Port Blair will henceforth be known as Sri Vijaya Puram.Port Blair will henceforth be known as Sri Vijaya Puram. The British colonial navy official Captain Archibald Blair of the East India Company is the reason behind the city’s name.In an effort to “free the nation from colonial imprints,” the Center renamed Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, to “Shri Vijaya Puram.” The gateway to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is Port Blair.
The British colonial navy official Captain Archibald Blair of the East India Company is the reason behind the city’s name.
“While the earlier name had a colonial legacy, Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle and the A&N Islands’ unique role in it,” said Home Minister Amit Shah in a post on X, announcing the decision.
“The Andaman and Nicobar Islands hold a unique position in both our history and the liberation struggle. The island region that was previously the Chola Empire’s naval base is now positioned to be the vital foundation for our objectives for growth and strategy, Mr. Shah remarked.
“It is also the place that hosted the first unfurling of our Tiranga by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Ji and also the cellular jail in which Veer Savarkar Ji and other freedom fighters struggled for an independent nation,” added the Home Minister.
The city gained notoriety for housing the notorious Cellular Jail National Memorial, which was formerly home to numerous freedom fighters and citizens of foreign countries.
“There has been a consistent endeavour to make the ambience of the Rashtrapati Bhavan reflective of the Indian cultural values and ethos,” the President’s Secretariat said.
In the defence forces, the Centre, to shed colonial legacy, ended the practice of carrying batons by all Indian Navy personnel with immediate effect. The Indian Navy also changed its insignia as well which was inspired by the seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
The center changed the name of Port Blair, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ capital, to Sri Vijaya Puram on Friday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah made the statement, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal to “rid the country of all symbols of slavery” informed the decision.
He claimed that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands held a “unparalleled place” in the history and freedom struggle of the nation.
Recalling that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had raised the Tricolour on the island and that V D Savarkar had spent years in the Andamans’ cells jail, Shah added an ideological edge to the choice.
“Today, the Home Ministry has decided to rename Port Blair as ‘Sri Vijaya Puram,’ inspired by Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji’s resolve to rid the nation of all symbols of slavery.” Shah wrote on X that “the name ‘Sri Vijaya Puram’ reflects our struggle for freedom and the contribution of Andaman and Nicobar in it.”
This island holds a special role in the history and freedom of our nation. Having served as a naval station under the Chola Empire, this island is now prepared to expedite the security and prosperity of the nation. Veer Savarkar and other freedom fighters battled for Maa Bharati’s independence on this island, where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose first raised the tricolour.
About Port Blair
The capital of India’s union territory in the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is Port Blair , formally known as Sri Vijaya Puram[4]. It serves as the South Andaman district headquarters, the only notified town in the territory, and the local administrative subdivision (tehsil) of the islands.
The gateway to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is Port Blair. It is connected by air and sea to the Indian mainland. via the Indian mainland, it takes two to three hours to get to Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair. From there, it takes three to four days by sea to get to Kolkata, Chennai, or Visakhapatnam via Haddo Wharf in the city. Numerous museums and the main naval base are located there.
