J. Grant Duff says in "History of the Marathas":
"Bred a soldier as well as a statesman, Baji rao united the enterprise, vigour, and hardihood of a Maratha chief with the polished manners, the sagacity, and address which frequently distinguish the Brahmins of the Concan. Fully acquainted with the financial schemes of his father, he selected that part of the plan calculated to direct the predatory hordes of Maharashtra in a common effort. In this respect, the genius of Baji rao enlarged the schemes which his father devised; and, unlike most Brahmins, of him it may be truly said- he had both- the head to plan and the hand to execute.
Sir R. Temple says in "Oriental Experiences":
"Bajirao was hardly to be surpassed as a rider and was ever forward in action, eager to expose himself under fire if the affair was arduous. He was inured to fatigue and prided himself on enduring the same hardships as his soldiers and sharing their scanty fare. He was moved by an ardour for success in national undertakings, by a patriotic confidence in the Hindu cause as against its old enemies, the Muhammadans and its new rivals, the Europeans, then rising above the political horizon. He lived to see the Maratha empire spread over the Indian continent from the Arabian sea to the Bay of Bengal. He died as he lived - in camp under canvas among his men and he is remembered among the Marathas as the fighting Peshwa, as the incarnation of Hindu energy.
Jadunath Sarkar says in his foreword to "Peshwa Bajirao I and Maratha Expansion"
"Bajirao was a heaven born cavalry leader. In the long and distinguished galaxy of Peshwas, Bajirao Ballal was unequalled for the daring and originality of his genius and the volume and value of his achievements. He was truly a carlylean Hero as king- or rather as Man of action.' If Sir Robert Walpole created the unchallengeable position of the Prime Minister in the unwritten constitution of England, Bajirao created the same institution in the Maratha Raj at exactly the same time.
Surendra Nath Sen says in "The Military System of the Marathas":
"The lover of Mastani knew well how to appeal to the religious sentiments of his co-religionists, although he could scarcely be considered an orthodox Brahman... Shivaji had given the Marathas a common cry, and none appreciated the potency of that cry more clearly than Peshwa Bajirao. Shivaji's military reforms he would not or could not revive, but he stood forth, as Shivaji had done, as champion of Hinduism. People of Central and Northern India saw in him a new deliverer."
I think it's time to recognize the unsung or less-sung heroes of our history from beyond the confines of those who ruled from Delhi. Peshwa Baji Rao is a colossus and who knows how things might have been if he had not died so young.
Thank you so much for the post!
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