Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s iconic wagh nakh to be on display at Museum
The Wagh Nakh kept in a box will be on display at the government museum in Satara from July 19 for the next seven months
The Satara administration received ‘Wagh Nakh” or the tiger claws associated with the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj era at the district collector’s office around 12.15 pm on Wednesday. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs has brought the tiger claws from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to India.
The Wagh Nakh kept in a box will be on display at the government museum in Satara from July 19 for the next seven months. A special function has been organised by the State government which will be attended by chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar on July 19 in Satara in the presence of descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
When contacted by Hindustan Times, Satara District Collector Jitendra Dudy confirmed the development.
“Currently we have kept it under security. A function has been organised on July 19 which will be attended by the CM and Deputy CM to officially mark their display for the public. The tiger claws would be kept at the museum for the next seven months,” he said.
State Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar recently informed the assembly that the state government decided to bring the claws in response to demand from devotees of Shivaji.
Mungantiwar had also rejected the claim that the government spent several crore rupees to bring the weapon from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to Maharashtra and said the travel expenses and signing of the agreement cost ₹14.08 lakh.
According to the cultural ministry, Victoria and Albert Museum agreed to give it to the state government for three years and 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.
The museum in London initially agreed to give the weapon for one year, but the State government persuaded it to hand it over for display in the state for three years, According to Mungantiwar.
The historic weapon was in the possession of Shivaji Maharaj’s descendants in the Satara court and was given to an East India Company officer named James Grant Duff, as per reports. After his service in India, Duff took the ‘Wagh Nakh’ to Britain while descendants donated the iconic weapon to the museum.
