In a significant move, the Union government has decided to rename Port Blair, the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as “Sri Vijaya Puram.” The decision reflects the Narendra Modi government’s intent to honour the region’s historical and cultural ties.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday announced that the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Port Blair, has been renamed “Sri Vijaya Puram.” The move, aimed at erasing colonial imprints, is a tribute to the islands’ role in India’s freedom struggle. “Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle,” Shah said in a post on X.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Amit Shah said the decision was taken to shed “colonial imprints”. “Inspired by the vision of PM Narendra Modi to free the nation from the colonial imprints, today we have decided to rename Port Blair as Sri Vijaya Puram,” he said.
The home minister said while the earlier name had a colonial legacy, Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in India’s freedom struggle and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ unique role in it.
Stating that the islands have an unparalleled place in India’s freedom struggle and history, Shah said “the territory that once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire, is today poised to be the critical base for our strategic and development aspirations.”
“It is also the place that hosted the first unfurling of our Tiranga by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Ji and also the cellular jail in which Veer Savarkar Ji and other freedom fighters struggled for an independent nation,” he said.
Shah highlighted the islands’ importance in India’s history, noting that it was where Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose first unfurled the Tiranga and where freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar were imprisoned in the Cellular Jail. The territory, once a Chola naval base, is now a critical hub for India’s strategic aspirations.
In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi named 21 islands of the Union Territory after Param Vir Chakra awardees and unveiled the National Memorial model for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on Ross Island, now renamed as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep.
