Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the eve of Diwali announced that Faizabad district would henceforth be known as Ayodhya. Hours after the news broke out, taking a cue from Yogi government, Gujarat government said it was keen on rechristening Ahmedabad as Karnavati, if there were no legal hurdles.
In Gandhinagar, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel congratulated the UP government for changing the name of Faizabad district to Ayodhya district.
Responding to a reporter’s query on the demand for changing the name of Ahmedabad to Karnavati, he said, “People’s feelings are there, and were there earlier also, to change the name to Karnavati. We are always ready to do that if we get enough support to overcome legal hurdles. Karnavati has been in use in numerous ways and people are used to it. People of Gujarat and people of Amdavad like the name. So, it can always be considered.”
Historically, the area around Ahmedabad has been inhabited since the 11th century, when it was known as Ashaval.
Chaulukya ruler Karna of Anhilwara (modern Patan) had waged a successful war against the Bhil king of Ashaval and established a city called Karnavati on the banks of the Sabarmati river.
Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1411 A.D. had laid the foundation of a new walled city near Karnavati and named it Ahmedabad after the four saints in the area by the name Ahmed.
The BJP government in the northern state had already renamed Allahabad as Prayagraj.
