WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had announced days ago that the historic Uttar Pradesh city would become “Prayagraj” as it was what people “wished”.

WHAT IS PRAYAGRAJ EXACTLY.

Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh is not only the leading educational center in the state but also the seat of High Court and hosts the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission.

The Sangam place also holds religious importance for many. The association of Kumbh Mela with Allahabad dates way back.

FACT ABOUT ALLAHABAD HIGH COURTAllahabad High Court was one of the first high courts to be established.

HISTORY WHY NAME IS CHANGED

Before 1575, it was known as Prayag.
Some medieval texts includingAkbar’s court historian Abul Fazl called it Piyag.
In 1575, the city was namedIllahabas meaning ‘abode of God’ by the then Mughal Emperor Akbar when he visited the place.
Later in the time, it came to be known as Allahabad.

IMPORTANCE IN HINDU RELIGION

The age-old name of the city was Prayag which in literal translation means “a place of sacrifice”.

Prayag finds its mention in the Rig Veda and is recognized as the place where Brahma (the creator of the universe in Hindu mythology) attended a ritual sacrifice.
Allahabad is more famously known as Triveni Sangam or Sangam Nagari as it is in this city that the confluence of three most pious rivers, the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati occur. It is also believed that during the Kumbh Mela, all the gods descend from their holy abode to the Earth, to take a dip at the holy confluence of the Sangam.

OTHER NAME CHANGES IN UTTAR PRADESH

In October last year, the Yogi government renamed Mughalsarai railway station to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) station.

More recently, Hazratganj Chauraha in Lucknow was renamed “Atal Chowk” to commemorate former PM Atal, Bihari Vajpayee.

WHAT VALUE DOES IT HOLD?

In an interview with India TV, Yogi Adityanath defended his actions by arguing that these places were renamed only after the invasion by Mughals and now is the time to give these places their original identity.
In the same interview, he proclaimed that is required he will not hesitate to change the name of ‘Taj Mahal’ to ‘Ram Mahal’. He also proposed that Article 1 of the Constitution be amended to replace the word ‘India’ with ‘Hindustan’.

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