Sakharam Bapu Bokil
Portrait of Sakharam Bapu Bokil
BornSakharam Bhagwant Bokil
1700
Died2 August 1781
Raigad, Maratha Empire
(Modern day Maharashtra, India)
ReligionHinduism
OccupationProminent minister, regent to Madhavrao II, and statesman of the Maratha Empire during the Peshwa administration

Sakharam Bapu Bokil (also known as Sakharam Bapu, Sakharam Hari Bokil or Sakharam Bhau), born Sakharam Bhagwant Bokil, was an influential minister, diplomat and statesman of the Maratha Empire during the Peshwa administration in Pune, India.[1] Before joining the Peshwa administration at Pune, Sakharam was the Kulkarni of Hivare.

In Maharashtra and Hyderabad, there were known to be three and a half great men - or wise diplomats. The three and a half wise men were popularly known as Devā, Sakhyā, Vitthe and Nānā. Devā stood for Devāśipant, Sakhyā for Sakhārām Băpu Bokil, Vitthal for Vithal Sundar at the Court of the Nizām and Nānā for the famous Nana Phadnis.[2] Vitthal Sundar was with the Nizam and died in the famous battle of Rakshasbhuvan on 10 August 1763. Devajipant Chorghade of Narkhed and the other two and half wise men were in Poona and Nagpur. Sakharam Bapu Bokil was one full wise man while Nana Phadnis was a half wise man. He was the hereditary Kulkarni of Hiware village which was bestowed as a prize upon his ancestor Pantaji Gopinath. He was a clerk with Mahadji Purandare. He died at Raigadh.

Early life

Sakharam Bapu was born into a Deshastha Brahmin family.[3] He is a descendant of Pantaji Gopinath, who had helped Shivaji defeat Afzal Khan at Pratapgad. Sakharam Bapu is the son of Somnath Raoji, who was the Dabir and foreign minister of the Maratha Empire and incharge of the Berar conquests, he also served in the Konkan wars. Sakharam Bapu was the favourite commander and friend of Raghunathrao Peshwa.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Sailendra Nath Sen (1994). Anglo-Maratha relations during the administration of Warren Hastings 1772-1785, Volume 1 (reprint ed.). Bombay: Popular Prakashan. p. 86. ISBN 81-7154-578-5.
  2. ↑ Maharashtra State Gazeteers, Volume 14. Gazeteers Department, Government of Maharashtra. 1976. p. 84.
  3. ↑ Balkrishna Govind Gokhale (1988). Poona in the eighteenth century: an urban history. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 112. ISBN 9780195621372. (page 112) One is that with the exception of Sakharam- bapu Bokil, no Deshastha belonged to the uppermost stratum of leadership in Poona city. (page 116) A document of 1767 describes Sakharam Bapu Bokil (also a Deshastha) as a protege of Nilakantha Mahadeva (Aba) Purandare.
  4. ↑ B. K. Ahluwalia; Shashi Ahluwalia (1984). Shivaji and Indian Nationalism. Cultural Publishing House. p. 47.
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