Fatehabad To Sindoorapuram? | List Of Place Names Changed By BJP Government

The Uttar Pradesh government is considering renaming Fatehabad town to Sindoorpuram following a unanimous decision by the Agra Zila Panchayat.

Zila Panchayat in a resolution said, the aim was` to shed colonial-era names and reclaim indigenous heritage'.

The BJP led resolution called the names remnants of the region’s “symbolic slavery” tied to historical invasions and foreign rule.

Since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power at the Centre in 2014, the renaming of cities has become common in the states led by the party. The list has been long, from Allahabad being renamed Prayagraj to Gurgaon becoming Gurugram.

Most of the names had connotations of Hinduism, mythology and some after BJP leaders.

Allahabad To Prayagraj

In 2019, days before the Kumbh Mela that year, the Bharatiya Janata Party approved the Uttar Pradesh government's request to change the name of Allahabad city to Prayagraj.

The Yogi Adityanath-led state government stated that the name came from the 'Vedas and Hindu epics,' which also called the city 'Prayagraj' in ancient times.

UP Minister Siddhartha Nath Singh told the media, “The renaming of Allahabad as Prayagraj before Kumbh Mela came for approval in the meeting and I am happy to say Allahabad will now be known as Prayagraj. Rig Veda, Mahabharat and Ramayana also mention Prayagraj (for Allahabad)."

Prayagraj division, which now comprises of Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, and Pratapgarh districts.

Faizabad To Ayodhya

A district named Faizabad was also renamed to Ayodhya in 2019. The district shared municipal boundaries with Ayodhya city and UP cabinet had proposed both Faizabad district and division be renamed as Ayodhya.

The government reported stated that this place used to be the capital of “Ikshvaku dynasty” in ancient India.

Ayodhya also holds the mythological connection to Ramayana as it is known as the birthplace of Lord Ram.

The Ayodhya division consists of Ayodhya, Ambedkarnagar, Sultanpur, Amethi, and Barabanki districts.

Mughalsarai Junction To Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction

The famous Mughalsarai junction was renamed to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction by the UP government in 2018 with a grand inauguration event in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Adityanath had proposed the renaming with the aim to honour Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) founder Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

Speaking at the inauguration event, Shah said, “Today is a very big day for the Bhartiya Janata Party as Mughalsarai station, where Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay was killed, has today been named after him. I am happy that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership a memorial is being made after Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay."

Rajpath To Kartavya Path

Delhi's iconic Rajpath was renamed to 'Kartavya Path' which means path of duty in 2022.

Located in the heart of the national capital, this road stretches from Rashtrapti Bhavan to India Gate and significant events like the Republic Day parade is held here. Amid mixed reaction, the capital city’s iconic ‘Rajpath’ was renamed to ‘Kartavya Path’, literally meaning the path of duty, by the Narendra Modi-led Central government, ahead of inaugurating the Central Vista Avenue on September 8, 2022.

The Modi-led central government had pushed for the name change and was approved by New Delhi Municipal Council, despite criticism from opposition parties.

Similarly, another road name change includes Delhi's Aurangzeb Road which was changed to A P J Abdul Kalam Road in 2015.

Gurgaon To Gurugram

Haryana Government under Manohar Lal Khattar changed the name of Gurgaon to Gurugram in 2016. He stated that it was time to honour the historic name which he said was used to be the center of education for the princes and noblemen during ancient times.

He claimed that according to Hindu scriptures, 'Gurugram' was the name of the land being owned by the Pandavas and Kauravas in Mahabharata, who gave it as ‘dakshina’ or a gift to their teacher Dronacharaya.

In 2016 itself, the neighbouring Mewat district’s name was changed to Nuh.

Hoshangabad To Narmadapuram

Madhya Pradesh Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced in 2022 that the town of Hoshangabad would be known as 'Narmadapuram' and the nearby Babai town as 'Makhan Nagar'.

Singh had requested for the name change a year back and after he Union government accepted the proposal, the name was changed on the ocassion of Narmada Jayanti that year.

Narmadapuram is located around 80km from Bhopal and is the headquarters of a district by the same name.

The Babai town is also located in Narmadapuram district and it was renamed to honour renowned Hindi poet and freedom fighter Makhanlal Chaturvedi.

Neil Island and Havelock Island to Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 while visting the Andaman & Nicobar Islands had changed the name of the Ross Islands to honour the memory of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and it was renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep.

Similarly, in order to remember the freedom fighters of the country, Neil Island and Havelock Island were also renamed as Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep.

Uttarakhand CM Announced Renaming Of 11 Places In 2025

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday announced renaming of 11 places in Haridwar, Dehradun, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts.

The 11 places will be renamed after Hindu deities, icons, mythological characters and prominent BJP and RSS leaders.

As per the CM's announcement Aurangzebpur in Haridwar will be renamed Shivaji Nagar, Gajiwali will be changed to Arya Nagar, Chandpur to Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Mohammadpur Jat to Mohanpur Jat, Khanpur to Shri Krishnapur, Khanpur Kursali to Ambedkar Nagar, Idrishpur to Nandpur and Akbarpur Fajalpur to Vijaynagar.

In Dehradun district, Miyanwala will be changed to Ramjiwala, Pirwala to Kesari Nagar, Chandpur Khurd to Prithviraj Nagar and Abdullapur to Dakshnagar.

Similarly, Nawabi Road in Nainital district will be renamed Atal Marg and Panchakki-ITI Marg to Guru Golwalkar Marg.

Sultanpur Patti in Udham Singh Nagar distrct will be changed to Kaushalyapuri.