Shrivardhan

Srivardhan (taluka) is an ancient place of historical importance and is mentioned as being visited by Arjuna Pandav on his pilgrimage. It is a well-known place for traders in the past. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries under Ahmadnagar and afterwards under Bijapur shrivardhan was a port of consequence. It appears in the accounts of leading European travellers as Ziffardan. In 1538 Dom Joao de Castro described it as with little water in the pier at low tide but inside large and roomy. [Primeiro Roteiro da Costa da India, 47.] It is notable as the birthplace of Balaji Visvanath, the first Pesva (1713-1720) who was the deshmukh of the town. In 1713 Srivardhan was one of the sixteen fortified places in the Konkan ceded by Balaji Visvanath Pesva to Kanhoji Ahgre of Kolaba. Balaji was the first Peshwa of the Maratha Empire appointed by Chhatrapati Shahu.