Rename Agra as Agravan, demands BJP MLA, writes to UP CM
November 10, 2018 13:37
A BJP MLA from the Taj Mahal city of Agra has demanded renaming it as Agravan, saying the name Agra has no meaning, days after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath rechristened Faizabad as Ayodhya and Allahabad as Prayagraj.
In a letter to Adityanath, BJP MLA from Agra North, Jagan Prasad Garg said there were many van (forests) and Agarwals (followers of Maharaja Agrasen) in Agra, and therefore, the citys name should be changed to Agravan.
The region was initially known as Agravan and finds such a mention in the Mahabharat. But in the course of time, the city was named as Akbarabad. Later, it became Agra, which has no specific meaning and thus its name should be revived to Agravan, said the MLA.
I will meet the CM and seek the change of name of Agra to Agravan, Garg said, adding that the population of the Vaish community, which follows Maharaja Agrasen in Agra, is about 10 lakh and the city has maximum Agarwals.
Situated about 200 km from Delhi, Agra is home to the famous Taj Mahal and a number of other Mughal-era monuments in Fathpur Sikri which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city was the capital of the Mughal rulers in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Gargs demand is among several made by BJP and other right wing leaders to rename cities bearing connection to erstwhile Muslim rulers. The list includes Gujarats Ahmedabad, Telanganas Hyderabad, UPs Aligarh and Muzaffarnagar, and Maharashtras Aurangabad and Osmanabad.
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