Peshwas forced Pathare Prabhus to keep widow remarriage against their wishes.

Evidence

At one time the Pathare Prabhus had widow remarriage as a custom of their caste. This custom of widow remarriage was later on looked upon as a mark of social inferiority by some members of the caste, especially because it was contrary to the custom prevalent among the Brahmins. With the object of raising the status of their community, some Pathare Prabhus sought to stop this practice of widow remarriage that was prevalent in their caste. The community was divided into two camps, one for and the other against the innovation. The Peshwas took the side of those in favour of widow remarriage, and thus virtually prohibited the Pathare Prabhus from following the ways of the Brahmins. — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 888

Categorization

• XREF: Directly relevant to the reader’s interest in the caste system as a mechanism — upper castes froze lower-caste practices in place, here even overriding a community’s own wish for reform.