The Peshwa in Shivaji’s Ashtapradhan was the Mukhya Pradhan or Prime Minister. As the most important officer, the Peshwa was the head of both the general administration and the civil authority. He was tasked with looking after the welfare of the kingdom and reporting directly to the Chhatrapati. Although Shivaji’s system intended for the eight ministers to check each other’s power, the Peshwa’s strategic and administrative responsibilities laid the groundwork for the later usurpation of power by the hereditary Peshwas in the 18th century.