Mumbai Maharashtra Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar told the legislative assembly on Thursday that the 'wagh nakh' or tiger claw-shaped weapon that was brought to the state from London was used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
He also rejected the claim that the government spent several crores of rupees to bring this weapon from London's Victoria and Albert Museum to Maharashtra, saying the travel expenses and signing of the agreement cost Rs 14.08 lakh.
His comments come days after a historian claimed that the wagh nakh used by the founder of the Maratha empire to kill General Afzal Khan of the Bijapur Sultanate in 1659 was in Satara itself.
Mungantiwar informed the House that the wagh nakh will be brought from London for a period of three years and will be displayed at a museum in Satara in the state from July 19.
The wagh nakh will receive a warm welcome in Satara on July 19, the minister informed.
The London museum had initially agreed to give up the gun for a year, but the state government persuaded it to hand it over for display in the state for three years, he said.
"The wagh nakh will be displayed at the government museum in Satara in the presence of the descendants of the warrior king on July 19," the Cultural Affairs Minister told the House.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an ideal ruler and is an inspiration to all, he said.
There were several pieces of evidence about the wagh nakh available at the museum, he said, adding that they were on display between 1875 and 1896 before being handed over to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
There is a mention of them being used by the Maratha emperor in several newspaper clippings of the time, Mungantiwar added.
"It is true that there are many wagh nakhs in the museum, but this particular wagh nakh was kept in a special box in 1825 which said that it was used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to kill Afzal Khan," he said, adding that the museum had not denied the claim. .
Mungantiwar said followers of Shivaji Maharaj had presented photographic evidence to prove that the box in which the wagh nakh was kept in the London museum mentioned that it had been used to kill Afzal Khan.
Mungantiwar said the government spent Rs 14.08 lakh to travel to London and sign the agreement with the museum there to bring the wagh nakh to India. “We do not give any rent to display the wagh nakh here,” he said.
Historian Indrajit Sawant recently said that the wagh nakh brought to Maharashtra from London does not belong to Shivaji Maharaj as the original belongs to the descendants of the Maratha warrior king in Satara.
Sawant also claimed that the wagh nakh would be brought to the state through a loan agreement of Rs 30 crore over three years.
Mungantiwar said there were demands to remove the encroachment around Afzal Khan's tomb on November 5, 2022 and accordingly it was done on November 10, the day Shivaji Maharaj killed the general using a wagh nakh.
He also rejected the claim that the government spent several crores of rupees to bring this weapon from London's Victoria and Albert Museum to Maharashtra, saying the travel expenses and signing of the agreement cost Rs 14.08 lakh.
His comments come days after a historian claimed that the wagh nakh used by the founder of the Maratha empire to kill General Afzal Khan of the Bijapur Sultanate in 1659 was in Satara itself.
Mungantiwar informed the House that the wagh nakh will be brought from London for a period of three years and will be displayed at a museum in Satara in the state from July 19.
The wagh nakh will receive a warm welcome in Satara on July 19, the minister informed.
The London museum had initially agreed to give up the gun for a year, but the state government persuaded it to hand it over for display in the state for three years, he said.
"The wagh nakh will be displayed at the government museum in Satara in the presence of the descendants of the warrior king on July 19," the Cultural Affairs Minister told the House.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an ideal ruler and is an inspiration to all, he said.
There were several pieces of evidence about the wagh nakh available at the museum, he said, adding that they were on display between 1875 and 1896 before being handed over to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
There is a mention of them being used by the Maratha emperor in several newspaper clippings of the time, Mungantiwar added.
"It is true that there are many wagh nakhs in the museum, but this particular wagh nakh was kept in a special box in 1825 which said that it was used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to kill Afzal Khan," he said, adding that the museum had not denied the claim. .
Mungantiwar said followers of Shivaji Maharaj had presented photographic evidence to prove that the box in which the wagh nakh was kept in the London museum mentioned that it had been used to kill Afzal Khan.
Mungantiwar said the government spent Rs 14.08 lakh to travel to London and sign the agreement with the museum there to bring the wagh nakh to India. “We do not give any rent to display the wagh nakh here,” he said.
Historian Indrajit Sawant recently said that the wagh nakh brought to Maharashtra from London does not belong to Shivaji Maharaj as the original belongs to the descendants of the Maratha warrior king in Satara.
Sawant also claimed that the wagh nakh would be brought to the state through a loan agreement of Rs 30 crore over three years.
Mungantiwar said there were demands to remove the encroachment around Afzal Khan's tomb on November 5, 2022 and accordingly it was done on November 10, the day Shivaji Maharaj killed the general using a wagh nakh.
