Noted historian Purandare dead, PM, other leaders condole

Purandare, 99, an authority on the Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was admitted to the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital here in Maharashtra three days ago and was being treated for pneumonia. He breathed his last shortly after 5 am on Monday, a statement from the hospital said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and a host of other leaders expressed grief over the demise of Purandare and lauded his contribution in the fields of history and culture. In the morning, the body was kept at the historian’s residence ‘Purandarewada’ in Parvati area here for people to pay their last respects.

Scores of people from all walks of life bid a teary adieu to the historian.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol were among those who paid homage to Purandare here.

His mortal remains were later consigned to flames at the Vaikuntha electric crematorium with full state hours, as announced by the state government. Known by his moniker Shiv Shahir’ (Shivaji’s bard), Purandare was among the pre-eminent authorities on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

‘Raja Shivchhatrapati’, Purandare’s popular two-part, 900-page magnum opus on Shivaji Maharaj in Marathi, was first published in the late 1950s and has since been a staple in Marathi households, going through numerous reprints over decades.