Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar told the state Legislative Council that he has sought a proposal from the district administration to rename the Western Maharashtra city of Ahmednagar as ‘Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Nagar’, after the 18th century Malwa queen, Ahilyabai Holkar.
Replying to a question raised in the State Legislative Council, Kesarkar said the decision will be taken after receiving the proposal from the district administration and after following the due procedure, including approval from the Centre.
In August this year, the Maharashtra Assembly unanimously passed two separate resolutions to send a proposal to rename Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and rename Osmanabad as Dharashiv. Writing to then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in June, BJP leader Gopichand Padalkar had demanded the renaming, saying as Holkar was born in Choundi village of Ahmednagar and had “an Ahmednagar connection”, her name would be appropriate.
NCP leader Amol Mitkari, however, has criticised the move. “Instead of demanding changes in names, it would be better if BJP and MNS leaders seek measures like reduction in rising fuel prices and rising inflation. They should urge the central government to take steps to resolve grievances of farmers and the poor. But this is not happening. Non-issues like change in name are being pushed,” Mitkari had said.
How did the city of Ahmednagar first get its name?
Ahmednagar lies in the Western region of Maharashtra. According to the district’s official website, it has been a part of some prominent kingdoms, starting from 240B.C., “when the vicinity is mentioned in the reference to the Mauryan Emperor Ashok”.
The Rashtrakuta Dynasty, the Western Chalukyas, and then the Delhi Sultanate ruled over the region in the Medieval period. In the last case, the rule was not direct, and a revolt by Afghan soldier Alladin Hasan Gangu led to the establishment of the Bahmani kingdom in the Deccan. After some time, Ahmednagar (then known as Nizamshahi) became one of the five independent kingdoms to emerge from that empire.
In 1486, Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah became the Bahmani Sultanate’s Prime Minister. He fought back an attempt by the king to dislodge him from power, and defeated the army of the Bahamani kingdom near Ahmednagar in May 1490. Finally, in 1494 he laid the foundation of a city close to where he defeated the army, on the left bank of Sina river, and named it after himself: Ahmednagar.
Nizam Shah also later captured the fort of Daulatabad and stationed his army there. “By his kindness, peaceful demeanour & efficiency, he could win the loyalty of the local and foreign Muslims and also of the Maratha peasants and worriers. Since his origin was Hindu, he found no difficulty in winning over the confidence of Brahmins, who were highly regarded by the Hindus,” says the website.
Jawaharlal Nehru, in his book A Discovery of India (1946), wrote of him, “Ahmad Nizam Shah, the founder of Ahmadnagar in 1490, was the son of Nizam-ul-Mulk Bhairi, a minister of the Bahmani kings. This Nizam-ul-Mulk was the son of a Brahmin accountant named Bhairu…Thus the Ahmednagar dynasty was of indigenous origin.”
Source: Indian express