Please Download Our Android App to Continue Editing

Menavli is a village about three kilometres from Wai in the Satara district. The village's claim to fame is due to the palace (wada) built by Nana Fadnavis, 18th century Maratha statesman and the regent of Peshwa Madhavrao II.

Bhavan Rao Trymbak Pant Pratinidhi of Aundh and Raghunath Ghanshyam Mantri (Satara) bestowed the village of Menavli to Nana Phadnavis in December 1768.

Nana Phadnavis settled the village and built his residence complex here. It had a Wada (A mansion with an inner courtyard), a Ghat (steps) leading from the mansion to the Krishna river and two temples, one dedicated to Lord Vishnu and another to Meneshwar (मेणेश्वर) Lord Shiva. The architectural combination of a Wada-type residence, a Ghat on a water-body and a Temple was typical of Peshwa era. This construction was completed around 1780. The Phadnavis wada is one of the very rare places where such a combination is preserved intact. Originally, simple stone steps descending into a river, ghats evolved into an elaborate arrangement of terraces with separate areas for different activities, such as bathing, washing, filling water and performing religious rites. Temples were traditionally built on ghats The Shiva temple on the ghat has a bell which was taken from a Portuguese church inside Vasai Fort by Chimaji Appa, Maratha general and brother of Bajirao I when he captured the fort from the Portuguese in 1739.

Nana, being the Peshwas' record keeper transcribed and maintained their documents of accounts and administrative letters in the ancient "Modi" script. These documents, known as the famous "Menavli Daptar" were preserved in this Wada at Menavli.The Daptar documents are now preserved at Deccan College, Pune

After Nana's death in 1800, the Peshwa Bajirao II, confiscated the Wada. The British General Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington) returned the property to the Nana's wife Jeeubai on 25 March 1804. After her death, Sir Bartle Frere (governor of Bombay) handed over the property to Nana's descendants.