Both right and wrong. Hindutva IS a Marathi phenomenon. The Hindutva practiced elsewhere is provisional Hindutva of convenience, the Marathis obviously over the course of time do intend to destroy northern history, icons, and heroes and supplant them with their own. https://twitter.com/A_Hindu_Voice/status/1309711173743308801

The civilisational conscience of the Hindi belt is the primary target of the Hindutvavadis. They want to alter how the North has remembered the Deccani presence throughout its history, with terminologies introduced b/w 1850-1950 like 'Hindavi Swarajya' and 'Hindu Pad Padshahi'.

Remember that Shivaji was someone people didn't remember until Phule composed the 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhosle Yanche Pawad' on him in 1869, wherein many mythical and non historical achievements and events were ascribed to him, the same year 'Brahmananche Kasab' was composed.

It is only after this campaign by Phule and later by Shahu of Kolhapur that fiction like Shivaji's letter to Mirza Raja Jai Singh is introduced into mainstream 'mythstorical' narrative where he is seen pontificating Maharaja Jai Singh I of Amber on Dharma.

This was reiterated by Sir Jadunath Sarkar in his letter to G.S. Sardesai, dated August 25, 1944.

THERE WAS NO LETTER WRITTEN BY SHIVAJI TO MIRZA RAJA JAI SINGH

I am seeing many Maratha pages reposting the so called letter from Shivaji Souvenir by G.S. Sardesai. But they conveniently omit by design the introduction to that letter. We initially ignored them but not anymore.

Date is Shravana 1979 VS, or July-August 1922 AD.

One only wonders what the purpose of such objects of "Historical Vandalism" could be. Of course, it was initially about reinforcing an identity locally but, post 1947 the regional Frankenstein's monster of Phule-Savarkar-Tilak-Gokhale-Ambedkar was unleashed upon all of India.

Phule was the first man to publish a life of Shivaji in verse and also the first man to discover Shivaji's samadhi at Raigad.

Historiography of Shivaji's tales begins with Phule's ballad of 1869 in Maharashtra, and look under Hindutva's mental colonialism where we are now.

Source for the snippet in the tweet above is "Shahu Chhatrapati, A Royal Revolutionary" ~ D.V. Keer.

The author is as Pro-Maratha as they come.

Another of such myths around Shivaji deals with theft/trivialization of another Rajput, Maharaja Chhatrasal's struggle against the Mughal Empire. Shivaji is credited with "inspiring" him (whatever that means) against the Mughals. As usual, this couldn't be further from the truth.

"Chhatrasal returned from Raigarh in disappointment"

Source: Shivaji and His Times - Sir Jadunath Sarkar

Will sleep now, going to continue this thread on Deccani obsession with Rajputs later.