State plans mega celebrations for 350th anniversary of Shivaji’s coronation

The Maharashtra government is planning a week-long celebration to mark the 350th anniversary of the coronation ceremony of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, in an attempt to woo Maratha voters. The ceremony will take place on 2 and 6 June, with the government holding two celebrations at Raigad Fort, where the ceremony took place in 1674. The district administration is also organising a week-long programme at Pachad from 1 to 6 June. The celebrations will include live demonstrations of over 500 arms used during the Maratha period and a special chariot carrying a thousand water urn.

Mumbai: The Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government has planned a grand celebration to observe the 350th anniversary of the coronation ceremony of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on June 2 and 6. For the first time, the government has planned a week-long celebration.

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The move is being perceived as an attempt to woo the Maratha voters, who were unhappy after the Supreme Court verdict struck down Maratha reservation.

The coronation ceremony of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took place at Raigad Fort on June 6, 1674. For the past few years, successors of the Maratha king, including former Rajya Sabha MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati have been organising the coronation ceremony.

This year, the government will hold two celebrations at Raigad Fort—first as per the Hindu calendar on June 2 and second as per the English calendar on June 6. Lakhs of people are expected to participate in two ceremonies with chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis participating in it.

Successors of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj have been invited for the programme along with dignitaries from across the state. The district administration will also organise a week-long programme at Pachad, the base village of Raigad from June 1 to June 6.

A special chariot carrying ‘sahastra jal kalash’ (thousand water urn) with water from rivers across the country was green flagged last week by governor Ramesh Bais. The water will be used during the coronation ceremony at the fort.

“For the first time, an exhibition of over 500 arms used during the period of Marathas will be held inside the Gateway of India,” Dr Tejas Garge, Director of Maharashtra Archaeology Department, said. He added that live demonstrations by trained individuals will also be held during June 1 to 6.

Special internet service will be provided to ensure the live telecast of the ceremony at Raigad. Special buses will be provided from the parking lot till the fort’s base. Besides, three helipads have been constructed to ensure smooth VIP movement. A play on the life of Shivaji Maharaj was also organised at the Gateway of India.

Meanwhile, Sambhaji Raje has cautioned the state government and said that there should be no political drama during the event and dignity of the function should be respected.

Efforts on to bring Shivaji’s sword from London

Sudhir Mungantiwar, cultural affairs minister, had earlier claimed that the state government will bring Shivaji Maharaj’s Jagdamba sword, which is in London, to mark the 350th anniversary of the coronation ceremony. In April, a meeting was even held between Mungantiwar and British Deputy High Commissioner Alan Gammel. However, the attempt to bring the sword during this week did not yield any result. Now, the minister is trying to bring the sword by this year. The cultural affairs department is engaged in talks with some businessmen settled in the UK to pursue the matter with the UK government.