This weekend relive the greatness of Maratha history at this museum in Lonavala

One sunny April afternoon we decided to head to a property that we soon realised pays a fitting tribute to the mighty Maratha kingdoms Located on a steep hillside at the foothills of Lohagad and Visapur forts Shivshahi Chavni Museum is housed within a resort that is inspired by the transit camps dating back to the 16th century The museum was set up along with the rest of the property in December 2022 The four and a halfacre property overlooks the Sahyadris as well as the Visawa damDuring our stay a highlight of our trip was the visit to the museum which displays priceless treasures from the eras of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Peshwa rulers and later the British Raj ldquoWe wanted Chavni to be a living heritage hub that evokes poignant memories of the past It was apt to set up a museum for historylovers that offers glimpses of our glorious pastrdquo says Tushar Shetye an architect and one of the four founders of the resort who designed the propertyThe museumrsquos caretaker Adinath Bhosle is a knowledgeable and friendly person who shows us around It was painstakingly curated by Pramod Borade a member of the Maharashtra Fort Conservation Committee MFCC and HOD History Department Indrayani MahavidyalayaldquoI started exploring this world of collecting artefacts in 2002 after my 10th standard exams In my vacations I would head to many forts as well as their surrounding villages I visited the gharanas of the Deshpandes Deshmukhs Kulkarnis Potdars Choughales and Patils who were close to the rulers of the Maratha empire and were known to the ancestors of these families They were kind enough to donate their prized collectionsrdquo shares Borade who has published five books about the history of Maharashtrarsquos fortsgtgt There are a variety of weapons including swords daggers bows and arrows in the collection along with rare dailyuse objects from the past like water storage utensils cooking utensils like hande degchi musal and ukhal mortar and pestlegtgt Mrigaraja Akkhanda lion Pushpa Shila the large stone with floral design a shield made from rhinoceros hide a jade encrusted dagger and decorated spear Some of these were sourced from Talegaon Wada while others were passed on to Borade by fellow curators and friendsgtgt Sarees woven with silver and gold threadworkgtgt A stone carving dates back to 1603 mdash 27 years prior to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajrsquos birth the carved text is in the Arabic script gtgt Look out for coins from the coronations of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj gtgt Dagdi dive stone lamps of different sizes discovered near river beds during expeditions and excavationsgtgt Copper and brass utensils and artefacts such as paan boxes peek daani and iron vases lamps and so on from Shiv Kaal mdash sourced from relatives and passed down through generations in Pramod Boradersquos family and also the Deshmukh and Patil familiesgtgt Documents of correspondence between chieftains and sardars from Shiv Kaal 16301707 and Peshwin Kaal 17501818 in Modi Lipi Modi script The replicas have been crafted by BoradeAlso check out300yearold antique bullApart from the displaysexhibits within the museum there are ancient and precious artefacts strewn all around the property Take for instance the 300yearold antique bull sourced from Nagpur which is symbolic of the Bail Pola festival The festival is a form of Thanksgiving by farmers in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh to acknowledge the importance of bulls and oxen in their agricultural activities It falls on the day of the Pithori Amavasya in the month of Shravan There is also a 500yearold Veergal pillar Historically these pillars were erected in memory of heroic soldiers who fought in the Maratha and Peshwa armies It is also called a Veerastambha Veergals can be found outside many old temples in MaharashtraCurator SpeakIn the last 20 years I have been able to source different articles clothes weapons and artefacts eventually building up a collection of over 5500 artefacts Some of these are from in and around Konkan but most originate from the Bara Maval Pradesh region that consists of Nyane Maval Antar Maval and Pavan Maval I have also sourced certain artefacts from Punjab Haryana Rajasthan and other regions such as Devgiri Golconda Mysore and Bijapur Pramod BoradeFact BoxHow to reach From Mumbai board a train that halts at Lonavala and hire a private taxi to reach the property Alternatively if yoursquore driving down take the exit near Sinhagad Institute after Lonavala Cost There are no charges for guests of the resort For other visitors the ticket price is R50 Our Tip Itrsquos prettier in the monsoon Since itrsquos at the foothills of Lohagad and Visapur forts one can head out for scenic hiking trailsCall 8788001140 77559 92281Catch the perfect travel vibesChavnirsquos budgetfriendly nonAC rooms cater mainly to bikers and backpackers and are shaped like bullock cartsThe glamping tents are reminiscent of a time when traders and armies travelled in large groups by road and took overnight halts where they could accommodate their horses and bullock cartsThe space also has luxury twobedroom wadas The restaurant offers gorgeous views donrsquot miss the sunsets and traditional Maharashtrian fare Handpainted scenes from The Ramayana on the walls and the Himroo fabric on the ceiling add to the timetravel vibe