The BJP government of Himachal is going to rename Shimla to Shyamala. According to news agency Bhasha, some Hindu organizations have been campaigning for some time to change the name of Shimla.
In the Himachal government, Health Minister Vipin Singh Parmar says that many cities in the country have been named on mythological basis. On this basis, if people are demanding Shimla’s name as Shyamala, then the proposal can be brought in this regard.
There has been a debate in the social media since the recent Prayagraj, the historic city of Allahabad. Some people support the decision to change names, while some people are also opposing such a decision. People who justify change of name believe that if a city has been named on a historical basis then there is no harm in it. At the same time, the protesters argue that doing so is tainting history.
Himachal Pradesh Congress leader Harbhajan Singh Bhajji questioned the government’s decision. He said that Shimla is a historic city. What do you want to prove by changing its name? Bhajji asked what was wrong in Shimla name. Will the renovation work change here? He said that instead of changing the name, the government should pay attention to the development work of the state.
Aman Puri, the leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, says that Shimla’s name was only Shyamala. The British named it Simla, according to their convenience, which was later Shimla. Now there is no harm in doing it again and restoring its old name Shyamala. In 1864, the British made Shimla their summer capital.