Low-key celebration of Shiv Jayanti in Maharashtra

Shiv Jayanti, the birthanniversary of iconic warrior king Chhatrapati ShivajiMaharaj, was celebrated in a subdued manner in Maharashtra onFriday amid the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state government had asked people to desist fromtaking out processions and bike rallies which are witnessed inmany parts of Maharashtra on Shiv Jayanti in normal times.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari offered floral tributesto the equestrian statue of the 17th century ruler at ShivajiPark in Dadar here.

Minister Ashok Chavan, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekarand Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal were among thosepresent.

The governor later participated in the Shiv Jayanticelebrations organized by the Brihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation at Krida Bhavan, a Raj Bhavan statement said.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his deputy AjitPawar visited the Shivneri Fort, Shivaji Maharaj's birthplacein Pune district.

The warrior king was born on the hill fort on this dayin 1630.

''Shivaji Maharaj fought several battles andestablished 'swaraj'.... There is no need to tell how hefought the opponents. No such battles are being fought now,and there are no swords and shields. But right now we arefighting a battle against the coronavirus and face mask is theonly shield in the fight,'' the chief minister said.

''One cannot win a battle by just holding a sword. Oneneeds a determined heart and the desire to win. ShivajiMaharaj continues to provide that inspiration,'' he said.

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra AssemblyDevendra Fadnavis paid tributes to the warrior king bygarlanding his statue in Nagpur.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut andMaharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole also paid tributes toShivaji Maharaj.

''Humble tributes to pro-people's welfare rulerChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who awakened self-pride in theminds of the people and realized the concept of the people'srule. Greetings to all on the occasion of Shiv Jayanti,'' Pawartweeted.

The Raigad Fort, the capital of Shivaji Maharaj'sstate, was illuminated with colored lights on the eve of theanniversary on Thursday.

In Aurangabad district, R R Patil Foundation, aprivate organization, showered flower petals on statues ofShivaji Maharaj and other monuments in the district fromhelicopter.

Like all festivals, Shiv Jayanti too was affected bythe pandemic as no big gatherings and processions could beorganized.

Maharashtra, particularly its Vidarbha region, hasseen a spike in coronavirus cases this month. The statereported more than 5,000 new cases after a gap of 75 days onThursday.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)