Govind Sakharam Sardesai
Encyclopedia
Govind Sakharam Sardesai (Devanagari
: गोविंद सखाराम सरदेसाई) (May 17, 1865 - November 29, 1959), popularly known as Riyasatkar Sardesai (रियासतकार सरदेसाई), was an eminent historian from Maharashtra
, India
.
Through his Riyasats written in Marathi
, Sardesai presented an account of over 1,000 years of the Indian history until 1848. His three-volume New History of Marathas in English has been acclaimed as a reliable history of Maratha Empire
.
Sardesai received for his literary work a Padmabhushan award from the Government of India
in 1957.
. He received his high school education in Ratnagiri
, and college education in Pune
and Mumbai
. Then he joined the service of the princely state of Baroda
in 1889. Shortly thereafter, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
appointed him as his personal secretary, and subsequently as a tutor of the princes.
He often accompanied the Maharaja during the latter's trips to the U.K., U.S.A., and Europe
; this helped Sardesai to broaden his outlook of history.
Sardesai wrote eight volumes of Marathi Riyasat, three volumes of Musalmani Riyasat, and two volumes of British Riyasat.
Historian Tryambak Shankar Shejwalkar
had worked as his assistant in the above endeavor. Shejwalkar had written the preface to one of his volumes on Peshwas; Sardesai asked him to write the preface because Shejwalkar held some contrary historical views.
After retiring from service at Baroda
state in 1925, Sardesai settled in the village of Kamshet near Pune
. In accord with a suggestion from Sir Jadunath Sarkar
, the government of Bombay asked Sardesai to take up the work of editing and publishing Peshwa
daftar. He then painstakingly examined almost 35,000 documents, comprising 27,332 in Modi
Marathi
; 7,482 in English
; 129 in Gujrati
; and 29 in Persian
. Subsequently, he published 45 volumes of Peshwa
daftar consisting of 7,801 pages and covering 8,650 documents.
Later, jointly with Sarkar, Sardesai edited and published Poona Residency Correspondence consisting of 7,193 pages and covering 4,159 letters. With the help of some newly discovered sources, he wrote at his age 80, The New History of Marathas.
'Govindrao-nana', as he was called, led a disciplined life and could climb up Sinhagadh without having to stop even in his seventies.
Sardesai died at Kamshet on November 29, 1959 at the age of 94.
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: गोविंद सखाराम सरदेसाई) (May 17, 1865 - November 29, 1959), popularly known as Riyasatkar Sardesai (रियासतकार सरदेसाई), was an eminent historian from Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Through his Riyasats written in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Sardesai presented an account of over 1,000 years of the Indian history until 1848. His three-volume New History of Marathas in English has been acclaimed as a reliable history of Maratha Empire
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
.
Sardesai received for his literary work a Padmabhushan award from the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
in 1957.
Early life
Sardesai was born in a middle class family in the village of Gowil in Ratnagiri DistrictRatnagiri District
Ratnagiri district is one of the 35 districts of Maharashtra state in western India. Ratnagiri is the district headquarters of the district. The district is 11.33% urban. The district is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Sindhudurg district to the south, Raigad district to the north and...
. He received his high school education in Ratnagiri
Ratnagiri
Ratnāgiri is a port city on the Arabian Sea coast in Ratnagiri district in the southwestern part of Maharashtra, India. The district is a part of Konkan.The Sahyadri mountains border Ratnagiri to the east...
, and college education in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. Then he joined the service of the princely state of Baroda
Baroda State
Baroda State was an Indian princely state in present-day Gujarat, ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty from its formation in 1721 until 1947 when it succeed to newly formed, India. With the city of Baroda as its capital, during the British Raj it was part of the Baroda Residency...
in 1889. Shortly thereafter, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
165454565Sayajirao Gaekwad III was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is notably remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule....
appointed him as his personal secretary, and subsequently as a tutor of the princes.
Later life
With encouragement from the Maharaja and availing himself of access to the large collection of books and historical papers in the royal library, Sardesai compiled voluminous historical data and wrote several books.He often accompanied the Maharaja during the latter's trips to the U.K., U.S.A., and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
; this helped Sardesai to broaden his outlook of history.
