Saying that the British government has agreed to return the tiger’s claws popularly known as “’ Wagh Nakh” Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who visited Shivsrusti on Saturday (August 5 ) informed the technical difficulties related to bringing the Jagdamba sword, the ceremonial sword of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is also cleared.
Speaking at a press meeting at Shivshrusti in Ambegaon, Pune on Saturday, Mungantiwar said, “We are planning to bring both the royal historical objects together. The British government has written to us to return the tiger’s claws (Wagh Nakh) of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. We are following up with their authorities to return the “Jagdamba” sword as well.” Maharaja Shivchhatrapati Pratishthan trustees Jagdish Kadam, Vineet Kuber Sunil Mutalik, and Shivshrusti administrator were present at the meeting.
It should be noted that to mark the 350th anniversary of the coronation of the Maratha warrior king this year, the Maharashtra government is taking efforts to bring back the sword of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to India from England.
The demand to bring back the sword is very old and was first raised by Lokmanya Tilak. Later, several Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, including first CM Yashwantrao Chavan, attempted the same.
About the sword
In 1875, the British tactfully got hold of this sword from a descendant of Shivaji Maharaj and took it to England. As per the historical reccord, on June 6, 1674, Shivaji who was that only 11 years old, presented the three swords, ‘Bhavani,’ ‘Jagdamba,’ and ‘Tulja to Albert Edward, then Prince of Wales and later King Edward VII.
It is said that the sword was more of a coercive extraction by the British rather than a genuine gift. Shivaji IV was forced to “gift” the sword like many other kings of that time.
Battle swords Bhavani and Tulja are presently located at Satara and the Sindhudurg Fort, respectively. While the ceremonial sword Jagdamba is kept at Saint James’s Palace, under the purview of the British Royal Family.
According to historian Indrajit Sawan, author of Shodh Bhavani Talwaricha (In search of Bhavani sword), when the Prince of Wales scheduled a visit to India, he had instructed the British officials to find the “best antique” weapons with historical significance for his collection. Several Indian Kings, including Shivaji IV, “gifted” him weapons during the visit. As a return gift, Shivaji IV was presented with a sword that is currently placed at the New Palace Museum at Kohlapur.
The dimensions of the historic sword are “127.8 x 11.8 x 9.1 cm”. The length of the blade is 95 CM. Its catalogue at the museum reads, “Sabre: Maratha straight, one-edged old European blade, with two grooves on each side, in one of which IHS is stamped three times; the raised steel supports at the hilt are damascened with gold in floral designs;
the guarded hilt is iron with a broad knuckle guard and a circular pommel, terminating in a spike and encrusted with heavy open-work floral decoration of gild thickly set with large diamonds and rubies. Presented by H.H. the Maharaja of Kolhapur as a relic of the Maratha Chief Shivaji to whom it formerly belonged.”