The discussion about changing the name of Ghaziabad, the major city of Uttar Pradesh adjacent to the country’s capital Delhi, has intensified. The discussion that started after the name of Allahabad was changed to Prayagraj in 2018 has now reached the proposal in the Municipal Corporation. It is expected that soon steps will be taken in this direction by passing a proposal from the Municipal Corporation. Gajnagar and Harnandinagar are being considered as the new names of Ghaziabad in the Municipal Corporation. According to media reports, BJP councilor of ward number 100 Sanjay Singh has presented the proposal in the Municipal Corporation, which can be brought for discussion in the board meeting. The proposal is expected to be passed since BJP has majority in the House. Ghaziabad Mayor Sunita Dayal has confirmed receiving the proposal to change the name of the city.
Mahant Narayan Giri had met CM Yogi with this demand
Earlier in 2022 also, Mahant Narayan Giri, priest of Dudheshwar Nath temple, had met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to change the name of Ghaziabad. He had suggested several names while submitting a memorandum to the CM. He had proposed to rename Ghaziabad as Gajaprastha, Dudheshwarrath Nagar or Haranandipuram. He had said that this city dates back to the Mahabharata period and was once a part of Hastinapur, which is just 40 kilometers from here. This used to be a forest area and was home to a herd of elephants and many wild animals. Since Gaj means elephant, the name Gajpura or Gajnagar may be appropriate. Also, the name Haranandipuram refers to the Hindon River which flows next to the city. On which Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has assured that he will consider our demands.
How did Ghaziabad get its name?
Let us tell you that elephants around Meerut are also mentioned in the UP District Gazetteers, which was last published in 1966. In the works of Mahabharata and Kalidas, there is mention of vast and dense forests to the north of Hastinapur, where a large number of herds of elephants lived. It is written in the seventh edition of the Gazetteer that this place is also known by many other names. But they are mostly synonyms of the word elephant. According to gazetteers, in 1739 Nadir Shah of Iran invaded the country and plundered Delhi, causing unrest in the neighboring districts. Ghazi-ud-din founded the city of Ghaziuddinnagar in 1740. The city was shortened to Ghaziabad when the British opened the railway in 1864.