Maratha uprising

THE Shiv Pratap Din at Chhatrapati Shivaji8217;s Pratapgad fort may have passed off peacefully but tension shrouds the neighbouring Afzal K...

THE Shiv Pratap Din at Chhatrapati Shivaji8217;s Pratapgad fort may have passed off peacefully but tension shrouds the neighbouring Afzal Khan tomb.

Members of religious organisations such as the Hindu Ekta Andolan, the Pratapgad Ekta Sangh and groups from places as far as Nanded held rallies at the derelict Sahyadrain fort last Sunday. This was the day when Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji killed Mughal satrap Afzal Khan in 1659.

The area where the Pratapgad fort stands once belonged to Adil Shah who ruled it from Bijapur. Shivaji was keen on building a Bhawanimata temple near his fort and Adil Shah deputed his lieutenant Afzal Khan and his bodyguard Sayyed Banda to capture Shivaji.

A meeting was arranged in a makeshift shamiana where the tomb now stands. Shivaji insisted that only Khan and he be present at the meeting. It was here that Shivaji killed Khan.

Over the years the Pratapgad monuments have become a rallying point for several political parties and religious organisations. The fort has come to symbolise the ideals of freedom and is a capsule of Maratha history.

The call for Shiv Pratap Din came soon after two groups clashed at Wahi on November 16. Wahi is a sleepy hamlet about 50 kilometers from Pratapgad. Again, the focal point of the clash was Afzal Khan8217;s tomb which is about 800 metres from the fort.

The cause of concern is fiery Milind Ekbote who was arrested by the Satara police in connection with the Wahi riots. Ekbote had lead a group of activists against constructions around Afzal Khan8217;s tomb.

The Satara police and district administration allowed religious groups to participate in a rally at the fort but under prohibitory orders.

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Local Nationalist Congress Party MLA Shashikant Shinde however fears that the situation may get out of hand.

8216;8216;The tomb has almost become a challenge for Chhatrapati Shivaji8217;s ideals. It is built under the once-menacing Pratapgad,8217;8217; says local resident Mahadeo Koli.

While activists are rallying around Pratapgad, the fort itself presents a sorry picture. A section of its walls have crumbled and creepers run all over.

The fort once conjured legends of Chhatrapati Shivaji and his lieutenant Kanuji Ambaji Mohite. The walls echo of stealthy raids, guerrilla attacks, sheer valour and of course, sycophancy.

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The Sahyadrain mountain range is dotted with a network of more than 180 forts that once helped proclaim 8216;swarajya8217;. Bureaucratic wrangling, negligence and a fund crunch has speeded the end of a glorious era.

But in Pratapgad8217;s case the problem is more complicated. In about 1980, a voluntary organisation from Mumbai took initiative to build a marble tomb8212;its total area is 5,000 sq mt8212;on Afzal Khan8217;s grave. Local organisations protested when some 20 rooms were added to the complex in recent years. It triggered a series of protest in Wahi and the picturesque hill station of Mahabaleshwar, about 15 kilometers from Pratapgad.

According to Satara8217;s Superintendent of Police Prashant Burde, under whose jurisdiction the fort and tomb fall, the dispute has been simmering since 2001.

State Prinicipal Secretary Forests Ashok Khot said an action committee has been formed under the local Deputy Conservator of Forests in view of the court orders concerning a dharamshala that was built nearly two years ago near Afzal Khan8217;s tomb. 8216;8216;The concerned official is arranging a meeting between members of the trust and some Hindu organisations,8217;8217; adds Khot.