Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a deity of Maharashtra and does not belong to any specific community, state BJP chief Nitin Gadkari has said as controversy raged over the appointment of a noted historian on a committee to build a giant memorial of the Maratha king.

The great Maratha warrior does not belong to any specific community and he never indulged in casteism during his rule, he said, talking to reporters on Friday evening.