Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik paid tribute to one of the greatest warriors of all time - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on Wednesday, as February 19 is celebrated as the Jayanti i.e, the birth anniversary of the Maratha emperor.
Pattnaik tweeted the picture of his art and captioned it, "Jai Shivaji ...Jai Bhavani...Remembering Chatrapati #ShivajiMaharaj on his birth anniversary."
Twitter was in awe of the sand art and appreciated the artist. Here are a few reactions on the micro-blogging site:
Earlier, on the 390th birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes, saying his life will continue to motivate millions. PM Modi posted a picture of himself on his Twitter handle, offering flowers to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue.
"Bowing to one of the greatest sons of Mother India, the embodiment of courage, compassion and good governance, the exceptional Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his Jayanti. His life continues to motivate millions," Modi tweeted.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray visited the Shivneri Fort in Pune district to pay homage to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his birth anniversary. The Maratha warrior king was born in Shivneri, located in Junnar tehsil of Pune, in 1630. Thackeray attended some programmes, including the 'cradle ceremony', in Shivneri and also reviewed development works at the fort.
Know more about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj:
Chhatrapati Shivaji is known as one of the greatest warriors of all time. His valour and guerrilla warfare tactics, along with his loyal Mavlas, built the Maratha empire which was unconquerable even after the advent of the British.
He is also called as the Father of Indian Navy, as he is said to be the first one to realise the importance of having a naval force. The forts - Vijaydurg, Sindhudurg - along Maharashtra's coastline in the Konkan region are a testament of his administrative skills.
Shivaji was also a secular ruler. He also had many Muslim soldiers in his army.
(With inputs from Agencies)
