– Ankit Jaiswal
Everyone knows Shrimant Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, one of the brave sons of India. Many people call him Hindu Hriday Samrat while some people call him Maratha pride. Whereas it would not be wrong to call him the biggest superhero of the Republic of India. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born on 19 February 1630 in a Hindu family. Some people tell his birth in 1627. His full name was Shivaji Bhonsle. Veer Shivaji Maharaj was the son of father Shahji and mother Jijabai. His birth place is the fort of Shivneri near Pune.
Veer Pravar Shivaji Maharaj, the exclusive priest of freedom, made a successful attempt to free the nation from foreign, fundamentalist and terrorist state-power and to establish a sovereign independent rule in the whole of India. Similarly, he is accepted as a foremost hero and immortal freedom-fighter. Like Maharana Pratap, Veer Shivaji is a living symbol and symbol of nationalism.
Some mindless people have been accusing Shivaji of being anti-Muslim, but this is not true because there were many Muslim soldiers in his army, there were also many Muslim Sardars and Subedars. In fact, Shivaji’s entire struggle was against the bigotry and chauvinism that had been adopted by rulers like Aurangzeb and the people who grew up under his umbrella.
In the summer of 1674, Shivaji sat on the throne with fanfare and laid the foundation of independent sovereignty. He freed the oppressed Hindu people from fear. Although the Christian and Muslim rulers used to impose their views on the majority of the population through the use of force, levied additional tax, whereas in the rule of Shivaji, the places of worship of these two sects were not only protected but also a fear-free environment for the converted Muslims and Christians. prepared. Shivaji ruled for six years through his council of eight ministers. Many Muslims were also included in his administration system.
Shivaji was the king who respected all religions.
He adopted humanitarian policies in his administration, which was not based on any religion. Shivaji’s grandfather Malojirao Bhosale himself named his sons Shahji and Sharifji in honor of the Sufi saint Shah Sharif. Religion was not a criterion for the recruitment of soldiers in his army and navy, and one-third of these soldiers were Muslims. The command of his navy was in the hands of Siddi Sambal and Siddi Muslims were in large numbers in his navy. When Shivaji was under house arrest in Agra Fort, one of the two men who helped him to escape was a Muslim, his name was Madari Mehtar. His secretary for intelligence affairs was Maulana Haider Ali and his artillery was commanded by Ibrahim Khan. Shivaji respected all religions and he ordered life pension to ‘Hazrat Baba Yakut Thorwale’ and also helped Father Ambrose when his church in Gujarat was attacked.
Shivaji built a place of worship for Muslim devotees just in front of his palace in his capital Raigarh, in the same way as he had built the Jagdishwar temple for his own worship. Shivaji had given clear instructions to his military commanders that no misbehavior should be done with Muslim women and children during any military campaign. Proper security was given to mosques and dargahs. He also ordered that whenever someone finds a copy of the Quran, it should be given full respect and handed over to the Muslims.
The story of Shivaji honoring the daughter-in-law of Nawab of Basai is very famous. When his soldiers brought the Nawab’s daughter-in-law along with the booty, Shivaji first apologized to that woman and then brought her back to his palace under the protection of his soldiers. When Afzal Khan planned to kill him by inviting him to his tent, Shivaji was warned by a Muslim, Rustame Zaman, who advised Shivaji to keep an iron claw with him.
Veer Shivaji had a goal, the country should be free from fundamentalists. Everyone’s religion, karma, culture and tradition should be respected. Religion should not be converted by force. Have the right to independent worship. But the strange irony is that the historians of independent India glorified the people of this country who have broken temples, looted, misbehaved with sisters and daughters. Even though the lesson of secularism is being taught in writing since 1975, it has been in the blood of every Indian for centuries. Shivaji has won more than 200 battles with fanatics, but nowhere did he harm, destroy or loot the symbol of his religion. Contrary to this, fanatics like Aurangzeb broke Hindu religious places, dishonored Hindu sisters and daughters, accepted Islam at the point of sword, those who did not accept Islam were beheaded.
‘Janata Raja’ is the saga of heroic Shivaji which is largely staged popularly in Maharashtra, which is now being seen in different corners of the country as well. Lakhs of people have appreciated this staging. Seeing the staging of this play, one would feel that at present we are witnessing that period of Shivaji. It presents Shivaji not as anti-Muslim but as opposed to fundamentalists.
The notion that ‘Shivaji was anti-Muslim’ has been created to serve political purposes. Historian Sardesai writes in New History of Maratha, ‘Shivaji had no hatred towards Muslims in any way, neither as a sect nor as a religion.’
All this reflects Shivaji’s pursuit of communal harmony and his primary goal was to establish the boundaries of his kingdom over as much territory as possible, to rid the country of fanatics. To portray them as anti-Muslim or anti-Islam is to mock reality.
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