Pune, March 29 -- Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited the memorial of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and paid tribute and his respects to the prominent king of the Maratha Empire in Pune on Saturday.

"Today, on the death anniversary of Swarajyarakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, I visited the memorial site at Vadu Budruk in (Shirur Pune ) and paid my respects and gratitude," said Ajit Pawar.

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was the eldest son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire in India.

He succeeded his father as the second Chhatrapati (ruler) of the Maratha Empire in 1681 and ruled until he died in 1689.

Born in 1657 at Purandar Fort near Pune, a highly educated prince, fluent in Sanskrit, ...