Israel to install statue of Indian Maratha king as gesture of friendship

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.