Chimaji Appa Samadhi
(
Omkareshwar
)
Chimaji
fought many wars between 1728-32 in region of Malwa and defeated many major Mughal
Subhedars. After that he concentrated his energies towards the Western Ghats.
Vasai was the ultimate objective of the war, as
this was the capital of the provincial government of Portugal's northern
Indianola. During the entire war with Chimaji Appa during 1737–1740, besides
the Northern Province's capital Vasai, they further lost eight cities, four
chief ports, twenty fortress, two fortified hills and 340 villages. The losses
amounted to nearly the whole of the Northern Provinces. Chimaji Appa collected
five large bells after he won the war against the Portuguese from Vasai Fort.
He offered the bells to Bhimashankar,
Menavali, Pune, Omkareshwar, Ramlinga, and
ABC temples. A relationship built on trust and camaraderie between Bajirao and Chimaji was
the key to the meteoric rise of the Marathas during Bajirao Peshwa's
reign.
Though shadowed by the deeds of valorous Bajirao’s
success, one cannot
deny the importance of achievements of the
humble, diplomatic, friendly, righteous, dutiful, soft-spoken, characterful,
meticulously accounting and determined Maratha Warrior.
Chimaji appa got
the temple of Omkareshwar
built in Pune on the banks of the Mutha. The
original temple also had ghats
leading to the river. Chimaji’s last
rites were performed here and a Smadhi in his memory stands there today.