‘Shedding colonial imprints’: Amit Shah announces renaming of Port Blair as Sri Vijaya Puram

The government has renamed Port Blair, the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar Islands to Shri Vijaya Puram in order to “free the nation from colonial imprints”.  

Home Minister Amit Shah shared the development in a post on X (formally Twitter) and wrote, “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 the same.” 

“Andaman & Nicobar Islands have an unparalleled place in our freedom struggle and history. The island territory that once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire is today poised to be the critical base for our strategic and development aspirations,” he added. 

The Union Home Minister also highlighted the first unfurling of Tiranga by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on the islands and the imprisonment of freedom fighters, including Savarkar, in the Cellular Jail. 

Port Blair is the entry point for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The city was named after Captain Archibald Blair, a British colonial navy official of the East India Company.