UK museum corrects record on general disemboweled by Shivaji

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 26

An error regarding information on a significant episode of Indian history associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji recorded in London’s famous Victoria and Albert Museum has been corrected after a Delhi-based history enthusiast pointed out the flaw to the museum authorities.

Shivaji’s killing of Afzal Khan is a well-known chapter of Indian history. Afzal Khan, commander of the Bijapur army, invited Shivaji for a meeting to discuss truce. Khan’s real intention was to kill the Maratha ruler. Shivaji correctly anticipated Khan’s motive and killed him by disemboweling him with a steel “waghnak” he was secretly wearing in his left hand fingers.

The “waghnak” (tiger claw), with which Shivaji is said to have killed Khan, is kept at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London. The incident took place on November 9, 1659. Tributes were showered on Shivaji by his admirers on this occasion earlier this month.

“Some of the admirers also posted picture of the ‘waghnak’. I never knew that the weapon has been preserved. I got curious and checked out the links and found that the weapon was an exhibit at the V&A Museum in London,” the history buff, who wants to remain anonymous, said.

He noticed that in the museum write-up Afzal Khan has been described as a Mughal army commander. “Afzal Khan was an army officer of the Bijapur state which was not a part of the Mughal empire. Describing him as a Mughal commander is wrong,” he added.