The Maratha power had reached the zenith of success and glory during Nanasaheb Peshwa’s reign of twenty years. He carried forward the tradition of territorial expansion in the state of Maharashtra. However it was during his reign when the Marathas lost the Third Battle of Panipat and the downfall began.
The Third Battle of Panipat was quiet devastating for Nanasaheb Peshwa as he lost his elder son and his brother in the fateful battle in the year 1761. He died in the same year, unable to recover from the shock. After him the reign of the kingdom came in the hands of his second son Madhavrao Peshwa. The defeat of the Marathas in the battle under the leadership of Nanasaheb Peshwa was the beginning of the downfall of the great empire in Maharashtra.
His contribution to the city of Pune included the construction of the Parvati temple, establishment of a reservoir for the storage of water and a bridge Mutha. He started the concept of ‘neighborhoods’ or Peths. He was one of the important rulers of the Maratha kingdom. Balaji Bajirao saw some of the high and low points of the Maratha Empire.
