Marathyanchya Itihasachi Sadhane (Sources of the History of Marathas)
Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade (24 July 1863 – 31 December 1926) was an Indian historian,[1] known for his work on the history of the Maratha Empire.[2] He pioneered research into the Empire by visiting hundreds of villages across India and gathering thousands of historical documents, especially family records.[2] He also founded the Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, a research institute, at Pune in 1910.[3]
The historian, Ram Sharan Sharma says: "With his unadulterated passion for research, V.K. Rajwade went from village to village in Maharashtra in search of Sanskritmanuscripts and sources of Maratha history; which were published in twenty-two volumes."[4]
The Indian History Congress created the Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade Award for lifelong service and contribution to Indian history.
Rajwade married after graduating from college but his wife died young. Thereafter he chose to remain single and dedicate his life to history and research. In 1895 he started a Marathi magazine called Bhashantar (meaning ‘translation’) through which he brought works of Western historians and scholars such as Plato, Aristotle, and Edward Gibbon, and also Indian scholars like Shankaracharya to Marathi speaking readers. Simultaneously, by writing articles and delivering speeches he also started educating Marathi people on several subjects like history of the Marathas, history of the world, history of Marathi literature, grammar of Marathi and Sanskrit languages. In 1910, he founded the Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal at Pune and kept all his works and historical papers gathered by him in the custody of the Mandal.
After his sudden death in 1926, the ‘Rajwade Sanshodhak Mandal’ was founded at Dhule and the works and collection amassed in the later periods of his life were kept there. Both institutions have since been contributing in the field of history and culture of India to this date.
