 Maloji was born in 1552 to Babaji Bhosale (d. 1597), a patil (chief) of the Hingni Berdi and Devalgaon villages around Pune.The family belonged to the Bhonsle Maratha clan, and claimed descent from the Suryavanshi Sisodia Rajput royal family of Udaipur.Maloji had a younger brother, Vithoji.