Descendants of four royal lineages gather for ‘Anna-Thangi Habba’, reaffirming a relationship born after a battle nearly 348 years ago
Yadwad (Dharwad): Nearly 348 years after a battle between the forces of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Belawadi Mallamma forged a rare bond of brotherhood and sisterhood, their descendants gathered with representatives of the Kittur and Keladi royal lineages at Yadwad village in Dharwad taluk Wednesday to celebrate the historic relationship. Stay updated with the latest Hubballi news.
Speaking on the occasion, Sandeepji Maharaj, a descendant of Shivaji, said the historic bond showed that people transcended linguistic and geographical divisions. Though Karnataka and Maharashtra continued to have border and language disputes, he said, all were children of Mother India. The ‘Anna-Thangi Habba’ (festival of brotherhood and sisterhood) paid tribute to the bond between Shivaji and Mallamma. Historical accounts say a misunderstanding among soldiers led to a battle between their forces. Impressed by Mallamma’s spirited resistance, Shivaji reportedly acknowledged her as his sister. In remembrance of the relationship, Shivaji’s daughter-in-law Tarabai had a stone inscription and a hero stone installed at Yadwad. Representatives of the royal families from Maharashtra, Belawadi, Kittur and Keladi were welcomed with traditional musical ensembles. A procession carrying portraits of Shivaji and Mallamma passed through the village. Children dressed as historical personalities joined the procession, along with women carrying ceremonial lamps and kalashas. At the govt school premises, the royal descendants sat on a traditional carpet-covered platform. Women from the village tied sacred threads, or kankana, on their wrists and performed aarti, symbolically renewing the age-old sibling bond. Village elders dressed in traditional dhotis and silk turbans also joined the ritual. Descendants of Shivaji and Mallamma exchanged sacred threads, reaffirming their ancestral relationship. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines The gathering included Sanketrao Sarkar, Adeshrao Vichari, Sudhirji Mohite, Savaraj Ghorpade and Satish Kalavakar from Shivaji’s lineage; Nagaraj Desai Chachadi, YI Patil and Madiwalappa Desai from Mallamma’s lineage; Chandrakanth Sanghanayak and Gajendragad Ghorpade from Keladi’s lineage; and Somashekhar Desai from the Kittur Rani Chennamma lineage. He added that the Yadwad celebration inspired nation-building. Anand Mahaswami of Siddharoodha Mutt, Yadwad-Mulamuttal; Swami Shripad Avadhootji of Madhya Pradesh; MLA Vinay Kulkarni; MLC Lingaraj Patil; SR Ramanagouda; former MLA Amrut Desai; and others attended. Balappa Chinagudi and SC Guggari delivered lectures. Download the TOI App.