Gopikabai
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Gopika | |
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Born | Supa, Parner, India | December 20, 1724
Died | August 11, 1778 | (aged 53)
Spouse | Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao |
Children | |
Parent |
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Relatives | Anandrao Raste (brother) |
Gopika | |
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House |
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Gopikabai (December 20, 1724 – August 11, 1778)[citation needed] was Peshwin of Maratha Empire, as the wife of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao (also called Nanasaheb Peshwa). She had a very
Childhood
Gopikabai was the daughter of Bhikaji Naik Raste of Wai, near Pune. Gopikabai was noticed by Radhabai, the mother of
Orthodox upbringing
Gopikabai faced severe drawbacks in her later life as she was underexposed or never given proper training in handling court administrative or military matters. Her orthodox religious upbringing was thought to be a major cause of her haughty behaviour and narrow-minded outlook. Some of the crueler decisions which Gopikabai took in later life, including severing relations with her second son
Envy and ego
After her husband became Peshwa, Gopikabai was unable to get along with the other women in the Peshwa's household and developed a rivalry with her cousin
Death of Nanasaheb Peshwa
Gopikabai blamed Radhikabai for being a bad omen and causing the death of her son Vishwasrao during the
Ascendency and reign of Madhavrao
After the death of Nanasaheb Peshwa, a dispute arose about appointments in the Peshwa administration. Chhatrapati Shahu had died without an heir and by this time the post of Peshwa had become hereditary. Gopikabai, advised by her brother, attempted to involve herself in administrative matters. Since
Finally, it was decided that Madhavrao would ascend the post of Peshwa, under the guidance of Raghunathrao. This decision was a setback for Gopikabai who had hoped to have a controlling influence over her son on becoming the Peshwa but now would have to take up matters with Raghunathrao, who in turn was under the strong influence of his wife Anandibai. Moreover, Gopikabai's lack of proper training for court administration made her susceptible to poor advice from courtiers spoiling her relationship with her son. With help from her brother Sardar Raste, who had become an influential moneylender, she tried to influence her son
Madhavrao Peshwa started taking an active part in administrative matters and displayed an intelligent decision-making ability. Gopikabai urged him to be assertive and do away with Raghunathrao's control over his administration. A few wrong decisions on Raghunathrao's part caused a wide rift in the administration. Sardar Raste collaborated with Nizam of Hyderabad and Bhonsale of Nagpur during their invasion of Pune against Raghunathrao's administration.
Confinement at Nashik
By sidelining Raghunathrao, Madhavrao Peshwa assumed control of the Peshwa administration. One of his first acts was to punish those who had assisted Nizam, prominent among them Sardar Raste. Gopikabai, who pleaded for mercy for her brother, was sternly warned of the consequences of such an act and was told not to interfere in administrative matters. When she persisted, she was confined to Nashik. Gopikabai remained at Nashik, performing orthodox Hindu rituals, until the death of Madhavrao in 1773 from tuberculosis. As Madhavrao died without an heir, Raghunathrao again made his claim for control of the Peshwa administration at Anandibai's insistence.
Return to Pune
Narayanrao's administration was paralyzed by debt and increasing opposition to him especially from Raghunathrao and Anandibai led to him being murdered. This incident was another setback for Gopikabai, and she again lost the control which she had gained a year and a half earlier and had to return to Nashik.
In popular culture
- In the 1994 Hindi TV series The Great Maratha, Gopikabai's character was portrayed by Shama Deshpande.
- In the 2014 Indian Marathi-language film, Rama Madhav, she is portrayed by Mrinal Kulkarni.
- In the 2019 Hindi film, Panipat, Gopikabai's character was portrayed by Padmini Kolhapure.
- In 2019 Marathi TV series, Swamini, she was portrayed by Aishwarya Narkar.
References
- ^ Patil, Vishwas. Sambhaji.