Rename Farrukhabad district as Panchal Nagar, BJP MP urges Adityanath

PTI, Apr 1, 2022, 4:11 PM IST

Farrukhabad: BJP MP Mukesh Rajput on Friday wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, demanding that Farrukhabad district be renamed as Panchal Nagar or Aparkashi. Elaborating on the history of the district, the MP said in the times of the Mahabharata, the area was called Panchala, the kindom ruled by Pandava queen Draupadi’s father Drupad.

”The capital of King Drupad was Kampil, which is located in the district and where Draupadi’s ‘swayamvar’ had taken place,” he wrote. Located close to the Ganga and Ramganga and Kali river, the history of Farrukhabad is very rich since the age of Puranas, he said. ”The Army of King Drupad used to reside in the Cantonment area. Today, there are two regimental centres–Rajput Regiment and Sikh LI,” he said.

He added that Kampil is of religious importance to both Hindus and Jains. ”The first Jain Teerthankar Rishabhadeva had delivered a sermon here. Sankissa is a world famous pilgrim place for the Buddhists. Countries like Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar) and Japan have built big Baudh Viharas here,” he said. ”Like Kashi, ‘Shivalayas’ (temples of Lord Shiva) exist in every bylane, hence, this city (Farrukhabad) is also called ‘Aparkashi’,” the BJP MP added. ”However in 1714, Mughal ruler Farrukhsiyar changed the name of the city to Farrukhabad. Hence, you are requested that to revive the Indian culture, the name of Farrukhabad district should be changed to Panchal Nagar or Aparkashi,” he wrote. He further said the Nibkarori railway station is also located in the district, he said. Neeb Karori Baba was a Hindu guru and a devotee of Lord Hanuman, and was known outside India for being a spiritual master of a number of Americans who travelled to India in the 1960s and 70s, he said. In December 2021, the Uttar Pradesh government renamed the Jhansi railway station as Veerangana Laxmibai Railway Station after Rani Laxmibai. Earlier, the Mughalsarai railway station was renamed as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya junction and the Faizabad Railway station as Ayodhya Cantt. Since coming to power, the Adityanath government has changed names of several establishments, including those of Faizabad and Allahabad districts, which were renamed as Ayodhya and Prayagraj, respectively.