India

Ever since Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has assumed charge, his primary focus has been on “restoring the Hindu supremacy” over the state, and it is evident from the flurry of name changes he has initiated — replacing Muslim names of several cities and districts with Hindu names.However, this time he appears to have disturbed the hornet’s nest by renaming the proposed Mughal museum in Agra to Shivaji museum, in an attempt to deny the city’s Mughal heritage.

The Uttar Pradesh Jat Mahasabha has taken a strong exception to this “illogical” renaming, claiming that Shivaji’s brief stay in a prison in Agra did nothing for the city, while mighty Jat ruler, Maharaja Surajmal, and his illustrious son, Raja Jawahar Singh, are known for wiping out the Mughal rule from the entire Braj region.If the museum is to be renamed, then it should be named Maharaja Surajmal Museum and not Shivaji Museum, they demanded.

Shailraj Singh, president of the Jat Mahasabha, said the Jat community is not against the Marathas and Shivaji, but the Marathas should not forget who gave them refuge after the drubbing they received in the Battle of Panipat.

It was Maharaja Surajmal who saved the Maratha women and children from getting perished in the wilderness for the lack of food and water, he said.

Later on, these women and children were sent back to Maharashtra under the guard of Jat warriors.Shailraj Singh also said that Maharaja Surajmal and his son Raja Jawahar Singh defeated the Mughals and ruled Agra from 1761 to 1774.

Maharaja Surajmal fought many battles to save the Braj region from invaders.

Shailraj Singh said a delegation of Jat leaders will soon meet CM Adityanath and appeal to him that the proposed museum be named after Maharaja Surajmal who was highly relevant to the history of Agra, while Shivaji had a very small role if any.Rakesh Garg of Laghu Udyog Bharti said the history of Agra is not limited to the Mughals.

It is centuries old and even if the museum is named after Shivaji, brave warriors like Maharana Pratap and Maharaja Surajmal should not be forgotten.

Clearing a popular misconception about Shivaji’s imprisonment in Agra, historian Raj Kishore Raje said “Shivaji was never imprisoned in the Agra Fort”.

He said Shivaji had arrived in Agra to attend Emperor Aurangzeb’s Durbar and was imprisoned in Fidai Hussain’s Haveli for breaching protocol in the presence of the Emperor.If the museum is being named after Shivaji, the truth should also be told about him, they said.

At present, Fidai Hussain’s Haveli is known as Kothi Meena Bazar.

Located on a hillock, this Kothi was used as Governor House by the British government, and later when it was auctioned off, Raja Jaikishan bought it.

The kothi’s extensive grounds are now used for all major political rallies held in Agra.

Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed the people of Agra twice from these grounds.Bhartiya Muslim Vikas Parishad chairman, Sami Aghai, said CM Adityanath does not shy away in openly expressing his hatred against the Muslim rulers.

“If he wants to deny everything that Mughals did for this city, he should stop taking money from the Mughal monuments,” he said, adding that the chief minister may change the name of the museum, but he cannot deny the fact that Agra gained prominence only under the Mughals, who made it their capital.Before the Mughals, Agra had no importance in the geopolitical scenario of that era.

Even today, Agra is known internationally because of the Taj Mahal, and without the Taj and other Mughal monuments, Agra is just another Class-C town of India.





Unlimited Portal Access + Monthly Magazine - 12 issues-Publication from Jan 2021


Buy Our Merchandise (Peace Series)

 


Contribute US to Start Broadcasting



It's Voluntary! Take care of your Family, Friends and People around You First and later think about us. Its Fine if you dont wish to contribute and if you wish to contribute then think about the Homeless first and Feed them. We can survive with your wishes too :-). You can Buy our Merchandise too which are of the finest quality.

Debit/Credit/UPI

UPI/Debit/Credit

Paytm


STRIPE





53