Shivaji Jayanti 2023: Why does Maharashtra celebrate Shivaji's birthday twice every year?

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue. Pic/iStock

The great Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's birth date has been a matter of dispute among the Maharashtrians who revere the king. And it is not a secret.

Per Gregorian calender, the state observes Shivaji Jayanti with an annual public holiday on February 19. Nonetheless, a sizable population of Maharashtrians commemorate the event the third day of Phalgun in the Hindu calendar.

Shiv Sena has regularly brought this up claiming that Shivaji's birth day must be observed in accordance with Hindu tithi.

Historians believe the debate around the birth day of the king has been needlessly politicised in recent years.

Shivaji was born to Shahaji Bhonsale, a Maratha subedaar or army general. There is a disagreement on his exact birth date according to historical records.

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When social reformer Lokmanya Tilak first made Shivaji Jayanti prominent in the 1890s, it was widely accepted that Shivaji was born on April 6, 1627, which corresponds to the Hindu month of Chaitra. Yet, according to other historical documents, Shivaji was born in Phalgun on a date that corresponds to February 19, 1630.

A historians' committee was established by the then state government in 2000, led by the Congress, to ascertain Shivaji's birthdate. According to its findings and suggestions, the state decided to declare February 19 as the official Shivaji Jayanti holiday, which corresponds to Phalgun vadya tritiya, the third day of Phalgun.

Even though politicians dismiss the debate over Shivaji's birthday, they have strong feelings on which calendar should be used to mark the occasion.

In order for Shivaji Jayanti to be honoured by Indians around the world, the Sambhaji Brigade, a Maratha vigilante group affiliated to the Nationalist Congress Party, thinks the Gregorian calendar is the only suitable option.

There is a single source of validation shared by both people on both sides of the debate. Shivaji's birth dates are listed as February 19 and the third of Phalgun by Kalnirnay, the popular Hindu calendar and almanac publishers.