Thread by @TrueIndology

I barely post anything these days.

But today, an abominable lowlife called Ruchika Sharma abused Shivaji Maharaj. She falsely dubbed him as a 'looter' on Live TV. She made a factually inaccurate and slanderous statement.

The man who gave Hindus freedom, respect and dignity gets insulted. Thankless Hindu nation doesn't even bother.

Fact-check thread🧵:

This cunning anchor @anjanaomkashyap platforms such filth. Invites her and lets her spew venom. Doesn't interrupt or fact-check her lies. Just adds a disclaimer at the end.

Shame on you @anjanaomkashyap and others who platform such filth for TRP.

In tweets below, I will fact-check this inaccurate claim.

This alleged historian Ruchika @tishasaroyan says:

" Shivaji's own Bakhars say he looted Hindu temple town of Srirangapatna and surrounding areas".

Hey @tishasaroyan, here is an open challenge to you and your ilk:

Show us which Bakhar says Shivaji looted Srirangapatna.

There is none. It is not mentioned in any Bakhar. Have some shame you liar.

The Bakhars of Shivaji Maharaj have been published and made available online.

Here is my open challenge to anyone who takes it up. Show me where it is mentioned in these Bakhars that Shivaji Maharaj raided and looted Srirangapatna and surrounding areas.

archive.org/details/dli.mg…

archive.org/details/sivach…

The claim that Shivaji Maharaj looted Srirangapatnam doesn't even come from any Marathi Bakhars.

Infact, it comes from letters of East India Company colonizers. Yes, the same white Englishmen who hated and despised Shivaji Maharaj to the extent that they called him a 'veritable black demon'. Because they saw him as their biggest hurdle to the colonization of India.

English factory records letter dated August 24th 1677.

And here is the reality of so called 'karnataka loot':

In those days, armies were very loosely bound units of pseudo-professional soldiers many of whom were were also part-time peasants. There was no centralization and armies did not exert a great control over soldiers.

Yet, before embarking on his southern campaign, Shivaji Maharaj strictly ordered his soldiers not to engage in any loot.

@tishasaroyan Infact, before starting his southern campaign, Shivaji Maharaja ordered his soldiers not to harass the farmers, peasants and ordinary civilians.

He even executed some offenders.

From Sabhasad Bakhar

Yes, Shivaji Maharaja's southern campaign starting from Hyderabad,->Gingee->Karnataka was indeed disastrous to some.

But those were Moors or foreign Muslim invaders.

English factory records say that Shivaji Maharaj 'routed the Muslims'.

Another English factory record says "When Shivaji Maharaja entered Karnataka, the Moors(Muslims) ran away from their forts and upon any rumor of his approach".

It is easy to why a Mughal Harem queen masquerading as a historian hates him so much.

Far from looting them, Shivaji Maharaja gave freedom to civilians of Karnataka. Upon conquering the province, he banned slave trade of Hindus by foreign powers.

He warned the Dutch traders: "In the days of Muslim Government, it was allowed for you to buy slaves
here [in Karnataka]. But as long as I am master of these lands, you shall not buy slaves nor transport them".

Far from any looting, once Sivaji Maharaja conquered new lands and added them to his territory, he administered them efficiently.

Even the colonizers who called him all names had to admit that Shivaji's Brahmin administrators made the lands 'more profitable than those under the government of Muslims'

@tishasaroyan Far from any looting, Shivaji Maharaja built 100 new forts in the newly conquered province of Karnataka to protect the civilians from depradations of Muslim invaders.

From Sabhasad Bakhar:

@tishasaroyan Throughout his southern campaign, Shivaji Maharaja sponsored temples, tanks and charity houses.

The gopuram at Srisailam temple was built by him.

It is disappointing that he is now dubbed as a looter.

But all this is still besides the point. This cunning Ruchika Sharma is playing a false strawman.

The topic was about Mughal cruelty and brutality. She tries to digress it by bringing in alleged loot of unruly Maratha pseudo-soldiers in enemy territories.

Nobody is talking about that. Mughals committed civilian atrocities even in the territories they ruled and conquered such as Kalpi.

Can she show any such example for Shivaji Maharaja?

@tishasaroyan Akbar kiIIed 30K Hindu civilians in Mewar in 1567,

Can anybody show us where Shivaji Maharaja committed such brutality and atrocities on civilian population?

There is no equivalence here. This is not only factually inaccurate but highly slanderous and malicious.