Praises have been sung in regards to the nice show of Shivaji’s army may when on tenth November 1659 the Maratha king thrust his tiger claws into the physique of Bijapur sultan Afzal Khan killing the tyrant as soon as and for all. The ‘Wagh Nakh’, that means tiger claws, is about to return to its homeland in Maharashtra from the United Kingdom.
Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is about to go to London this month to signal a Memorandum of Understanding with the Victoria and Albert Museum for the return of the heritage weapon. The ‘Wagh Nakh’ is on show in the identical museum.’
The weapon, which was within the possession of Shivaji Maharaja’s descendants within the Satara court docket, was given to an East India Company officer James Grant Duff. After his service, Duff took the tiger claws to Britain, and the weapon was additional donated by his descendants to the museum.
Mungantiwar mentioned that it’s possible that the Wagh Nakh is likely to be again in time to have fun the anniversary of the day when Shivaki killed Afzal Khan.
“We have got a letter from the UK authorities saying they have agreed to give us back Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja’s Wagh Nakh. We might get it back for the anniversary of the day when Shivaji killed Afzal Khan, based on the Hindu calendar. Some other dates are also being considered and the modalities of transporting the Wagh Nakh back are also being worked out,” the Maharashtra minister mentioned.
He added that in addition to signing the MoU, the potential for the return of legacy objects like Shivaji’s Jagadamba sword may also be checked out. “The fact that the tiger claws are on the way back is a big step for Maharashtra and its people. The date of Afzal Khan’s killing is November 10 based on the Gregorian calendar but we are working out dates based on the Hindu tithi calendar,” Mungantiwar mentioned.
According to the federal government decision issued by the cultural affairs division, Mungantiwar, principal secretary of tradition Dr. Vikas Kharge, and Dr. Tejas Garge, director of Maharashtra directorate of archeology and museums will go to V&A and different museums in London.
Maharashtra will reportedly spend round Rs 50 lakh for the three-member crew’s six-day go to from twenty ninth September to 4th October.
What is the ‘Wagh Nakh’ or tiger claws?
The story of the origins of Wagh Nakh could be traced to the Dhanur Veda, an unlimited topic devoted to the sector of weaponry, fight, and army science at giant. Wagh Nakh is an ‘Amukt Shastra’ (अमुक्त शस्त्र) in line with the Agni Purana, an historic information textual content referred to forging weapons within the Maratha empire.
‘Amukt Shastra’ actually means a weapon that may be worn as part of the physique. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj selected this specific weapon as a result of the assembly with Afzal Khan was a detailed assembly with a number of strategic restrictions agreed upon by each side. The Wagh Nakh was additionally the simplest weapon from the viewpoint of Afzal Khan’s tall constructed.
However, Shivaji Maharaj knew his adversary Afzal Khan too properly and knew that Khan may betray and violate the phrases of the assembly, which he in the end did. Hence Shivaji Maharaj, as per folklore, designed the Wagh Nakh himself in order to be armed with a hidden weapon for when Afzal Khan assaults.
The Wagh Nakh serves as a exceptional testomony to historic India’s army may. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Maratha king revered throughout India, is believed to have personally conceived and designed this hid weapon for a particular mission, harnessing the information and strategies preserved within the Agni Purana. It stays a testomony to India’s wealthy heritage of weapon craftsmanship and technique.
The Wagh Nakh is made from metal and has 4 claws mounted on a bar with two rings for the primary and fourth fingers. State officers outline the weapon as a first-loading, claw-like dagger designed to suit on the knuckles. It could be hid underneath and towards the palm and has 4 sharp curved blades mounted on a crowbar or glove. The weapon is designed to perforate the pores and skin, muscle, and even the bone.
Moreover, like many pointed weapons, the information of the tiger claws had been often laced with poison in order that in case the damage brought on by the weapon wasn’t sufficient, the poison would unfold within the physique and kill the enemy. This additionally ensured to scale back the kill time and early demise of the enemy.
It is believed that Shivaji Maharaj revived the Wagh Nakh from the traditional textual content Agni Purana. This was a turning level within the historical past of Hindu civilisation because the Chhatrapati enabled the restoration of such warfare expertise which was hidden within the annals of time.
How did Shivaji kill Afzal Khan utilizing the tiger claws?
The glories of Shivaji’s victory on this one-on-one battle are sung to this present day all throughout India however extra significantly in Maharashtra, MP, and Karnataka.
Afzal Khan was taller and had a much bigger constructed than Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Maratha king was clear {that a} backup was wanted ought to Afzal Khan betray him within the guise of the peace assembly and wanted a potent weapon that will guarantee Khan’s demise.
For this objective, the Chhatrapati studied human physiology. He recognized such elements of Khan’s physique which had been properly inside his attain for assault. He recognized two such areas – the belly space and the liver. He selected to arm himself with an Amukta Shastra, the Wagh Nakh, to tear his stomach, adopted by an assault with a pointy knife to attract his gut out. Wagh Nakh when worn by a fighter appears like a set of rings within the fingers.
Afzal Khan had made it his life’s mission to defeat and kill Shivaji, the Maratha king who by his glorious strategic considering and fight expertise at all times managed to defeat and escape Afzal Khan. A perplexed and determined Khan, commander of the Adilshahi dynasty within the Bijapur Sultanate, had treacherously killed Shivaji Maharaj’s elder brother when he was 13. Afzal Khan can be answerable for the destruction of a number of Hindu temples.
Khan’s technique was to deliver Shivaji into the open within the Deccan plains towards the rocky plateau the place Shivaji had a bonus and overpower him since they outnumbered the Marathas. Armed with over 20,000 Adilshahi cavalry and 15,000 infantry over 6,000 mild cavalry and three,000 mild infantry of Marathas, Khan and Shivaji met on the foothills of Pratapgarh.
Shivaji despatched out an emissary to Khan that he didn’t need to battle and needed peace. The Maratha king knew his adversary too properly and had come ready. They determined to fulfill unarmed with simply 10 bodyguards every, who would keep inside an arrow’s distance from the 2 males. A towering determine, Khan hugged Shivaji, however in a treacherous transfer, tried to kill him with a sword, as Shivaji had anticipated.
But the Chhatrapati’s armor saved him from hurt. Shivaji armed with the Wagh Nakh (tiger claws) disemboweled Khan. A hand-to-hand fight ensued the place the Marathas, although having been outnumbered by Adilshahi forces, emerged victorious. An apt visible illustration of how Shivaji Maharaj killed Afzal Khan has been made within the Marathi film “Sher Shivraj”.
