Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced that the Mughal Museum, which is under construction in Agra, will be named after Maratha icon Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

“Agra’s under-construction museum will be known by the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. In your new Uttar Pradesh, there is no space for the symbols of the mentality of slavery”. Shivaji Maharaj is our hero. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!” the CM tweeted in Hindi.

The project, which was approved by the previous Akhilesh Yadav government, will focus on Mughal culture, artefacts, paintings, cuisine, costumes, Mughal era-arms and ammunition and performing arts.

And it’ll be named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the 16th century Maratha warrior king, fought the Mughals for most of his life.

The Mughal dynasty ruled over India from 1526-1540 and 1555-1857 and Agra served as their capital for several years. They built sprawling monuments in the city, including the iconic Taj Mahal. 

Historians are divided over whether Mughal rulers targeted the Hindus during their rule. 

After assuming office in 2017, Yogi Adityanath has renamed several cities in UP. He renamed Allahabad as Prayagraj, Faizabad as Ayodhya and Mughalsarai station as Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction.

The Mughal Museum project is coming up on a six-acre plot near the Taj Mahal in the city, 210 kilometres from the national capital Delhi.