A recent statement by Jain monk Acharya Nayan Padmasagar has sparked widespread debate and criticism in Maharashtra. Speaking at a Jain community event in Mumbai, the monk claimed that Maharani Tararani, the legendary Maratha queen who fought against Aurangzeb, belonged to the Jain community. Historians, political leaders, and civil society have described the remarks as a distortion of history.

What exactly did Acharya Nay Padmasagar say?

During the event, the monk made the following claimed that that Tararani, the wife of Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj, was born “to destroy Aurangzeb” and described her as a Jain queen.