Why duplicate a memorial in the middle of the sea for rs 350 crore, when there's an extraordinary one built by the Chhatrapati's son in the island fort of Sindhudurg!
Why duplicate a memorial in the middle of the sea for rs 350 crore, when there's an extraordinary one built by the Chhatrapati's son in the island fort of Sindhudurg!
A staggering Rs 350 crore has been earmarked for a colossal memorial to honour Maharashtra's biggest hero, Chhatrapati Shivaji. The USP it will be in the middle of the Arabian Sea and at 321 feet, the tallest statue in the world.
While the latter claim stands, the former is destroyed in metaphoric rubble by a man called Rajaram Shivaji's son.
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In the still sturdy fortress of Sindhudurg built in the middle of the Arabian Sea near Malvan, 510 km south of Mumbai, is a little-known memorial, a temple of Shivaji, built by Rajaram in 1695.
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For all that, the temple is crumbling. "The plaster is crumbling, the paint is peeling and the electrical fittings are hanging by a wire. Seawater seeps inside the temple and the ceilings leak further deteriorating the structure.
The government gives a measly Rs 5,029 a year for festivals and salaries for the staff of the fort," said Vilas Sakpal, trustee of the temple.
The good news is that on June 24, the Congress-NCP government has decided to allocate Rs 1.5 crore for the renovation of the entire fort.
Sakpal has heard of the allocation, but is yet to see the money.
Historian Ninad Bedekar said, "If they really wanted to pay tribute and build a grand memorial for Shivaji Maharaj, then they should have renovated and restored the Raigad fort to the way it was in the 17th century.
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They could also have restored the Sindhudurg fort, where the Shivrajeshwar Temple is located and developed a marine park there.
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Jai Maharashtra: The Shivrajeshwar temple was built by Shivaji's younger son Rajaram. Shivaji's idol stands in a boatman's attire and is without a beard. |
The temple is even more significant as it has the feet and palm impressions of the Chhatrapati."
The temple
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Chhatrapati Shivaji's younger son Rajaram built the temple. Shivaji's idol stands in a boatman's attire inside the temple and probably only one of its kind in the country where the image of Shivaji is without a beard.
Outside the southern wall there is a small beach, called Ranichi Vela (Queen's private beach), where Queen Tarabai, daughter-in law of Shivaji, used to enjoy her sea-bath.
The fort also houses some twenty Hindu-Muslim families, who have been living there for generations. Side the fort there are three wells of drinkable water, which is a nature's marvel as sea surrounds the fort on all four sides.
On a rocky island between Sindhudurg and the coast stood the small fort of Padmagad, now in ruins. It acted as a shield for Sindhudurg and was also used for shipbuilding.
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