Anandarayar Sahib was a poet and administrator who served as a minister in the courts of the Thanjavur Maratha kings Shahuji I, Serfoji I and Tukkoji. He was given the honorific title "Peshwa".

Biography

Anandarayar Sahib hailed from a prominent Deshastha Brahmin family of the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom. He was dharmadhikari during the reign of Shahuji I and dalavoy in the reign of his successor Serfoji I.

Anandarayar Sahib is mentioned in literary works as "Aiyavayyan". He is credited with having duggen a canal called "Aiyavayyanaru" and dedicated agraharams as Mangamatam and Sarabhojirajapuram.

Military Campaigns

Anandarayar led the Thanjavur Maratha forces during the Ramnad war of succession in support of Bhavani Sankar.

Literary works

There are a number of literary works attributed to Anandarayar Sahib or dedicated to him. Anandarayar composed two works, one in Tamil (Advaita Kirtana) and another in Sanskrit (Sarabhoji Charitra).

Later years

While some sources claim that Anandarayar Sahib fell out of favour with the king and was thrown in jail where he died broken-hearted, others claim that Seroji later pardoned the minister who retired to Thiruvenkadu where he died.

References

• K. R. Subramaniam (1928). The Maratha Rajas of Tanjore. pp. 37–40.