Sardesai wrote eight volumes of Marathi Riyasat, three volumes of Musalmani Riyasat, and two volumes of British Riyasat.
Historian Tryambak Shankar Shejwalkar
Tryambak Shankar Shejwalkar
Tryambak Shankar Shejwalkar was an award-winning historian and essayist.-Biography:...
had worked as his assistant in the above endeavor. Shejwalkar had written the preface to one of his volumes on Peshwas; Sardesai asked him to write the preface because Shejwalkar held some contrary historical views.
After retiring from service at Baroda
Baroda State
Baroda State was an Indian princely state in present-day Gujarat, ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty from its formation in 1721 until 1947 when it succeed to newly formed, India. With the city of Baroda as its capital, during the British Raj it was part of the Baroda Residency...
state in 1925, Sardesai settled in the village of Kamshet near Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
. In accord with a suggestion from Sir Jadunath Sarkar
Jadunath Sarkar
Sir Jadunath Sarkar was a prominent Indian Bengali aristocrat and historian.-Background:Born in Singra, Natore. He was the son of Rajkumar Sarkar, the Zamindar of Karchamaria in Natore in Bengal.-Education:...
, the government of Bombay asked Sardesai to take up the work of editing and publishing Peshwa
Peshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
daftar. He then painstakingly examined almost 35,000 documents, comprising 27,332 in Modi
Modi
Modi can refer to:* Monochorionic-Diamniotic, a type of twin* Modi , a surname used in India* Móði, one of Thor's sons* Modi Rosenfeld, stand up comedian* Modi script, a historical script used in the Maratha empire...
Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
; 7,482 in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
; 129 in Gujrati
Gujrati
Gujrati may refer to anything of or relating to:* Gujrat, a city in Punjab, Pakistan* Gujrat District, the corresponding district of Punjab...
; and 29 in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. Subsequently, he published 45 volumes of Peshwa
Peshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
daftar consisting of 7,801 pages and covering 8,650 documents.
Later, jointly with Sarkar, Sardesai edited and published Poona Residency Correspondence consisting of 7,193 pages and covering 4,159 letters. With the help of some newly discovered sources, he wrote at his age 80, The New History of Marathas.
'Govindrao-nana', as he was called, led a disciplined life and could climb up Sinhagadh without having to stop even in his seventies.
Sardesai died at Kamshet on November 29, 1959 at the age of 94.
Works
Sardasai wrote all of his works in Marathi except for the last three in the following list, which he had written in English.- Musalmani Riyasat
- Marathi Riyasat
- British Riyasat
- Peshwe Daftar
- Aitihasik Wanshawali
- Aitihasik Gharani
- Aitihasik Patrawyawahar
- Aitihasik Patrabodh
- Mahadaji Shinde Yanchi Patre
- Anupuran
- Paramanand Kawyam
- Sardesai Gharanyacha Itihas
- Shyamkantachi Patre
- Majhi Sansar Yatra
- Poona Residency Correspondence
- Main Currents of Maratha History
- The New History of Marathas
Honors
- 1937 - Honored with the title 'Rav Bahaddur'
- 1946 - Golden Award with the title 'Itihas Martand' at DhuleDhuleDhule is a city and a Municipal Corporation in Dhule district in northwestern part of Maharashtra state, India. It is one of the very few well-planned cities of India before Indian Independence.-Geography:Dhule is located at...
- 1947 - Honored by Baroda State
- 1951 - President, Bharatiya Itihas Parishad
- 1951 - Doctor of Literature conferred by University of PuneUniversity of PuneThe University of Pune , is a university located in northwestern Pune, India. It was founded in 1949. Spread over a campus, the university is home to 46 academic departments...
- 1957 - Padmabhushan award from the Government of IndiaGovernment of IndiaThe Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
See also
- List of Historians
- List of historians by area of study
- List of Padmabhushan
- List of Marathi people
- Karhade BrahminKarhade BrahminKarhade Brahmins are a predominantly Pancha Dravida Brahmins Marathi and Konkani speaking Hindu community in India.-Etymology and Origin:*The name Karháda or Karáda, is the...