Wagh nakh arrives in Mumbai, to be displayed in Satara

The wagh nakh will be transported to Satara on Wednesday night and will be unveiled on July 19 by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis.

State Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar announced that the wagh nakh will be displayed at a museum in Satara from July 19, alongside other artefacts from the era of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Shiv Sena leader and state minister Shambhuraj Desai stated that the wagh nakh will receive a grand welcome upon its arrival in Satara on July 19.

The state government has heightened security measures for the artefact and established two committees, one in Mumbai and one in Satara, to oversee its transportation and exhibition arrangements.

These committees comprise collectors, police officials, museum officials, and representatives from the Public Works Department.

Dr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Director General of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), is leading the Mumbai committee responsible for the handling and display of the wagh nakh.

According to a Government Resolution, the tiger claws have been loaned to Maharashtra by Victoria and Albert Museum for three years and will be exhibited in museums across the state.

Last week, historian Indrajit Sawant claimed to possess a letter from the London museum stating uncertainty about whether the wagh nakh being brought to Maharashtra was the one used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Following Sawant’s claim, the opposition demanded clarification from the government, leading to a statement by Mungantiwar during the recently held monsoon session of the state legislature.