Agra: Uttar Pradesh seemingly doesn’t want to be left behind other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states like Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Delhi in the name-changing spree. Decks are being cleared to give a new ‘identity’ to Shahjahan Garden, an expansive green stretch right next to the Taj Mahal.
Citing demands by various local outfits, Uttar Pradesh minister Baby Rani Maurya has written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, proposing Shahjahan Garden be renamed after Ahilyabai Holkar, the 18th century Maratha queen. Subsequently, additional chief secretary in the CM’s office S.P. Goyal has directed the state chief secretary to take necessary action.
It is not the first time that Maurya, the MLA from Agra Rural constituency, has made such a request. In March last year, the Yogi Adityanath government renamed the Bijlighar Metro Station in honour of B.R. Ambedkar at her request.
The latest move comes in the backdrop of the Uttarakhand government renaming 11 places in Haridwar, Dehradun, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar districts to honour Hindu deities and BJP stalwarts. Uttarakhand, in fact, was carved out from Uttar Pradesh in the year 2000.
In Delhi last week, three BJP MLAs had proposed renaming Najafgarh, Mohammadpur and Mustafabad to Nahargarh, Madhavpuram, and Shiv Vihar. Similarly, the name of Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Aurangabad was changed to MNLU, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in January.
Maurya’s proposal to rename the garden is being seen by a section of local residents as well as historians as yet another attempt to alter Agra’s historical connection, especially with the Mughal rule. The city already has a statue of Ahilyabai Holkar on Fatehabad Road, close to the Old Mandi neighbourhood.
Over the years, Agra has seen renaming of its landmarks. Hewitt Park was renamed Pandit Krishna Dutt Paliwal Udyan, Company Garden became Sardar Patel Udyan, and Jones Library now known as Adhishji Library.
There have been demands by Hindutva groups to rename the Taj Mahal as ‘Tejo Mahalaya’ in the recent past. In 2021, a BJP MLA has floated the suggestion to rename the monument as ‘Ram Mahal’ or ‘Shiv Mahal’, claiming that it was a Shiva temple in the past.
As for the Shahjahan Garden, which owes its name to the Mughal emperor who built the iconic Taj Mahal, it comes with its own history. In 1905, the Prince of Wales unveiled a bronze statue of Queen Victoria in this very park. The statue, which was made by English sculptor Thomas Brock, was one of the 14 that were then installed throughout India.
Following Independence, the Victoria statue was taken down and the garden was renamed Shahjahan Garden. After first being moved to the police lines, the statue was eventually moved to the Jones Library’s grounds, where it currently lies abandoned.
After the news of the UP minister’s letter trickled out, a section of the Agra intelligentsia is demanding that the city’s rich Mughal and colonial heritage be preserved, instead of being destroyed.
Old-timer Uma Shanker Sharma claimed that noted historian Ram Nath had criticised the Yogi Adityanath government in a letter for “a deliberate attempt to erase medieval history and contributions of kings of that era, just because they were Muslims”. This was in 2017 after the CM had asserted that the mausoleum does not reflect Indian culture
Anil Sharma, the secretary of Civil Society of Agra, too, expressed surprise at the decision.
Vishal Sharma, secretary of the Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber, wondered whether Shah Jahan, who ruled the country from Agra and born and died here, was “simply disqualified” because of his faith. “Was there any public consultations, or a municipal referendum before renaming such an important tourist and historic site?”
Bhartiya Muslim Vikas Parishad chairman Sami Aghai strongly opposed the proposal, alleging that it was “a systematic conspiracy” to erase Agra’s Mughal heritage. “This is yet another attempt to sideline the city’s glorious past linked to the Mughals, who shaped its architectural and cultural identity,” he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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