At last their search for roots ended after 244 years. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s descendants have found their lost tribe, 140 km north west of Delhi.
KARNAL (Haryana): At last their search for roots ended after 244 years. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's descendants have found their lost tribe, some 140 kms north west of Delhi. The original Marathas from Maharashtra on Sunday had their "historic Milan" with their forefathers who fought the Afghans in the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761.
The thirteenth generation descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj were taken in a procession to the Hudco grounds here to meet and address their Maratha brethren.
The entire 7-km stretch, from Jhanjari village to Hudco grounds - had acquired a Maratha flavour with men sporting the traditional turban, scores of saffron flags with Shivaji's picture fluttering around. Delegates had also come from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The 'Maratha Milan Samaroh' is the result of painstaking efforts and research into the Maratha warriors who fought in Panipat by Virendra Verma, a retired civil servant.
The Milan Samaroh was inaugurated by Rajamata Kalpanaraje Bhonsle as shouts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj rented the air.
At her inaugural speech, the Rajamata said, "The Marathas in Haryana are virtual heirs of the Mata Jeeja Bai and Shivaji." She underscored the need for "social and matrimonial" ties between the two.
Several speakers said they were unaware of of the fact that there were 6.5 lakh Marathas in Haryana, scattered in Panipat, Karnal and Kurukshetra.
The multitude then observed two minutes silence for the 1761 martyrs. Almost all speakers lauded the bravery of the Marathas. They said the 200-odd Marathas who were forced to hide in the jungles in and around Panipat after the Afghan victory, took the name of "Ror" (pronounced as Rode) to escape prosecution at the hands of the locals. The Rors are considered backward in the region.
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