Chhatrapati Shivaji helped many people avoid conversion
Even when asked to say so, Shivaji Bhosale had at first forgiven himself for not being fluent in Marathi.
Nagpur: “Had Chhatrapati Shivaji not been there, it would have been extremely difficult for many to stick to their original religion,” said Prince Shivaji Rao Bhosale, a descendant of the Maratha warrior king from the Thanjavur branch in Tamil Nadu. It may also be mentioned that Bhosale was also among the invitees for the foundation stone laying ceremony of Shivaji’s statue at the Nagpur University.
Even when asked to say so, Shivaji Bhosale had at first forgiven himself for not being fluent in Marathi at all. Dressed modestly and soft-spoken, he also describes a bit of Maratha history in Marathi with a heavy Tamil accent.
It should also be mentioned that the Thanjavur branch of Shivaji Bhosale was founded by Shivaji’s stepbrother Vyankoji. And Shivaji’s father Shahaji had two wives, Jijabai and Tukabai. Vyankoji was the son of the latter and lived in the south. Even today, more than 1.5 million documents have been preserved in Modi (old Marathi script) in Thanjavur.
Shivaji should also share the Pune kingdom with him
In the year 2017, the work of digitization of documents started with about ₹ 2 crore given by the Government of Maharashtra. So far, about 12 lakh letters have been digitized.
Shivaji Bhosale has also said that one of the documents contains the details of the conversation between Shivaji and Vyankoji. Shivaji, who was encamped in the south, met Vyankoji and asked for a share in his kingdom, saying that it was the legacy of his father Shahaji.
Vyankoji has also replied on this that by the same logic, Shivaji should also share the Pune kingdom with him, as it also belonged to Shahaji. In the end, Shivaji left peacefully, while secretly leaving a note of appreciation for Vyankoji.
