New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS): Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the name of Port Blair will be changed to Sri Vijaya Puram.

In a post on X, Amit Shah said, “Inspired by the vision of PM Narendra Modi Ji to free the nation from colonial imprints, today we have decided to rename Port Blair as 'Sri Vijaya Puram'.

“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, “It is also the place that hosted the first unfurling of our Tiranga by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Ji and also the cellular jail in which Veer Savarkar Ji and other freedom fighters struggled for an Independent nation. Now Sri Vijaya Puram will be the capital city of the Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands."

Port Blair, which is the largest town in Andaman district, was named after Archibald Blair, a naval surveyor and lieutenant in the British East India Company.

The Government of Bengal established a penal colony on Chatham Island in 1789 and named it after Blair.

Port Blair's seafront Cellular Jail, completed in 1906, hints at its past as a British penal colony and is now a memorial to Indian Independence activists. Inland, the Samudrika Marine Museum showcases local marine life, while the Anthropological Museum focuses on the islands’ indigenous tribes.

Last year on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had changed the names of 21 islands of Andaman and Nicobar.

Stating that Netaji's sacrifices are being commemorated in the 21st century, the Prime Minister announced the renaming of the 21 islands after Paramvir Chakra awardees.