Some speeches are no more than words simply uttered, said, clapped, and forgotten. And then there are speeches whose echoes can be heard for years, if not generations, to come. On January 22, during Bhagwan Ram Lalla’s Pran Pratishtha, Swami Govind Dev Giri Ji delivered one such speech. In his moving speech, while mentioning the tapa Prime Minister Narendra Modi did for this day, Swamiji compared it to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He mentioned the incident of Shrishaila when Shivaji Maharaj wanted to ‘leave every worldly thing for Shiva’s devotion’. Whatever inspired Swamiji to draw the parallel between the two incidents, there are many more similarities between them than mentioned, and too many to overlook. At least, the events that followed the two suggest this only.
Shrishaila and Shivaji Maharaj’s Devotion
Swamiji referred to the incident during Shivaji Maharaj’s Dakshin Digvijay, his famous military campaign in South India. Its details are given in ‘Sabhasab Bakhar’, written by Krishnaji Anant ‘Sabhasad’ on the orders of Shivaji Maharaj’s younger son, Chhatrapati Rajaram. Written by a contemporary, this Bakhar provides many important details of his life and insights into the thoughts of his contemporaries, “a living reflection of the age”.
The incident above happened when Shivaji Maharaj carried out a military expedition after his coronation to win the territories of South India. Apart from winning territories, Shivaji Maharaj acted as a devout Hindu on pilgrimage during this campaign. In March 1677, he visited the famous Jyotirlinga Mallikarjun in Shrishaila. Sabhasad mentions that in Shrishaila, he is so overcome with Bhakti-bhava that he wants to offer his head to Bhagwan Shiva: “Raja [was] too delighted to see the teeth [Shrishaila]; found it like another Kailash. There, he decided to offer his head to Shiva.” But eventually, he was persuaded against it, and his military campaign continued. He constructed a ghat on river Krishna, ordered a dharmshala, and gave alms to Brahmanas before leaving. Later in this campaign, he won forts like Jinji, which in the future became the haven for Chhatrapati Rajaram during the tumultuous times of the 27-year war between the Marathas and Mughals.
Shivaji reconverted Mosques to Temples
But the commonalities between the two events are much more than just religious devotion.
The parallels with the reconstruction of Ram Mandir can’t be more obvious than the fact that it was during this Dakshin Digvijaya that Shivaji Maharaj reconverted mosques to temples. After winning Jinji in May 1677, Shivaji Maharaj reached Tiruvannamalai. As historian Gajanan Bhaskar Mehendale mentioned, two temples, Shonachalpati and Samottir-Perumal, were converted into mosques earlier; Shivaji Maharaj demolished the mosques and reestablished the temples. As historian Babasaheb Purandare mentions, Shivaji also ordered the construction of Gopuram in the Temple. At the event of Pran-Pratishtha, “a lot of cows were brought into the mandap of the temple”. He also ordered the start of Deepotsav there.
Shivaji Maharaj’s Rajyabhishek was certainly a momentous occasion, but the events that followed it were far more epoch-changing socially and culturally. Shivaji Maharaj named the State he established ‘Swarajya’, reflecting that he was well aware of the significance of his work, and so were his contemporaries. Sabhasad writes about his coronation: “In this era, Mlechchha Badshahas rule everywhere. That a Maratha Raja became Chhatrapati is not an ordinary event” Certainly, the construction of Shri Ram Mandir wasn’t an ordinary task, given how vitiated the atmosphere had been against Hindus. The State was always ready to shoot Karsevaks, the whole academia, intelligentsia, and media, and what could be called the ‘whole ecosystem’ was against Shri Ram Mandir. Sailing through this formidable array of opponents and emerging triumphant was not easy for Hindus.
The Legacy of Perseverance and Resurgence
Like Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation, January 22 was also a momentous occasion for India. But the events that are following it are no less significant. On January 31, the Court allowed Hindus to start worship in Gyanvapi, though in a limited capacity. In Ayodhya, it took us decades and blood-stained struggles to even have limited rights to worship Ram Lala in a tent. Another gladdening news that came within a week, on February 5, was that in Barnawa (Baghpat, U.P.), the Court decided in favour of Hindus in a 53-year-long case. Barnawa is the town Varnavat mentioned in Mahabharat, and the disputed land was the site of Lakshagruha, which the Muslim side claimed to be the graveyard-dargah.
Savarkar wrote about Shivaji Maharaj’s ascension: “…the hand of Shivaji took hold of this cursed destiny of our people and gave it a right-about-turn… Never again had the Hindu flag to bend before the Muhammadan crescent. From Himalayas to the seas, wherever the Hindu arms met those of Muhammadans, the Hindus were sure to win… After 1627, one finds God definitely enlisted to the Hindu side”.
The march of victory and cultural resurgence set in motion by Shivaji Maharaj continued, and Swarajya kept reclaiming its sacred sites. As NanaSaheb Peshwa proclaimed: “We are disciples of Shivaji”, they were his disciples in letter and spirit. The mosque built by Aurangzeb at Tryambakeshwar Jyotirlinga was demolished, and the Temple was reconstructed in 1754 by the Peshwa. Similarly, the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain was reconstructed under Maratha General Ranoji Shinde in 1734. Though they repeatedly tried, Kashi Vishweshwar, Mathura, Gaya, etc., were the unfinished tasks of the Marathas. Shri Ram Lalla Mandir rebuilding reminds me of Shivaji Maharaj and his “disciples”.
So, whatever inspired Swami Govind Devi Giriji to mention the Shivaji Maharaj and Shrishail incident during Ram Lala’s Pran Pratishtha, the two certainly have more parallels than mentioned. Ram Lalla’s Pran-Pratishtha and Shivaji Maharaj’s Rajyabhishek testify to the fact that if a people are perseverant enough to overcome a big hurdle, all that’s good and gladdening follows. Through their perseverance and grit, Hindus have made it clear that they are not radicals and bigots, but they sure are uncompromising when it comes to their faith and honour.
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