Overview
- Acharya Nayan Padmasagar, speaking at a Mahavir Jayanti gathering in Mumbai on Tuesday, said Maratha queen Tararani was a follower of Jainism and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ram temple.
- Historians point to records that identify Tararani as Hambirrao Mohite’s daughter from the Mohite clan, the wife of Rajaram, and a leader who fought Aurangzeb.
- Maratha descendants and civic leaders, including Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati and Vikramsingh Mohite, called the claim baseless and urged the monk to withdraw it and apologize.
- Fellow Jain monk Nilesh Chandra rejected the statement and asked Acharya Padmasagar to apologize to Maharashtra and to Shivaji’s family.
- Political leaders at the event, including Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Mumbai BJP chief Amit Satam, did not respond publicly, a silence opposition figures such as Sanjay Raut questioned.