Sambhaji No Chhaava for Hindutva Icons: How Savarkar & Golwalkar Criticised Him

Hindutva ideologues have been criticised for allegedly 'insulting' Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

(Vicky Kaushal starrer movie Chhava is based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji)

(Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

From people crying outside cinema halls to those chanting slogans inside, the story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in the film Chhaava (meaning Lion's Cub) has reportedly evoked an emotional response from sections of the audience. In Gujarat, a man was even arrested for vandalising the screen in an attempt to attack Emperor Aurangzeb, the main antagonist in the film, played by Akshaye Khanna.

Then in Delhi, Hindutva organisations reportedly defaced roads named after Mughal emperors after watching the movie.

It is a bit odd to see Chhatrapati Sambhaji being glorified by Hindutva activists. No doubt, 'Mughal atrocities' are a common theme in both Sambhaji's story and the larger Hindutva narrative.

However, on Sambhaji specifically, prominent Hindutva ideologues like VD Savarkar and MS Golwalkar had deeply critical view.

What Savarkar and Golwalkar Wrote About Chhatrapati Sambhaji

In his book 'Six Glorious Epochs', VD Savarkar wrote:

• "Sambhaji was unfit to rule over the Maratha empire. He had bad characteristics like being short tempered, a drunkard and womaniser."

• "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's son Sambhaji was brave but he was an inefficient son and was not capable of ruling over the mammoth Maratha empire."

MS Golwalkar also wrote about Chhatrapati Sambhaji in his book 'Bunch of Thoughts'. In a chapter titled, 'Power of Devotion', Golwalkar writes:

• "The inspiring example of Khando Ballal is before us. After Sambhaji ascended the throne he, because of some past prejudices, put to death Khando Ballal’s father who was one of the Ashta Pradhans of Shivaji. Khando Ballal was at that time a proud, heroic young man. But he silently gulped down that agony and insult."

• "And again when Sambhaji, who was addicted to women and wine, cast his evil eyes on his sister, Khando Ballal allowed her to end her life to save her chastity, but he himself never forsook his loyalty to Sambhaji. For he knew that Sambhaji, with all his personal vices, was then the unifying symbol of the resurgent Hindu Swaraj around which all Hindu forces were trying to rally."

(Khaldo Ballal Chitnis or Khanderao Ballal was an administrator under Chhatrapati Sambhaji, Chhatrapati Rajaram, Queen Tarabai and Chhatrapati Shahu).

Perspective of Maratha Outfits

Maratha activists and scholars have alleged that there has been a concerted campaign throughout the years to "malign the image" of Chhatrapati Sambhaji.

Besides what Savarkar and Golwalkar wrote above, they have also contested the depiction of Chhatrapati Sambhaji by figures such as prominent poet and playwright Ram Ganesh Gadkari.

Activists from Maratha outfit Sambhaji Brigade along with Swabhiman Sangathana had uprooted a statue of Ram Ganesh Gadkari and threw it into the Mutha river in Pune.

Maratha activists allege that the roots of the negative depiction of Chhatrapati Sambhaji lie in a book named 'Chitnis Bakhar', a biography of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by Malhar Ramrao Chitnis, published in 1810-11, over 120 years after Sambhaji's death.

The text accuses Sambhaji of assaulting a Brahmin woman during a Hindu ceremony an presents him as someone who undid what Chhatrapati Shivaji had built.

Now, it needs to be noted that the author Malhar Ramrao Chitnis, is a descendant of Khando Ballal, the administrator whose father was executed by Sambhaji. Maratha activists argue that Chitnis' negative portrayal of Sambhaji was out of spite for the execution of his ancestor.

Another book that is often cited in this context is 'Sabhasad Bakhar', written by Krishnaji Anant Sabhasad, in 1697. The book was written at the court of Chhatrapati Rajaram, who was earlier engaged in a succession dispute with Chhatrapati Sambhaji. Therefore, the book was bound to have a negative view of Sambhaji in order to glorify Rajaram

There aren't too many works from Sambhaji's own period. A lot of the colonial period historiography on Sambhaji - such as James Grant Duff's 'History of the Mahrattas' - were shaped by Chitnis' version.

These texts also shaped the writing of pioneering nationalist historian Jadunath Sarkar, who compared Sambhaji unfavourably with Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Sarkar described Sambhaji as "a grownup youth notorious for his violent temper and self-indulgent character".

This view of Chhatrapati Sambhaji was contested by post-Independence historians like VC Bendre who questioned the authenticity of texts like 'Sabhasad Bakhar' and 'Chitnis Bakhar'.

The corrected view about Sambhaji was further popularised by Shivaji Sawant's seminal work 'Chhava', that also forms the basis of the film that was released recently.

A Question of Political Narrative and Caste

The contested views regarding Sambhaji also stem from the existence of two competing political projects - Hindutva on one hand and Maratha pride on the other.

From the Hindutva point of view, the negative portrayal of Sambhaji stems from the reimagination of Shivaji as a Hindutva hero against the Mughals, labelled as "Islamic". Within this narrative, Sambhaji is seen as someone who squandered away what Shivaji had established.

There is another aspect to this - caste. There is a strong Brahmanical element to the Hindutva re-imagining of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The conflicts against Muslim opponents are exaggerated at the expense of others.

For instance, what is often missed in Shivaji's battle against Afzal Khan is his slaying of Krishnaji Bhaskar Kulkarni, Afzal Khan's Brahmin employee who tried to kill Shivaji.

There were also attempts later by Brahmin authors to whitewash Kulkarni and say that he actually tried to warn Shivaji.

To show Sambhaji someone who squandered away Chhatrapati Shivaji's legacy is also a way of glorifying the Peshwas, who were Brahmins, as the ones who restored Marathas' glory.

Maratha outfits like Sambhaji Brigade and also sections within the Nationalist Congress Party (now mostly in the Sharad Pawar faction), are staunchly critical of the Brahmanical interpretation of Chhatrapati Shivaji and accuse this strand of being the reason for the negative portrayal of Sambhaji.

NCPSP leaders like Amol Kolhe and Jitendra Awhad have been consistently protesting the "insult" to Sambhaji by Hindutva ideologues and figures like Ram Ganesh Gadkari.

However, NCP founder Sharad Pawar has had a nuanced stand on the debate - he has said that it fine if there are multiple viewpoints regarding historical figures like Chhatrapati Sambhaji.

There may be merit in Pawar's contention. There are two aspects that we need to keep in mind.

First, it is problematic to judge historical figures from the frames of today's politics - be it Hindutva or regionalist and caste politics. Viewing Chhatrapati Shivaji as a "Hindu icon" against "Islamic invaders" is not just inaccurate, it is also insulting to his political, military and diplomatic ingenuity.

Second, the primary source material available for a figure like Chhatrapati Sambhaji is limited and may have its biases. Therefore, weaving any kind of political narrative around it is highly risky.