Ramabai Peshwa

{{Infobox person

| name = Rama

| image =The Sati of Ramabai.jpg

| caption =The sati of Ramabai, wife of Madhavrao Peshwa

| birth_date = c. 1750

| spouse =Madhavrao I

| death_date = 1772 (death due to sati)

| honorific_prefix = Peshwin

| honorific_suffix = Bai

| children = }}

{{Infobox royalty

|name = Rama

|house = Bhat (by marriage)
Joshi (by birth)

}}

Ramabai (c. 1750–1772) was the wife of Madhavrao Peshwa I. Her father's name was Shivaji Ballal Joshi{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=THR5AAAAIAAJ|title=Poona in the eighteenth century: an urban history|last=Gokhale|first=Balkrishna Govind|author-link=Balkrishna Govind Gokhale|date=1988-01-01|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-562137-2 |language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705055032/http://books.google.com/books?id=THR5AAAAIAAJ|archive-date=2014-07-05}} from Solapur.

Biography

She had gone to Harihareshwar in 1772 when Madhavrao's health was very serious. She always kept fasts for Madhavrao. The couple had no children.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_ALYBAAAAYAAJ|title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Poona|date=1885-01-01|publisher=Printed at the Government Central Press|language=en}}

She was very spiritual and religious. She never intervened in social or political matters. She was described as a great person and caring for all. Though her mother in law Gopika bai peshwa, however, reportedly did not treat her well.

On 18 November 1772, Madhavrao died in the temple premises of Chintamani, Theur. Thousands of citizens visited the site and paid their last respects to their departed leader.

After Madhavrao's death, Ramabai wished to perform sati (self-immolation). The peshwa family including Anandibai, Raghunathrao, and Narayan Rao tried to stop her but she didn't budge. Some sources believe that she had asked Madhavrao for his permission to perform sati before he died.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1YSU9Qp9w0MC|title=Images of Women in Maharashtrian Literature and Religion|last=Feldhaus|first=Anne|date=1996-03-21|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=9780791428382|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324034030/https://books.google.com/books?id=1YSU9Qp9w0MC|archive-date=2018-03-24}} on his funeral pyre on the same date. Madhavrao was cremated on the banks of the Bhima river which was about half a mile from the temple.

A small memorial carved out of stone rests today at this place as a reminder of this leader and his wife.

In popular culture

Ramabai Peshwa's character was essayed in a novel called Swami written by Ranjit Desai{{Cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/screen/it-is-in-my-genes/|title=It is in my genes|date=2014-06-20|website=The Indian Express|access-date=2016-05-07|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306032409/http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/screen/it-is-in-my-genes/|archive-date=2016-03-06}}
In the 1987 TV series, actress Mrinal Dev-Kulkarni played the role of Ramabai in a television series called Swami on the TV channel Doordarshan{{Cite web|url=http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=4914649194284481570&SectionId=4724885822106096577&SectionName=Bollywood&NewsDate=20140805&NewsTitle=Making%2520history%2520with%2520%2520Mrinal%2520Kulkarni|title=Making history with Mrinal Kulkarni {{!}} Sakal Times|website=www.sakaaltimes.com|access-date=2016-05-07|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504100335/http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=4914649194284481570&SectionId=4724885822106096577&SectionName=Bollywood&NewsDate=20140805&NewsTitle=Making%20history%20with%20%20Mrinal%20Kulkarni|archive-date=2016-05-04}}
In the 1994 Hindi TV series The Great Maratha, Ramabai's character was portrayed by Madhura Deo.
In the 2014 movie Rama Madhav, actress Parna Pethe played the role of Ramabai{{Cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/marathi/movies/news/Alok-Rajwade-Parna-Pethe-Rama-Madhav-Amey-Wagh-Mrinal-Kulkarni/articleshow/39948855.cms|title=Amey Wagh supports Rama Madhav actors - Times of India|website=The Times of India|access-date=2016-05-07|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117003719/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/marathi/movies/news/Alok-Rajwade-Parna-Pethe-Rama-Madhav-Amey-Wagh-Mrinal-Kulkarni/articleshow/39948855.cms|archive-date=2017-11-17}}

Memorial

File:Ramabai Memorial.JPG|A memorial marking the death place of Ramabai Peshwa. Ramabai was married to Madhavrao I on 9 December 1758 in Pune. She accompanied Madhavrao I during Karnataka expedition in 1766–67. She made pilgrimages, like that of Shrivardhan and Harihareshwar.

File:Ramabai Peshwa Memorial.JPG|A memorial marking the death place of Ramabai Peshwa (1750-1772), wife of Madhavrao Ballal Peshwa (18th century Indian Premier, Statesman, Patriot). The memorial is located in the town of Theur, Maharashtra.