Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's life of valour, justice, concern for the poor, good administration, 'dharma', and love for the country still serve as an example of how an ideal ruler should be, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said here on Sunday.
Inaugurating an upcoming Rs 438 crore memorial, "Shivsrushti" here on the occasion of the Chhatrapati's 393rd birth anniversary, Shah paid glowing tributes to his memory and cited several instances from the Maratha warrior king's life who gave a lot to people in his 50 year lifespan.
He recalled how when Prime Minister Narendra Modi - who is an ardent follower of the Maratha king - had staged shows of the iconic play, "Jaanta Raja", in 8 districts of Gujarat, thousands of people would watch and return, becoming devotees of the Chhatrapati.
"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is revered all over the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumaria In his era, he used to protect temples from the Mughals or revamp the temples they had destroyed.
We are doing the same by constructing the Lord Rama Temple (Ayodhya)," Shah said. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described Shah as a "true devotee" of the Chhatrapati who is writing a book on the Maratha warrior king's illustrious and inspirational life, and is "the right person" to inaugurate the memorial.
"Shah had read the entire history of Chhatrapati, he has collected many documents on the Maratha Empire and is penning a book on the subject. Shah has embodied the principles of Chhatrapati in his life and contributed impressively as the Union Home Minister from Kashmir to Kanyakumari," he said.
He recalled how when Modi was announced as the PM candidate in 2014, among his first gestures was to visit Raigad Fort and take the blessings of the Chhatrapati before going all over India for his campaigns.
The Shivsrushti project is one of the biggest and grandest historical theme parks coming up on a 21-acres plot, dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his life, the first phase of which is ready at Ambegaon in Pune district.
It will feature chapters from the Chhatrapati's life in various art forms, his legendary escape from the Agra Fort, which is now ranked among the world's "greatest escapes", using modern 3D technology.
The "experiential" centre was inspired by the late author 'Shivshahir' Babasaheb Purandare, who has written a biography on the Chhatrapati, said officials of the Shiv Chhatrapati Pratisthan, who are overseeing the project.
Shah inaugurated open the first phase named - 'Sarkarwada' with the architecture reflecting 17th century era, with expo galleries, a section aDurg Vaibhav' (Glorious Forts), featuring the forts like Panhalad, Devgiri, Purandar, Sinhagad, Raigad, Pratapgad, Vishalgad, Sindhudurg and others through an audio-visual presentation.
There are sections, one on 'Escape From Agra' where the story of the escape of Chhatrapati and his son Sambhajiraje will be told using 3D-4D technology, visitors can 'listen' to him though a 3D hologram projection system, another on his historic Coronation, an exhibition on the weapons used during his era and one on 'Enemies of Shivaji'.
The Sarkarwada houses an admin centre, research library, a multipurpose auditorium, and in the next phase, aspects like the pre-Chhatrapati era, the Raj Sabha and Rang Mandal, a history of the imposing Sahyadri Mountains range, the Bhavani Mata Temple, Konkan and other subjects shall be depicted.