Mumbai: To popularise the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj across the country, Maharashtra’s Mahayuti government has decided to build memorials and museums dedicated to the Maratha warrior king outside the state, and has picked Agra for its first such project.
The Mahayuti comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). All three have been projecting Chhatrapati Shivaji as their ideal in their politics.
Agra in Uttar Pradesh was the site where Shivaji was kept under house arrest by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. How he escaped from there is a story popularly told in Maharashtra. It is said that he feigned illness and started distributing baskets of fruits and other alms to holy men. At some point, the security guards became lax about checking the contents. Chhatrapati Shivaji seized the opportunity, hid himself in one such basket, his son Sambhaji in another, and escaped.
Now, the Maharashtra tourism department plans to acquire the land where Shivaji was under house arrest and build a “grand memorial” there, an official from the state tourism department said.
“When they visit Agra, Marathi tourists want to see the place where Shivaji Maharaj was kept under house arrest. But as of now there is no information, monument or anything at this place. Tourists don’t understand the site properly,” the official told ThePrint.
He added that there are many places outside Maharashtra that are significant in Maratha history, but these are all not very well known because of lack of information there. “The Maharashtra government has consciously decided to develop such places in other states as well.”
ThePrint reached Jayashree Bhoj, principal secretary, tourism, for comment via calls and text messages. This report will be updated when a response is received.
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The Agra memorial
The tourism department has floated bids for an architectural consultant for the project. The consultant will be required to identify the exact site of the memorial and the additional land that the state government will require for the project.
Tourism department officials said the Uttar Pradesh dispensation will help the Maharashtra government in its endeavour, but the land will be acquired using the state’s (Maharashtra’s) own funds.
According to the tender documents, the memorial will include a museum, audio visual elements, documentaries on the Maratha empire, a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji and so on.
The department plans to establish a special committee of historians and persons with deep knowledge of the Maratha empire under the leadership of Maharashtra tourism minister Shambhuraj Desai from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena to steer the project.
Significantly, a Marathi actor called Rahul Solapurkar, popular for his portrayal of Shahu Maharaj in the Marathi serial Rajashri Shahu, had in a podcast in February made some remarks about Shivaji’s escape from Agra fort where he claimed that he bribed Aurangzeb’s officials to escape.
His remarks had led to an uproar, further fuelled by a series of events including Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi’s remarks praising Aurangzeb.
The controversy brewed and gained more heat over the next few days, leading to a demand for the razing of Aurangzeb’s tomb, located in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, and culminating in a night of violence in Nagpur.
Special Chhatrapati Shivaji-themed rail tour
Separately, the Union government also plans to launch a special Chhatrapati Shivaji-themed railway tour that will start in Delhi and cover places that prominently feature in Maratha history such as Pune, Raigad, Nashik, Shirdi and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
The tour will run for 10 days and will be launched on 16 July. Other than places important in Maratha history, it will also cover other cultural and pilgrimage destinations in Maharashtra.
“This initiative is not a journey. It’s a tribute to the valour, Maharashtrian culture, timeless legacy of the Maratha empire and taking blessings at the ancient heritage pilgrimage destinations,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote on X Friday, thanking Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: How VHP, Bajrang Dal protests over Aurangzeb’s tomb spiralled into a night of mayhem in Nagpur
