Ramabai (1750-1772), was the wife of
Madhavrao Peshwa I. Her father's name was Shivaji Ballal Joshi from Solapur.
Biography
She had gone to Harihareshwar in 1772 when Madhavrao's health was very serious. She always kept fasts for Madhavrao. The couple had no children.
She was very spiritual and religious. She never intervened in social or political matters. She was described as a great person and caring for all. Though her mother in law Gopika bai peshwa, however, reportedly did not treat her well.
On 18 November 1772, Madhavrao died in the temple premises of
Chintamani, Theur. Thousands of citizens visited the site and paid their last respects to their departed leader.
After Madhavrao's death, Ramabai wished to perform sati. The peshwa family including
Anandi Bai, Ragho Ba, and
Narayan Rao
Narayanrao Bhat (10 August 1755 – 30 August 1773) was the 10th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy from November 1772 until his assassination in August 1773. He married Gangabai Sathe who later gave birth to Sawai Madhavrao.
Early life
Narayanra ...
tried to stop her but she didn't budge. Some sources believe that she had asked Madhavrao for his permission to perform sati before he died. on his funeral pyre on the same date. Madhavrao was cremated on the banks of the
Bhima river
The Bhima River (also known as Chandrabhaga River) is a major river in Western India and South India. It flows southeast for through Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana states, before entering the Krishna River. After the first sixty-five k ...
which was about half a mile from the temple.
A small memorial carved out of stone rests today at this place as a reminder of this great leader and his loving wife.
In popular culture
* Ramabai Peshwa's character was essayed in a novel called ''Swami'' written by
Ranjit Desai
Ranjit loda Desai (8 April 1928 – 6 March 1992) was an Indian Marathi-language writer from Maharashtra, India. He is best known for his historical novels Swami and Shriman Yogi. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1964 and the Padma Sh ...
* In the 1987 TV series, actress
Mrinal Dev-Kulkarni played the role of Ramabai in a television series called ''Swami'' on the TV channel
Doordarshan
* In the 1994
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
TV series ''
The Great Maratha
''The Great Maratha'' is an Indian historical drama television series directed by Sanjay Khan and produced by Numero Uno International Limited. The drama aired on DD National. The series is based on the life of Mahadaji Shinde. The show compr ...
'', Ramabai's character was portrayed by Madhura Deo.
* In the 2014 movie ''
Rama Madhav
''Rama Madhav'' is a 2014 Indian Marathi-language historical drama directed by Mrinal Kulkarni, It takes place during the Peshwa era.
''Rama Madhav'' was released on 8 August 2014.
Plot
The story starts from where Chhoti Rama is playing. All ...
'', actress
Parna Pethe
Parna Pethe is an Indian film & theatre actress who has appeared in many Marathi films and experimental plays.
Early life
Parna was born and raised in Pune. She studied at Abhinava Vidyalaya School and graduated from Fergusson College, Pune ...
played the role of Ramabai
Memorial
File:Ramabai Memorial.JPG, A memorial marking the death place of Ramabai PeshwaRamabai was married to Madhavrao I on 9 December 1758 in Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
. She accompanied Madhavrao I during Karnataka expedition in 1766–67. She made pilgrimages, like that of Shrivardhan
Shrivardhan (also spelled Shriwardhan) is a taluka, city and municipal council in the Raigad district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has developed into a seaside resort, along with the nearby town of Harihareshwar, which also has a Shi ...
and Harihareshwar
Harihareshwar is a town in Raigad district, in Maharashtra, India. It is surrounded by three hills named Harihareshwar, Harshinachal and Pushpadri. The river Savitri enters the Arabian Sea from the town of Harihareshwar. Towards the north of th ...
.
File:Ramabai Peshwa Memorial.JPG, A memorial marking the death place of Ramabai Peshwa (1750-1772), wife of Madhavrao Ballal Peshwa (18th century Indian Premier, Statesman, Patriot). The memorial is located in the town of Theur, Maharashtra.
See also
*
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 ...
*
Madhavrao Ballal Peshwa
*
Bhat family
References
External links
*
{{MarathaEmpire
Peshwa dynasty
1760 births
1772 deaths
Women of the Maratha Empire
People who committed sati
18th-century Indian royalty
People from Solapur
18th-century suicides