Balaji Vishwanath (Bhatt) (1662-1720), better known as Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, was the sixth Peshwa and the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas (Marathi for Prime Minister) hailing from the Chitpavan Kokanastha Brahmin Hindu family who gained effective control of the Maratha Empire during the 18th century. Balaji Vishwanath assisted a young Maratha Emperor Shahu to consolidate his grip on a kingdom that had been racked by civil war and persistent attack by the Mughals under Aurangzeb. He was called "the second founder of the Maratha State." Later,his son Bajirao became the peshwa. His second son Chimnaji Appa won the vasai fort.
Shahu appointed Balaji Vishwanath as Peshwa on 16 November 1713.