The central government on Friday announced the decision to rename Port Blair as ‘Sri Vijaya Puram’. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Sri Vijaya Puram symbolizes the victory achieved in the freedom struggle of the country and the unique role of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in it.
“To free the nation from colonial footprints, we have today decided to rename Port Blair as Sri Vijaya Puram,” the Union Home Minister said.
Taking to micro-blogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Home Minister Shah said that Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a unique place in India’s freedom struggle. It is the place that hosted the first unveiling of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Tiranga.
Remembering Veer Savarkar, the home minister said the site also houses a cellular jail in which Veer Savarkar and other freedom fighters fought for independent India.
Shah further said that the island territory, which once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire, is now poised to become a critical base for the nation’s strategic and developmental aspirations.
Inspired by the vision of PM @narendramodi Ji, to free the nation from the colonial imprints, today we have decided to rename Port Blair as “Sri Vijaya Puram.”
While the earlier name had a colonial legacy, Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle…
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 13, 2024
It is important to note that Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands – a union territory – was named after Captain Archibald Blair, a British official in the colonial navy of the East India Company.
The city is home to several museums and the main naval base of the Indian Navy, INS Jarawa, along with naval and air bases of the Indian Coast Guard, Andaman and Nicobar Police, Andaman and Nicobar Command, the first integrated tri-command between the Indian Armed Forces, Indian Air Force and Navy.
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In early July, the government renamed Rashtrapati Bhavan’s iconic ‘Durbar Hall’ and ‘Ashok Hall’ as ‘Ganatantra Mandap’ and ‘Ashok Mandap’, respectively.
“There is a consistent effort to ensure that the environment of the Rashtrapati Bhavan reflects Indian cultural values and ethos,” the President’s Secretariat said.
