BJP MP demands renaming Delhi as Indraprastha to reflect city's 'historical roots'

New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI) BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal on Wednesday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to change the name of Delhi to Indraprastha, claiming that it reflects the city's true historical roots and cultural legacy.

In a letter to Shah, a day after the Union Cabinet gave its nod to rename Kerala to Keralam, the Lok Sabha MP from Delhi's Chandni Chowk constituency said that the Mahabharata describes Indraprastha as a magnificent city built on the banks of the Yamuna river, precisely matching the geographical setting of modern Delhi.

It is also supported by the Archaeological Survey of India's excavations at Purana Qila, Khandelwal claimed.

"Historical literature, archaeological findings and long-standing civilizational traditions establish that the present-day Delhi corresponds to the ancient city of Indraprastha, the grand capital established by the Pandavas as described in the epic Mahabharata," he said in the letter to the Union home minister.

The epic describes Indraprastha as a magnificent city built on the banks of the Yamuna river, precisely matching the geographical setting of modern Delhi, he pointed out.

Excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India at Purana Qila have revealed ancient settlement layers dating back to around 1,000 BC, along with Painted Grey Ware pottery associated with the Mahabharata era, Khandelwal claimed, adding that these findings strongly support the belief that the ancient city of Indraprastha once flourished at the site where Delhi stands today.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) also raised the demand last year, arguing on the same lines. The name Indraprastha is used by some academic institutions as well as a CNG supplier to the city -- IGL.

Khandelwal argued that the name Delhi emerged during a much later historical phase. Scholars believe the name evolved from medieval references such as Dhillika or Dehli, associated with ruling dynasties of the early medieval period, he claimed.

"While these phases are part of the city's history, they do not represent its earliest identity or civilizational origin. As such, the name Delhi reflects a limited historical period rather than the deeper and more enduring legacy of the city," he argued in the letter.

"In view of the above, I respectfully urge the Ministry of Home Affairs to initiate a formal process to examine and implement the renaming of Delhi as Indraprastha, after consultation with historians, archaeologists, and other relevant stakeholders," said the MP.

Restoring the name Indraprastha would therefore reconnect the capital of modern India with its ancient civilizational foundation, he asserted. "It would symbolise that the seat of the world's largest democracy stands upon the legacy of one of humanity's oldest cultural traditions." PTI VIT VIT NSD NSD