Vishnubhat Godse

Vishnubhat Godse (1827-1904) (commonly known as Godse Bhataji) was an Indian traveller and a Marathi writer. Godse is best known for his travelogue Majha Pravas (My Travels), which is notable for the description of his "true and unique" experiences of the First War of Independence of 1857 during his travels in North India. It is one of the earliest travelogues written in the Marathi language. He was a brahmin priest Vishnubhat Godse was a priest from Varsai, a village near Pen in Bombay Presidency. His ancestors worked as priests during the reign of the Peshwas, but the defeat of the Peshwas in 1818 by the East India Company, a few years before his birth, meant his family had fallen on hard times. Vishnubhat therefore decided to visit North India in search of a livelihood. Vishnubhat started his journey to North India on March 30, 1857 with his uncle. On July 1, 1857, he reached the Mhow Cantonment where he first heard news of the revolt. After that he visited Gwalior, Dhar, and Ujjain, but he could not find a way to make a living because of the changed conditions due to the revolt.