Vasudeo Sitaram Bendrey (abbr. V. S. Bendrey) was a historian, author, editor, translator and publisher in the Marathi language. Known as the Bhishmacharya of Marathi History, his research was dedicated to the history of Maharashtra. He wrote, edited and translated over 60 books on various history topics.
Most popularly, he is known for discovering the earliest known image of Shivaji. Before this discovery, the appearance of Shivaji was unknown.
His first biography was on Sambhaji, Shivaji's son and second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire; published after years of extensive research.
He also conducted research on the actual samādhi of Sambhaji, which is located in Vadhu Budruk village in Pune District, Maharashtra.
He is the author of the book Sadhan Chikitsa published in 1928. This book was considered to be his first historical volume, many contemporary historians considering it to be a must-read book for aspiring historians and researchers of Maratha history.Bendrey, V. S. Sadhan Chikitsa. Prakrut Prakashan, 2022, p. 10.
His other notable works included the books on Sant Tukaram, Rajaram I, Shahaji, Maloji. He was also a member of the committee which decided the actual birth date of Shivaji, also known as Shiv Jayanti, that was formed by the Government of Maharashtra in 1966.
Early life Bendrey was born in a Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) family from Maharashtra. His early education took place in Pen, and he completed his matriculation at Wilson high school in Mumbai. At the time, the matriculation exam age requirement was 16, but Bendrey took the exam at just the age of 14 years old. For those two years, he took an unpaid internship at the offices of the railway audit. During his stint as an unpaid intern, he mastered shorthand in three months. His ability to master shorthand in a short period earned him a gold medal. He became noticed by his superiors for his work ethic, and they recommended him to become a second level gazetted officer. Mr J.G. Converton, the Director of Education, saw potential in Bendrey and encouraged him to pursue researching the history of the Maratha's as his career.
Among his prominent works were his two volumes on Shivaji, one volume on the life of Sambhaji, and works on the "abhangs" of Sant Tukaram. He retired at the age of 55 to pursue his passion in writing and researching Maratha history.
He lived for 92 years and spent all the time he had working on his research into the history of Maratha's. His last work was on Sant Tukaram; he died before the book was published. This task was completed by his son Ravindra Bendrey. He died on 16 July 1986 at his home in Mumbai.
Sadhan Chikitsa
Bendrey started his research and study in Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, Pune at a very young age. In 1928, he raised to prominence with the publication of his first book called Sadhan-ChikitsaWorldcat https://www.worldcat.org/title/238955995, published in Pune. This book was considered to be his first historical volume as many historians of the time considered it to be a must-read book for aspiring historians and researchers of Maratha history.Bendrey 2022 p. 316. Sadhan-Chikitsa served as a concise introduction to Maratha history as well as a guide that provided the tools for conducting research in the field. Prof S.A. Dange, a prominent history researcher of the time, saw great value in following the principles of research laid out in the book.
Journey to Europe
In 1938 his work and depth of knowledge in the history of Marathas was recognized by Lord Braybon who recommended that Bendrey be provided a historical research scholarship. This scholarship provided Bendrey the opportunity to go to England and Europe, where he spent all the time he could studying historical papers that were filed at various research institutions. Since he was dealing with documents and artifacts that were hundreds of years old, the prime minister of England gave him a special permission that allowed him to go over the material.
Searching for the first image of Shivaji Maharaj
He was often quoted as saying that history could only be written when one had truly examined the proofs that were provided, a view widely accepted by his colleagues. One example of this was his research into the portrait of Shivaji that was widely accepted in the early twentieth century. Later accounts of his research state that this earlier, popularly circulated image was not of Shivaji at all, but was associated with Ibrahim Khan, a nobleman of the Adilshahi kingdom of Bijapur.
While researching the life of Sambhaji — research he had begun by 1931, when he founded the Sambhaji Charitra Karyalaya specifically to gather materials for a historical biography of Sambhaji — Bendrey came across a portrait bearing the Dutch inscription "Den Heer Seva Gi" ("The Honourable Shivaji"), published in the Dutch compiler François Valentijn's Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën (Deel IV, Tweede Stuk, "Suratte. Levens der Groote Mogols," Dordrecht/Amsterdam, 1724). This material was connected to the collection assembled by Colin Mackenzie, which passed to the East India Company's library and subsequently to the India Office in London. Valentijn, who was born on 17 April 1666 in Dordrecht, was not himself present at Surat during Shivaji's raid on the city in January 1664; the portrait's artist is not named in the surviving Dutch text, which states only that the image was made "na't leven" (from life).
