Now that Britain is ruled by a Prime Minister of Indian-origin, the campaign to bring back the historical treasure from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj era is gaining pace.
We are talking about the legacy of a 400 year old sword, studded with precious stones, called Jagdamba Talwar. This sword belonged to Shivaji Maharaj and is considered one among three treasures that the Chhatrapati had in his possession. This sword is currently a part of the Royal Collection Trust at Saint James’s Palace in London and the Maharashtra government plans to reach out to the Central government to set up a discussion UK PM Rishi Sunak regarding the sword.
Sudhir Mungantiwar, the state’s Cultural Minister, announced recently that the government is committed to bringing the sword back before 2024. back the
According to historical records, it was gifted to King Edward VII during his India tour in 1875-76. The King was then the Prince of Wales and was on visit to Karveer Sansthan – today’s Kolhapur.
The ‘gift’ and return gift
Although the Royal collection catalog mentions this as gift from Raje Shivaji IV, history enthusiasts don’t believe this as a genuine gift because the King of Kolhapur Raje Shivaji IV was hardly 11 years old at the time.
Edward was fond of collecting weapons and had offered a return gift — another sword to the Kolhapur king back then. The said sword is currently placed in the Palace of Kolhapur.
3 precious Swords
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had three precious swords in his possession — Tulja, Bhavani, and Jagdamba. The legacy Bhavani Talwar is considered to have been the warriors real glory. It was of Spanish make, some historians claim.
Shivaji Maharaj’s commander Ambaji Sawant raided a Portuguese sailing boat in the Konkan and discovered treasures like this sword on it. The king liked it so much that Shivaji later commissioned Spanish swordsmiths to make a new sword on similar lines. It was studded with 20 diamonds, some claim. However, the existence of the Bhavani Talwar has never been confirmed.
The precious sword currently in possession of Chhatrapati Udayan Raje, Shivaji’s descendent from the Satara clan, is believed to be the Bhavani Talwar. Udayan Raje worships it and conducts a pooja every year on Dussehra day.
The one in Britain’s possession was believed to be theBhavani Talwar for many years, but has now been revealed to be the Jagdamba Talwar which the government of Maharashtra insists on bringing back.
The third in line was the Tulja Talwar. It was believed to be a gift from father Shahaji Raje to Shivaji Raje. The whereabouts of this Tulja Talwar are not known. Some believe that it is the same sword preserved in the Sindhugurg fort, kept in Shivrajeshwar Mandir. Historian Indrajit Sawant from Kolhapur confirms that the Sword at Sindhudurg is the Tulja Talwar.
While all these swords were used and worshipped by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the swords actually used during wars were different.
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