India To Get Back Chhatrapati Shivaji’s Famous Wagh Now

On Friday, Sudhir Mungantiwar, the minister of Maharashtra’s cultural affairs, reaffirmed that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s famous “wagh nakh,” an iron weapon used to murder the general of the Bijapur sultanate in 1659, would probably be returned to India from the United Kingdom in November. Additionally, he stated that efforts were being made to transport the renowned “Jagdamba” sword of the Maratha warrior king from a London museum.
 
This month, the minister will visit the UK to sign an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to return the “wagh nakh” to India. We are signing a Memorandum of Understanding to have it moved here in November. Our goal is to deliver it on the anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s mutilation of Afzal Khan, he said.
 
The weapon will probably be kept in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Sangrahalaya (museum) in south Mumbai after it is returned.
 
The Marathas used guerrilla warfare to thwart Afzal Khan’s formidable army. In 1659, Shivaji killed Khan with a “wagh nakh,” a razor-sharp iron weapon resembling tiger claws. Since then, the incident has entered folklore.
 
The minister stated, “Shivaji Maharaj used a ‘wagh nakh’ to kill the cruel, demonic Afzal Khan after he stabbed Shivaji Maharaj in the back (during the meeting). We get our inspiration and energy from the wagh nakh. In addition, the coronation of Shivaji Maharaj is 350 years old this year,” he
added. The sword “Jagdamba,” which was set with diamonds and rubies, was given to Albert Edward, who was then the Prince of Wales and would eventually become King Edward VII in 1875–1876, by Shivaji IV, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The British Royal Family controls the
sword’s storage in Saint James’ Palace in London.
 
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s wagh nakh is a priceless historical asset, and the feelings of the state’s citizens are connected to it.” Care and responsibility must be taken when making the move.
 
Dr Tejas Garge, director of the state’s directorate of archaeology and museums, and Mungantiwar, principal secretary of culture (Dr Vikas Kharge), would visit the V&A and other museums in London for this, according to the government resolution made by the Department of Cultural Affairs.
According to the resolution, Maharashtra will pay about Rs 50 lakh for the six-day visit by the three-person delegation from September 29 to October 4. According to officials, the steel wagh nakh has two rings for the first and fourth fingers and four claws set on a bar.