Did Shivaji’s daughter-in-law Tararani follow Jainism? Jain monks divided

A disagreement has emerged among Jain monks over claims that Maharani Tararani, the daughter-in-law of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, belonged to the Jain faith.

Jain monk Acharya Nayan Padmasagar sparked controversy with a statement asserting that Tararani was part of the Jain community. However, fellow Jain monk Nilesh Chandra rejected the claim, stating that Tararani was not Jain but Maratha by birth. Tararani was the only daughter of Shivaji’s commander Hambirrao Mohite and was married to Shivaji’s son, Maharaja Rajaram. Mohite was a Maratha warrior.

Nilesh Chandra has called on Acharya Padmasagar to apologise to the people of Maharashtra and to Shivaji’s descendants for what he described as an incorrect and controversial statement about Tararani.

The remarks were made on 31 March at an event organised by the Bharat Jain Mahamandal in Dadar to mark Mahavir Jayanti. During the programme, Acharya Padmasagar claimed that Maharani Tararani, who fought against Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, was a follower of Jainism. He also asserted that Jain acharyas contributed to the development of the Marathi language, adding that references to this can be found in Sant Dnyaneshwar’s Dnyaneshwari.

Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, a prominent Maratha leader, was present at the event. Mumbai BJP president Amit Satam was also on the मंच. However, neither Shinde nor Satam publicly responded to Padmasagar’s remarks on Tararani’s religious identity. Expressing surprise, Nilesh Chandra said Shinde should have spoken against what he described as an incorrect statement.

Maharashtra-based historian Indrajit Sawant strongly criticised the remarks, stating that Maharani Tararani was born into the Maratha community and was the wife of Maharaja Rajaram, Shivaji’s son. He said Acharya Padmasagar should acquaint himself with Maratha history, adding that such claims risk creating divisions within a peaceful society.

“Jainism is based on truth, non-violence and restraint. An acharya of such a tradition has no authority to alter history,” Sawant said, alleging that the statement amounted to interference with historical facts and an attempt to distort Maratha history.

Vikramsingh Mohite, a descendant of the Mohite family, also condemned the statement, saying tampering with history was unacceptable. He emphasised that Tararani was not Jain but Maratha, and noted that she performed daily worship of weapons, questioning whether such practices aligned with Jain traditions. He called on Acharya Padmasagar to apologise for the remarks.

Shivaji descendant Sambhaji Chhatrapati also reacted to the controversy on X, writing that Maharani Tararani was the daughter-in-law of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the wife of Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj and the daughter of commander Hambirrao Mohite. He described the monk’s statement as baseless and highly irresponsible, adding that individuals holding positions as religious leaders should refrain from making unfounded claims about historical figures.

He further said that monks belonging to a peace-loving tradition should not create disputes without cause.