Indian history · Kings and empires · Marathas

Peshwa Baji Rao I (1720–1740): The Rise of the Peshwas, the Battle of Palkhed, Bhopal, the Raid on Delhi and Maratha Expansion into North India

Baji Rao I, appointed Peshwa at twenty, turned the Maratha kingdom into an expanding power that reached the gates of Delhi. In twenty years of almost continuous campaigning he never lost a major battle, defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad and brought Malwa, Gujarat and Bundelkhand under Maratha control. This guide explains his career and the Peshwa system, with the points examiners most often test.

By PunjabExams Editorial Team · Updated 29 October 2026 · 6 min read · How we prepare guides

Baji Rao I at a glance

The Maratha state after Shivaji

After Shivaji's death (1680), Sambhaji was captured and executed by Aurangzeb (1689). Rajaram continued the struggle from Jinji, and after his death his widow Tarabai led resistance. Aurangzeb died in 1707, and the Mughals released Shivaji's grandson Shahu, leading to a civil war between Shahu and Tarabai.

Balaji Vishwanath, a capable administrator, helped Shahu win. Appointed Peshwa in 1713, he negotiated a treaty with the Mughal Sayyid brothers (1719), under which the Mughal emperor recognised Shahu's right to collect chauth and sardeshmukhi from the six Mughal provinces of the Deccan. The Peshwa's office became the real centre of Maratha power.

Baji Rao's strategy

When Balaji Vishwanath died in 1720, Shahu appointed his twenty-year-old son Baji Rao as Peshwa, overruling older ministers. Baji Rao believed the decaying Mughal Empire should be attacked at its centre: "Let us strike at the trunk of the withering tree; the branches will fall of themselves."

His armies relied on fast-moving light cavalry, living off the land, and on brilliant generals such as Malhar Rao Holkar, Ranoji Shinde (Scindia), the Pawars and his brother Chimaji Appa.

Battle of Palkhed (1728)

The Nizam-ul-Mulk (Asaf Jah I), who had founded the virtually independent state of Hyderabad in 1724, challenged Maratha rights in the Deccan. In a masterful campaign of manoeuvre, Baji Rao trapped the Nizam's army at Palkhed, near Aurangabad, cutting off its supplies, in February–March 1728. The Nizam signed the Treaty of Mungi Shevgaon, recognising Shahu as king and accepting the Maratha right to chauth and sardeshmukhi in the Deccan. Military historians often cite Palkhed as a classic of mobile warfare.

Bundelkhand and Chhatrasal (1729)

The Bundela ruler Chhatrasal of Bundelkhand, attacked by the Mughal governor Muhammad Khan Bangash, appealed to Baji Rao. The Peshwa rushed north and defeated Bangash (1729). In gratitude, Chhatrasal gave Baji Rao about one-third of his kingdom and his daughter Mastani in marriage. The Baji Rao–Mastani story became the subject of literature and films.

Malwa and Gujarat

• Gujarat: Maratha chiefs, especially the Gaikwads (later of Baroda), established control. Baji Rao defeated the rival Maratha general Trimbak Rao Dabhade at Dabhoi (1731).
• Malwa: by the early 1730s the Marathas under Holkar, Shinde and Pawar dominated Malwa; their bases later grew into the states of Indore (Holkar), Gwalior (Scindia) and Dhar/Dewas (Pawar).

The raid on Delhi (1737)

Seeking formal grant of Malwa, Baji Rao marched swiftly north and appeared at the outskirts of Delhi in March 1737, defeating a Mughal force. The emperor Muhammad Shah was alarmed. Baji Rao withdrew without sacking the city — his aim was to demonstrate Maratha power.

Battle of Bhopal (1738)

The Mughal emperor summoned the Nizam to stop the Marathas. Baji Rao surrounded the Nizam's army near Bhopal in December 1737–January 1738. The Nizam signed the Convention of Doraha (January 1738), promising to obtain for Baji Rao the subahdari of Malwa and the territory between the Narmada and Chambal, plus a war indemnity of 50 lakh rupees.

Vasai (Bassein), 1739

Chimaji Appa led a campaign against the Portuguese in the Konkan, capturing the fort of Vasai (Bassein) in May 1739 after a long siege — a major blow to Portuguese power on the west coast.

Death

While on campaign in the north, Baji Rao I died suddenly of fever on 28 April 1740 at Raverkhedi, on the banks of the Narmada (present-day Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh), aged just 39. His samadhi stands there.

The Maratha confederacy after Baji Rao

Exam traps

• Balaji Vishwanath was the first hereditary Peshwa; Baji Rao I was his son.
• Palkhed (1728) and Bhopal (1738) — both against the Nizam.
• Third Panipat (1761) was fought under Balaji Baji Rao, with Sadashiv Rao Bhau commanding — not under Baji Rao I.
• Baji Rao II (not Baji Rao I) signed the Treaty of Bassein (1802) with the British.

Key points to remember

• Peshwa 1720–1740 under Shahu; built Shaniwar Wada.
• Palkhed 1728 → Treaty of Mungi Shevgaon.
• Helped Chhatrasal (1729); married Mastani.
• Raid on Delhi 1737; Bhopal 1738 → Convention of Doraha.
• Chimaji Appa took Vasai (1739); died at Raverkhedi, 1740.

Practice questions

1. Q1. Who was the first hereditary Peshwa of the Marathas?

   • (a) Baji Rao I
   • (b) Balaji Vishwanath
   • (c) Balaji Baji Rao
   • (d) Madhav Rao I
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Balaji Vishwanath — Balaji Vishwanath was appointed Peshwa by Shahu in 1713.

2. Q2. Baji Rao I defeated the Nizam at the Battle of Palkhed in:

   • (a) 1720
   • (b) 1728
   • (c) 1737
   • (d) 1761
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) 1728 — The Palkhed campaign of 1728 ended with the Treaty of Mungi Shevgaon.

3. Q3. Which Bundela ruler sought Baji Rao I's help against Muhammad Khan Bangash?

   • (a) Raja Jai Singh
   • (b) Chhatrasal
   • (c) Rana Sanga
   • (d) Hammiradeva
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Chhatrasal — Chhatrasal of Bundelkhand appealed to Baji Rao in 1729.

4. Q4. The Convention of Doraha (1738) followed Baji Rao's victory at:

   • (a) Palkhed
   • (b) Bhopal
   • (c) Dabhoi
   • (d) Vasai
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Bhopal — After the Battle of Bhopal the Nizam signed the Convention of Doraha.

5. Q5. The fort of Vasai (Bassein) was captured from the Portuguese in 1739 by:

   • (a) Baji Rao I
   • (b) Chimaji Appa
   • (c) Malhar Rao Holkar
   • (d) Ranoji Shinde
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Chimaji Appa — Baji Rao's brother Chimaji Appa captured Vasai.

6. Q6. Baji Rao I died in 1740 at:

   • (a) Pune
   • (b) Raverkhedi
   • (c) Delhi
   • (d) Satara
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Raverkhedi — He died at Raverkhedi on the Narmada.

Frequently asked questions

Did Baji Rao I ever lose a battle?

He is widely regarded as never having lost a major battle in his twenty years as Peshwa.

What was the Treaty of Mungi Shevgaon?

The 1728 agreement after Palkhed in which the Nizam recognised Shahu and Maratha rights to chauth and sardeshmukhi in the Deccan.

Which Maratha states grew out of Baji Rao's northern campaigns?

Indore (Holkar), Gwalior (Scindia), Dhar and Dewas (Pawar), and Baroda (Gaikwad) in Gujarat.

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