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Q:Why can I not add "Shri", "Chhatrapati", or "Maharaj" to Sambhaji's name?
A: As perWP:Honorifics andWP:Commonname, inWikipedia, we refer to people by their commonly used name in thecited academic sources. We do not include titles orHonorifics unless they are commonly used in the cited sources (Sambhaji does not fall in this category). Please noteCharles III, where he is referred to as "Charles" throughout, not "King Charles" nor "His Royal Highness" or whatnot. We clearly note Sambhaji's titles in the article, we just don't repeat them each time his name is written.
Q:Why does it say "addiction to sensual pleasures"?
A: That is exactlywhat the cited sources say, and other sources note allegations that he behaved inappropriately with a Brahmin woman, or may have committed some other offense. Suffice to say, for whatever reason, Shivaji confined him to Panhala. If you know of an alternate theory for that confinement, and have a reliable source, you can add that as an alternative theory, but you cannot simply remove that explanation unless you have very strong evidence that such story is obsolete according to modern scholars.
Q: I believe the article's sources are biased against Sambhaji, why are they being used?
A: Assertions of bias must be backed up by references to reliable sources saying as much, or other highly compelling policy-based arguments. Simply asserting that it is biased is not sufficient to convince other editors.
Purnima Sah (19 February 2025)."Remove objectional reference about Sambhaji Maharaj from Wikipedia: Fadnavis".The Hindu. Retrieved19 February 2025.Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday (18 February 2025) took a serious note on the objectional and derogatory content and references about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj on Wikipedia and directed the State cyber police to approach the open-source free online encyclopedia to get them removed.
"4 Wikipedia editors booked over factual inaccuracies about Chhatrapati Sambhaji".Hindustan Times. 21 February 2025. Retrieved21 February 2025.The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has registered a case against at least four Wikipedia editors for not taking down "objectionable" content on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj from the open-source encyclopedia, PTI reported on Friday, citing officials.
Sharveya Parasnis (19 February 2025)."Fadnavis Targets Wikipedia Over Alleged Distorted History of Chhatrapati Sambhaji".MediaNama. Retrieved21 February 2025.Fadnavis did not specify the exact content he found objectionable. However, a quick review through the Wikipedia page reveals statements that may have contributed to the controversy. The second paragraph states that Sambhaji was confined at Panhala Fort by his father, allegedly due to his addiction to sensual pleasures or for violating a Brahmin woman. It also stated that Sambhaji defected to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and fought against his own father.
Divyesh Singh (21 February 2025)."Case against 4 Wikipedia editors for not removing content on Sambhaji Maharaj".India Today. Retrieved21 February 2025.The Cyber Cell of Maharashtra Police has lodged a case against 4–5 editors of Wikipedia for failing to take down controversial content on Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, sources said. Sources said 4 to 5 individuals were involved in editing and spreading disinformation about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj on Wikipedia, which could lead to a law and order situation.
"FIR against person who made 'derogatory edits' to Chhatrapati Sambhaji profile on Wikipedia".The Indian Express. 22 February 2025. Retrieved22 February 2025.Maharashtra cyber police have registered an FIR against a person who allegedly edited the profile of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj on Wikipedia and added content to it. The police have registered an FIR against the user Ratnahastin, who, as per the complaint, added 'derogatory' content to the profile.
Rohit Singh (28 February 2025)."Wikipedia Tax-Exempt Status at Risk As US Attorney Demands Transparency on Content Moderation".MediaNama. Retrieved28 February 2025.In another case, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently directed the state's cyber cell to act against allegedly offensive content on the Wikipedia page of Chhatrapati Sambhaji, a historic Indian king. Fadnavis instructed officials to contact Wikipedia and ensure the disputed content was removed, stressing that incorrectly presenting historical facts is unacceptable.
Josh Dzieza (4 September 2025)."Wikipedia Tax-Exempt Status at Risk As US Attorney Demands Transparency on Content Moderation".The Verge. Retrieved4 September 2025.In February, after the release of a Bollywood action film about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, a 17th-century king who fought the Mughals, accounts on X began whipping up outrage over several facts on Sambhaji's Wikipedia page that they deemed to be anti-Hindu. When editors reversed attempts to delete the offending lines, another X user posted their usernames and called on government officials to investigate them.
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 10 November 2025
Change: “He was confined at Panhala Fort for indulging in sensual pleasures and alcoholism.”To:“Some later colonial and popular accounts alleged that Sambhaji Maharaj was given to indulgence, but no reliable contemporary Marathi bakhars or Mughal records mention habitual alcoholism. Historians such as G. S. Sardesai and Jadunath Sarkar note that these claims likely arose from hostile sources after his death and should not be treated as verified fact.”Sources:
G. S. Sardesai, *New History of the Marathas*, Vol. II: *The Expansion of the Maratha Power* (1932), Pune: Phoenix Publications.
Jadunath Sarkar, *House of Shivaji and its Descendants* (1919), Calcutta: M.C. Sarkar & Sons.
V. B. Karnik, *Sambhaji Maharaj* (1952), Bombay: Popular Prakashan.
Change: “He escaped his father’s guard and joined the Mughals, serving under Diler Khan.”To:“Some records suggest Sambhaji briefly came into Mughal contact, but contemporary documents indicate that this was a tactical episode rather than a genuine defection. Sarkar and Sardesai interpret it as a temporary movement possibly intended for intelligence or negotiation, not service under the Mughals.”Sources:
Jadunath Sarkar, *Shivaji and His Times* (1919; reprint 1952), Calcutta: M.C. Sarkar & Sons.
G. S. Sardesai, *New History of the Marathas*, Vol. II (1932).
Change: “He was confined for violating a Brahmin woman.”To:“The alleged incident involving a Brahmin woman appears only in much later literary sources and has no mention in 17th-century Marathi chronicles such as the *Sabhasad Bakhar* or *Chitnis Bakhar*. Historians regard it as an apocryphal story popularized in modern cultural depictions, not a verified historical event.”Sources:
Not done: This edit request fails the second prong of the test for a valid edit request, as this is not uncontroversial. Edit requests should be eitheruncontroversial improvements (correcting typos, grammar, or reference formatting; improving the reliability or efficiency of template code) or they must already be already supported by a consensus of editors. I would encourage extended-confirmed editors to discuss these specific changes in the talk page, to see if a consensus can be established for or against these proposed changes.CoffeeCrumbs (talk)12:01, 10 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thisedit request has been answered. Set the|answered= parameter tono to reactivate your request.
Please change, under Biographies:Kavindra Paramanand Govind Newaskar of Poladpur composed Anupurana, a partially-completed Sanskrit biography on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji up to the birth...
To:Kavindra Paramanand Govind Newaskar of Poladpur composed Anupurana, a partially-completed Sanskrit biography on the life of Sambhaji up to the birth...
Not done: This edit request fails the second prong of the test for a valid edit request, as this is not uncontroversial. Edit requests should be eitheruncontroversial improvements (correcting typos, grammar, or reference formatting; improving the reliability or efficiency of template code) or they must already be already supported by a consensus of editors. I would encourage extended-confirmed editors to discuss these specific changes in the talk page, to see if a consensus can be established for or against these proposed changes.CoffeeCrumbs (talk)12:01, 10 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
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