Shivaji statue goes missing from California park
Statue at Guadalupe River Park was a gift from San Jose’s sister city Pune, in India
A statue of 17th century Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has been reported missing from a park in San Jose, California. A search is now on for a thief who cut the statue off its base and made off with it.
The statue at Guadalupe River Park was a gift from San Jose’s sister city in India, KTVU reported. It was the only statue of Shivaji Maharaj in North America.
Read: Mahatma Gandhi statue outside Queens temple vandalized (August 19, 2022)
In a Feb 3 Twitter post, parks officials said the statue depicting the leader on horseback had gone missing, with photos of the original statue and the remaining base. Park officials did not say when the statue was taken.
“We regret to inform our community that the Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Guadalupe River Park is missing,” The San Jose Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighbourhood Services wrote
“The City is deeply saddened that this landmark has been stolen. We are working with community leaders to find solutions and will provide updates as we receive them,” officials wrote in a second Twitter post.
Parks officials ask that anyone with information on the statue call police at 408-277-8900.
A member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan, Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur which formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire. In 1674, he was formally crowned the Chhatrapati of his realm at Raigad Fort.
Over the course of his life, Shivaji engaged in both alliances and hostilities with the Mughal Empire, the Sultanate of Golkonda, Sultanate of Bijapur and the European colonial powers. Shivaji’s military forces expanded the Maratha sphere of influence, capturing and building forts, and forming a Maratha navy.
Read: Chhatrapati Shivaji statue goes missing from California park (February 7, 2023)
Shivaji established a competent and progressive civil rule with well-structured administrative organizations. He revived ancient Hindu political traditions, court conventions and promoted the usage of the Marathi and Sanskrit languages, replacing Persian in court and administration.
Shivaji’s legacy began to take on increased importance with the emergence of the Indian independence movement, as many Indian nationalists elevated him as a proto-nationalist and hero of the Hindus.
