The historic wagh nakh, a tiger claw-shaped weapon said to have been used by Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj in the Battle of Pratapgarh (1659) for killing Afzal Khan, a general from the Bijapur Sultanate, was displayed at the Satara Museum on Friday until March next year.
This weapon which arrived in India all the way from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum on July 17, for commemorating 350 years since this rule came into existence among bringing it to India received a warm welcome in Western Maharashtra’s Satara.
In attendance also were Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Sudhir Mungantiwar – Culture Affairs Minister, members of royal family of Satara. The wagh nakh was put under bulletproof cover with security beefed up.
Shinde thanked Mr. Mungantiwar for organizing its return from London. After spending seven months in Satara, sources revealed that the wagh nakh will be exhibited for nine months each in Nagpur and Kolhapur before it is deposited with a Mumbai museum. It is on loan for three years.
During an interview with The Hindu amid controversy over its authenticity, Mungantiwar confirmed that this tool was certainly employed by Shivaji Maharaj to kill Afzal Khan. However Indrajit Sawant who is Maharashtra historian plus author asserted that original wagh nakh used by Shivaji Maharaj was already present at Satara meaning that this item brought from London is only a replica.
“He [Mr. Sawant] is politician being historian under opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA). All his claims are fallacious,” replied Mungantiwar.
On his part; Mr Sawant maintained that according to information provided at the museum there’s no proof whatsoever that Shivaji had ever employed that weapon to finish off Afzal Khan. “During its exhibition, the museum even requested the government to acknowledge this doubt. To fail in doing so would be contrary to the loan agreement. In this case, the government is just being blind to these facts,” he told.
