Yashwant Rao Holkar (c. 1776-1811) also known as Jaswantrao Holkar belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Empire was the Maharaja of the Maratha Empire. He was a gifted military leader and educated in accountancy as well as literate in Persian and Marathi and Urdu. In May 1802, he marched towards Pune, the seat of the Peshwa. This gave rise to the Battle of Poona in which the Peshwa Baji Rao II was defeated. After the defeat, the Peshwa fled Pune. The Conquest of Pune left Holkar in charge of the administration and he took some constructive steps to rebuild the Maratha Empire.