<p>Mumbai/Raigad: Once impregnable by military standards, the Raigad Fort - in the Sahyadri mountain ranges - is an ideal representation of the intelligent Maratha architecture in the 17th century. </p><p>One of the strongest forts in the Deccan Plateau, it is known as ‘Gibraltar of the East’ or ‘Durg Raj’, the King of Forts.</p><p>Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was coronated in Raigad Fort on 6 June, 1674 - and it is from here he laid the foundation of ‘Hindavi-Swarajya’ of self-rule of the Hindu-people. </p><p>After Shivaji Maharaj passed away, his samadhi was built in the fort.</p><p>After the killing of his son Sambhaji Maharaj in 1689, the fort was captured by Mughals under Aurangzeb and in 1818, it was the target of an armed expedition of the British East India Company.</p><p>During the early 20th century, the statue of a mixed breed dog came up in the fort-complex. </p><p>Waghya was Shivaji’s pet dog and legend has it that after Shivaji’s death in 1680, the grieving dog too leaped into his pyre.</p>.Royal scion urges Fadnavis to remove dog memorial near that of Shivaji Maharaj at Raigad Fort.<p>Even the Archaeological Survey of India has confirmed the absence of any documentary proof regarding Waghya, which means tiger. </p><p>Shivaji Maharaj’s 13th descendent Yuvraj Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati, who hails from the Kolhapur royal family, has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking the removal of the statue of dog by 31 May. </p>.<p>Sambhaji Raje, the Chairman of Raigad Development Authority, who is also a former President-nominated Rajya Sabha member, said: "A few decades ago, a memorial of a dog named Waghya was erected near that of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Raigad Fort, his capital in the 17th century. However, there is no documentary evidence concerning Waghya, the name of the pet dog of Shivaji Maharaj. As there is no such evidence, it is an encroachment on the fort, which is legally preserved as a heritage structure. It is unfortunate and demeans the legacy of the great Shivaji Maharaj.” </p><p>Waghya’s story was also portrayed in noted Marathi playwright Ram Ganesh Gadkari’s play titled <em>Rajsanyas</em>.</p><p>Shri Shivaji Raigad Smarak Samati (SSRSS), led by Narasimha Chintaman Kelkar, is said to have erected the dog statue in 1936.</p><p>In 1906, Prince Tukoji Holkar of Indore donated Rs 5,000 for the dog’s memorial close to Shivaji Maharaj’s samadhi at Raigad Fort in honour of Waghya.</p><p>Historian Indrajit Sawant has backed the letter of Sambhaji Raje. </p>
<p>Mumbai/Raigad: Once impregnable by military standards, the Raigad Fort - in the Sahyadri mountain ranges - is an ideal representation of the intelligent Maratha architecture in the 17th century. </p><p>One of the strongest forts in the Deccan Plateau, it is known as ‘Gibraltar of the East’ or ‘Durg Raj’, the King of Forts.</p><p>Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was coronated in Raigad Fort on 6 June, 1674 - and it is from here he laid the foundation of ‘Hindavi-Swarajya’ of self-rule of the Hindu-people. </p><p>After Shivaji Maharaj passed away, his samadhi was built in the fort.</p><p>After the killing of his son Sambhaji Maharaj in 1689, the fort was captured by Mughals under Aurangzeb and in 1818, it was the target of an armed expedition of the British East India Company.</p><p>During the early 20th century, the statue of a mixed breed dog came up in the fort-complex. </p><p>Waghya was Shivaji’s pet dog and legend has it that after Shivaji’s death in 1680, the grieving dog too leaped into his pyre.</p>.Royal scion urges Fadnavis to remove dog memorial near that of Shivaji Maharaj at Raigad Fort.<p>Even the Archaeological Survey of India has confirmed the absence of any documentary proof regarding Waghya, which means tiger. </p><p>Shivaji Maharaj’s 13th descendent Yuvraj Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati, who hails from the Kolhapur royal family, has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking the removal of the statue of dog by 31 May. </p>.<p>Sambhaji Raje, the Chairman of Raigad Development Authority, who is also a former President-nominated Rajya Sabha member, said: "A few decades ago, a memorial of a dog named Waghya was erected near that of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Raigad Fort, his capital in the 17th century. However, there is no documentary evidence concerning Waghya, the name of the pet dog of Shivaji Maharaj. As there is no such evidence, it is an encroachment on the fort, which is legally preserved as a heritage structure. It is unfortunate and demeans the legacy of the great Shivaji Maharaj.” </p><p>Waghya’s story was also portrayed in noted Marathi playwright Ram Ganesh Gadkari’s play titled <em>Rajsanyas</em>.</p><p>Shri Shivaji Raigad Smarak Samati (SSRSS), led by Narasimha Chintaman Kelkar, is said to have erected the dog statue in 1936.</p><p>In 1906, Prince Tukoji Holkar of Indore donated Rs 5,000 for the dog’s memorial close to Shivaji Maharaj’s samadhi at Raigad Fort in honour of Waghya.</p><p>Historian Indrajit Sawant has backed the letter of Sambhaji Raje. </p>