Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday (March 17) inaugurated the state’s first-ever temple dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Thane district’s Bhiwandi taluka.

Key Points

• This is the first temple dedicated to the great Maratha warrior in Maharashtra, but the second in India.
• Inspired by the architecture of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s forts, the temple is spread over an area of 2,500 sq feet, with a fort-like boundary wall covering an additional 5,000 square feet.
• The Shivkranti Pratishthan, which built the temple, was founded by a local construction magnate and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj devotee named Raju Chaudhary. It was Chaudhury who gifted this land to the trust.
• The first temple dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is in Srisailam, Telangana.
• The temple was inaugurated by Fadnavis on the occasion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's birth anniversary, as per the Hindu calendar.
• Its foundation was laid in 2017, and actual construction began in March 2018.