Umaji Naik memorial

As historical records show, Naik had faced problems sourcing weapons. He joined the British army and managed to procure guns from them to battle against them. Naik's memorial is built near the Mamledar Kacheri in Shukravar Peth. "While fighting with the British army, Naik felt the need for weapons like guns as they weren't enough with the Indians," shares Nupur Kulkarni from the NGO Janwani.u00a0

The Mamledar Kacheri where the Umaji Naik memorial is located. u00a0Pics/ Sachin Thakare

Mohan Shete, a historian added, "Joining the British army was Naik's plan to get access to their guns and he succeeded in that. One fine day, he ran away with some guns and bullets, and with those guns, he started fighting against the British. Unfortunately he was caught by the Britishers and was hanged." Naik was produced before the Court at Mamledar Kacheri and was hanged till death.

"Then the dead body of Umaji Naik was hanged on the Peepal (fig) tree; the tree is still present on the premises. The place where he was hanged has been preserved by constructing the memorial," adds Kulkarni. If you wish to visit the place, you can take part in Janwani's heritage walk.u00a0