Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar was a Maratha General during the Peshwa Period. He is renowned as the builder of the Varadvinayak temple in Mahad.
Military career
Biwalkar rose to be a Sardar of the Maratha Peshwas. He was Sar-Subedar of Kalyan and the Northern Konkan during the reigns of Peshwas Baji Rao I and Balaji Baji Rao. He faithfully served the Peshwas in subduing the rebellion of Damaji Gaikwad in March 1751.
Biwalkar's major historical role is in the conflict between the Peshwas and Tulaji Angre, a son of the great Maratha Koli admiral Kanhoji Angre. The first Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath had pacified the Angres in 1713, getting Kanhoji to recognize the supremacy of the Maratha Chhatrapati Shahu. Through the reigns of Baji Rao I and Balaji Baji Rao, the Angres had carved out a semi-autonomous fiefdom, nominally subordinate to the Maratha kingdom. After the death of Kanhoji Angre, his sons continually feuded with each other. Kolaba Fort was controlled by Manaji Angre. Sambhaji Angre retained the fortresses of Suvarnadurg and Vijayadurg and was succeeded by his half-brother Tulaji. Tulaji was ambitious and capable and did not wish to be subordinate to the Peshwa. He plundered the ships of all nations and began to levy contributions from the Peshwa's own territories. Tulaji styled Balaji Vishwanath as an usurper, and intrigued with the Kolhapur Bhonsle rulers, Tarabai and Rajaram II of Satara. In the words of Kincaid & Parasnis:
Buildings
Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar's built several temples and other civic buildings. His mansion in Kalyan survived into the 20th century. In 1765 he built an irrigation tank, Pokhran that still survives. Situated at Parnaka Kalyan West it is spread over an area of 20,000 sq ft and is 70 ft deep. His house in Thane was the district judge's office during the British administration. In Thane he repaired the temple of Koupineshwar, which was built in Shilahara era. His most famous relic is the temple of Varadavinayak at Mahad.
Varadavinayak
In 1725 he built the Varadavinayak temple in Mahad. Today this is regarded as one of the Ashtavinayak, the 8 major Ganesh temples of Maharashtra. The temple is located three kilometers off the Pune-Mumbai highway near Khopoli.
Ganeshotsav
Biwalkar built a large mansion known as the Subedarwada in Kalyan. During the freedom struggle in 1906 Bal Gangadhar Tilak visited Kalyan and stayed at the mansion. Tilak revived and popularized the annual Ganesh festival through public celebrations in order to bring people closer and awaken them towards the cause of freedom struggle. While the Subedarwada is no longer in existence, the annual Ganesh Utsav celebrations continue. A school was founded in 1896 at the side of the Subedarwada. The descendants of Ramji Mahadev continue to live in a rented house nearby.
