Israel To Install Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue To Celebrate Maharashtra's Links With Indian Jews

Israel has announced plans to install a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on “one of its big cities”.

To mark the occasion of Shiv Rajyabhishek Din — the anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation on June 6, 1674, Yaniv Revach, Israel’s Consul General in Mumbai, last week announced that Israel has asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to assist with historical references, artistic consultation, and design considerations to ensure the memorial is worthy of Shivaji’s legacy. The CM “immediately agreed to provide it”.

Calling the initiative as a move to connect Indians with Israelis, Revach told ANI: “It would be more than just a regular project, but it’s going to be a project for the long run. And the Indian people

will also be connected to the Israeli people through this project. We plan to bring it to one of the big cities in Israel.”

Following the announcement, Fadnavis said in a post on X: “This is huge news! On the auspicious occasion of Shiv Rajyabhishek Din, heartfelt thanks to Israel CG Yaniv Revach for this historic announcement of installing a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Israel. The Maharashtra government will extend complete support for this historic initiative.”

History Of Jews And Marathas

In past several centuries, Jews faced persecution in many parts of the world except by India.

The relation between Jews and the Marathas dates to the time when Marathi-speaking Bene Israel community, one of India’s oldest Jewish communities, of the Konkan coast, as well as Jewish merchants who travelled to India.

It is believed that Bene Israelis had fled Galilee during the reign of the Seleucid ruler Antiochus Epiphanes and were shipwrecked off the coast of Maharashtra. The survivors, comprising 14 men and women, settled in the Konkan region. They worked in fields such as oil-pressing and grocery trading, while strictly observing the Jewish Sabbath.

It is interesting to note that members of the Bene Israel community even served in Shivaji’s army in the 17th century.

According to a blog of The Times of Israel dated October 1, 2022, Chatrapati Shivaji the liberator of Indian people, realised the martial capabilities of the Bene Israeli and made several of them part of his army that went on to get Marathis their hard won freedom in substantial part of their territory and later this kingdom became the inspiration for modern Indian nationalism that inspired the struggle of Indian people against British.