Ashtapradhan was a Council of Ministers

The Ashtapradhan (Ashta-Pradhan) was the council of eight ministers instituted by Chhatrapati Shivaji to administer the Maratha state; the Peshwa (prime minister) was the foremost member of this council. Contemporary summaries of Shivaji’s administration describe the Ashtapradhan as his central advisory and executive body, with each minister assigned specific portfolios and responsibilities, and the Peshwa emerging as the leading official within that structure [1]. Scholarly and official accounts of Maratha administration likewise identify the Ashtapradhan as a distinctive feature of the Maratha polity founded by Shivaji, noting the Peshwa’s later rise in power from this original council of ministers [2].

Sources

1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 15: The Marathas > 15.5 Rule of the Peshwas (1713 - 1818) > p. 231
2. [2] https://cbc.gov.in/cbcdev/maratha/maratha.html