'Wagh nakh' used by Shivaji Maharaj arrives in Mumbai from London; to be on display in Satara

The 'wagh nakh' or tiger claw-shaped weapon used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was brought to Mumbai from a London museum on Wednesday, state Culture Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said.

This wagh nakh will now be taken to Satara in western Maharashtra, where it will be displayed from July 19.

"The wagh nakh has landed," Mungantiwar told PTI in response to a question, but did not divulge any further details. State Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai on Tuesday said the wagh nakh will be accorded a grand welcome in Satara.


The weapon brought from London has a bulletproof cover and security has been beefed up, he told reporters. The weapon will be kept at a museum in Satara for seven months, he said.

Desai, who is also the guardian minister of Satara, reviewed the security arrangements at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Sangrahalay (museum) in the district on Tuesday. "The wagh nakh is being brought to Shahunagari (Satara) from a London museum on July 19," he said.

Desai said the wagh nakh being bought to Maharashtra is an inspiring moment and it will be welcomed in Satara in a grand ceremony. Mungantiwar said in the legislative assembly last week that the wagh nakh being brought to the state from London was used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

He made the comments after a historian claimed the wagh nakh used by the Maratha empire founder to kill Bijapur Sultanate's general Afzal Khan in 1659 was in Satara itself. Mungantiwar had also rejected the claim that the government spent several crore rupees to bring the weapon from Victoria and Albert Museum in London to Maharashtra, and said the travel expenses and signing of the agreement cost Rs 14.08 lakh.

The museum in London initially agreed to give the weapon for one year, but the state government persuaded it to hand it over for display in the state for three years, he said. "After a lot of efforts, the wagh nakh is being brought to Maharashtra due to successful efforts of the government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde," Desai said.