Maharashtra cultural affairs minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Friday reiterated that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s iconic ‘wagh nakh’, an iron weapon used to kill Bijapur sultanate’s general Afzal Khan in 1659 will likely be brought back to India from the United Kingdom in November. He also said efforts were also on to bring the famed ‘Jagdamba’ sword of the 17th century Maratha warrior king from a London museum.
The minister is set to travel to the UK this month to sign an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to get the ‘wagh nakh’ back to India. “In the first phase we are bringing the wagh nakh. It should be brought here in November and we are signing an MoU for that. Our effort is to bring it on the day when Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj disembowelled Afzal Khan,” he said.
Once brought back, the weapon will likely be placed in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Sangrahalaya (museum) in south Mumbai.
‘Wagh nakh source of inspiration’
Afzal Khan’s powerful army was defeated by the Marathas using guerrilla warfare. Shivaji killed Khan using a ‘wagh nakh’, a sharp iron made weapon shaped like tiger claws in 1659. This happened when the two met at the foot of Pratapgad fort in present-day Satara district. Since then the episode has become a part of folklore.
“When Afzal Khan stabbed Shivaji Maharaj in the back (during the meeting), Shivaji Maharaj used a ‘wagh nakh’ to kill the cruel, demonic Afzal Khan,” said the minister. “The wagh nakh is a source of inspiration and energy for us. This year also marks the 350th anniversary of Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation,” he said.
The ‘Jagdamba’ was the ceremonial sword that belonged to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shivaji IV, the descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, had presented the sword ‘Jagdamba’, set with diamonds and rubies, to Albert Edward, who was then the Prince of Wales and would later ascend to the throne as King Edward VII in 1875-76. The sword is kept at Saint James’s Palace in London under the purview of the British Royal Family.
(With bureau, agency inputs)
