.

Even before the statue unveiling, demands were growing to rename Pune Railway Station after Peshwa Bajirao. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni echoed this demand. However, some organizations staged protests outside the railway station opposing it. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar remarked that Kulkarni was merely following instructions from her seniors. Others suggested the station be renamed after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s mother Jijabai or social reformer Savitribai Phule. In essence, a controversy is now being stirred around the image of Peshwa Bajirao.

We have also witnessed how the film Bajirao Mastani (2015) presented a successful warrior as a passionate lover in the minds of the younger generation. This is why, when Bajirao is mentioned today, people instinctively recall his romantic saga with Mastani. His politics, diplomacy, and military strategies were neither portrayed in films nor included in our school curricula. Unfortunately, a similar distortion has occurred with many great Indian personalities.

Inherited strategic brilliance from his father

Bajirao’s father, Balaji Vishwanath Bhatt, was appointed as the Peshwa (Prime Minister) of the Maratha Empire in November 1713 and held the position until his death in April 1720. His rise wasn’t sudden. After Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s death, the empire faced great turbulence. Revenue had to be collected from war-torn regions, requiring someone wise enough to coordinate with local farmers and traders while also challenging the Mughals. In this situation, Balaji Vishwanath emerged as a capable leader.

He began as Pune’s Sabhasad (councilor), became Sar-Subedar, defended Sinhagad alongside Dhanaji Jadhav, and then served as Sar-Subedar of Daulatabad. He later became the Diwan (minister) of the commander-in-chief, was promoted to Senakarte (military planner), and assisted Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj during times of crisis, earning the king’s trust. After his death, his son Bajirao I was appointed as the Peshwa. Trained in diplomacy and warfare by his father, Bajirao compelled the rulers of Mysore and Arcot to pay chauth and sardeshmukhi taxes to the Marathas.

Humbled the Nizam, crushed the power of the Siddis

It was due to Bajirao’s strategies that even the Nizam of Hyderabad was forced to submit to the Marathas. In the March 1728 Treaty of Mungi Shevgaon with the Nizam, the Marathas gained the right to collect chauth and sardeshmukhi from six provinces of the Deccan. The Nizam recognized Shahuji as the Maratha king. How this was achieved is worth studying, especially for students in military academies. Bajirao allowed the Nizam to penetrate Maratha territory and then cut off his supply lines. Trapped, the Nizam was compelled to negotiate.

In April 1731, Bajirao secured control over Gujarat through the Battle of Dabhoi. He forced the Siddis, who had arrived in India from the eastern coast of Africa, to become subordinate to the Marathas and weakened their naval power. The mighty Aurangzeb, who failed to conquer the Deccan even after spending his last 25 years there, couldn’t have imagined that after his death, under Bajirao’s leadership, Maratha power would reach North India. In Bundelkhand, the aging King Chhatrasal was being harassed by the Mughal commander Bangash Khan. When he had no other option left, he sent for Bajirao. Bajirao surrounded Bangash’s camp in Jaitpur, forcing him to seek mercy.

Waved the banner of ‘Swaraj’ all the way to Delhi

To Chhatrasal, Bajirao became like a son. The king gifted him several territories. Mughal control over Bundelkhand ended, and Bajirao gained a stronghold to keep Delhi in check. In 1737, Peshwa Bajirao reached Delhi. Panic spread in the Mughal court. Cleverly, he sent his supplies back to create the illusion of retreat. The Mughals celebrated, believing he had fled. But before the celebrations ended, Bajirao struck Delhi via the Jat and Mewat regions.

He had no intention to destroy Delhi, only to showcase the power of Swarajya (self-rule). Before the Mughals could respond, Bajirao had already moved to Rewari. He was a master of winning wars without full-fledged fighting. After Delhi, he camped in Bhopal. There, he faced four major powers: the Nizam, the Mughals, and the rulers of Kota and Awadh. The Nizam was trapped in a fort. Enemy soldiers suffered from hunger, and even their animals lacked fodder. Such was Bajirao’s military genius. Eventually, a treaty was signed giving the Marathas all of Malwa. The region between the Narmada and Chambal rivers came under their control. The Mughals had to pay 5 million rupees as war expenses. Bajirao also taught a lesson to the rulers of Kurwai and Kota who had sided with the Mughals and the Nizam. Both fled the battlefield.

Peshwa Bajirao Is more relevant today than ever

If anyone deserves credit for building a grand edifice on the foundation of Swarajya, it is Peshwa Bajirao. Hence, his statue at the NDA campus should not be controversial. Soldiers trained here join India’s three armed forces. Learning about Bajirao I’s military campaigns will not only benefit their careers but also help the nation.

Winning great battles without exhausting one’s army, Bajirao’s hallmark, is especially relevant in today’s era of hybrid warfare. Had Bajirao Mastani focused on his courage and strategic brilliance instead of portraying him merely as a romantic lover, perhaps we wouldn’t need to explain so much today. Just as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is revered, Peshwa Bajirao too deserves immense respect. To defeat the forces trying to divide society in the name of such great leaders, today’s generation must read more about them. The arrows of propaganda can only be deflected by the shield of knowledge.

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