Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum of Indian History

1. ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj MuseumofIndian History By Mr. Francois Gautier Mr. Gautier was born in a Catholic family in Paris. Until his eighteenth year he had not heard of India, or had any interest in spirituality. At that time he heard of a caravan of cars driving from Paris to Pondicherry and he decided to join them. Six weeks later, crossing ten countries, they reached Delhi in late September 1978. He spent his first night in the Delhi branch of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. He felt a strong spiritual experience there that evening and a feeling of intense peace and joy. It was then that he realized he would live in India for the rest of his life. He says “ India is not just a piece of land, it is the living Shakti, a body that, in spite of so many assaults over the centuries still radiates knowledge and power to whomsoever opens up to it” He went to Pondicherry two weeks later where he immersed himself in Sri Aurobindo’s teachings and met the Mother. This was the turning point in his life. Since then he has loved India, embracing everything Indian – Hindu religion, culture and history.

2. Professional Career Since 1982, he has worked as a journalist covering various events, travelling the length and breadth of India. He freelanced for various French newspapers and finally ended up as the South Asian correspondent for Journal de Geneve. Later he worked for eight years at Le Figaro. He is nowtheEditorin Chief of La Revue de l’Inde, a literary magazine devoted to India. He also wrote columns in different Indian publications. He covered Kashmir from the unrest of the late 80’s to the Kargil war. Yet he says he spontaneously felt at ease in most of the places he visited, whether it was high up in the Himalayas, or down in Pondicherry. His love for India kept growing. A few years ago, he visited Pune for an Art of Living course. He had known of Shivaji and had come to admire him a lot. So after the course, he took some time to visit the main museum in the city called Kelkar. He was surprised and shocked to find that there was not a single exhibit on Shivaji. The city did not appear to have any museum honoring him. To Mr. Gautier, Shivaji should be to Indians what Napoleon is to the French. That day, he felt he should do something to honor Shivaji, who was so devoted to his country. The idea of a Museum of True Indian History dedicated to Shivaji started taking shape in his mind. He had also felt for some time, that Indians in general did not know very much of their own true history having been brought up on the colonial version which continues to be taught in schools. The Aryan invasion that never happened is still being taught as a fact, but 1200 years of Hindu genocide is swept under the rug for good and bad reasons. So, the idea for ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj Museum of Indian History was born.

3. FACT2003 - FoundationAgainstContinuingTerrorism All throughout his reporting years, Mr. Gautier noticed that most western correspondents were projecting the problems, warts and shortcomings of India. Hence when he got a journalism prize (Natchiketa Award of excellence in journalism) from the Prime Minister of India, he used the prize money to found FACT and mount a series of conferences & exhibitions highlighting the magnificence of India and the threats to its sovereignty. A series of exhibits have been held and films made on various aspects of Indian history from 2006 to 2013. Terror unleashed - an exhibition on Kashmir -Ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits shown in India and abroad including the US Congress in 2006 leading to a bipartisan resolution on the Human Rights of the KashmimiriPandits. Aurangzeb as he was according to the Moghul records. 1947 Holocaust of Hindus and Sikhs The rise of Sikhism as a defender of Hindu Dharma. AhilyabaiHolkar, the warrior queen. Naxalism - a threat to the Unified nation of India. Persecution of Minorities in Bangladesh, portrait of covert genocide ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj, A Hero for Modern India MaharanaPratap, the Indomitable Hindu Holocaust from the Hindu Kush to 26/11, Hindu Tolerance throughout the ages Dara Shukoh, the Sufi The History of Tibet, the genocide Coming soon THE VEDAS

4. The Museum project So started his journey to build a museum of true Indian History dedicated to the hero he admired so much, in 2011, on 5 acres of land in Wadgaon, Pune Maharashtra donated to FACT by HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. This museum, ‘ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj Museum of Indian History’, will deal with the history of India from the beginning of its civilization till today. It will educate children of all faiths about the greatness of their culture, religions and history. It will have at its core a permanent exhibition on Shivaji, the great Warrior of Maharashtra, who will have found at last a shrine worthy of his greatness, in his own home town. On January 14th, 2010 HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar performed the Bhoomi puja on the land where the Museum will stand. During the year the infra structure was put in place including 2 wells, water conservation trenches, a site office, electricity a natural bougainvillea fence etc. On January 10, 2011 the foundation stonefor the Mother India shrine was laid on the Museum land with a Puja conducted by the trustees of FACT along with others. This will be a unique temple in India, which will again spread the concept of India as the Mother, in Sri Aurobindo’s light. The yantra design of the shrine was completed in August and the Bharat Mata statue endowing Shivaji and Shivaji’s bust, both cast in bronze, along with quotes from riAurobindo were installed in October through November of the same year. The Bharat Mata shrine and three exhibition halls were inaugurated by HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Shri Nitin Gadkari. Subsequently, various temporary buildings were built housing each succeeding exhibit including the pavilion for the Tibetan Holocaust exhibit – inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in August 2013, were completed. Video room was inaugurated in March 2014. Once the new proposed Museum building is completed and the various exhibits are moved to their new homes, the temporary buildings will be put to other use, as per plans drawn up by the consultants/architects

5. Proposal for the new Museum building Shrine to Mata Bhavani The plan for the building is a blend of traditional/vernacular architecture with modern technology. Vernacular architecture is the use of cultural heritage, traditions and values tested through time of a community or region. The Swastik and Shree Yantra are used here in a contemporary setting. The architect is SheetalHarpale. Total cost for the building alone is Rs. 10.5 Crores. The Museum is located ahead of MarathwadaInstitute. Vadgaon- Shinde road. Wadgaon. Pune 40. It is OPEN every day from 9AM to 6PM and entrance is FREE. Daily Aarti is conducted in the temple in the morning at 9.30AM. Besides the priest, there are 2 other permanent employees. This is a private Museum built for the benefit of all as a FACT project. FACT has Indian, USA, UK tax exempt status.