Pilajirao Gaekwad (died 14 May 1732) was a

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 a ...

general. He is considered to be the founder of the

Gaekwad dynasty The Gaekwads of Baroda (also spelled as Gaikwads, Guicowars, Gaekwars) (IAST: ''Gāyakavāḍa'') are a Hindu Maratha dynasty origin of the former Maratha Empire and its subsequent Princely States. A dynasty belonging to this clan ruled the prin ...

of 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 ...

, who became

Maharaja of Baroda Baroda State was a state in present-day Gujarat, ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty of the Maratha Confederacy from its formation in 1721 until its accession to the newly formed Dominion of India in 1949. With the city of Baroda (Vadodara) as its ...

Early life

Pilaji was the eldest son of Jhingojirao Kerojirao Gaekwad. He was adopted by his uncle Damaji I Gaekwad (died 1721), who had been given the hereditary title of ''Shamsher Bahadur'' by

Chhattrapati Shahu Chhatrapati Shahu Bhosale I (Pronunciation: �aːɦuː CE) was the fifth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire founded by his grandfather, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Born into the Bhonsle family, he was the son of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj ...

for bravery in a battle.

In Dabhade service

The Gaekwads were originally lieutenants of the Dabhade family, the Maratha chiefs of Gujarat and holders of the ''

senapati Senapati (Sanskrit: सेनापति; ''sena-'' meaning "army", ''-pati'' meaning "lord") is a title in ancient India denoting the rank of military commander or general of the army. It was a hereditary title of nobility used in the Marath ...

'' (commander-in-chief) title. Pilaji was a ''mutalik'' (deputy) of

Trimbak Rao Dabhade Trimbak Rao Dabhade (? – 1 April 1731) was a senapati (general) of Maratha empire during 1729–1731. He was the son of Khande Rao Dabhade and Umabai Dabhade. The Dabhade clan had carried out several raids in the rich province of Gujara ...

. When Trimbak Rao was killed for rebelling against the Maratha

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 ...

in 1731, his minor son Yashwant Rao Dabhade was appointed as the ''senapati''. The Peshwa allowed the Dabhades to retain their territories in Gujarat, on the condition that they would remit half of their revenues to the Maratha Chhatrapati's treasury. Pilaji continued to serve Yashwant Rao, and was granted the title ''Sena Khas Khel'' by the Peshwa in addition to ''Shamsher Bahadur''. Since Yashwant Rao was a minor, Pilaji was responsible for collecting the revenues from Gujarat.

Legacy

Pilaji was assassinated on 14 May 1732 in

Dakor Dakor is a small city and a municipality in Kheda district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is prominent for its grand temple of Shree Ranchhodraiji. Legends; History; Temple architecture Dakor, in its earlier phases as pilgrimage center in ...

by emissaries of Maharaja Abhai Singh of

Marwar Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. The word 'maru' is Sanskrit for desert. In Rajasthani languages, "wad" means a particular area. English tra ...

. He was cremated in Savli village, which lies on the Baroda-Dakor road. He was succeeded by his son Damaji Rao Gaekwad (also known as Damaji II). Damaji fought against Peshwa

Balaji Baji Rao Baji Bajirao (8 December 1720 – 23 June 1761), also known as Nana Saheb I, was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy in India. He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon the death of his illustrious father, the Peshwa Bajirao I. During ...

when the Dabhades rebelled against the Peshwa. He was defeated and arrested, but later, the Peshwa appointed him as the Maratha chief of Gujarat, replacing the Dabhades. Pilaji's descendants thus ruled Gujarat in form of the

References

External links

Genealogy of princely states of Baroda
t ''

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'' Pilajirao Maharajas of Vadodara 1732 deaths Hindu monarchs Indian royalty Year of birth unknown Indian military leaders {{India-royal-stub