Sep 24, 20261 min read

Why Shivaji was crowned Chhatrapati twice in the same year

Shivaji underwent a second coronation ceremony in 1674, just months after the first, to resolve a court problem and satisfy competing factions.

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Why Shivaji was crowned Chhatrapati twice in the same year
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Shivaji was formally crowned Chhatrapati on June 6th at Raigad, becoming the ruler of his kingdom. The crown still left the court with a problem.

The second coronation ceremony

On September 24th, 1674, Shivaji went through the ceremony again, this time in the tantric style. Nishalpuri Gosavi led it while the court worked through the issue the first crown had left hanging. The strange scene was a king already crowned standing through another rite.

Why a different ritual was needed

The second ceremony followed a different religious system. That gave the factions a ritual they could accept, pacified them, and made Shivaji's status harder to challenge.

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