Waghya

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]

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

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]

  • Waghya's samadhi is located on Raigad fort
    Waghya's samadhi is located on Raigad fort
  • Statue of Waghya, the pet dog of Shivaji
    Statue of Waghya, the pet dog of Shivaji
  • Waghya's Statue
    Waghya's Statue
  • Statue of Waghya, the pet dog of Shivaji
    Statue of Waghya, the pet dog of Shivaji

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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