Bendrey obtained an authorised copy of the portrait through the India Office in London, and it was publicly presented at an event in Pune on Shiv Jayanti at Shivaji Mandir on 14 March 1933, arranged by Sahityacharya N. C. Kelkar, with D. V. Apte of the Sambhaji Charitra Karyalaya presenting the image. The event was reported in Kesari on 21 March 1933.Kesari, Year 53, Issue 23, 21 March 1933, p. 10, "Shivajimaharajanchi Yogyata." The published portrait itself carried the following printed text: "Copied from the Painting secured by Von Valentyn just after the Surat Sack of 1664 A.D. MacKenzie Collection, Vol. XIII," together with "With Kind Permission from the India Office, London" and "Published by Mr. V. S. Bendrey." Bendrey priced the portrait at one anna a copy to make it widely affordable, and described it in his own contemporary publications as "Contemporary and very reliable. Drawn in 1664 A.D." The exact wording of the portrait's printed provenance statement was independently confirmed seven years later by the scholar P. K. Gode. The portrait's printed source reference, "Mackenzie Collection, Vol. XIII," has not been matched with certainty to any presently catalogued Mackenzie manuscript or drawings volume in the British Library.
During a later research visit to London and Europe beginning in 1938, Bendrey personally examined source material connected with the portrait at the India Office Library, including Valentijn's fourth volume, and verified his earlier findings. This portrait subsequently became the basis for the oil portrait of Shivaji painted by artist G. Kamble, who in a letter to Bendrey dated 8 January 1988 wrote that Babasaheb Purandare had supplied him with the original line-sketch on Bendrey's authority; Kamble studied it for five years before completing the oil portrait, which was presented to the Government of Maharashtra on 15 August 1974.Letter from G. Kamble to V. S. Bendrey, 8 January 1988. V. S. Bendrey also authored two books on Shivaji, published in 1970.
The 1938 London Research and the Bhavani Sword
While conducting research in London in 1938, Bendrey remained in active contact with the Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal in Pune. In June 1938 he sent the Mandal a research note on the Bhavani sword of Shivaji from London; a fellow researcher wrote to him pointing out that no contemporary evidence for the sword survived apart from three verses by the poet Hari Kavi, and Bendrey subsequently acknowledged the strength of this evidence in his own published work. Bendrey's resulting article, "The Bhavani Sword of Shivaji the Great," was published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Arts in October 1938, using a photocopy of the relevant manuscript page supplied by P. K. Gode. The article prompted a published response two weeks later from Chas. E. Lee in the same journal, concerning the reading of the sword's inscription. Writing in 2024, historian Andrew Halladay noted that Bendrey had correctly interpreted the sword's inscription when he drew attention to it in 1938.
Work on Sambhaji
For years it was believed that Sambhaji's death and samadhi was located in Tulapur but Bendrey's research led him to prove that the true location of Sambhaji's samadhi was in Vadhu Budruk (near Pune). He went to the location of Sambhaji's samadhi and discovered that it was in a state where nature had overrun it. He and his fellow historians cleaned the place to find the "Vrindavan'' of Sambhaji. Every year, in the month of March during the new moon (Sambhaji's death day) a big celebration is held in Vadhu to commemorate the life of Sambhaji. In 1999, Sambhaji's biography was also republished for the 3rd time and was released in Vadhu.Bendrey V. S., Chhatrapati Sambhaji, Marathidesha Foundation, 2022
Coronation of Shivaji
The coronation of Shivaji 350 years ago holds immense significance in the religious, social, national, and constitutional domains of Maharashtra. Historians did not have precise information about this historic event until Bendrey discovered the Sanskrit manuscript "Shivarajyabhishek Prayogah"Bendrey V. S., Shivrajabhishek Prayoga, 1959, p. 3. written by Gagabhatta in 1943, unveiling this long-lost treasure. Through extensive study of the grandeur and importance of the coronation ceremony, Bendrey published it in Marathi and English, making it accessible to the people of Maharashtra and beyond. The significance of Shivaji's coronation event lies in the unification of Maharashtra, the establishment of the Maratha Empire, and the attainment of independence for Maharashtra.Shivshahir Babasaheb Purandare talks about V. S. Bendrey, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21pADQ5gWVwDaily Sakal, 6th June 2023, https://www.esakal.com/maharashtra/sadhana-bendre-erande-writes-chhatrapati-shivaji-maharaj-shivrajyabhishek-sohala-historical-golden-dawn-pjp78Daily Lokmat, 6th June 2023, https://www.lokmat.com/editorial/story-of-chhatrapati-shivaji-maharaj-shiv-rajyabhishek-a-a719/Daily Prabhat, 6th June 2023, https://www.dainikprabhat.com/special-wa-c-bendre-and-sri-shivarajabhishekpryoga/
The 1967 Publication of Malojiraje Aani Shahaji Maharaj
Bendrey's book Malojiraje Aani Shahaji Maharaj ("Maloji Raje and Shahaji Maharaj") was formally released at a publication ceremony at Rangmandir, Naigaon, Mumbai, in early July 1967 (sources consulted give the date as either 2 or 3 July; this should be confirmed against the original printed programme or contemporary press before publishing a specific date). The book was presided over and released by Yashwantrao Chavan, then a senior Indian cabinet minister and former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, at Bendrey's personal request. Chavan's speech at the event, recalling Bendrey's decades of source-based research and urging him to continue writing on the period preceding Shivaji, was later reprinted in Chavan's own book of collected speeches, Yugantar.
Life at Peshwa and Thanjavur Daftar