The Shaniwar Wada at Pune, with all its glory and Maratha heritage, is associated with one of the most popular ghost tales of Indian royalty. As per reports, the cries of help from the young Peshwa Prince Narayan Rao can even be heard today within the dilapidated fort, particularly when there is a full moon in the sky.
Constructed in the year 1732, the Shaniwar Wada was constructed to serve as the centre for the Peshwas by Baji Rao I, who happened to be one of the greatest rulers of the Maratha Empire. The huge fortress, covering 625 acres of land, soon became the centre of Maratha rule. Baji Rao I spent all his life here before dying.
Nevertheless, the line of succession got disrupted with the death of the two grandsons of Baji Rao I. The eldest of them, Vishwas Rao, died on the battlefield before he could become the Peshwa. His younger brother Madhav Rao became the ruler and restored the Maratha Empire during tough times. But he died of tuberculosis at the age of 27.
That made it necessary for the youngest grandson, Narayan Rao, to take charge. He became the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy at the age of 17. The young leader faced difficulties in handling his responsibilities and did not have the required political acumen.
His uncle, Raghunath Rao, was convinced that he was the legitimate heir and had caused many problems to the previous Peshwa, Madhav Rao, who had put him in prison. After three escape attempts from prison, a plot was hatched against Narayan Rao.
The incident occurred on 30th August, 1773, when Ganesh Chaturthi was being celebrated. Raghunath Rao and his followers made use of the celebrations to disguise themselves and corrupt Narayan Rao’s guards.
On the entry of the attackers, the young Peshwa is said to have pleaded for assistance from his uncle, saying “Kaka mala bachva” (Uncle, save me). Nowadays, some people are convinced that the ghost of Narayan Rao is still haunting the Shaniwar Wada. Especially during the full moon, people have claimed to hear a young boy screaming, "Kaka mala bachva."
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