Bengaluru: Former minister P.G.R. Sindhia on Sunday described Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji as one of the rarest Hindu kings, whose only dream was to unite Indians in a single country and who was known as a fearless ruler.
“There is a misconception in Karnataka that Marathas are outsiders, but it is not so, the rich history of Shivaji, has a lot of connections with Karnataka. His ancestors were from present-day Gadag district. So, how can Marathas be outsiders in this state? We all need to work in harmony to get rid of such misconceptions,” he observed while delivering a special lecture on Shivaji and his times, organized by the Kannada and Culture department as part of the commemoration of Chhatrapati Shivaji Jayanti.
He noted that for long, many in Karnataka feel that Marathas are outsiders but in reality, that has never been the case. “A large part of Mumbai-Karnataka was part of present-day Maharashtra, it was only after a decade-long struggle that the present Mumbai-Karnataka became part of Karnataka, so branding Marathas as outsiders in Karnataka should be stopped and this community should be seen as one of the early settlers in Karnataka rather than outsiders,” he appealed.
According to him, the late Maratha king was never against Muslims per se but surely against Muslim rulers who wanted to usurp his kingdom or his friendly neighbouring states. There is a lot of evidence in the form of archives which speak volumes about his tolerant ways of protecting people belonging to different faiths. “Just because, he fought against the Moghuls, it does not mean he was all the way a strong opponent of Islam itself. He had faith in Muslim leaders too, there were Muslims in his army and some of his bodyguards were Muslims, which generally goes unnoticed. Let us all see him as a brave monarch of his time who strove to unite this country under a single umbrella,” he appealed.
