'Panipat' row: Rohtak village is home to Maratha warrior's 18th century temple

ROHTAK: Controversial Bollywood film 'Panipat', which details the story of Maratha commander Sadashivrao Bhau who led the Maratha army in the Third Battle of Panipat, angered Jats over depiction of Bharatpur royal Surajmal in the film. However, locals in Sanghi village of Haryana's Rohtak district have revealed a twist in the tale.
The village under Hooda khap has a temple dedicated to the Maratha warrior since the 18th century.Some 61 km from Panipat, the temple at Sanghi village is headed by its 12th generation caretaker Sunder Nath, who never forgets to pray to the idol of the Maratha warrior Sadashivrao Bhau along with the villagers and members of the Hooda khap. The village also hosts an annual fair in honour of Bhau.
"Portraying Surajmal as 'greedy' king is an insult to not only to the Jat community but also to the Maratha community, who revere him like they revere Sadashivrao Bhau," says Nath.
In an alternate version of history, the villagers believe the Maratha warrior was given protection by the Hooda khap after the Third Battle of Panipat and was "presented over 20 acres land to set up a 'dera' here at that time," reveals Nath.
Historians might agree that Bhau had died in the Third Battle of Panipat, says Nath but "the fact is that injured and bleeding Bhau was searching for shelter after being followed by Afghans and he was given shelter by Jats in Sanghi." He said that after recovering from his injuries, Bhau got initiated into Nath community in Kurukshetra and spent rest of his life at Sanghi village.
Surajmal had offered injured Maratha soldiers, women and children his protection for months and later sent them back to Marathwada with his soldiers, Nath added.
Gajender Phogat, popular Haryanvi artist whose song on this controversy went viral on social media, said that the controversy surrounding Surajmal in the 'Panipat' film was created unnecessarily. He said an annual fair at Sanghi village and portraits of Sadashivrao Bhau are real history present on ground and director of the film should have researched the subject before starting his project.
Sumitra Hooda Pednekar, Haryanvi artist settled in Mumbai, said the soldiers sent by Surajmal with injured Maratha soldiers and women, were given land as gratitude for the help extended to them after the Third Battle of Panipat.
Mother of famous Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar, Sumitra, said depicting historical characters without understanding the context is bound to offend people's sentiments.