He brought the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj out of scholarly archives and into the hands of ordinary Maharashtrians — and on his death anniversary, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paused to remember the man who made that possible. On Sunday, 15 November 2026, Fadnavis posted a heartfelt tribute on X to Padma Vibhushan, Maharashtra Bhushan, Shiv Shahir Babasaheb Purandare, honouring the towering historian on his PunyaTithi (death anniversary).

Fadnavis wrote, in the Hindi-Marathi post: 'ओघवत्या शैलीतून जनसामान्यांपर्यंत शिवचरित्र पोहोचवणारे, ज्येष्ठ इतिहास संशोधक' — 'the senior historian-researcher who brought Shivaji's story to common people through his flowing, accessible style.' The tribute also invoked Purandare's towering titles: Padma Vibhushan, Maharashtra Bhushan, and the beloved honorific Shiv Shahir — the bard of Shivaji.

The historian who turned Shivaji's legacy into a people's story

Babasaheb Purandare spent decades researching the life and campaigns of the 17th-century Maratha king, producing a body of work — most notably Raja Shiv Chhatrapati — that became a landmark in Marathi literature. Where earlier accounts lived in academic circles, Purandare's writing crackled with narrative energy, drawing generations of readers directly into the forts, battles, and decisions of Shivaji's reign.

His impact stretched well beyond the printed page. His theatrical performances and public lectures drew massive crowds across Maharashtra for decades, turning historical recounting into something closer to a cultural movement. The state recognised his contributions with the Maharashtra Bhushan award, and the Government of India conferred the Padma Vibhushan — the country's second-highest civilian honour — cementing his place in the national literary canon.

Maratha history and the politics of remembrance in Maharashtra

Purandare's death anniversary each November has become a fixture in Maharashtra's political and cultural calendar. Leaders across parties issue tributes, reflecting just how deeply the Maratha legacy is woven into the state's public life. For Chief Minister Fadnavis and the BJP, invoking Purandare carries a specific resonance — the historian's work has long been seen as central to popularising a pride in Maratha history that cuts across caste and class lines.

Maharashtra governments of different stripes have supported public commemoration of historians and writers who documented the Shivaji era, through state awards, cultural events, and academic initiatives. Purandare's anniversary is one of the more visible of these moments — a reminder that in Maharashtra, history is never just history. It is politics, identity, and pride all at once.

Fadnavis's tribute, posted with the hashtags #शिवशाहीर_बाबासाहेब_पुरंदरे and #BabasahebPurandare, will likely be echoed by voices across Maharashtra's political spectrum today — because when it comes to Babasaheb Purandare, remembrance is one ground where rivals rarely disagree.