On Tuesday, the municipal corporation passed a proposal to rename Ghaziabad, and the Mayor, Sunita Dayal, revealed three suggested names—Harnandi Nagar, Gaj Prastha, and Doodheshwernath Nagar. These names will be submitted to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for a final decision, although any name change will ultimately necessitate approval from the central government.
Mayor Sunita Dayal stated, "A proposal for changing the name of Ghaziabad was passed by an absolute majority of the councilors. The new name will be decided by the CM." The suggested names aim to address the demands of Ghaziabad residents and Hindu organizations.
Sunil Sharma, BJP MLA from the Sahibabad constituency, had proposed the renaming last year in the state Assembly, recommending Gaj Prastha as the new name for Ghaziabad. Additionally, Mahant Narayan Giri, the head priest of Doodheshwer Nath temple, informed PTI that he had proposed these three names to the chief minister the previous year.
According to Giri, these names have a connection to the Mahabharata, as present-day Ghaziabad was part of Hastinapur. Giri explained that the region used to be a dense forest inhabited by elephants, referred to as 'Gaj' in Hindi. Consequently, Ghaziabad was named Gaj Prastha. Giri claimed that the name was later changed to Ghaziabad by Ghaziuddin, a close aide of Mughal emperor Akbar.
