In the early decades of eighteenth century, under the administrative rule of the Peshwas, the prime ministers appointed by Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, a new wave of culture emerged in Maharashtra. The city of Pune, being the administrative centre, witnessed many new cultural objects. They included pearls and precious stones, varieties of textiles, carpets, saplings of fruits and aromatic plants, gulabdanis or rose sprinklers and fans of the fragrant grass named vala. Performances like Lavani also formed a feature of this cultural life. At our Online Talk #PeshwaiPune, historian Dr Varsha Shirgaonkar provides glimpses of cultural life from the Pune of this era.

About the speaker

Dr. Varsha Shirgaonkar was formerly Head of the Department of History at Ramnarain Ruia College, Matunga, and retired as Professor and Head, Department of History, at S.N.D.T. Women’s University, Mumbai. She has nine books and 67 research articles to her credit. She was awarded research grants for projects by the Royal Numismatic Society, British Museum, London and MMR Heritage Conservation Society, Mumbai, among others.