Alleging that his predecessor was building a museum in memory of Aurangzeb in Agra, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “Our government is preserving the memories of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by building a grand museum in his name in the same district.”
Yogi Adityanath said this while participating in the lecture series on the accomplishments and personality of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj organized by Haridwar-based Divya Prem Seva Mission at the Indira Gandhi Institute here on Tuesday on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the establishment of Hind Swaraj.
The chief minister emphasized that an Indian’s connection could not be with the Mughal invaders. “This is the reason why, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian government has adopted the same symbol for the Indian Navy that belonged to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” he added.
During the event, he said behind Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, there were two divine influences. The first was his mother, Jijabai, and the second was his mentor, Samarth Guru Ramdas.
He said that under the guidance of a worthy mentor, Shivaji Maharaj continued to challenge Mughal rulers and shook the foundations of foreign rule. He also mentioned that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s message was to respond to others in the language they understand.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has significant relevance to Uttar Pradesh from two perspectives. Firstly, the priest who conducted his coronation was Ganga Bhatt from Kashi. Secondly, the great poet Bhushan, who was born in Kanpur, composed poetry praising Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s valor”, the Chief Minister said.
Yogi said that today’s map of India represents the political landscape, but thousands of years ago, there was a vast and culturally rich India, which finds mention in the country’s scriptures. He mentioned that when a person’s perspective becomes solely political, they often forget to understand their own culture.