Until the rise of Balaji Vishvanath Peshwa, who belonged to Chitpavan Brahmin sub-caste, they held a low position and were known chiefly as clerks in the Deccan. Even after several generations of living in the Deccan, with strict attention to Brahmin rituals and austere life, other classes of Brahmins refused to eat with them. One story is that when Bajirao II, the last of the Chitpavan Brahmin Peshwas (1796-1818), was in Nasik he was not allowed to go down to the Godavari river using the same flight of steps as the priests from the local Trimbakeswar temple.
They were relatively unknown outside Konkan until, in the 18th century the ruler of Maratha kingdom Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj appointed a Chitpavan Brahmin, Balaji Vishwanath Bhatt as his Peshwa or Prime Minister. It was the first time a Brahmin of Konkan origin held an important position in Deccani politics in Maharashtra. Eventually, many Chitpavan Brahmins joined the service of Marattha kingdom and in due course called the plateau of Deccan their home.
Before the Peshwa's, the community was predominantly found in the Konkan coastal belt of Maharashtra state of India but afterwards migrated to various parts of India. Today the community is found mainly in the state of Maharashtra particularly the Konkan coastal belt and the Deccan Plateau. They are also scattered in small pockets in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Many of the community members have migrated to the Middle East Gulf States -particularly U.A.E. and also to U.K, Australia and U.S.A.
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