Maharashtra’s Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Tuesday (October 3) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to bring back Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s legendary wagh nakh to the state. The MoU states that the antique weapon will be handed over to the Government of Maharashtra on a loan basis for a period of three years, during which it will be displayed in museums across the state. So, what is the wagh nakh? Literally ‘tiger claws’, the wagh nakh is a mediaeval claw-like dagger which was used across the Indian subcontinent. Designed to either fit over the knuckles or be concealed under the palm, the weapon consisted of four or five curved blades affixed to a glove or a bar of some kind. It was a weapon used for personal defence or stealth attack, and could easily slice through skin and flesh. How does the wagh nakh feature in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s legend? The most famous use of the wagh nakh in history comes from the story of Afzal Khan’s killing by Shivaji. Khan was a general of Bijapur’s Adil Shahi Sultanate. According to legend, he was a fierce warrior and stood over 7 feet tall. After subjugating restive fiefs in the Sultanate’s southern regions, he was ordered to bring Shivaji to heel. Shivaji used to be a former vassal of the Adil Shahis but by the 1650s, he had become increasingly assertive, taking forts across the Konkan, and bringing under control large swathes of Adil Shahi territory. Given Afzal Khan’s success in the south, he was sent by the Sultan, with a mighty army, to subdue the Maratha icon. Khan marched into the Konkan and demanded a meeting with Shivaji. He said that the two should speak, one-on-one, in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and settle the issue. But Shivaji smelled treachery. Thus he went prepared to the meeting, wearing a chainmail under his robes and hiding a wagh nakh in his sleeve. In the meeting, Khan, in the guise of embracing him, attempted to stab the Maratha leader. But Shivaji was protected by his armour and retaliated: the wagh nakh ripped out Khan’s guts. Khan would eventually be beheaded by one of Shivaji’s men and in the battle that followed, Shivaji’s army came out as victor. How did Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s wagh nakh reach London? According to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s website, the weapon was brought to Britain by East India Company officer James Grant Duff (1789- 1858). Duff was the Company Resident (political agent) of the Satara State from 1818-22. He was also an amateur historian himself, writing the highly influential A History of the Mahrattas (1826), a three-volume work that is cited till date. Duff got a fitted case made for his novelty weapon upon returning to Scotland. The case has the following inscription upon it: “The 'Wagnuck' of Sivajee With Which He Killed the Moghul General. This Relic was given to Mr. James Grant-Duff of Eden When he was Resident at Satara By the Prime Minister of the Peshwa of the Marathas.” The last Peshwa (Prime Minister) of the Marathas, Baji Rao II, surrendered to the British in June 1818 after defeat in the Third Anglo-Maratha War. He was banished to Bithoor near Kanpur. It is possible he surrendered this weapon to Grant Duff. However, the Victoria and Albert Museum website says that this is an unverified claim, based on the inscription Duff got made on his box. Why is the wagh nakh coming back? Invaluable artefacts of historical and cultural significance were taken to Europe by colonisers as loot or memorabilia. Even gifts given to Europeans by natives were given from a position of subjugation rather than free choice — like the Peshwa’s gift to Grant Duff. Museums across Europe and the western world are full of such objects acquired through colonial plunder and in recent years there has been a growing movement to return such objects to their places of origin. It is on these grounds that the India government has requested the return of the Koh-i-noor diamond, currently nestled on the British monarch’s Crown Jewels. Now the return of the wagh nakh is just a loan — it will go back to the Victoria and Albert Museum after three years. But its should be seen in context of a greater trend of not just former colonies demanding certain objects back, but museums in Europe acquiescing to the demands and reckoning with their colonial past. Culture Minister Mungantiwar had previously announced that the state government had decided to bring back the wagh nakh to the state on the celebratory occasion of the 350th anniversary of Shivaji’s coronation.
