1. Crowds at Raigarh Fort. Shivaji Maharaj was crowned as king on June 6, 1674. It marked the beginning of Hindavi Swarajya in India. The historic day is celebrated as Shivrajyabhishek day at Raigarh Fort of Chhatrapati Shivaji. About 5,000 devotees came for 2022 celebration. The day is also known as Rajyabhishek Sohala or Shivrajyabhishek Sohala.
2. Hill on which is Raigarh Fort, the capital of Shivaji. “After the sovereign kingdoms of Delhi (Indraprastha), Chittor, Karnavati, Devgiri, Vijayanagar and Warangal came to an end, no Hindu king had become sovereign on Indian soil, none was crowned king.”
3. Pranams Shivaji Maharaj. The Marathas were scattered in small groups not only in Maharashtra but all over the country. The main credit goes to Shivaji for bringing all these Marathas together under one flag and standing against foreign powers.
4. Devotees. Later in the eighteenth century, Shivaji’s followers transformed the kingdom into an empire. Shivaji not only fought against the Mughals with guerilla warfare but also defeated them in open battlefield.
5. Shivaji overpowered Afzal Khan, defeated the Mughals (Battle of Salher) and made life difficult for Aurangzeb. He was also a Naval visionary. In fact after losing to the Marathas in the Battle of Salher. Aurangzeb did not emerge for the pubic audience for three days.
6. Post Shivaji’s dramatic escape from Aurangzeb’s custody in Agra, “Shivaji’s reputation, reached its zenith for having outwitted the cleverest and mightiest of the emperors.
7. Pranams. Note that Gandhiji coined the term Hind Swaraj, echoing the terminology of Hindavi Swarajya coined by Shivaji Maharaj in 1645.
8. Villages at hill base. The coronation of Shivaji is an extraordinary event in Indian history. The general belief was that the Mughal Empire represented India’s sovereignty. The treaties with the Mughals would be considered as treaties with India. In the international documents of those days the Mughals would be referred to as the ‘Great Mughal’ or the ‘Emperor of India’.
9. Pranams. Actually papers with the title Chhatrapati indicate that a small cohesive independent State with ministers and officials with definitive duties came into being around 1653, although the final shape took many years to be completed. Express thanks to the Coronation Committee & Konkan Kada Mitra Mandal`s Shiv devotees for excellent arrangements.
10. Shivaji’s seal on all official papers issued by him read, “This seal of Shiva, son of Shah, shines forth for the welfare of the people and is meant to command increasing respect from the universe like the first phase of the moon.” The seal is found attached to papers 1648 onwards.
11. On Shivaji’s death Aurangzeb wrote, “He was a great captain and the only one who had the magnanimity to raise a new kingdom. My armies have been employed against him for 19 years and nevertheless his State has been increasing.”
12. Devotees. Sir Jadunath S wrote, “The last great constructive genius and national-builder that the Hindu race has produced. This is Shivaji’s biggest achievement.” “Shivaji has shown that the tree of Hinduism is not really dead, that it can rise from beneath the seemingly crushing load of political bondage, that it can put forth new leaves and branches.”
13. Military Area Tawang. One of the regiments i.e. on the border with Tibet is Maratha hence guess Shivaji Maharaj statue is placed there. It was inaugurated by then Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Gen J J Singh (retired).
14. Description below the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He passed away in 1680 and is a source of inspiration even today, 340 odd years later.