To be on the wrong side of history is a choice – more so when the attempts to reclaim an invader identity are unapologetic. Be it inventing fictional military commanders in his cavalry to claiming false religious associations with forts built by him, the attempts to paint Chhatrapati Shivaji a ‘secular’ king have come a long way. For the unabashed Chhatrapati of the Hindavi Swarajya that he was, Shivaji Maharaj was no bigot.

Unlike his Islamic contemporaries, Chhatrapati Shivaji treated his subjects equally and became one of the most revered rulers in the history of Indian Civilization. While he remains equally relevant in the present political discourse, nefarious attempts to appropriate him for personal political gains or scoring religious goals should be called out.

Recently, a leaflet calling out celebration of ‘Urus Sharif’ for a Sufi Saint on Lohagad Fort situated near Pune, made its way on social media. Starting with the ‘Sarv Dharm Samabhav’ rhetoric, the poster asked people to participate in the celebration of ‘Urus’ for some ‘Umar Shahwali Baba’ whose tomb supposedly lies on the Lohagad fort, scheduled on January 17. Flagging the event, Malhar Pandey, a resident of Pune tweeted about the sudden urge to hold a celebration for the bygone ‘saint’ with no recent cultural relevance or any historical identification.

Malhar Pandey, a history buff and President of social organization Zhunj raised some serious concerns about the political ploy to reclaim obscure ideals in order to highlight distinct Muslim identity in Maratha history and heritage – often devoid of facts. In his tweet, he said, “There is no contemporary evidence which shows that there existed a mosque on Lohagad fort during Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s time or Sambhaji Maharaja’s time. Under the name of secularism, the Muslims have encroached many forts before, with help of politicians.”

Talking to the Media about the incident, he mentioned that any such celebration of Urs has no historical or cultural relevance and is an altogether new fabrication. “There is no evidence of any celebration of such event during Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s time or at any point when the Lohagad fort was in the control of the Marathas until 1818. Also, it is impossible to suspect any such happening after the Marathas, as Lohagad was under strict British regulation until the 20th century” he added.

Pandey, who hails from Pune also suspects political intent in order to charge up Muslim sentiments behind this act. According to the Poster, Haji Hussain Baba Sheikh, a veteran Shivsena leader is the chairman of this event while NCP MLA Sunil Shelke from Maval is the guest invitee.

Alleged tomb of Umar Shahwali Avliya at Lohagad. Image Courtesy: Kevin Standage Photography

We went a little ahead to trace the roots of ‘Umar Shahwali Baba’- if at all he existed. Pune-based historian Ashutosh Potnis found his mention in the Bombay state gazetteer of Pune from 1889. He added, “Sheikh Umar Avlia was part of Sufi saints who arrived in the Deccan from Arabia in the 14th century. With the support of local sultans, he settled down at Lohagad. Sheikh Umar Shahwali Baba – The Sufi Saint who is being venerated today is said to have destroyed the temple of a local deity situated on the fort when he made it his base. Adds Potnis, “The Bombay Gazetteer mentions that a local folk deity was desecrated by him. The site of Umar Shahwali’s tomb is likely where the shrine of this folk diety once stood.”

Moreover, Lohagad being a protected monument under ASI, the archaeological department at Bombay has already denied permission for conduction of any religious function there. If at all, venerating an iconoclast can be morally downright for some, the recent phenomenon also violates the legal framework for heritage laid down by the ASI. Shah’s jerkwater tomb stayed silently for years and while he died in irrelevance, nobody was aware of his questionable past. One fine day, a group of people starts celebrating him to make religious identities to be associated with Lohagad at par with each other. It seems the celebration is more of a political exercise than a spiritual one.

The Lohagad fort case stands out, yet is not an isolated one. Several forts in Maharashtra, who have failed to get attention from authorities for restoration have come under the radar of this religious expansionism. Last week, Yuvraj Sambhaji of Kolhapur wrote to the Archeological Survey of India to flag the attempts to build a mosque on Fort Raigad – which once stood as the capital of Hindavi Swarajya.

This came after a video of miscreants attempting to move stones in order to raise a structure at the Madari Morcha of Raigad emerged. Later, it was found that a part of the precinct was already painted, and a ‘chadar’ was laid in an attempt to assign Muslim identity to an already existing structure. “It is unfortunate that illegal construction activities are allowed to go on in an iconic place like the Raigad Fort,” Sambhaji wrote in the letter.

Another Fort, Kille Vishalgad lies in abysmal neglect while also withstanding the legacy of commander Bajiprabhu Deshpande whose jerkwater Samadhi near the Pavankhind lies in neglect. Even though, The state government has made sure that funds are raised for the illegally encroached Dargah of Baba Rehan standing in Reinforced concrete. Instead of clamping down on the continued illegal encroachment of the Dargah, the government has sanctioned funds for building pavements along the road to the structure instead.

All of this, when the traditional temples on the fort remain to be in a state of absolute decay. Local historians say Malik Rehan once attacked Vishalgad in a siege and died on the battlefield. With unapologetic religious undertones, Baba Rehan Dargah stands atop Vishalgad while the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s enemy is being reclaimed on his own property.

The above cases are mere eyeopeners to how determined encroachments are being made to claim unjust stakes in heritage. Beyond Historical narratives, some Islamists have gone forward to encroach on-ground heritage sites out of no facts, context, and participation in history. In February last year, an attempt to rename the Fort of Vandangad in Satara was done by the state forest department as ‘Pir Vandangad’ (Pir suggesting Muslim saint). While the fort lies in a restricted forest area, it too has been encroached by the Abdal Sahab Dargah Trust.

The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti had criticized this move while the issue of renaming the fort has now been resolved. Recently, a panel of history aficionados comprising of Dr. Vinay Sahastrabuddhe (Director, ICCR), Sunil Deodhar (National Secy, BJP), and Vaibhav Dange have also submitted a memorandum to prevent illegal construction activities on many historic forts to the Minister of State for Culture, Arjun Ram Meghwal.

While conservation of our built heritage continues to be a challenge, the battle of illegal encroachments is a violation of the rules-based order. The attempts of encroachments over Chattrapati Shivaji’s heritage reveal the brazen tactics adopted by the Islamists of late. Moreover, the inventive ways employed to appropriate places of cultural import underscores the challenges in safeguarding our heritage. As if the falsification of history through bastardized narratives was not enough, 21st-century invaders have now claimed a direct stake in the prized heritage of Hindus itself. It is a message to the Hindus that invasions and conquests would continue as Islamists buckle down on usurping Chhatrapati Shivaji’s forts in ways even Mughals didn’t.

References:

opindia.com - Suyash Sherekar