Noted historian and Padma Vibhushan awardee Balwant Moreshwar Purandare, popularly known as Babasaheb Purandare, died at a Pune hospital on Monday after a brief illness, a doctor said. Purandare (99), an authority on the Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was admitted to the city's Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital three days ago and was being treated for pneumonia.

He was on ventilator support in the hospital's intensive care unit after his health deteriorated on Sunday. He had been in an extremely critical condition since then, the doctor said. Purandare breathed his last shortly after 5 am on Monday, a statement from the hospital said. Known by his moniker 'Shiv Shahir' (Shivaji's bard), Purandare was among the pre-eminent authorities on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.