ABSTRACT
The two striking features of society in Maharashtra before 1818 were the consensus in religious values which tied different social groups in an intimate relationship, and the extent to which the brahmans in general, and the chitpavans in particular, dominated the rest of the community. The consensus between the high and the low castes stemmed from a religious movement which expressed the philosophy of advaita in devotional poetry of striking simplicity and emotive strength, and thereby gained the allegiance of social groups which were otherwise unaffected by the great tradition of Hinduism. The bhakti movement bound the lowly kunbis and the bigoted brahmans in a close bond of religious values, and it mitigated the tension which characterised the relationship between these social groups in regions (such as Tamil Nad) where brahmanical values and popular religion were based on different, and even conflicting, systems of philosophy. However, while the consensus between the high and low castes was deliberately fostered by the Saints and Prophets of Maharashtra in order to neutralise the threat which Islam posed to Hindu society, the dominance of the brahmans over the community flowed from the purely fortuitous seizure of power by the chitpavans in the person of their caste-fellow, Balaji Vishwanath. Since the brahmans monopolised the function of priesthood, and since they also looked upon themselves as the guardians of the traditions of Hindu society, they enjoyed a unique position all over the country. But by seizing political power in Maharashtra, the chitpavan brahmans heightened the dominance of their caste over the rest of the community. Since the Peshwas, in addition, created a new class of landed aristocrats who were recruited from their caste in order to buttress their position, the chitpavans enjoyed a position of unparalleled ascendency over Maharashtra before the events of 1818 transferred authority into the hands of the British Government.
