MUMBAI/ PUNE, Aug. 19 -- Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis unveiled legendary Maratha warrior Raghuji Raje Bhonsle's sword, bought by Maharashtra government for Rs.47.15 lakh at an auction in London recently, at the P L Deshpande Centre, Ravindra Natya Mandir, Mumbai, on Monday. The 18th century sword will be on display at the centre till August 25, following which it will be shown at certain places in the state. While a rally was planned in Mumbai after the sword's unveiling, it was cancelled due to heavy rainfall. At the unveiling Fadnavis said, "We knew that any price would be quoted for the sword (at the auction), but the state was prepared for it. However, the sword was actually bought for a lower price than what the state expected." Meanwhile, a postgraduate student of archaeology from Pune's Deccan College, Pruthviraj Dhavad, has translated the gold-inlaid inscription on the sword written in a mix of Devnagiri and Persian scripts. Upon translation, it reads, "Shrimant Raghoji Bhonsle Sena Saheb Subha Firang Makar Janb Ganga," said Dhavad. "The line describes the sword like the tail of a makara in the Ganga," he explained. "The makara-a crocodile-like aquatic creature in Indian mythology and the vehicle of the river goddess Ganga-symbolises power, agility and the ability to swim against the current. To compare a sword with a makara's tail in the Ganga is rare and conveys its force and symbolic strength." Dhavad clarified that the word Janb, previously misread as Janak or Janab, is a Persian word meaning tail. He also linked the reference to Ganga with Raghuji Bhonsle's Bengal campaign of 1741-42, when the Marathas extended their control across the river for the first time. "It is likely that the sword was inscribed after those victories, immortalising the moment through this poetic metaphor," he said. "The sword tells us how weapons were perceived not merely as tools of war, but as forces of nature," said Dhavad. "Here, Raghuji's blade is imagined cutting through enemies as powerfully as a makara's tail thrashes through the Ganga. The inscription fuses poetry, history, and politics into one object." Sachin Joshi, Dhavad's guide for his postgraduation thesis, from Deccan College, said: "The institute teaches a specific methodology to decode such inscriptions. Dhavad used this method to decode the inscription. I observed him closely during his project. He is experienced in decoding such scripts."...