Fadnavis’ statement is moving towards reality with both the BJP-led governments progressing towards building the memorial, regarding which the Maharashtra CM had said: “I swear on my mother, once this memorial is ready, more people will come to see it than your Taj Mahal. If they don’t, you can change my name.”

On March 21, the Maharashtra issued a government resolution (GR), stating: “The government will build a grand memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Agra where he was under house arrest.”

As per the resolution, the Maharashtra tourism department will act as the nodal department for land acquisition, other key aspects of the project and also provide necessary funds for it The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation will function as the “implementing mechanism”.

The Maharashtra government will also set up a separate committee comprising historians/experts under the chairmanship of the Maharashtra tourism minister for the grand memorial in Agra. The Maharashtra CM office had said the significance of the decision is the “preservation and promotion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s historical valour, conservation of Maharashtra’s historical heritage and development of tourism, and establishing the state’s historical imprint at an important historical site in Agra.”

Five days after the Maharashtra GR, UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Agra said: “Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, not Mughals, defines the legacy of Agra...If Agra’s identity is to be linked with any historical figure, it should be Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj”. In 2020, Yogi had announced the renaming of the Samajwadi Party government’s Mughal Museum project in Agra after Shivaji Maharaj. And now Yogi frequently says: “Glorifying invaders is an act of treason and will not be tolerated in New India”.

“The issue came up during the cabinet meeting held in Lucknow on March 10 and the UP CM had a positive response to the idea. The state government will provide all logistics and required support to the Maharashtra government in bringing up the memorial,” said Yogendra Upadhayay, UP cabinet minister and MLA from Agra South (within which lies the Kothi Meena Bazar), welcoming the March 21 Maharashtra GR. He had represented the UP government at Maharashtra government’s event at the Agra Fort on February 19.

Many believe that Shivaji Maharaj was kept under house arrest at Kothi Meena Bazar in 1666 by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and eventually the former managed a miraculous escape from captivity.

The Maharashtra government museum project includes audiovisual programmes and documentaries showcasing Shivaji’s life and legacy.

Upadhayay said he had been working on the idea of a Shivaji memorial at Kothi Meena Bazar, and historians in Agra, including Prof Sugam Anand, were consulted for the purpose.

The Shivaji memorial is planned on an elevated spot -- the present-day Raja Kishan Dass Haveli that exists on 2.7 bigha area at Meena Bazar, which is to be acquired. Though Maharashtra’s tourism department will oversee land acquisition, funding and construction of the memorial, the task does not seem to be a cakewalk as the land and the structure are plagued by a series of litigations pending before courts.

One of the biggest critics of BJP governments over Aurangzeb-Shivaji row, Samajwadi Party Maharashtra chief and Mumbai MLA Abu Asim Azmi said: “If the Maharashtra government is so concerned about our great men, they should build memorials for all great historical figures, and not just do it for the sake of politics of votes. They want to show Maharashtra people that they (BJP) love Shivaji Maharaj the most. For over 300 years, no one thought of destroying the grave of Aurangzeb or to file cases on someone who speaks about the grave of Aurangzeb.”