Waghya
Statue of Waghya at Raigad Fort
Other name(s)Vaghya
SpeciesDog
BreedMixed
SexMale
Died1680
Resting placeRaigad, Maratha Empire
OwnerShivaji

Waghya (meaning tiger in Marathi) was a mixed-breed pet dog of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,[1][2][3] known as the epitome of loyalty and eternal devotion. After Shivaji Maharaj's death, he is said to have jumped into his master's funeral pyre and immolated himself.[4]

A statue was put up on a pedestal next to Shivaji Maharaj's samadhi at Raigad Fort. In 2011 the statue of Waghya was removed by alleged members of the Sambhaji Brigade as a protest but was later reinstalled.[5][6]

Monument

In memory of Waghya, a memorial was built next to Shivaji Maharaj's samadhi at Raigad Fort with a donation by Indore’s Prince Tukoji Holkar in 1906, who gave ₹5,000 (equivalent to ₹1.7 million or US$21,000 in 2023) towards the dog's statue.[7]

Reportedly by Mid-Day, the statue of Waghya was erected on a Samadhi at Shivaji's memorial in 1936 under the banner of Shri Shivaji Raigad Smarak Samati (SSRSS) in leadership of Narasimha Chintaman Kelkar.[8]

Attack on Waghya's Statue on Raigarh Fort

In 2011, Sambhaji Brigade, an extremist group was responsible for a protest and attack against Waghya's statue located on Raigad Fort next to Shivaji Maharaj's memorial. The group claimed that the dog was not real and there shouldn't be a memorial for it. This act was strongly opposed by local Dhangar community for they believe that the dog was real.[9][10][11]

Waghya's heroic story was portrayed in Rajsanyas, a play by Ram Ganesh Gadkari, a noted Marathi playwright.[12]

Further reading

  • Jackie Buckle (2019). Monumental Tales: The Fascinating Stories Behind the World's Pet Statues and Memorials. ISD LLC. p. 75. ISBN 9780718847937.
  • Oliva Green (2019). YOURS MOST OBEDIENT Dog Stories of Love and Loyalty. UB Tech. p. 18, 19, 20.
  • Hiranmay Karlekar (2008). Savage Humans and Stray Dogs: A study in Aggression. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-9352801244.
  • Waman Vishwanath Soman (1963). The Indian Dog. Popular Prakashan. p. XXVIII.
  • S. Theodore Baskaran (2017). The Book of Indian Dogs. Aleph Book Company. ISBN 978-9384067571.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Maratha outfit declares war on Shivaji's dog". News 18. May 26, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Loyal To The End (& Beyond): History's 10 Most Faithful Dogs". Petslady.com. July 30, 2012.
  3. ↑ "The real Indian dog". Frontline. August 4, 2017.
  4. ↑ Bogart Morrow, Laurie (October 9, 2012). The Giant Book of Dog Names. Simon and Schuster. p. 406. ISBN 9781451666915.
  5. ↑ Shaikh, Zeeshan (May 21, 2011). "Remove dog statue from Shivaji memorial, says Sambhaji Brigade". Hindustan Times.
  6. ↑ Singh Parmar, Aditya (August 8, 2012). "Shivaji's Dog Restored Its Place at Raigarh". DNA India.
  7. ↑ Deshpande, Devidas (May 27, 2011). "Dog-eats-dog politics wants statue of Shivaji's pet out". The Times of India.
  8. ↑ Sabnis, Vivek (May 26, 2011). "Now, outfit declares war on Shivaji's dog". Mid-Day.
  9. ↑ Maratha outfit declares war on Shivaji's dog , IBN Live
  10. ↑ "Legend of Shivaji's loyal dog questioned, statue removed". Business Standard. January 25, 2013.
  11. ↑ "73 held for removing Shivaji dog's statue from Raigad fort". DNA India. August 3, 2012.
  12. ↑ Mulla, Mohsin (May 24, 2011). "Dog statue near Shivaji memorial draws ire". DNA India.
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