Maharashtra govt to install statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj slaying Afzal Khan at Pratapgad
Named Shiv Pratap Smarak, the statue will come up near the tomb from where the unauthorised structures were razed.
3 min read
This year marks the beginning of the 350th anniversary of the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Within a week after it removed several “unauthorised” structures around the tomb of Afzal Khan at Pratapgad in Satara district, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced that it will install a statue at the place depicting the slaying of the 17th-century commander of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to commemorate the historic event.
Named Shiv Pratap Smarak, the statue will come up near the tomb from where the unauthorised structures were razed.
Amid concerns over encroachment on forest land, Maharashtra’s Tourism Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha told The Indian Express on Tuesday that the government will make sure the installation does not encroach on forest land and all requisite permissions will be sought for it.
This year marks the beginning of the 350th anniversary of the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Lodha wrote a letter in this regard to the state administration on Tuesday. The letter, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, stated, “Maharashtra’s revered king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s conquests are known worldwide. In Pratapgad, Shivaji Maharaj slayed Afzal Khan, who had conspired against a Hindavi nation, and taught him a lesson. This event has a historical importance, which inspires millions of admirers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. In view of the beginning of the 350th anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation, this will give impetus to historical tourism.”
“This is being done after demands from many people and organisations. I have directed the collector of Satara district to submit a proposal to the government. This will take some time. All requisite permissions will be sought for the installation,” Lodha told The Indian Express.
Khan was killed by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj near the Pratapgarh Fort in Satara district in 1659 and a tomb had been built there in his memory. Significantly, the state government’s drive against encroachment came on the 363rd anniversary of the incident, celebrated by followers of the Maratha warrior king as ‘Shiv Pratap Din’. The demolitions were undertaken on November 10 by the Satara district administration amid heavy police presence.
The administration said they demolished the “unauthorised structures” constructed around the medieval tomb of Khan.
The Bombay High Court’s 2017 orders, in response to petitions by Hindu right-wing organisations that “unauthorised structures” around the tomb should be removed, were cited for the action. As per the administration, since the early 1990s, additional structures — including pucca structures — were constructed at the spot. The HC orders pertained to their removal.
You May Like
