The Pratinidhi (the Viceroy) was an important member of the ministry in the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

. The title of ''Pratinidhi'' means ''the representative of the King,'' and such officials were entitled to sign and seal papers and to issue orders in the absence of the Ruler. Shivaji's ministry of the eight - the

Ashta Pradhan Ashta Pradhan (literally, ''Modern council of ministers'') was a system /topic/Ashta-Pradhan, title = Ashta Pradhan | Marathi council The council is credited with having implemented good governance practices in the Maratha heartland, as well ...

did not include a Pratinidhi. Later the post of Pant Pratinidhi was created during the

Rajaram I Rajaram Bhosle I (Pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒaɾaːm – 3 March 1700) was the third '' Chhatrapati'' of Maratha Empire, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of the Shivaji, the founder of the empire and younger half ...

reign and a person holding this office exercised powers over all ministers of the

Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...

court including the

Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later ...

s. Above the

Ashta pradhan Ashta Pradhan (literally, ''Modern council of ministers'') was a system /topic/Ashta-Pradhan, title = Ashta Pradhan | Marathi council The council is credited with having implemented good governance practices in the Maratha heartland, as well ...

Rajaram I appointed

Pralhad Niraji Pralhad Niraji popularly known as Pralhad Pant, was the ''Pant Pratinidhi'' of the Maratha Empire during the reign of Chatrapathi Rajaram I. He was the first occupant of the position of Pant Pratinidhi.He is remembered for his splendid contribution ...

to the high post of Prathinidhi. The office of Pratinidhi was created and the office of Peshwa was made next to it in hierarchy. The first occupant of the position under Rajaram was

, who was appointed in 1689. The offices of the Pratinidhi, the Sacheev and the Mantri, became hereditary after passing through three different families. In 1698,

Parshuram Pant Pratinidhi Parshuram Trimbak Kulkarni (1660–1718), popularly known as Parshuram Pant Pratinidhi, was a Minister (''Pradhan'') and Count (''Sardar'') of the Maratha Empire. He served as ''Pratinidhi'' (Chief Delegate) during Rajaram I and Tarabai’s rei ...

was appointed as Pratinidhi by

, but by the end of 1713 the family had become hereditary holders of the title

Pant Pratinidhi Pant Pratinidhi family is a prominent aristocratic noble family of India, who served as Pratinidhis to Chhatrapatis of Maratha Empire and later became rulers of the Princely states of Aundh and Vishalgad. The Pant Pratinidhi's were officer' ...

References

Bibliography

* * * *{{cite book, title=Political, Legal, and Military History of India, Volume 6, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PKS2AAAAIAAJ, first=Harbans Singh, last=Bhatia, publisher=Deep & Deep Publications, year=1986 Titles of national or ethnic leadership History of Maharashtra Maratha Empire