India, March 21 -- Pune-based history researcher, Raj Memane, 42, has brought to light yet another unpublished historical document. This time around, it is a rare Modi script document dated May 27, 1696 preserved at the Pune Archives according to which, Shahaji Raje Bhosale, father of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, had made an annual provision of 19 hons for daily worship and rituals at the Pandeshwar Mahadev temple, a historic Shiva temple in Purandar taluka known for its long-standing religious traditions and Maratha-era patronage. A gold-based currency used back then, one hon was roughly equal to about 2.8 to 3 grammes of gold.

As per this rare document, the grant included funds for daily abhishek, worship, and oil for a continuously-li...