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Waghya

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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 Shivaji,[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

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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$20,000 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

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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]

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

Further reading

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  • 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

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References

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