Jubilation marks 391st birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Joy and enthusiasm marked Maharashtras celebration of the 391st birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who had laid the foundations of the Hindavi Swaraj and the Maratha EmpireGovernor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Friday paid floral tributes at the equestrian statue of the great son of Maharashtra at Shivaji Park in Mumbai in the presence of Congress Minister Ashok Chavan Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal and other dignitariesLeading the state at the main function here Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray flew in a helicopter to the historic 16kms high Shivneri Fort near Junar town of Pune where Shivaji was born on February 19 1630The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar attended a prayer ceremony paid respects before the statues of Rajmata Jijabai Bhosale and her young son Shivaji at the fort and then joined a group of women singing traditional lullabies and gently rocking a palanquincradle babyjhoola with a doll symbolizing an infant Shivaji amidst joy and celebratory fervor while a police team fired 3 rounds in the air to commemorate the occasionShivaji spent his formative years at Shivneri Fort later fought many battles made his great escape from the captivity of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and later was crowned as Chhatrapati in 1674 at a ceremony in Raigad Fort and he reigned till his passing in 1680Speaking on the occasion Thackeray said that though We dont have to fight wars as in the time of the Maharaj today the facemask is our protective shield against the attack of Covid19Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj lives in our hearts He is worshipped today because he had the courage to wield a sword and fight against injustice He connects us all and his glory will spread all over the world said ThackerayPawar said that this is also the anniversary of the bravery and sacrifice of the Mavals who fought for Swaraj and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and now they continue to be role models for millions all overHe reiterated that there will no shortage of funds for the proposed renovation of Shivneri Fort which would be completed in a timebound mannerNominated BJP MP Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje the 13th director descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj called upon the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to conserve and beautify all the seaforts built by his illustrious ancestor in an effort to boost history tourism in the stateThe occasion saw the launch of a Special postage Cover Shiva Yoga and planting of 391 saplings by the Forest Department at the venue to enhance the environmentPresent on the occasion were Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray actorMP Amol Kolhe local legislators Arun Benke Vinayak Mete Zilla Parishad President Nirmala Pansare and ZP CEO Ayush Prasad Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao Collector Rajesh Deshmukh Pune Superintendent of Police Abhinav Deshmukh Maratha Seva Sangh President Vijay Ghogre ministers from different parties and other dignitariesSeveral other functions and cultural events were held across the state districts and talukas in government and private offices with the participation of a large number of people observing full Covid19 protocolsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever