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शि छत्रपती शिवाजी महाराज शिवराय · Shivrai Museum · 1630–1680
Inked impression of the octagonal rajmudra on a letter of 1678

प्रतिपच्चंद्रलेखेव वर्धिष्णुर्विश्ववंदिता ।
शाहसूनोः शिवस्यैषा मुद्रा भद्राय राजते ॥

“Ever-growing like the crescent moon, revered by the world, this seal of Shivaji, son of Shahaji, shines for the welfare of the people.” So reads the royal seal (rajmudra) used on his letters from boyhood onward. The impression shown is from a letter of 1678; the full document is on the Sources page.

Shivrai (शिवराय) is the name by which Maharashtra remembers its king. “शिवरायांचे आठवावे रूप । शिवरायांचा आठवावा प्रताप”, wrote Samarth Ramdas: remember the form of Shivrai, remember his valor. This museum exists to do that remembering carefully, with the evidence in hand.

Every claim on this site carries an evidence grade (documented, scholarly interpretation, traditional account, or disputed) with its sources listed. Popular stories are examined, not assumed.

All artwork, maps, and visual motifs on this site are modern, stylized reconstructions based on available evidence. They are aids to understanding, not authentic historical images.

An independent, non-commercial educational project. Corrections grounded in cited scholarship are welcome.