Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The 396th birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was marked with grandeur at Kranti Chowk on Thursday, drawing lakhs of devotees from late Wednesday night. The statue and surrounding area were brightly illuminated as citizens paid homage, with women in traditional Nauvari sarees and youths dressed as Shivaji raising slogans of “Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji.”
The district Shiv Jayanti festival committee organised the main programme, attended by dignitaries including guardian minister Sanjay Shirsat, mayor Sameer Rajurkar, OBC welfare minister Atul Save, MPs Dr. Bhagwat Karad and Dr. Kalyan Kale, police commissioner Pravin Pawar, MLC Sanjay Kenekar, corporator Anil Makariye, founder president Prithviraj Pawar, and BJP city president Kishor Shitole. Shirsat and Shitole garlanded the equestrian statue using a crane, urging citizens to celebrate peacefully. Cultural performances enlivened the event. Students from Shri Mauli Gurukul Ashram School, Nillod, presented a Warkari-themed tableau of Lord Vitthal and Rukmini, while drum troupes led by Shivraj Damuanna Shinde and the Swayamsevak Foundation’s Gajvakra troupe added rhythm and energy to the celebrations. Multiple organisations set up stages to felicitate devotees, and the Communist Party of India ran a book stall featuring literature on Shivaji Maharaj and other historical figures. Additionally, the festival committee distributed khichdi and pulao to hundreds of attendees as part of the community food donation programme.