The Maharashtra government has brought back a piece of history by buying the famous “Raghuji Sword” for ₹47.15 lakh. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced this on Tuesday, calling it a proud moment for the state.

This sword belonged to Raje Raghuji Bhonsle, the founder of the Bhonsle dynasty in Nagpur. Back in 1745, he had led a brave battle against the Nawab of Bengal.

The sword wasn’t bought directly—it was bought through an intermediary because of some technical issues, said CM Fadnavis in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The auction was held by Sotheby’s, a world-famous auction house.

According to their website, the sword was sold for 38,100 pounds, which is much higher than the expected 6,000 to 8,000 pounds.

Sotheby’s described the sword in detail:

“The slightly curved, European-style single-edged blade with two fullers and imitation maker's marks towards the forte, the spine gold inlaid with Devanagari script, set in a traditional 'basket '- style hilt fully overlaid with worked gold, the grip covered in green woven wool.”

They also said the Devanagari writing on the sword shows it was made for Raghuji Bhonsle (1739–1755), a powerful Maratha general who ruled Nagpur.

The sword is special because it combines Indian and European designs. The blade looks like it was made in Europe, which was common at that time. Rich Indian rulers liked swords made with blades from places like Germany and Italy. These swords were called firanghi, meaning "foreign" or "Frankish", and were considered very valuable.

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