Rajmata Jijau's Childhood Rangpanchami: How a Playful Moment Led to Her Marriage

• Rajmata Jijau's birth anniversary is celebrated with enthusiasm, remembering her role in raising Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
• The story of Jijau's marriage to Shahaji Raje began during a Rangpanchami celebration when she was just 6 years old.
• While playing, Jijau sat on her father Lakhujirao Jadhav's lap, and Shahaji Raje, then 8-9 years old, was also on Lakhujirao's lap.
• Lakhujirao spontaneously remarked, "What a beautiful pair of Lakshminarayan they make!", which Maloji Raje took as a proposal.
• Despite Lakhujirao being a 25 Hazari and Maloji Raje a 5 Hazari Mansabdar, the marriage was agreed upon and later grandly held at Devgiri Fort.

Why It Matters: A spontaneous remark during a childhood game of colors led to the historic marriage of Rajmata Jijau and Shahaji Raje.