PUNE: As the restoration work of the Meghdambari, the vault or canopy, built around Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s general Tanaji Malusare’s memorial at the Sinhagad Fort is in full swing, the team involved in the work has successully restored the original tomb built by the warrior king.
Malusare had laid down his life while bringing the fort Kondhana into the fold of Swarajya - the kingdom built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1670. Pained by the loss of the warrior, Shivaji had instructed his men to build the memorial of this great warrior. According to historians, Shivaji had personally paid respect at this memorial. Built in 1976, the Meghadambari and the bronze statue had suffered damages in the course of time.
According to the team involved in the restoration work, a concrete platform was built around the memorial in 1938 while a concrete statue was placed at this site in 1941.
Later, the bronze statue of the great Maratha general was installed in 1976. Marble was fitted on the earlier concrete platform. The entire structure was protected with the concrete Meghdamabari. The then chief minister of Maharashtra Shankarrao Chavan had unveiled the Meghadambari. Following this function, Tanaji’s statue was shifted to Kalyangaon located at the foothills of the Sinhagad fort, earlier known as Kondhana.
Historian Nandkishor Mate said, “In 1938, the Sinhagad Smarak Mandal had displayed a board announcing the presence of Malusare’s Samadhi and how he sacrificed his life for Swarajya.”
NCP leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule initiated this project, opposition leader in PMC Dilip Barate got Rs 5.80 crore funds sanctioned for this project named ‘Swarajyanishtha Shilpa Sushobhikaran’.
Barate has appealed to visitors to avoid crowding this area and suggested that they could visit the memorial after February 27, on the occasion of the 349th death anniversary of Tanaji Malusare.
Rahul Samel, a consulting architect of this project, Shivaji Lanke, Superintending Engineer of PMC’s Heritage Cell and Sunil Mohite, Deputy Engineer, PMC Heritage Cell, are supervising this project. Samel said, “The tomb dates back to the Shivaji era.”