How did the Maratha confederacy expand across India during the 18th century?

The Maratha confederacy expanded across India during the 18th century by capitalizing on the decline of the Mughal Empire and the resulting political fragmentation of the subcontinent.12

Following the death of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, Maratha power revived under the leadership of Shahu, who entrusted administrative and military authority to hereditary chief ministers known as peshwas. Based in Pune, the peshwas directed a rapid northward expansion, seizing control of regions such as Malwa, Gujarat, and Bundelkhand. By the mid-18th century, the Marathas dominated much of the Indian subcontinent, collecting chauth (land revenue tribute) from Rajasthan and Punjab in the north to Bengal and Orissa in the east.132

After a significant defeat at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, the empire transitioned into a confederacy of semi-independent chiefs, including the Sindhia, Holkar, Bhonsle, and Gaekwar families, who maintained nominal allegiance to the peshwa while pursuing their own territorial interests.13