The 'wagh nakh' is an enduring and revered symbol of the warrior king's tenacity and valour as it was used to subdue and kill a physically larger opponent.
Credit: Victoria and Albert Museum website
Mumbai: The rare 'Wagh-nakh', which is being brought from the Victoria and Albert Museum of London, would be on display from July 19, 2024 in Maharashtra.
The 'Wagh-nakh'dates back to the era of legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The exhibition would commence from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum, popularly known as the Satara Museum, which has an excellent collection of the Maratha era.
Making a statement in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, state’s Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said that the 'Wagh-nakh' would be on display from July 19.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (February 19, 1630 – April 3, 1680) is one of the most revered figures in India.
Shivaji Maharaj was coronated at the Raigad Fort on June 6, 1674 from where he laid the foundation of the Hindavi-swarajya, the self-rule of Hindu people.
Shivaji Maharaj used a 'Wagh-nakh' to kill Afzal Khan, the general of the Adil Shahi dynasty of the Bijapur sultanate in November 1659 at the Pratapgad Fort in Satara.
The Victoria and Albert Museum has agreed to give it to the state for three years and once it is received it would be on display at the Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum in Satara, Central Museum in Nagpur, Lakshmi Vilas Palace in Kolhapur and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai.