Baji Rao, aided ably by brother Chimaji Appa, fought 36 battles in all and never tasted a defeat. A simple, down to earth man, he mixed freely with his soldiers and set the trend of giving land to his men as 'Vatan' to ensure that the territory won stayed won. In the hindsight though, this had the effect of sowing seeds of the process of decentralisation as opposed to the centralised power which Shivaji sought to establish. The expansion of Maratha Raj under him was spectacular. In 1737, he arrived within the vicinity of Delhi in a surprise attack and split the joint force of Nizam and the Moghuls to defeat them both. The Moghuls surrendered and the Marathas were established as the supreme power in India. Nizam-Ul- Mulk, the string holder of Moghuls, refused to take protection of the Maratha army for obvious resons. Bajirao stayed in Delhi for a few days and retreated to the South to subdue the Portuguese. The decision backfired on the Moghuls as Nader Shah invaded and defiled Delhi in 1739. Nizam later moved over to Hyderabad to establish a dynasty of his own. Shortly afterwards, the stress of relentless campaigns claimed Bajirao. Aged 40, he died in a tent among his men in Ravarkhed on a campaign.His Muslim mistress Mastani commited suicide upon learning of his death. Courtesy --- KIRANMAYI
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