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Israel to install statue of Indian Maratha king as gesture of friendship Submitted by Shraddha Joshi on Fri, 06/12/2026 - 12:55 The Israeli consul shared his aim to increase awareness of Indian history among the Israeli public According to the statement by the Israeli Consul General Yaniv Revach (centre), the announcement was to mark the anniversary of the coronation of Shivaji in 1674, marking the establishment of the Maratha empire (X) Off The Israeli consulate in Mumbai announced plans to install a statue of Indian Maratha ruler Shivaji in a major Israeli city, following a meeting between the consul general and the chief minister of the Indian state of Maharashtra last week. “India & Israel are ancient civilisations and are proud of each other's history,” the consulate stated in a post on X revealing the initiative. The 17th-century Indian king, referred to by his title of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, has recently been recast by Indian Hindu right-wing groups as a founding icon of Hindu nationalism and armed opposition to Muslim rule, although scholars have contested this reading as ahistoric.  According to Israeli Consul General Yaniv Revach’s statement on X, the announcement was meant to mark “Shivrajyabhishek Din”, the anniversary of the coronation of Shivaji in 1674, marking the establishment of the Maratha empire.  While some historians contend that the empire’s establishment was politically motivated, Hindu nationalists have framed the moment as a starting point for a Hindu nation in opposition to Muslim presence in India.