Famous Historian Babasaheb Purandare Passes Away At 99; PM Modi And Other Marathi Celebs Mourn His Death

Famous historian and author of many books on Maratha history, Babasaheb Purandare passed away today (November 15, 2021) in Pune. The Padma Vibhushan awardee was 99 and breathed his last at the Deenananth Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre. He was on life support after being diagnosed with pneumonia. His last rites will take place today at 10:30 am in Pune's Vaikunth Crematorium.

His demise indeed left many people of Maharashtra in shock. Notably, PM Narendra Modi mourned his death on Twitter. He tweeted, "I am pained beyond words. The demise of Shivshahir Babasaheb Purandare leaves a major void in the world of history and culture. It is thanks to him that the coming generations will get further connected to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. His other works will also be remembered."

Not only Modi, but several Marathi celebs like Amol Gupte and Madhur Bhandarkar took to their respective social media handles and shared some moments with Babasaheb Purande while offering condolences to his family. Amol Kolhe, who played the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took to Instagram and wrote, "प्रत्येक भेट कॅमेऱ्यात टिपली गेली नसेल पण स्मृतिपटलावर नक्कीच कोरली आहे. "राजा शिवछत्रपती" मालिकेच्या सेटवर दिलेल्या आशीर्वादपर पसंतीच्या पावतीपासून ते अगदी मागील वर्षीच्या दिवाळसणापर्यंत अनेक ठिकाणी, अनेक निमित्ताने भेटी झाल्या. प्रत्येक भेटीत जाणवला तो जिव्हाळा आणि इतिहासाविषयी आत्मियता... इतिहासाच्या ध्यासाचं, त्याच्या भव्यदिव्य सादरीकरणाचं, चालत्या बोलत्या शिवशाहिरीचं एक शतक काळाच्या पडद्याआड गेलं... भावपूर्ण श्रद्धांजली🙏🏻 #babasahebpurandare."

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar tweeted, "Sad to hear demise of Legendary Historian & Padma Vibhushan #BabasahebPurandare sir, His exemplary work and narratives on the life of great Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will always remain as his biggest contribution to the literature of our country. #OmShanti."

Talking about Babasaheb Purandare, his original name was Balwant Moreshwar Purandare. He had authored many books and essays on the Maratha Warriors. His prominent works are Jaanta Raja, Maharaj, Rajgad, Panhalgad, Purandaryanchi Daulat and so on. He received the Maharashtra Bhushan award in 2015, and Padma Vibhushan in 2019.

May his soul rest in peace!