Kolhapur: Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and former Rajya Sabha MP, has called for immediate removal of the ‘Waghya' dog statue from Raigad fort, located near Shivaji Maharaj's Samadhi.
Asserting that there is no historical basis for the dog's existence during the ear of Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhajiraje has formally requested the action in a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The Raigad Fort, which is considered the capital of the Maratha Kingdom that was constructed by Shivaji Maharaj, is under the Archaeological Society of India (ASI).
"As per the ASI policy, any structure over 100-year-old comes under the protected category. The statue of the 'Waghya' dog has no reference in history. The ASI has also confirmed that. Therefore, it should be considered an encroachment and removed. The existence of the dog statue near Shivaji Maharaj's resting place memorial is ridiculing the faith of the followers and also a grave betrayal to the history of the founder of Swarajya," said Sambhajiraje.
Many historians have shown that Waghya is a creation of imagination through art forms such as dramas, books, etc. As per the legend, after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's death in 1680, the Waghya dog mourned and jumped into the funeral pyre during the cremation of his master. The statue was erected in the 1930s. "We demand that the structure must be removed before May 31. The state govt has ample time to ponder upon the demand and remove the statue," said Sambhajiraje.
Indrajit Sawant, a Kolhapur-based historian, said, "On few occasions the followers of Shivaji Maharaj protested to get the statue of the dog removed. However, neither the ASI nor the state govt listened. For the last 20 years, the demand has been made. There is no contemporary historical reference to the existence of the dog. It came later on through the dramas and books written to make the history an interesting read."
The statue of Waghya was erected at Raigad Fort in 1936. This was done under the leadership of Narasinha Chintaman Kelkar and the Shri Shivaji Raigad Smarak Samati (SSRSS), a committee dedicated to preserving Shivaji's legacy.
The memorial itself was initiated with a donation of Rs5,000 from Prince Tukoji Holkar of Indore in 1906. "The idea was popularised among the masses through imaginary writings, but had no historical reference and therefore the structure should be removed," said Sawant.