Why Delhi can't be Indraprastha

The recent proposal by a Delhi BJP MP to officially rename the capital city from Delhi to 'Indraprastha'—invoking the legendary city of the Pandavas from the Mahabharat—is more than a superficial suggestion. It is a politically motivated attempt to rewrite the complex, multilayered history of one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited metropolises.

- SHASHI THAROOR

While draped in the language of cultural revival, this move fundamentally misunderstands the city's enduring identity and prioritises mythological narrative over documented historical fact, all while distracting from critical urban governance challenges. Renaming the capital 'Indraprastha' would be a historic mistake.

The very name 'Delhi' is not a relic to be discarded, but a testament to a remarkably inclusive and cumulative past. The current name, known globally and cherished locally, has organically evolved to embrace all the successive cities built in the area over millennia. Its roots trace back to the first identifiable fortified city, Dhillika, established by the Tomar dynasty near the present-day Qutub Minar.

Over the centuries, whether new capitals like Lal Kot, Siri, or Shahjahanabad were established, each was ultimately subsumed under the single, unifying name of 'Dilli.' To replace this encompassing identity with a name tied to a singular, ancient, and mythological reference to (at best) a part of the city would be to deliberately erase a long and shared past that is the very essence of the city's character.