Statue Of Chhatrapati Shivaji Killing Afzal Khan To Be Installed

MUMBAI, (IANS) – Days after the Maharashtra government brought back Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s ‘Wagh Nakh’ (tiger claws) from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum for three years and put it on display at Satara, it announced on July 24 that an 18-foot statute of the Maratha warrior king showing how he tore open Afzal Khan’s belly with the tiger claws will be installed at the base of iconic Pratapgad Fort in the district.

Afzal Khan was a 16th-century commander of the Adil Shahi dynasty, who was killed by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in a battle of bravery and astuteness.

The battle of Pratapgad was fought on November 10, 1659, and is still admired by the followers of the Maratha warrior king.

Shivaji had invited Afzal Khan, who had made a move for self-governance, to Pratapgad for a discussion. When Shivaji came to the canopy erected at the foot of Pratapgad, Afzal Khan attacked him. “However, Shivaji Maharaj took out the stomach of Afzal Khan with the tiger claws and thereby repelled the ‘Adilshahi’ attack on ‘Swarajya’. This story of the battle of Pratapgad is still being told to the new generation by the followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” a government official said.