Celebrate Shivaji Jayanti on ‘tithi’: Shiv Sena

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis pays tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary in Pune on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

Being firm on celebrating Shiv Jayanti on tithi (a date on the Marathi calendar), Shiv Sena leader and industries minister Subhash Desai on Thursday wrote a letter to the chief minister and the cultural minister that the government should organise celebrations on that day only. The government celebrated Shiv Jayanti on Thursday according to the Gregorian calendar with the governor C. Vidyasagar Rao paying floral tributes to the Maratha king at Shivaji Park.

The state government’s official ‘Shiv Jayanti’ celebrations are held on February 19 each year, while the Shiv Sena celebrates ‘Shiv Jayanti’ as per the tithi.

A day before, The Asian Age had reported about the growing differences between Shiv Sena and BJP over celebrating the Shiv Jayanti. Shiv Sena celebrates the birth anniversary as per the Marathi calendar, Falgun Vadya Tritiya (third day of Falgun month which is between February and March) and the government has officially declared date of February 19 for the anniversary celebration.

“We have sent a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and cultural affairs minister Vinod Tawde to celebrate the Shiv Jayanti as per tithi. A committee appointed by the government earlier had said to celebrate the anniversary as per tithi on Falgun Vadya Tritiya,” Subhash Desai said. Despite opposition to the government celebration, Mr Desai was present at Shivaji Park in the morning to observe the celebration.

However, experts do not give much importance to the differences between the calendar date and tithi. Earlier, there was a dispute about Shivaji’s birthday, which was considered to be April 7, 1627 and Vaishakh Shuddha Dwitiya as per the tithi. A committee of experts that was appointed a few years ago by the then government, discovered that the date was February 19, 1630 and Falgun Vadya Tritiya as per the tithi.

Speaking on the issue, professor and head of Inter Disciplinary School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pune University, Dr Raja Dixit said, “The important dates in history are considered based on the Gregorian calendar. There is nothing wrong in observing days as per tithi. Both the dates are correct as per the historians.” Professor Dixit is an expert on the history of Shivaji.