Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay met

Maharashtra's Culture Minister

Mumbai/Lucknow, August 01 (HS): Uttar Pradesh Higher

Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay, during his stay in Mumbai, paid a

courtesy visit to Maharashtra Government's Culture Minister Ashish Shelar at

his residence in Malabar and held a detailed discussion with him for the

conservation and development of the historical site associated with Chhatrapati

Shivaji Maharaj.

In the meeting, Yogendra Upadhyay described Kothi Meena

Bazaar in Agra as an important place related to the history of Chhatrapati

Shivaji Maharaj and said that investigation of historical facts and study of

revenue records of Jaipur royal family has revealed that Aurangzeb had

treacherously detained Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son in the

residential complex of Ram Singh, son of Mirza Raja Jai Singh. He said that

on the strength of his unique strategy, courage and intelligence, Shivaji

Maharaj escaped from there and presented an example of indomitable valour in

Indian history.

The Higher Education Minister said that since 2018, he,

along with historian Professor Sugam Anand and the late Dr. Ami Adhar Nidar,

have worked tirelessly to establish the identity of this site based on

historical research and records. These efforts confirmed that Kothi Meena

Bazaar in Agra is the place where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was held under

house arrest.

Yogendra Upadhyay invited Maharashtra's Culture Minister, Ashish

Shelar, to visit Agra and requested him to inspect this historic site so that a

blueprint for its preservation, development, and the construction of a grand

memorial could be prepared in coordination with the governments of Uttar

Pradesh and Maharashtra. He said that this memorial would not only be a symbol

of Shivaji Maharaj's valor but would also become a place of inspiration,

further strengthening the cultural and historical ties between Maharashtra and

North India.

During the meeting, the two leaders also had a positive

discussion on the preservation of cultural heritage and the promotion of

historical monuments. Senior Maharashtra leader Sunil Singh was also present on

the occasion. Ashish Shelar also presented Yogendra Upadhyay with a book on the

12 historical forts recently recognized as World Cultural Heritage sites by

UNESCO.

The Higher Education Minister expressed confidence that with

the joint efforts of the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra governments, this

historical site located in Agra will gain a new identity at the national level

and will continue to inspire patriotism, courage and cultural unity in the

coming generations.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi